"Get out."

The first words she spoke.

Yet, they resonated with an icy chill unbefitting words directed at family.

Charlotte’s lips hesitated.

“Elise…”

“Get out. I don’t want to see that wretched face.”

“But—”

“Didn’t you hear me? All of you, leave.”

“…”

The harsh command struck like a blow.

Charlotte’s blue eyes trembled.

She seemed momentarily cowed by the fierce response, but soon clenched her fists tightly.

This time, she was determined not to yield.

“You need treatment. This opportunity won’t come again.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Because I’m your sister.”

“Ha... what nonsense.”

The Rose let out a hollow laugh.

Her thin fingers grabbed something and hurled it at the girl before her.

It was an empty vase that had been on the bedside table.

*Crash!*

It narrowly missed Charlotte and shattered on the floor.

The shards scattered near their feet, glittering ominously.

“…”

The violent action silenced her sister’s words.

Elise stared at her with eyes full of cold hostility.

Her pale lips moved as if in warning.

“I told you, didn’t I? Whether I die or not, it’s none of your concern.”

“…”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“You know it’s not pity.”

“I didn’t care to know. Not once did I ever want to stay alive by your side.”

“Why do you... always say such cruel things?”

The conversation moved forward like a suffocating stalemate.

I recalled what I knew of Elise’s character.

Her strained relationship with Charlotte, and her notoriously difficult personality.

There were many scenes like this in the original story.

*‘Was it this severe?’*

Seeing the tension between them, that thought naturally came to mind.

The atmosphere was icy beyond repair.

It was as if neither of them remembered my presence.

I stood by, unsure of what to do, when suddenly, Elise clutched her chest and began coughing violently.

Drops of blood mixed with her labored breaths.

*Cough, ack…!*

Her face contorted in pain.

The sudden bout of blood coughing stained her pale lips red.

Charlotte looked as if she would rush over but halted at Elise’s harsh words to stay away.

Frozen in place, she was clearly distressed.

It was unlike her to be so shaken.

She wanted to help stop the attack but didn’t know how.

She wanted to hold Elise’s hand, but doing so would only trigger a more severe reaction. It was a helpless situation.

I realized now was the perfect moment.

“Your Highness.”

I lightly placed my hand on Charlotte’s shoulder.

Her trembling eyes met mine as I smiled reassuringly and spoke with confidence.

“I will take care of this.”

“Can you...?”

“Of course. That’s why you called for me, isn’t it?”

Faith is a fickle thing.

In the most desperate moments, all it takes is saying what someone most wants to hear.

People are fragile.

They cling to the words they long for as a foundation for trust.

I whispered sweetly.

“I can heal her.”

Charlotte’s blue eyes widened.

The words she’d hoped for most.

Though brief, it was enough to fill the void.

I used the tangled strings of trust to make an offer she couldn’t refuse.

The first step in binding her willingly.

“But for the treatment, I’ll need your complete cooperation.”

“Cooperation…?”

“You need to trust me.”

The poor Little Prince.

There was no chance she would reject this, after caring so deeply for her Rose for so long.

“...Alright. I’ll do whatever you ask.”

None.

---

A few minutes later.

Only Elise and I remained in the room.

It was as I had requested.

I said treatment couldn’t proceed with others present.

Half-entranced, Charlotte nodded and left with the maid who had been tending Elise.

The silence in the room was almost deathly.

*Cough, cough...!*

The occasional cough was the only sound breaking the stillness.

I looked at the shadowed bed.

A lone Rose in pitiful bloom.

Her face, as pale as death, showed clear signs of suffering despite her efforts to suppress it.

The absence of color made her look ghostly.

“So pitiful.”

I muttered deliberately, loud enough for her to hear.

Elise’s head, which had been bowed, lifted at my words.

She glared at me, eyes glinting with hostility even as she panted for breath.

“Hah, hah...”

Even with her strained breathing, there was a deadly light in her eyes.

I met her gaze head-on.

Our stares clashed without a hint of retreat.

I prodded her with a mocking tone.

“Does it hurt?”

“G-get... out… I told you... all of you... to leave...!”

“I’m here to treat your illness. Please forgive this disloyal servant.”

“I... don’t... cough, need it...”

“I need it, though. I never let go of what I want.”

“D-damn you...!”

*Crash!*

As I approached the bed, a glass cup flew past my cheek and shattered.

“Well, that’s not good.”

A bad habit.

I’d have to correct that behavior when I tamed her.

*Cough, cough...!*

But for now, stopping her attack took priority.

I walked up to her.

Elise’s bloody coughing fit hadn’t ceased.

Her fierce reactions might have made it seem less severe, but she was enduring an indescribable pain.

That was the nature of the “disease” afflicting her.

*‘Manastone Petrification.’*

A condition where the mana pathways in the body hardened like stone, ultimately causing the entire body to crumble apart.

An unknown disease with unclear origins.

It had been recorded for a long time, but no one had ever survived it.

A fatal illness with a survival rate approaching 0%.

A curse that left nothing but despair.

Though treatment was theoretically impossible, the story was different with me performing it.

I intended to twist the natural order and save her.

*‘But not too quickly.’*

Slowly, over time.

So I could fully consume everything left around me.

*Snap!*

I snapped my fingers lightly.

An invisible barrier enveloped the room, cutting off any noise from escaping.

The space was now perfectly sealed.

Charlotte would be guarding outside, and no sound would reach beyond these walls.

Even if Elise screamed, no one would hear.

“Heh.”

I stood before the Rose.

Was she planning to resist?

The red-haired girl sat up, pushing the blanket aside and clenching her fists.

She seemed ready to fight to avoid treatment.

But—

“It won’t work.”

*Clap!*

I clapped my hands, and thin tendrils of shadow extended out.

The dark cords wrapped around her limbs, binding her tightly and immobilizing her.

Elise flinched in shock.

“W-what... what’s going on...?!”

The first sign of panic since I’d entered the room.

I smirked ominously.

Had she realized something was wrong?

The Rose struggled desperately, but the tightly knotted shadows didn’t budge.

She could only lie there, bound.

“W-wait, what are you doing...?!”

“I’m fixing you. Both your painful illness and your bad habits.”

I reached out slowly.

Due to her condition, she wore only a thin nightgown, revealing her body’s contours.

*Slide.*

I grasped the fabric over her stomach and lifted it slightly.

The delicate movement exposed her pale abdomen.

Her skin was as pristine as untouched snow.

I traced her slender midsection gently with my fingertips.

*‘Time to focus.’*

The central area where her mana pathways converged needed meticulous work using lies.

I planned to heal her gradually, ensuring no lasting damage.

I pressed my palm against her abdomen, feeling her warmth seep into me.

“Huh...?!”

Elise let out an involuntary gasp at the unexpected contact.

Realizing what was happening, she shivered in shock, unable to hide her horror.

She stammered, barely holding back a scream.

“Y-you... you dare... do you know what you’re doing?!”

“I know better than anyone.”

“I’m treating you.”

“Let go! Cough! So this is why... you made everyone leave the room?!”

“Quick-witted, aren’t you? Yes, it was all for this.”

*‘It would have been too much to show others.’*

Her green eyes shook violently.

As her eyes met her reflection in mine, I gave her a warm, reassuring smile.

It was the smile of a doctor looking down at a patient.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make it painful.”

“I’ll treat you without causing pain.”

I pressed down on her dantian gently.

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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