—


  My whole body felt like lead. I couldn’t come back to my senses.

  It was terribly hot and extremely cold at the same time. My eyes were throbbing as my consciousness flickered in and out.

  “Ruby……”


  Someone touched my forehead. I gasped and my eyes opened.

  Who was it? There was only one person who did this to me when I was sick……

  “Sister……?”


  Blood red eyes entered my blurry view. I thought of my sister. The blood on her thin wrist……

  “Hey…… hey.”


  “Ruby……?”


  “Sister, don’t die. Please don’t die.”


  Long, soft hair touched the tips of my shaking fingers.

  It’s you! It’s you!

  I grabbed her hair desperately and twisted it with my fingers, whimpering, “Sister, don’t die. I don’t want to die alone. So don’t go away, sister. Live with me.”


  Her comforting touch on my forehead disappeared.

  No, don’t go!

  “Did you do anything dangerous in front of her?”


  “No, I don’t think that happened.”
……

  Huh? Isn’t that my sister?

  That was my mean husband’s voice, but my sister couldn’t be talking to my husband. Ah, I was in a whole different world……

  I was about to turn around, but a hand grabbed my shoulder and made me lie down straight. I was familiar with the scent that entered my nose.

  Eh?

  “Sp……”


  A death reaper. A silver-haired death reaper was staring down at me dying.

  Ugh!

  “Sp, spare me. Help me……”


  Those blood-red eyes shook a little.

  Help me, don’t kill me, you son of a b*tch! If you’re the main character, it’ll be fine!

  I was so angry that tears welled up. I stared hard at him and slapped the standing man on his arm.

  “Spare me, save me……”


  Why wasn’t he listening?

  I decided to give up because I felt like my hands were giving it their all. My line of consciousness was cut off again there.

  It came back again.

  When I opened my eyes, a small palm was patting my face.

  “Get well soon, my lady……”


  Who was this? Her clear blue-green eyes are pretty.

  It reminded me of a little princess I knew. There was no way the princess could visit me, but……

  The scenery changed once more as I almost gave up my consciousness to the gentle pats on my face.

  The place I was in, the face looking down at me by the bed…… Was I dreaming?

  ‘Why are you stuck here?’ My sister asked.

  Long ginger hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and soft lips tinted with coral-red lipstick.

  It really was her.

  ‘Why don’t you go out and ride a yacht? It’s summer vacation.’


  Every summer vacation, we came down to our family summer house. Where you could see the beautiful lakeside from the window. The sound of my sister’s friends screaming in excitement was heard even in the room where I laid down.

  My sister, who was lighting a cigarette with a giggle, flopped down next to me.

  ‘What’s the problem? I don’t think my mom or dad told you to stay quiet, and yet you’re here. Are you sick?’


  Our parents were traveling abroad with their respective lovers while their children gathered their friends and enjoyed the summer.

  I wasn’t sick.

  But I couldn’t tell her that my oldest brother told me to stay here until he came.

  My sister often fought with her brothers. I often argued with my parents as well as my brothers. After such a fight, I would hide and hurt myself. So, I couldn’t say it.

  If I had told her back then……

  Her thin forearms, covered by cigarette smoke, flickered back and forth in front of my eyes like an illusion.

  At the end of it, the landscape was erased like a white bubble.

  I seemed to have been unconscious for a long time without waking up again in the middle.

  Perhaps because of that, when I came back to my senses, I felt as clear and refreshed as ever.

  A familiar ceiling came into view.

  My bedroom in Omerta Castle……

  While sitting up, the memory of the last thing that happened slowly came back. What would happen to me now? Popo and Griffin were probably fine.

  It was not like a vicious dragon was picking on them……

  “Are you fine?”


  I almost jumped up.

  As I slowly turned my head, calming my frightened heart, I saw Ellenia, who was sitting upright in a chair on one side of the bedroom, staring at me.

  Although she had the same indifferent and expressionless face, I was a little scared because of everything I had done.

  She spoke up again, as my mouth became dry, trying to figure out what to say, “I’m sorry.”


  “.……what?”


  “I didn’t mean to push Ruby like that.”


  She seemed to be talking about what happened in front of the bathroom.

  While I was just staring blankly, Ellenia lowered her eyes a little and looked down at my hand. She seemed to be feeling awkward for some reason.

  I was curious, but I guess I should just say it was okay.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it……”


  “As expected, you don’t ask anything.”


  “.……”


  “My mother also had such marks on the back of her hand.”


  “Oh……”


  “She thinned up a lot, the year before she passed away.”


  I didn’t know what to say. I kind of guessed it when she pushed me that day, but it was surprising to hear it from Ellenia’s mouth.

  I see. So……

  “She was morbidly obsessed with her appearance…… I was the only one who knew more about my mother’s bizarre habits. She ate only a few fruits a day and spent half a day on hair care.”


  Once again, my mind wandered to my sister. My dead mother-in-law and my sister’s last moves were too similar.

  Of course, I’d developed a similar habit, but…… I would never take my own life.

  Ellenia, who slightly bit the tip of her lip, raised her eyes again and looked straight into my eyes, “I’ve never really understood her so far. Just……”


  “.……”


  “Thanks to you, I think I know a little bit.”


  ‘Thanks to me’, what do you mean?

  Did she mean what I had said as an excuse back then, ‘I can only control my body’ ?

  “Well, my husband……”


  “I’ll keep it a secret from him, so don’t worry.”


  Her cool voice brought relief. It was no good being caught. Aside from the shame.

  So, this was a secret between Ellenia and me?

  There was a moment of silence. After the momentary pause, Ellenia finally took her eyes off me and raised her body, “Princess Ari had visited.”


  “What?”


  “She said she wanted to visit you. She asked me to tell you that she wished for you to get better soon.”


  So, that hadn’t been a dream? I was amazed and moved that the princess had really come by.

  “By the way, Ruby.”


  “Yes?”


  “Do you happen to have a sister?”


  What? What did she mean by “sister” all of a sudden? That was in my previous life.

  As I tilted my head in confusion, Ellenia quickly shook her head quickly, “No, never mind…… I’ll find out sooner or later, but the situation right now is quite chaotic because the dragon, who was asleep, woke up.”


  “.……”


  “You don’t have to be scared. We knew this would happen someday, so we had prepared thoroughly.”


  I see. She didn’t look that stress-free. More than that, did Ellenia not know that I was the one who woke up the dragon?

  Didn’t Izek tell Ellenia? Or was Ellenia trying to test me?

  “So, you should never go around alone for a while. Fortunately, people found you first this time, so you were lucky……”


  “What?”


  Ellenia blinked when I asked blankly.

  “As expected, you don’t remember. Some of Vigilante’s guild members found you lying near the forest and were discussing ransom, but how did you end up there?”


  “Well, I was sick and I……”


  “That’s enough. But don’t ever walk around alone again. Especially near the frost forest, even the well-trained paladins are reluctant to go there alone. Fortunately, you were lucky this time, since the guild members are also not that reliable. Do you understand?”


  Soft yet determined, I nodded my head vigorously.

  Ellenia seemed to have concluded that I was mentally cornered by the series of events.

  She didn’t have any idea of what really happened.

  Although city guards were turning a blind eye to the private guilds’ work, it would mean that they had contacted the private guild, which was strictly illegal.

  Only

  In other words, it meant that the Paladins, who found me that day, kept everything a secret, but I didn’t know if that was good or not.

  Who all were unaware?