Three drops of bright red blood.

Something hot streaked under my nose.

I gasped and lifted my right hand and gently touched under my nose.

My hand came away covered in red liquid.

“Kuh, kuh… cough, cough.”

As I checked the nosebleed, a fit of coughing ensued. An unbearable heat ruthlessly struck my throat.

Falling off the bed, bleeding from my nose, and now coughing – what is this?

My vision blurred. If I fall asleep like this, I won’t be able to go on the trip.

Jane or Aiden, whoever would come to my room tomorrow would surely prevent me from going.

My family would stop me, too.

And they would all want me to rest at home.

At least for a week, maybe longer.

And in that time, I would die. Surrounded by everyone’s worries.

I didn’t want that. Isn’t it the ending I wanted to avoid most? Even as I continued to cough harshly, that was all I could think of.

Somehow, I need to gather my strength. I must clean up all traces, and tomorrow, I need to leave with my family.

Suddenly, my left arm that had been supporting me on the floor gave out.

As it was holding up my upper body, I fell to the floor again.

Lying there, gasping for breath.

The pain gradually subsided.

Apparently, the third petal had fully bloomed.

Only then did my blurred eyes begin to focus.

My lips trembled. It was a relief that no one saw me like this, but at the same time… it was heartbreaking that no one did.

I couldn’t make sense of anything.

So this is what it feels like to deteriorate. I couldn’t understand my own thoughts.

Trapped in a strange space, left alone in a faint world without anything clear.

Nothing was certain.

Lost in a hazy world, my memories jumbled, I couldn’t tell if this was reality, a dream, an illusion, the past, the future, or the present.

I closed my eyes.

Taking slow, deep breaths in the pitch-dark room, it felt as if my cloudy mind was returning.

When I slowly opened my eyes again, the room gradually came into view as I adapted to the darkness.

…Eunji.

Eunji, who must have been trapped in this pain for a lifetime, trembling in fear of not knowing if she would die today or tomorrow.

Isn’t it selfish? I, who didn’t cry even at the moment of her death, am now facing my own real death… and now… I desperately want to cry.

“Eunji…”

As my eyelids started to close again, I forced my eyes open. I sat up against the bed and looked at the floor where I had fallen.

The floor was covered in blood, reminiscent of a crime scene.

Quite a sight.

At least I should clean up this mess before I faint or fall asleep. I also need to do something about my blood and sweat-soaked clothes.

Though my head was heavy, I needed to move.

* * *

Selena hurriedly walked into the bathroom.

She took off her blood and sweat-soaked clothes, closed the plug of the bathtub, and turned on the water. Throwing the clothes into the rising water, the blood stained the bathwater red.

Staring blankly at the water turning red, Selena slowly moved to stand in front of the mirror.

Blood was smeared unsightly all over her face. Her hair was disheveled, and there was a bruise on her forehead.

It was from hitting the floor when she fell off the bed.

“Ha… Haha…”

With a short chuckle while looking down, Selena soon faced the three flower petals that had bloomed near her heart.

Pain surged through her mouth as she bit her lips tightly, yet the tension in her jaw didn’t ease.

Selena clenched her fist and struck her chest, right where the petals were.

Thud, thud, thud. The dull sounds echoed in the bathroom.

The sight of her bent back, striking her chest in her underwear, was pitiful.

After a while of handling the aftermath, Selena sat blankly on the bed.

Just blankly.

It was impossible to tell what her unfocused eyes were looking at.

After sitting like that for a long time, the dim dawn light began to show. Slowly blinking, Selena gradually stood up.

5 a.m.

A time when a few diligent servants would be awake. And also a time when someone Selena needed would be awake.

Selena quietly opened the door and stepped out. She hadn’t thought to put on a coat, so the cold winter air hit her all over.

Yet, Selena didn’t even blink.

Compared to last night’s ordeal, the winter air felt merely refreshing.

Selena walked down the empty corridor.

At this time, the servants who were working were mostly in the kitchen or doing outside work.

With the house owners asleep, no one roamed the mansion except for Selena, clad in her white nightgown, wandering like a ghost.

Selena slowly descended the stairs.

Down the stairs, along the lengthy corridor, and among the numerous doors, she stopped in front of one.

Then, she took four steps back from the door. Only when her back touched the wall did she slide down and sit on the cold floor.

A frail figure crouched in the chilly corridor. That was Selena.

With her eyes dimly open, she looked down at the floor and waited quietly.

For the owner of the room to come out.

The door eventually opened cautiously, mindful of another person sleeping inside.

Selena slowly raised her head. The person who opened the door stopped at the unexpected sight before them.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

“Lady…?”

“Hello, Priest Ian.”

Selena’s voice was eerily calm as she responded.

The two moved to a different location. In the dim dawn light bathing the mansion, only their footsteps echoed in the silence.

The suffocating silence made Ian’s shoulders twitch several times as he watched Selena walk ahead with staggering steps.

The destination was an empty parlor at the end of the corridor.

After locking the door, Selena took a seat opposite Ian.

“Such an early hour… What brings you to me, Lady?”

Ian’s stiff voice asked cautiously. Selena looked at him, then turned her gaze slightly to stare into space. Her empty eyes blinked a few times, and Ian swallowed nervously. Then, Selena spoke.

“I need your help, Priest Ian.”

“Help? From me?”

“Yes. From Priest Ian.”

Ian observed Selena for a moment, wondering what she could possibly request with such a calm demeanor. But soon, he nodded. Ian owed Selena a debt.

After the High Priest incident, he had learned the truth. The High Priest had been behind the monster events and had attempted to kill the Lady. A magic circle was found in the temple where he had stayed, and according to its interpretation, Ian was also meant to be a sacrifice for the High Priest.

Had he not come to this mansion, he too would have been murdered after his November birthday. Thus, the Lady was his savior and someone to whom he owed a debt. How could he refuse her request?

Selena gave a small smile seeing Ian nodding, her lips faintly curling upward as she began to speak.

“I am going to die soon.”

A bold, yet brief declaration of truth.

“…What?”

Ian froze at her announcement, his stiff tongue barely managing to utter a question. Selena nodded slightly.

“Yes, I am dying.”

“What… do you mean?”

“The High Priest.”

The mention of the High Priest made Ian freeze again. His black eyes drifted into space, then slowly dropped to the floor. The air became heavy in an instant, and Selena closed her eyes briefly before speaking again.

“The High Priest used black magic. Even with his death, the magic won’t disappear. In three weeks, or even before that… I will die.”

Ian covered his face with his hands. A whirl of emotions cascaded over his face, hidden behind his hands.

“I know that because of the High Priest, you were in danger, Lady.”

“That’s true. I fought magnificently though.”

Selena tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it seemed not to reach Ian, or more accurately, his troubled mind.

“But, in the end, the High Priest… he still managed to… to the Lady…”

“….It can’t be helped.”

Ian raised his head at Selena’s resignation and exclaimed.

“Lady!”

Emotion was now evident in his voice, which had been rigid before. Selena quietly looked at his face and smiled faintly.

“The magic has already begun, and I am dying. There’s no use dwelling on the past and blaming the High Priest. I don’t have much time left.”

Selena explained the magic.

The fact that death would follow when seven black petals bloomed and the symptoms she was experiencing. As the story lengthened, Ian’s face became increasingly distorted.

“Today… the third petal bloomed.”

“What?”

“It was a disaster. I really thought… I was dying.”

Her voice, mixed with laughter, murmured as if making a joke.

But Ian understood.

This heavy murmur was a stark reality, with nothing added to it.

“Then maybe you should cancel the trip…”

“No.”

Selena cut him off decisively.

“I want to go. That’s why I’m asking for your help. So that I can at least endure well during the trip. I want to be happy. Even if it’s just for one more day, even if it’s just for a single day. But… it’s so hard. Much harder than I thought. I wish I could go back to the past. To the days when I was happy. And that place holds such memories for me. Memories of happiness, happiness itself.”

“Lady.”

Ian’s voice, filled with longing, called out to her, but Selena did not stop speaking.

“I know my own body. It seems three petals are my limit. I was trying to hide it at least until the fifth one, but once the fourth petal blooms… I’ll have no choice but to tell. So, this trip is my last. The last time I can laugh and talk with people who know nothing. The last time I can spend peacefully… Please help me, Priest Ian.”

Ian could no longer persuade Selena otherwise.

Her quietly spoken words were so sad, her faintly smiling lips were sad. The sight of such a great person appearing so small was sad.

With tears threatening to fall, Ian blinked heavily and slowly bowed his head.

“…Yes. As much as I can… within my power… I will help you, Lady.”

Selena smiled silently. Beyond the window, the sun was rising.

* * *

On the way to the capital, the winter days meant the ground was frozen, so the carriage rolled more slowly than usual.

It would take more than half a day this way. Well, at least the jolting was less.

“Selena, aren’t you cold?”

“No. I’m warm.”

Thanks to the magic items, the inside of the carriage was warm. It wasn’t as cozy as sitting in front of a fireplace, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Money is indeed good.

“Mother, aren’t you cold?”

“No. I’m quite resistant to the cold, you know.”

“Haha.”

This morning, before getting in the carriage, I received a share of Ian’s divine power. The flash of bright light indicated that he had transferred a significant amount of strength.

I was grateful. I expressed my gratitude, and Ian, in turn, said he was the one who should be thankful.

It seems our house has a good foundation. Everyone who comes by is exceptionally kind.

A blessed house indeed.

I can think of my death as a sort of atonement.

Thanks to Ian’s divine power, I felt lighter and more clear-headed.

Almost as if last night’s ordeal had been nothing but a dream.

“Aren’t you sad that the trip isn’t longer?”

“No. I just wanted to see the lake. Two nights and four days are enough, Brother.”

“But still… Ah, let’s plan another trip next year. In spring or early summer. When the weather is nice and it’s peaceful. We’ll take a longer trip then. How about that?”

“That would be wonderful. You all know… how much I love you, right?”

The family burst into laughter, and soon started a playful debate about who loved me more.

I love Selena more, No, I do.

In this all-too-familiar and ultimately meaningless contest, I quietly smiled and looked out the window.

Due to the slightly longer travel time, I eventually felt a bit of motion sickness as we neared the mansion.

Seeing me tired, Mother rubbed my hands, bringing some relief with the warmth of her fingers touching each joint.

__