Chapter 2.2

Then Aria read aloud the line that froze Rosaline’s blood.

“—and thus, we have found a cure for the illness that has long tormented you.”

“…What?”

“I wanted you to be the first to hear this joyous news.”

Aria set the letter down, smiling so brightly it outshone spring daffodils. Rosaline sat frozen. Her sister stood quickly.

“I should write to Mother and Father…”

The Count and Countess of Rensier had gone on a short trip to the south, partly to inspect their lands. It was thanks to the count, an imperial court official, making time for his delicate wife.

But they would surely return the moment they heard this news.

Aria took Rosaline’s hand. “Let’s not tell them yet. They’ll be back soon anyway, and I want to tell them myself.”

“And let’s keep this between us, just a little while. I need time to let it all sink in…”

Rosaline stared into her sister’s gentle green eyes that she inherited from their mother. She nodded.

“Alright.”

“Thank you.”

In that moment, Rosaline suddenly understood what Synox’s final words had meant.

He must have been the first to know Aria would be cured.

Their affair had only been possible because Aria had been sick. With her recovery, it ended .Naturally, inevitably.

Her chest went cold.

Unaware of her younger sister’s internal agony, Aria beamed again, eyes softening sweetly.

The smile was so pure that Rosaline, just for a moment, felt like throwing herself into a river lined with flowers that resembled her older sister’s smile.

* * *

“I want to eat out tonight.”

Because Aria said that, they went into town together.

Rosaline didn’t enjoy outings, but she couldn’t say no. She was one of the people who loved Aria, after all.

Some assumed Rosaline didn’t think well of Aria, but the truth was more complicated.

She simply wasn’t as warm, and every day she lived beneath the weight of knowing the man she loved looked only at Aria, but that didn’t mean she lacked sisterly affection.

When Aria looked at her with pleading eyes, Rosaline couldn’t refuse.

Their evening was perfect.

The restaurant Aria had chosen served a dinner they both enjoyed. The streets were filled with the last of summer’s blooms and the first signs of fall.

Even the breeze cooperated. Neither too hot nor too cold. Just mild enough that even frail Aria could sit on the balcony and look down at the streets below as they dined.

“If only Synox were here.”

Aria said it with a sigh, but Rosaline was relieved he wasn’t.

Watching him look at her sister would’ve been unbearable.

He would propose, once she was well.

As Aria delicately sliced a butter-seared scallop, Rosaline knew it.

Synox had ended things.

Their relationship came with no promised future—and ironically, with no real hardships either—but still, his goodbye had been abrupt. That only meant one thing. One of them had resolved to try something new.

Rosaline bit the inside of her lip. She felt disgusted with herself for thinking about all these pointless things instead of focusing on Aria’s recovery.

On the ride home, she unclasped the bracelet she had worn and held it out to her sister.

“Here. I’m giving it back.”

Aria accepted it with a surprised lift of her brow. “But I gave this to you.”

“You did. But it was originally a gift from Lord Aphlenta.”

The bracelet was set with amethyst, and because of that, Aria had given it to Rosaline. Aria, who resembled the countess, had inherited their mother’s eyes, while Rosaline’s violet eyes came from their father’s side, making the stone shine all the more brightly on her.

“Amethyst suits you better.”

Aria had said that with a bright smile. Rosaline couldn’t bring herself to tell her older sister that Synox had personally bid for the bracelet, and was even featured in the newspapers for it.

The realization that she would never receive a heartfelt gift from him held her back like chains around her ankles.

Even if the whole world saw amethyst and thought of Rosaline, Synox had chosen the gem with Aria in mind.

To him, the bracelet always belonged to Aria. And for Rosaline, that had to be enough.

She turned her face away from her older sister’s piercing gaze, toward the window of the carriage.

“Sorry… I should’ve returned it sooner.”

“Rose… actually, this bracelet—”

Before Aria could finish, the carriage screeched to a halt.