Chapter 7.2

When their daughters were still children, the Count of Rensier held an official position at the imperial palace and was often away from home. Meanwhile, the Countess had given up her place in society to care for her sick daughter.

For someone who had once thrived in social circles and made so many memories in her youth, that sacrifice had been enormous. And at times, she found the weight of having two daughters unbearably heavy.

When one became too difficult to handle, the only option was to let the other go.

“Rosaline Rensier!”

Rosaline no longer remembered what she had done wrong that day. It was so long ago.

“How can a child be so selfish? Can’t you ever think to yield to your sick sister, even once!?”

The furious Countess stormed toward her. Little Rosaline backed away in fear.

Her retreat took her to the end of the corridor, where her back hit the wall.

As her mother’s shadow loomed over her small frame, Rosaline instinctively shrank.

And that was when the Countess collapsed to the floor.

“You’re healthy, unlike Aria. Right? Please, try to understand your mother…”

That day, the Countess had knelt in front of her daughter and wept. Rosaline had just stood there, frozen, unable to do anything as her mother sobbed like a child.

“If something were to happen to Aria tomorrow, I know I’d regret it for the rest of my life…”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand her mother’s feelings.

Even Rosaline figured the Countess would worry more about her eldest daughter, who might disappear at any moment, than her second, who would always be there.

And that was exactly why she didn’t need Aria’s attention right now.

“Mother, Father, please care about Rose, too. You always—”

Synox’s gaze turned toward them. Rosaline quickly cut Aria off.

“Sister.”

She didn’t want to expose this raw, unfiltered version of her family in front of Synox.

More precisely, she didn’t want him to know exactly where she stood within it.

Even if, as someone who’d been connected to their family for years, he probably already knew everything there was to know.

“I really am fine. Please, just drop it.”

Aria arched a brow, clearly dissatisfied, but she didn’t say more.

That was when Count Rensier, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

“Once you’ve recovered enough, Aria, you should begin attending social gatherings.”

“Social gatherings?”

The Countess joined in.

“Yes, Aria. Do you remember the stories I told you when you were younger? About how breathtaking the palace ballroom looked under the lights…”

That was the first time Rosaline had heard of such stories.

She assumed they must’ve been shared while the Countess was nursing Aria. That would explain it.

There were a few things like that between her mother and sister. Things Rosaline had never been part of.

Aria turned to the Countess, brow furrowing slightly.

“But isn’t it a bit too soon for that?”

“Nonsense.”

The Countess brushed off her daughter’s concern.

“You’re just like your mother, Aria. You’ll love it in no time.”

Even now, as a mother of two grown daughters, the Countess still carried an elegant beauty. A faint blush touched her cheeks.

It was the joy of someone reliving the glory of their youth.

Rosaline, unfamiliar with the kind of world they were reminiscing about, dropped her gaze in awkward silence.

* * *

By the time the bruises on the sisters’ wrists had nearly faded, Count Rensier returned home carrying an invitation to a palace banquet.

It was a ball hosted by the Crown Prince.

“Most of the guests are nobles aligned with the Crown Prince’s faction, so you’ll be able to attend without issue.”

The House of Count Rensier currently supported the first prince—who was now named Crown Prince—born of the first empress.

At an event hosted by the Crown Prince, no member of the Rensier family was likely to encounter trouble.

The Countess, once an avid presence in high society herself, understood the political nuance immediately and turned to speak to Aria.

“Aria, look at this. Your father picked it out just for you.”

The following days were filled with frantic preparations for the ball.

At least, they were for Rosaline.

“You dropped this, miss.”

“Oh.”

Rosaline accepted the paper the maid handed her.

It was a list of knights permitted to escort Aria to the ball as her partner.

For a moment, the letters on the page began to blur. Rosaline frowned.

Lately, she’d been having more and more moments where her vision went blurry.

It was probably just from exhaustion.

It had been a long time since she’d attended a formal banquet like this, and there were too many things to prepare, too many details to oversee.

She rubbed her throbbing temple.

Every time her body felt even slightly unwell, fear crept in.

Because she still remembered what Synox had told her.

“Miss Rensier, from this point forward, you’ll need to receive magic from others through physical contact.”

Still, Rosaline wanted to find a different way. One that didn’t involve Synox.

“I refer to sexual intercourse, or acts of similar intimacy.”

She didn’t want to be involved like that… with a man she was about to part ways with.

Whether it was misfortune or a blessing in disguise, Synox hadn’t visited the Rensier estate again since that dinner with her parents.

If she could just get through this upcoming ball, she’d stop hesitating and find some other solution.

Resolved, Rosaline rose from her seat.

“Where’s my sister?”

“Lady Aria is in the greenhouse.”

She needed to ask Aria who she planned to attend the ball with.

Choosing a noble from the Crown Prince’s faction was an option, but since this would be Aria’s first official appearance, it might look too forward.

One of their family’s knights would be the safest choice.

…Or, someone whose relationship with her was already acknowledged in public.

With the face of a certain man—familiar to both her and Aria—flashing through her mind, Rosaline stepped onto the stone path leading from the corridor to the garden.

The autumn sunlight blazed overhead.

She squinted.

And that was when everything went black.