Chartia, who’d decided to act thick-skinned, shamelessly met her gaze. Rosenia, who’d been observing her for quite a while, spoke a beat late.

“…I heard you met the Young Duke of Chester.”

She’d merely mentioned Julian. Yet just the fact that the person saying it was Rosenia made her heart sink.

‘Did she meet him?’

But Rosenia said she’d ‘heard.’ If she’d met him directly, she wouldn’t have asked like that.

Most importantly, even if Rosenia had met Julian, there was no reason to waver. Hadn’t she just resolved not to let things follow the same path as the original story?

Shaking off her anxiety, Chartia nodded lightly.

“Yeah, I’m on my way back from seeing him off.”

“I see.”

Rosenia, who seemed to have something more to say, clasped her hands together and opened and closed her mouth.

After a brief hesitation, the question she asked was quite unexpected.

“Is there nothing more you want to say to me?”

“Huh?”

Since she’d brought up Julian, Chartia had expected at least something related to him. This was a completely unexpected direction.

‘Something to say to Rosenia.’

In truth, there was only one thing she wanted to tell her.

That though she’d been worse than no sister at all until now, she wanted to get along from now on.

Though they were currently awkward sisters, Rosenia was the second-favorite character from the book.

Besides, wasn’t she now her younger sister? 

In her past life as an only child, she’d had some fantasies about having a sister. Talking about romance together, snacking together, sometimes even fighting.

If she could have that kind of genuine relationship with Rosenia, she couldn’t ask for more.

But if she suddenly changed her attitude and acted intimate just because she was the older sister, it would definitely feel off-putting. Restoring a relationship could only be achieved through time and actions, not words.

Having judged that, Chartia shook her head.

At that moment, a negative emotion flashed across Rosenia’s face. It was such a fleeting instant that Chartia didn’t notice.

“…I see.”

She collected herself quickly. Rosenia, who’d returned to her usual expression in no time, continued calmly.

“May I take my leave now? I have a prior engagement.”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Rosenia, who’d greeted her as elegantly as at first, passed by her. Chartia watched until she boarded the waiting carriage, then hastened her steps.

Resolving to make plans not only for Julian but also for restoring her relationship with her younger sister.

* * *

“Did you experience any chills last night?”

“No.”

“You don’t currently have any headaches or stomachaches?”

“No.”

“I heard you went for a walk today—did you experience any discomfort?”

“No, none at all.”

“Hmm, then how did you feel during your walk?”

“…Good.”

“Specifically, what was good about it?”

After the short walk ended, Chartia, who was receiving an examination from her physician in her room, suddenly closed her mouth.

‘Something’s weird about these questions?’

But she seemed to be the only one who found it strange—from Olivia, who’d rushed over abandoning her work, to the physician, and even the servants, everyone had serious faces.

Unable to resist the atmosphere, Chartia reluctantly answered.

“The weather was nice, and the roses in the garden were blooming beautifully, so I think that made it even better.”

“I see.”

After that, the physician continued with more trivial questions.

Soon, when questions came about what today’s lunch menu was and how she’d felt while eating, she finally stopped even forcing out answers.

‘Is this person a quack?’

Such reasonable suspicion arose.

She’d definitely heard he was an impressive doctor from the imperial palace. She’d been suspicious from the moment he drew blood claiming it was for treatment even though she hadn’t even caught a cold.

She’d expected the medical standards here wouldn’t be very high, but she hadn’t expected this absurd level.

At the point when her trust in the physician hit rock bottom, the physician, who’d been diligently recording Chartia’s answers, snapped the medical record shut. Then he pushed up his loosely sliding glasses and declared solemnly.

“You seem to have recovered completely.”

When the physician’s diagnosis came down, Olivia, who’d been watching Chartia with a somewhat anxious expression, asked back in a trembling voice.

“That means…”

“Yes, even the illness you’d been suffering from has been completely cured.”

To put it bluntly, she’d returned to her right mind.

‘These people.’

She’d thought they were examining her physical condition, but apparently it was an examination of her long-standing incurable disease—in other words, her mental state.

‘No wonder the questions were strange.’

The original Chartia wouldn’t have cared how she was treated, but the ‘cured’ version of her felt displeased.

Though she was used to being treated like a sick person, she wasn’t used to being treated like someone mentally ill. Plus, she felt somewhat deceived.

However, everyone except Chartia was covering their mouths, overcome with emotion. The person most delighted was naturally her mother, Olivia.

“I knew it!”

Olivia’s voice overflowed with excitement and joy. Seeing her mother so happy, the negative feelings that had been sticking out retracted completely.

Even the physician and the watching servants were dabbing at tears. Every single one of them had overwhelmed faces, like people who’d received an incredible gift.

Watching them genuinely rejoice, a question suddenly arose.

‘If I had survived and become healthy, would my parents have made this expression too?’

But she had no time to think about a picture that wouldn’t form at all. Because Olivia, unable to contain her emotions, had pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Tia, my lovely daughter!”

At the sudden hug, Chartia’s shoulders stiffened. Olivia’s embrace was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

Yet it wasn’t bad. No, it seemed good.

The sensation of the other person’s body heat pooling directly into her chest.

Because it was warmer than what she’d imagined, she realized for the first time—that parents, that family, weren’t bad.

“Yes.”

When she answered with a slight smile, Olivia showed a smile twice as happy. She stroked her daughter’s back and whispered affectionately.

“As long as you can smile, I can do anything.”

Olivia said she’d give her anything she wished for, but Chartia shook her head.

The memories of parents who’d struggled to cure her incurable disease remained intact. Her mother who’d desperately devoted herself to research to find a treatment method. 

The unwavering affection that never gave up despite repeating failure and disappointment for a long time.

She’d already poured out so much that there was nothing more to wish for.

“Thank you, Mo…ther.”

At her awkward confession, Olivia’s eyes finally reddened.

The physician and servants quietly vacated the space for their lady.

In the room with just the two of them, mother and daughter held each other tightly for a long time.

* * *

Olivia had realized long ago that hope really wasn’t much different from despair.

The day her child first gripped her finger, the moment she’d looked for her with clear eyes and smiled brightly, the time when that treasure of a child’s breath began to fade at some point, and the past days when she ultimately became unable to feel either laughter or sadness.

Hope and despair repeated constantly, and she gradually grew exhausted. Nevertheless, every moment she faced her child, she helplessly came to love her child, so she could never abandon hope.

And the day finally came when that hope shone.

Olivia repeatedly confirmed the miracle that had finally arrived, embracing her child, comforting her, and conversing with her. Only after confirming and confirming again did she leave Chartia’s room.

The moment she closed the door with a click, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor. The person who’d rushed over was her husband, Roderick.

As the Empire’s Chancellor, he always had much work. So much so that even yesterday, when he’d heard news of Chartia’s accident, he couldn’t return home immediately.

However, he’d apparently been unable to resist and rushed out upon hearing the news the messenger delivered this morning.

With disheveled hair and his coat not even properly worn, he asked urgently.

“How’s Tia?”

“She’s healthy.”

“Is the news you sent true?”

Right after the accident, Olivia had informed him of the change that had occurred in Chartia along with news that the child was safe.

And she’d just had that matter confirmed as fact by the physician.

“She just received an examination from the physician, and he says she’s completely cured.”

“Good heavens.”

Roderick covered his mouth with a face about to cry. Though he had no religion, he looked ready to offer a prayer of thanks right then.

Unable to calm his overwhelmed heart, he continued in a trembling voice.

“Your judgment was right.”

“I don’t know if it’s really thanks to that child, but…”

Olivia trailed off.

After receiving her incurable diagnosis, the child who’d shown no interest in anything had once, for the first time, murmured someone’s name.

[Julian.]

It was what she’d said upon seeing the Chester family crest stamped on a letter.

She couldn’t know how the child knew that name or why she’d spoken it.

But Olivia hadn’t forgotten that single utterance.