Chapter 2 (Part 1)

“Shoo! Get away.”

Reina, who had rejected Richelle’s suggestion, instead tried to erase the images that popped into her mind every day by waving her hands. But waving her hands didn’t make the distracting thoughts disappear.

“Isn’t there another alternative? What if I achieve a state of emptiness?”

This time, she sat down with her legs spread apart, put her palms and soles together, and slowly closed her eyes.

Empty your mind. Empty it!

She attempted to meditate alone, but for some reason, she couldn’t achieve a state of emptiness. The more she tried not to think about it, the more Patrick’s image popped into her mind.

Then there’s no choice. I’ll have to exhaust my body.

Reina stood up and changed from her dress into pants. Then she walked to the wall, placed her palms on the floor, and attempted a handstand.

Grunting, she lifted her legs and pressed her heels against the wall while supporting herself with her hands.

As her pink ponytail fell to the floor in clumps, blood rushed to her head. As her arms strained, her mind seemed to go blank.

Oh, it seems to be working a bit?

Despite the cold sweat, thanks to the physical exertion, no thoughts entered her mind. She felt a bit alive.

Ugh, this is hard…

But within a few minutes, Reina’s face started to turn bright red. She tried to endure by putting strength into her increasingly heavy arms. At that moment—

“Sis, what are you doing?”

The door suddenly burst open, and Lilith barged in.

“Kyah!”

Startled by Lilith’s unexpected entrance, Reina lost her balance and tumbled forward.

It was a good thing she didn’t twist her neck in the fall.

“Why are you lying on the floor by yourself? Are you bored? Should I play with you?”

Lilith looked down at Reina, tilting her head.

Seeing the red eyes staring at her made Reina feel as if her embarrassing inner thoughts were exposed. Feeling embarrassed, Reina grumbled.

“Lilith! I told you to knock before coming in.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Lilith rolled her red eyes and scratched her head, apologizing.

“I’ll help you up.”

Lilith extended her hand, and Reina tried to get up with her help but couldn’t.

She was too light to support Reina’s weight, so Reina had to get up on her own.

“Why did you come in suddenly?”

“Let’s eat meat, Sis!”

“Meat?”

Hearing about food made Reina realize she was hungry. She had spent so much time worrying that it was already dinner time.

“I’m hungry. Come on out! We should eat together.”

Seeing that Reina wasn’t moving, Lilith urged her.

Being in her growth period, Lilith eagerly awaited meal times and snack times each day. She enjoyed eating with Reina, so she always came to get her before meals.

“Alright. Go ahead. I’ll change and come out.”

“Okay. Hurry up!”

Reina called a maid to change back into a dress and then headed to the dining room.

On the dining table were herb salad, chicken stew, and beef steak, each prepared for their respective places.

“You’re late.”

Richelle was already eating when Reina arrived late.

“Why are you so late? I waited for you.”

Lilith had been waiting without eating until Reina arrived.

“Sorry, it took me a while to change.”

As soon as Reina sat down, a maid brought a bowl of rose water in front of her. It was to wash her hands before eating.

Just as she was about to dip her hands into the bowl, she noticed something in Lilith’s hand.

She definitely didn’t see it a moment ago.

Reina was so startled that she knocked over the bowl, spilling the rose water onto the floor and splashing it on her clothes.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you okay?”

Richelle quickly approached Reina, who was startled.

“Your face is red, Sis!”

Lilith looked at Reina with a puzzled expression.

“Are you alright?”

Maids rushed over with handkerchiefs and began wiping the water off her.

Leaving herself in the maids’ hands, Reina glanced again at the object in Lilith’s hand.

Why on earth is she holding that…?

“Oh, did this scare you? Hehe.”

Sensing Reina’s gaze, Lilith awkwardly smiled and swung the object in her hand slightly.

What she was holding was a very thick and large bitter melon.

“Were you surprised, Sis? It looks so strange that I asked the chef for the biggest one.”

“….”

“Lilith, I told you not to play with food! Holding food like that must have startled Reina.”

Richelle scolded Lilith but chuckled.

Seeing her lips curled up, Richelle seemed to be mocking Reina’s inner feelings.

“Sis, I’m sorry. I’ve been causing a lot of trouble for you today.”

Lilith lowered her head slightly in apology.

“See, I told you to put it away before dinner. How about putting it in your room now? Reina might not be able to eat because she’s startled.”

Richelle continued to tease.

“Alright. I’ll go put it in my room quickly.”

Lilith took the bitter melon and ran to her room. As she left, Richelle’s gaze shifted to Reina.

“Why don’t you change your clothes too?”

Reina then realized her clothes were wet. She had been so startled that she forgot her clothes were soaked.

“Oh, okay.”

Reina hurriedly stood up and walked quickly. Two maids followed, but she gestured for them not to.

As soon as she entered her room and closed the door, Reina leaned against it. But her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

Placing her hand on her chest, she felt her heart pounding fiercely.

She tried to calm her breathing by pressing on her chest, but her heart kept beating irregularly. It was because she remembered what had made her heart race a moment ago.

It was just food. Food she usually ate cooked.

But.

Had these everyday things always been this suggestive?

It wasn’t her first time seeing a bitter melon. When she first saw it, she only thought its shape was peculiar and had no other thoughts.

But now, its shape approached her with a different meaning.

Why on earth!

Maybe it’s because all her senses were heightened. Just seeing something blunt made her feel trapped in strange delusions. Her mind was in turmoil.

Even if she brought one, why did she have to bring the biggest and thickest one?

Perhaps it felt even more so because the bitter melon Lilith brought was the largest she had ever seen. Thinking of the bitter melon in Lilith’s hand made her breathing quicken again.

“Hmm.”

Reina tried to calm her breathing to avoid getting caught up in foolish delusions. After taking deep breaths and regaining her composure, she changed her clothes and headed to the dining room.

“You’re late.”

Richelle, who had finished her meal, was wiping her lips with a napkin, while Lilith was devouring her steak.

“Oh, I was just looking for some clothes.”

“Really? Are you calm now?”

Richelle’s face still had a playful air about it.

“Y-Yeah.”

Reina stammered, watching Richelle’s reactions.

It seemed like Richelle had figured out what was on her mind, but she said nothing more. She just propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands with a bright smile.

Her gaze was filled with various emotions—curiosity, mischief, amusement, mockery, and more.

Ignoring the burdensome gaze, Reina tried to act nonchalant. Fortunately, Lilith had left the bitter melon in her room, so she could eat without any hesitation.

After finishing her meal, Lilith also rested her chin on her hands like Richelle and stared at Reina.

With violet and red eyes both focused on her, Reina felt suffocated.

Ugh, I feel like I’m going to choke.

Glancing alternately at Lilith and Richelle, Reina finally managed to finish her meal after lowering her gaze.

But she still felt choked even after the meal, as if she had indigestion. Patting her chest, she entered her room, followed by the maid Nina, who brought some medicine.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Taking the medicine Nina handed her made her feel a bit better. But thinking about Richelle and Lilith’s gazes made her feel suffocated again.

That was the problem. Physical ailments could be cured with medicine, but matters of the heart couldn’t be solved that way.

The only consolation was that Lilith was obedient. She had told her not to bring the bitter melon to the dining room, so there would be no more choking incidents during meals.

So, Reina thought the ordeal with Lilith was over… but she was wrong.

This was just the beginning.