As she did every day, Breti made her way to Meliover’s room the moment she woke up.

Her mornings always began there. Although Karsten had instructed her to do so, her visits had taken on a deeper urgency in recent days as Meliover’s condition had worsened and Breti’s concern had grown accordingly.

So, once again, she set out early to check on her.

Standing at the door, she knocked softly.

“Mother, it’s me—Laterna. May I come in?”

Yet every time she introduced herself as Laterna, a sharp pang of guilt pricked her conscience, one she had never grown used to.

“Come in.”

The warm voice from within prompted her to enter immediately.

Meliover was sitting on the bed, smiling at her.

Seeing her still confined to bed, Breti was seized with sudden fear.

“Mother, are you feeling unwell? Why are you still in bed?”

“It’s nothing. I only just woke up.”

Meliover pulled back the covers and began to rise.

Breti quickly reached out, grasping her arm to steady her.

“…!”

But all at once, Meliover startled violently and pushed her hand away.

“…M-Mother?”

Breti’s wide eyes made it clear how taken aback she was.

Meliover offered a sheepish smile.

“I must have been half-asleep still and startled for no reason.”

“…”

“My dear, go sit over there and wait. I’ll get dressed and be right out.”

Though puzzled, Breti nodded.

Avoiding her gaze, Meliover hurried toward the dressing room with Rosand.

Now certain this girl was not her daughter, Meliover had no idea how she ought to act.

After all, Breti had done her no harm—on the contrary, every gesture, every word, had carried the warmth and sincerity of a real Laterna. Thanks to her, Meliover had often felt at peace.

‘And yet…’

She could not believe that Breti was not her real daughter. Whenever she looked at Breti, she was overwhelmed by despair at her child’s death and a profound sense of betrayal at having been deceived.

However, she could not bring herself to treat the girl badly, given how kind she had been to her. Her mind could comprehend this contradiction, but her heart could not accept it.

‘How was she supposed to calm down?’

Meliover let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Madam, is something troubling you?”

Rosand asked, her expression full of concern. Meliover offered her a faint smile.

“It’s nothing. Let’s get dressed and go out. Laterna is waiting for us, isn’t she?”

Shortly afterwards, when Meliover emerged from the changing room, Breti pulled back the curtains, allowing sunlight to flood into the room.

When she saw her, Breti said,

“The weather’s lovely today, Mother.”

“It does seem so.”

“Shall we take a walk outside together?”

As always, Breti was asking with Meliover’s comfort in mind. Seeing her like that, Meliover pushed aside the thoughts that had been circling in her head moments ago and nodded.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Breti promptly took her arm to support her as they stepped out of the room.

“There’s a nice spot in the back garden where the sunlight filters through the trees. Let’s go there today.”

They had just reached the stairs, chatting about their destination, when—

“Laterna… or was it Breti?”

The moment her real name left Meliover’s lips, Breti faltered.

She quickly smoothed over her surprise, forcing a small smile.

“Yes, that was my name. Why do you ask?”

“I just… want to know about your past ten years.”

Meliover said this, her gaze fixed intently on Breti’s.

But Breti couldn’t hold that gaze for long, given all she was hiding.

“I used to learn about herbs and how to treat people from the woman who took care of me.”

She said softly, lowering her head before beginning her story.

“But when my mother died, there was nothing I could do.”

“How did she die?”

“We had gone up the mountain together to gather herbs, and we were attacked by a haeriji.”

Breti’s fingertips gave the faintest tremor.

“It should have been me who got hurt, but Mother… she protected me instead.”

“That must have hurt your heart terribly.”

“In the end, she lost her sight, and without proper treatment… she passed away.”

By the time they reached the back garden, Bagi, who had followed behind carrying a chair, set it down in a suitable spot. Breti eased Meliover into the seat and draped a blanket over her lap.

“Was it your mother’s death that made you interested in herbs and healing?”

“Yes. I began studying again, recalling what I’d learned before. When I worked at an inn called Aurora, I sometimes treated guests who were injured in sudden attacks.”

A faint shiver ran through Breti at the memory. Back then, healing others had brought her no joy. The men she treated seldom offered thanks; instead, they treated her with rudeness, as though she were no more than a servant to command. Because of that, she had felt no sense of reward—only the bitter thought that she should never have helped them at all.

“And then…”

But there had been one time—a single time—when healing someone had truly meant something.

“And then?”

“There was a boy. The first boy I ever treated.”

The first boy she had ever treated.

“The first?”

It had been the time she treated Karsten.

Carefully recalling that moment, Breti began to speak.

“It was not long after my mother died. I came across a boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, who had been badly injured in a haeriji attack.”

“Oh my.”

“At the time, I didn’t know whether he had lived or died. It wasn’t until much later that I learned he had survived and was doing well.”

“How did you find out?”

“By chance… I happened to see him.”

“I see.”

“That was the first time, the first time I ever saved someone’s life.”

Back then, Breti had devoted all her energy to saving Karlsten. It had been so long ago, when she was just a child, yet she could still vividly feel it at her fingertips.

Since then, she had always thought that if she were ever granted freedom, she would spend her life healing others.

Breti clasped Meliover’s hands firmly and met her gaze.

“So I will make sure you recover, Mother.”

“…My dear.”

Meliover seemed startled by her words.

Breti shook her head.

“I won’t listen to anything you say to the contrary. Please don’t say it.”

“My dear…”

“I will cure your illness, no matter what.”

“…”

“So please… hold on for a long time, Mother.”

For her sake—

‘For the sake of the one who put me in this place as her stand-in.’

If Meliover were to die, Karsten would surely grieve. Just imagining it made Breti’s heart feel as though it were being torn apart. She could not bear the thought of seeing such a sight—not even once.

“You’re going to get better, Mother.”

Looking at Breti, who so clearly cared for her from the heart, Meliover felt a faint ache tighten in her chest.

“Yes… if it’s my dear child saying so…”

Though she knew this girl was not truly her daughter, Meliover could not bring herself to push her hands away.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

That night, Meliover summoned Tilda to her room.

She pressed a purse full of coins into the maid’s hands.

Tilda was utterly taken aback — she had never handled such a large sum before and would likely never do so again. Her eyes widened as she stared at Meliover.

“My lady… what is this?”

“Tilda. Leave for the south at once—tomorrow.”

“The south?”

“Yes, the south. I’ll have a carriage prepared for you. And this money—use it for your travel expenses. Spend it all if you must.”

The sudden command to go south made Tilda hesitate. She glanced at her mistress warily before asking in a careful voice,

“My lady… what is this about? Has something happened?”

“When you get to the south, find out everything you can about a girl named Breti—she once worked at an inn called the Aurora.”

“Breti…?”

Tilda felt as if she had heard the name somewhere before, but her memory was too hazy to make any guess.

Lost in thought, she hardly noticed when Meliover stepped closer and seized her hand.

“Tilda, will you do this for me? Please…”

“M-My lady…”

She had never seen her mistress plead so earnestly in all her time attending her.

“I beg you.”

“…Yes, my lady. I will.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Meliover thanked her over and over again.

Not long after Tilda left, there came a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Mother, it’s me.”

The voice made Meliover’s heart drop like a stone.