Her slender body shook as she took heavy breaths.
She was only away for a very short time.
As soon as she re-entered the cold body, a chill ran through her whole body.
Her head was spinning and her hands and feet were shaking.
Even under a warm blanket, her frozen body did not move as easily as she would have it.
The moment she struggled to raise her body, black blood suddenly gushed out.
“...Is this a backlash from the ‘life’ that was thrown at will?”
As she was staring blankly at the crimson blood dripping down her wrist, she finally heard the commotion outside the door.
The face of the person who strode in through the suddenly open door was extremely stiff.
“Are you here?”
“What have you done!”
Was there anyone who could make such a loud noise?
Dorothea touched her numb ears at the voice that resonated loudly throughout the room.
Then, she opened her blood-soaked palms and showed them to the former messenger who was glaring at her with sharp eyes.
“As you can see.”
“Did you, by any chance, curse someone?”
Her skin was particularly pale as she lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Although she originally had fair and soft skin, Dorothea's pallor today was different from her well-groomed transparency.
“What on earth were you thinking when you did something like that...”
Just as the angry nagging was about to continue, Philip's face hardened as he entered through the open door.
“Thea!”
The face of the drooping girl, who was feeling her pulse, seemed extremely serious.
The faint sound of the heartbeat was just like that of a child when he was young, unable to walk a few steps on his own and falling over.
“Father, why did Thea..."
Philip's eyes darkened as he looked at Colin, who was just glaring at Dorothea without saying anything, and at Dorothea, who was half leaning against Colin, unable to control her body properly.
“Could it be that this has something to do with Count Kiel leaving this castle a little while ago?”
The clever mind quickly came to a conclusion.
Dorothea, who had vomited a lot of blood, had a rare pleasant smile on her face.
Freed, smelling blood, stood at the doorway and looked at Dorothea, who was staring blankly, Colin, who was furious, and Philip, who was relatively calm despite being flustered.
“Since it was your choice, no matter what happens in the future, you won’t have any complaints?”
Was that what was said about this matter?
The knight who had been silent lowered his eyes and quietly clenched his fists.
Dorothea wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Of course, rather than being wiped clean, the blood around her mouth had spread all over, making her look even more horrified, but she didn't seem to care.
“If Kiel left in a hurry, at least I got a good hit.”
“Thea.”
Philip supported his cousin's staggering body, unable to even lift her head properly, and took a handkerchief from his bosom and carefully wiped her bloody face.
“Lily.”
An unusually depressed spirit appeared and hovered around her with concern.
“The bed is dirty, so please clean it.”
The spirit, who would normally have been hugging Colin and following Dorothea's orders, hid behind Colin.
“Are you in your right mind right now? In the midst of all this, do you want to share your power with the spirit and have it do the work? Are you trying to see what your body’s limits are right now?”
“The sheets and blankets are all dirty. I need to change my pajamas too.”
“So now you’re just saying something like that...!”
“I’ll bring you new sheets and blankets. And pajamas.”
Philip cut Colin off calmly.
His face, which showed no sign of smiling like usual, was filled with regret rather than anger.
After finishing speaking, he silently kicked away the sheets and blankets and left the room, asking a favor to the shadow standing in front of the door.
“I think this is enough for the night visitors. Could you please stop any more visitors from coming in front of the door?”
Freed, who had not responded to Philip's gentle question, closed the door and stood guard in front of it so that the mess inside the room could not be seen until after he disappeared down the hallway.
Colin took a short breath, crossed his arms, and opened his mouth as if questioning the question.
“Now tell me. What on earth have you done?”
“If someone saw me, they would think you were interrogating a murderer.”
“It’s worse than that. Judging from your condition, you didn’t just attack the opponent. You struck the opponent’s ‘soul’ with a raw wound. Right?”
Dorothea looked up at Colin's serious face with a faint smile, and instead of answering the question, she said something out of the blue.
“I didn’t start this fight.”
“...”
“They keep touching me and my loved ones over and over again. Even countless people who are not related to me have fallen victim to them.”
“Don’t change the subject. Aren’t you the type of person who doesn’t care about the sacrifices of those who aren’t related?”
“That’s true. I ended up becoming an apostle of justice, but I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing in the first place.”
Dorothea giggled as if she found it funny.
The blood that had been pooling in her mouth flowed out through her teeth again.
Colin shook his head as he watched her desperately trying to soothe her scratchy throat with a dry cough.
“If you had known how cruel their hands were and how wide their influence was, you should have waited a little longer. Why did you do something so reckless?”
“I was convinced. When Dover recklessly tried to 'make a go of it' and attacked Luke. That they were not a single, large force, but were divided into several factions.”
“...”
“I’m sure I could deal a big blow now, but if I miss the opportunity, I feel like I’ll end up just cutting off my tail.”
Dorothea could accept this level of damage if she could see an end to this tiresome fight.
Dorothea smiled at Colin, who still had a look on his face that said he couldn't understand.
“My dear youngest uncle said so. Those with power should never wield it recklessly against others, but at least once a duel has begun, they must give it their all.”
“...”
“You gave me flesh, and I took your bones.”
Colin, who was wearing human skin, had a very confused look in his eyes.
Dorothea Highclere. Dorothea Everly.
Whatever the name, whatever was inside that body was not the 'real' owner of the body.
Where on earth did it come from to do such strange things, and how did it manage to inhabit that body and extend its lifespan by erasing even the register?
At first, Colin thought it was just a common vengeful spirit that was obsessed with 'surviving'.
“Why are you doing this? Even if you didn’t do this, you could easily save your life. If you don’t embrace them and try to protect them, you alone...”
“What does ‘life’ mean?”
Once again an odd question was asked.
Colin made a disgusted face and kept his mouth shut as if she was playing with words.
Dorothea looked up at the man with a rather human-like, hunched face, and continued speaking in a thin voice, leaning to the side with her body unable to hold itself up properly.
“Being alive isn’t just about holding on to life.”
She thought of the great God from her past life.
The life of Myung Jae-shin, for whom that narrow temple was his whole world, has never once been revealed to the surface.
Someone once said that life is a series of struggles.
Humans are tough beings who continue to fight a bloody battle in the cruel reality where some win and some lose.
Below those people, those who have never achieved even a single victory or defeat, who have never even been called to the 'dueling arena' without even being called by name.
Who would know that there are beings who are not even given the right to lose?
At least in her past life, she was still alive, but not 'alive'.
“If I were content to just breathe, I would have given up on this trouble long ago.”
Daily life that is very ordinary, but more special than anyone else's.
They eat together every day, have petty arguments, have absurd accidents, talk, and care about each other.
Call her name.
“I need more than just my breathing body to survive.”
Dorothea reached out to Colin.
The moment the cold, chilly fingertips touched him, Colin flinched without realizing it.
“You are a part of my life too.”
So she's protecting him and doing her best to protect her life.
Her eyes narrowed gently.
Just then, Philip opened the door and came in carrying a new blanket and sheets.
The new blanket he brought had a faint scent of wildflowers.
“Because I secretly took the laundry that was hanging out.”
As he said that, Philip again carefully wiped away the dried blood at the corner of Dorothea's mouth.
“I’ll leave your pajamas here. Even if they’re uncomfortable, you can change into them, right?”
"Yes."
“I need to change the sheets, so would you like to stay with Dad for a bit?”
It was a consideration for Dorothea, who could not stand alone.
Dorothea watched with gentle, sheep-like eyes as her cousin meticulously tended to the marks on her bed, lying in Colin's arms.
The beautiful boy was kind and gentle as always.
'However.'
Dorothea's head tilted slightly to the side.
Somewhere.
There's definitely something different.
Even she, with her keen senses, couldn't pinpoint what was wrong this time.
As the day dawned, those who came down to have breakfast tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.
“It’s a shame that Young Lady is late for mealtime.”
Anyone who has accompanied her in the past few days will know that Dorothea loves to eat and that when it is mealtime, her eyes sparkle and she comes down faster than anyone else.
It was surprising that she didn't show up until the rest of the group had all comedown.
“Besides, Count Kiel left the castle at dawn on urgent business.”
In many ways, the atmosphere was bound to be chaotic.
Unlike Richard, who seemed to have no particular thoughts, Luke had a pensive look on his face.
Neither Colin nor his son Philip were seen.
Although he was a person who often skipped meals, Philip would send him a message every time he did.
It was a bit strange, but it only lasted a moment.
The nobles, who had been lying in their rooms for a while after yesterday's excessive 'meal', raised their voices as if it was the right time for Dorothea to be absent.
“No matter what, it’s not good to break the schedule like this when the schedule is set.”
It started with someone's polite remark.
“It looks like she's sleeping late.”
“It’s not a big flaw to sleep in a lot, but she's currently performing His Majesty’s official duties..."
“If you are given a big job, you should have a sense of responsibility.”
As Count Jubel, who had been stroking his beard, spoke in a pretendedly solemn voice, Valerie, who had been listening quietly from the side, spoke with a smile on her face.
“Two days ago, when we went out, those of you who were in the castle rested. Getting adequate rest is also an element of self-care to ensure smooth progress of work.”
“...”
An uncomfortable silence fell over everyone, led by Richard, who had been drinking, gambling, and speculating 'until he lost his mind'.
Everyone was keeping quiet about what happened that day when they acted so recklessly and without restraint that they couldn't even understand it themself.
Various gazes with different meanings poured out toward Valerie, who brought up the matter without a moment's hesitation.
It was a moment when Marilyn was gulping down water over and over again in suffocating tension.
“I’m sorry I’m late for dinner.”
When she turned her head toward the place where the faint, twittering voice had come from, she saw Dorothea Highclere coming down, supported by the stern-faced Colin.
“Thea...?”
Pale skin without a speck of blood, cheeks that looked much thinner than yesterday, legs that wobbly every time she went down the stairs as if she had almost no strength.
Even the sound of her voice coming out of her mouth was so small that it could not be heard unless you paid close attention.
Dane, who had kicked the seat, quickly supported her other side.
“What on earth is going on?”
He couldn't understand why the child who had been fine until last night was now so bloody and emaciated, like someone who had starved for days.
Even the weight of the hand resting on her hand was as light as a feather.
Without realizing it, Dane Highclere, who was clenching his teeth, lashed out at his cousin who couldn't even control his body.
“If you’re not feeling well, you can just send someone to let us know. Why did you force yourself to come down here?”
“It’s okay. It’s nothing.”
“What the heck is that?”
Dorothea, who had her eyes full of worry and was spitting out nagging words, half-letting them go, greeted Aiden, who was fidgeting.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Thea, how could you...”
“It’s nothing. I’ll have to return to the capital soon, but I’m anxious because the specific plan hasn’t been finalized yet. I stayed up all night considering various variables, so I lost some sleep.”
The expressions on the nobles' faces as they looked at her smiling brightly were strange.
Judging from Dorothea's words, unlike her who stayed up all night working on a plan that was not making any progress, everyone else was just waking up and crawling out to eat.
“If you’re uncomfortable, go in and rest.”
Dorothea slowly shook her head at the words that Count Jubel reluctantly said with an uncomfortable cough on his face.
“That can’t be. The opportunity to have a conversation with you over a meal is a great opportunity and a pleasure, and it’s something I need to experience.”
Even though she said that her eyes were fixed on the warm soup on the table.
Everyone seemed to not believe Dorothea's last words.
She was only away for a very short time.
As soon as she re-entered the cold body, a chill ran through her whole body.
Her head was spinning and her hands and feet were shaking.
Even under a warm blanket, her frozen body did not move as easily as she would have it.
The moment she struggled to raise her body, black blood suddenly gushed out.
“...Is this a backlash from the ‘life’ that was thrown at will?”
As she was staring blankly at the crimson blood dripping down her wrist, she finally heard the commotion outside the door.
The face of the person who strode in through the suddenly open door was extremely stiff.
“Are you here?”
“What have you done!”
Was there anyone who could make such a loud noise?
Dorothea touched her numb ears at the voice that resonated loudly throughout the room.
Then, she opened her blood-soaked palms and showed them to the former messenger who was glaring at her with sharp eyes.
“As you can see.”
“Did you, by any chance, curse someone?”
Her skin was particularly pale as she lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Although she originally had fair and soft skin, Dorothea's pallor today was different from her well-groomed transparency.
“What on earth were you thinking when you did something like that...”
Just as the angry nagging was about to continue, Philip's face hardened as he entered through the open door.
“Thea!”
The face of the drooping girl, who was feeling her pulse, seemed extremely serious.
The faint sound of the heartbeat was just like that of a child when he was young, unable to walk a few steps on his own and falling over.
“Father, why did Thea..."
Philip's eyes darkened as he looked at Colin, who was just glaring at Dorothea without saying anything, and at Dorothea, who was half leaning against Colin, unable to control her body properly.
“Could it be that this has something to do with Count Kiel leaving this castle a little while ago?”
The clever mind quickly came to a conclusion.
Dorothea, who had vomited a lot of blood, had a rare pleasant smile on her face.
Freed, smelling blood, stood at the doorway and looked at Dorothea, who was staring blankly, Colin, who was furious, and Philip, who was relatively calm despite being flustered.
“Since it was your choice, no matter what happens in the future, you won’t have any complaints?”
Was that what was said about this matter?
The knight who had been silent lowered his eyes and quietly clenched his fists.
Dorothea wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Of course, rather than being wiped clean, the blood around her mouth had spread all over, making her look even more horrified, but she didn't seem to care.
“If Kiel left in a hurry, at least I got a good hit.”
“Thea.”
Philip supported his cousin's staggering body, unable to even lift her head properly, and took a handkerchief from his bosom and carefully wiped her bloody face.
“Lily.”
An unusually depressed spirit appeared and hovered around her with concern.
“The bed is dirty, so please clean it.”
The spirit, who would normally have been hugging Colin and following Dorothea's orders, hid behind Colin.
“Are you in your right mind right now? In the midst of all this, do you want to share your power with the spirit and have it do the work? Are you trying to see what your body’s limits are right now?”
“The sheets and blankets are all dirty. I need to change my pajamas too.”
“So now you’re just saying something like that...!”
“I’ll bring you new sheets and blankets. And pajamas.”
Philip cut Colin off calmly.
His face, which showed no sign of smiling like usual, was filled with regret rather than anger.
After finishing speaking, he silently kicked away the sheets and blankets and left the room, asking a favor to the shadow standing in front of the door.
“I think this is enough for the night visitors. Could you please stop any more visitors from coming in front of the door?”
Freed, who had not responded to Philip's gentle question, closed the door and stood guard in front of it so that the mess inside the room could not be seen until after he disappeared down the hallway.
Colin took a short breath, crossed his arms, and opened his mouth as if questioning the question.
“Now tell me. What on earth have you done?”
“If someone saw me, they would think you were interrogating a murderer.”
“It’s worse than that. Judging from your condition, you didn’t just attack the opponent. You struck the opponent’s ‘soul’ with a raw wound. Right?”
Dorothea looked up at Colin's serious face with a faint smile, and instead of answering the question, she said something out of the blue.
“I didn’t start this fight.”
“...”
“They keep touching me and my loved ones over and over again. Even countless people who are not related to me have fallen victim to them.”
“Don’t change the subject. Aren’t you the type of person who doesn’t care about the sacrifices of those who aren’t related?”
“That’s true. I ended up becoming an apostle of justice, but I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing in the first place.”
Dorothea giggled as if she found it funny.
The blood that had been pooling in her mouth flowed out through her teeth again.
Colin shook his head as he watched her desperately trying to soothe her scratchy throat with a dry cough.
“If you had known how cruel their hands were and how wide their influence was, you should have waited a little longer. Why did you do something so reckless?”
“I was convinced. When Dover recklessly tried to 'make a go of it' and attacked Luke. That they were not a single, large force, but were divided into several factions.”
“...”
“I’m sure I could deal a big blow now, but if I miss the opportunity, I feel like I’ll end up just cutting off my tail.”
Dorothea could accept this level of damage if she could see an end to this tiresome fight.
Dorothea smiled at Colin, who still had a look on his face that said he couldn't understand.
“My dear youngest uncle said so. Those with power should never wield it recklessly against others, but at least once a duel has begun, they must give it their all.”
“...”
“You gave me flesh, and I took your bones.”
Colin, who was wearing human skin, had a very confused look in his eyes.
Dorothea Highclere. Dorothea Everly.
Whatever the name, whatever was inside that body was not the 'real' owner of the body.
Where on earth did it come from to do such strange things, and how did it manage to inhabit that body and extend its lifespan by erasing even the register?
At first, Colin thought it was just a common vengeful spirit that was obsessed with 'surviving'.
“Why are you doing this? Even if you didn’t do this, you could easily save your life. If you don’t embrace them and try to protect them, you alone...”
“What does ‘life’ mean?”
Once again an odd question was asked.
Colin made a disgusted face and kept his mouth shut as if she was playing with words.
Dorothea looked up at the man with a rather human-like, hunched face, and continued speaking in a thin voice, leaning to the side with her body unable to hold itself up properly.
“Being alive isn’t just about holding on to life.”
She thought of the great God from her past life.
The life of Myung Jae-shin, for whom that narrow temple was his whole world, has never once been revealed to the surface.
Someone once said that life is a series of struggles.
Humans are tough beings who continue to fight a bloody battle in the cruel reality where some win and some lose.
Below those people, those who have never achieved even a single victory or defeat, who have never even been called to the 'dueling arena' without even being called by name.
Who would know that there are beings who are not even given the right to lose?
At least in her past life, she was still alive, but not 'alive'.
“If I were content to just breathe, I would have given up on this trouble long ago.”
Daily life that is very ordinary, but more special than anyone else's.
They eat together every day, have petty arguments, have absurd accidents, talk, and care about each other.
Call her name.
“I need more than just my breathing body to survive.”
Dorothea reached out to Colin.
The moment the cold, chilly fingertips touched him, Colin flinched without realizing it.
“You are a part of my life too.”
So she's protecting him and doing her best to protect her life.
Her eyes narrowed gently.
Just then, Philip opened the door and came in carrying a new blanket and sheets.
The new blanket he brought had a faint scent of wildflowers.
“Because I secretly took the laundry that was hanging out.”
As he said that, Philip again carefully wiped away the dried blood at the corner of Dorothea's mouth.
“I’ll leave your pajamas here. Even if they’re uncomfortable, you can change into them, right?”
"Yes."
“I need to change the sheets, so would you like to stay with Dad for a bit?”
It was a consideration for Dorothea, who could not stand alone.
Dorothea watched with gentle, sheep-like eyes as her cousin meticulously tended to the marks on her bed, lying in Colin's arms.
The beautiful boy was kind and gentle as always.
'However.'
Dorothea's head tilted slightly to the side.
Somewhere.
There's definitely something different.
Even she, with her keen senses, couldn't pinpoint what was wrong this time.
***
As the day dawned, those who came down to have breakfast tilted their heads with puzzled expressions.
“It’s a shame that Young Lady is late for mealtime.”
Anyone who has accompanied her in the past few days will know that Dorothea loves to eat and that when it is mealtime, her eyes sparkle and she comes down faster than anyone else.
It was surprising that she didn't show up until the rest of the group had all comedown.
“Besides, Count Kiel left the castle at dawn on urgent business.”
In many ways, the atmosphere was bound to be chaotic.
Unlike Richard, who seemed to have no particular thoughts, Luke had a pensive look on his face.
Neither Colin nor his son Philip were seen.
Although he was a person who often skipped meals, Philip would send him a message every time he did.
It was a bit strange, but it only lasted a moment.
The nobles, who had been lying in their rooms for a while after yesterday's excessive 'meal', raised their voices as if it was the right time for Dorothea to be absent.
“No matter what, it’s not good to break the schedule like this when the schedule is set.”
It started with someone's polite remark.
“It looks like she's sleeping late.”
“It’s not a big flaw to sleep in a lot, but she's currently performing His Majesty’s official duties..."
“If you are given a big job, you should have a sense of responsibility.”
As Count Jubel, who had been stroking his beard, spoke in a pretendedly solemn voice, Valerie, who had been listening quietly from the side, spoke with a smile on her face.
“Two days ago, when we went out, those of you who were in the castle rested. Getting adequate rest is also an element of self-care to ensure smooth progress of work.”
“...”
An uncomfortable silence fell over everyone, led by Richard, who had been drinking, gambling, and speculating 'until he lost his mind'.
Everyone was keeping quiet about what happened that day when they acted so recklessly and without restraint that they couldn't even understand it themself.
Various gazes with different meanings poured out toward Valerie, who brought up the matter without a moment's hesitation.
It was a moment when Marilyn was gulping down water over and over again in suffocating tension.
“I’m sorry I’m late for dinner.”
When she turned her head toward the place where the faint, twittering voice had come from, she saw Dorothea Highclere coming down, supported by the stern-faced Colin.
“Thea...?”
Pale skin without a speck of blood, cheeks that looked much thinner than yesterday, legs that wobbly every time she went down the stairs as if she had almost no strength.
Even the sound of her voice coming out of her mouth was so small that it could not be heard unless you paid close attention.
Dane, who had kicked the seat, quickly supported her other side.
“What on earth is going on?”
He couldn't understand why the child who had been fine until last night was now so bloody and emaciated, like someone who had starved for days.
Even the weight of the hand resting on her hand was as light as a feather.
Without realizing it, Dane Highclere, who was clenching his teeth, lashed out at his cousin who couldn't even control his body.
“If you’re not feeling well, you can just send someone to let us know. Why did you force yourself to come down here?”
“It’s okay. It’s nothing.”
“What the heck is that?”
Dorothea, who had her eyes full of worry and was spitting out nagging words, half-letting them go, greeted Aiden, who was fidgeting.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Thea, how could you...”
“It’s nothing. I’ll have to return to the capital soon, but I’m anxious because the specific plan hasn’t been finalized yet. I stayed up all night considering various variables, so I lost some sleep.”
The expressions on the nobles' faces as they looked at her smiling brightly were strange.
Judging from Dorothea's words, unlike her who stayed up all night working on a plan that was not making any progress, everyone else was just waking up and crawling out to eat.
“If you’re uncomfortable, go in and rest.”
Dorothea slowly shook her head at the words that Count Jubel reluctantly said with an uncomfortable cough on his face.
“That can’t be. The opportunity to have a conversation with you over a meal is a great opportunity and a pleasure, and it’s something I need to experience.”
Even though she said that her eyes were fixed on the warm soup on the table.
Everyone seemed to not believe Dorothea's last words.
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