Chapter 1
“This is better than I expected.”
The first words Sertia heard the moment she opened her eyes. Of course, they were far from the end of the resentment directed at her. The hatred toward her was far sturdier and more unyielding than she had imagined.
“For someone who resolved to end their life, you look surprisingly intact.”
A gaze filled with disgust scanned her up and down as if appraising a mere product.
“It’s a bit contradictory for a greenhouse flower to speak of death.”
A voice laced with derision, as if mocking her—how dare someone like her throw away their life and turn their back on the family?
“Yes, indeed. Acting so recklessly without understanding the value of life…”
A sigh followed, as if condemning her for wasting time on something so worthless.
None of this was new. It was all too familiar.
Sertia simply waited in silence for the endless torrent of scorn to subside.
But even the smallest hope never seemed to go her way.
The taunts of the vassals of Duke Elionne stabbed sharply into her ears.
“My Lady, if you have regained your senses, the first thing you should do is greet His Grace.”
“What are you doing still lying there?”
Sertia slowly bit down on her lower lip.
Beneath the covers, her hands trembled faintly.
She was used to this. But that did not mean their scorn hurt any less. It was so cold and painful that sorrow seeped out from between her lips, tightly clenched to suppress it.
And then—
A voice, dry and indifferent, finally broke through the noise.
“Sertia Elionne.”
Sertia did not respond.
Immediately, the vassals’ reprimands followed.
“Tsk. How terribly rude.”
“To think she would ignore the Duke’s call… Truly astonishing.”
Strangely enough, the more they criticized her, the more she felt her shattered past hardening like an old tree.
A flicker of warmth returned to her ice-cold fingertips, and the tangled mess in her mind gradually cleared.
A chuckle escaped her lips. The moment of laughter tied up her tangled emotions into a firm knot.
Now, she knew exactly what to do.
There was no need to repeat the words she had spoken in the past. No—
The time had come to sever ties with those who had been relentless in their cruelty throughout her past life.
Sertia slowly rolled her gaze around the room before parting her parched lips in amusement.
At least there was one good thing.
People knew very little about the disgrace of the family—her.
They thought she was nothing more than a powerless young lady. What kind of expressions would they make if they found out she was a mage capable of protecting herself?
She never wanted to stand out.
She only ever wanted to live—a simple, ordinary girl, a beloved daughter, a lady as bright as sunshine.
But now, it was all over.
Sertia did not bother to hide the dry laughter slipping from her lips. She pressed her fingers to her dizzy forehead and gazed into the air.
Then, from her hand, golden strands of light began to unfurl.
“This… this is…!”
The radiant tendrils spread outward, swallowing up those who had been struck speechless in shock before expelling them beyond the door.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Just as Sertia let out a brief sigh of relief, her body stiffened.
An unexpected variable had appeared.
Moving the Duke of Elionne with her still-recovering body was impossible.
Damn it.
A short curse escaped her lips, but she quickly regained her composure. A rare look of calm settled over her face.
Meeting the gaze of the bewildered Duke, whose brows were knit together in confusion, Sertia peeled the sweat-dampened strands of hair away from her face and opened her mouth.
“The door is that way.”
A clear demand for him to leave.
Sertia exhaled all the breath she had been holding in one go, her shoulders trembling as she let out an empty laugh—then tears followed.
It was absurd.
She had thought everything was perfect.
But—
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back on that day two years ago, at eighteen.
Of all days, why did she have to return to this one?
At first, she was too dazed to understand.
Only after hearing Duke Elionne’s outpouring of resentment did she finally realize.
The past and the present—
Every cruel, thorn-laced word was so perfectly identical it sent chills down her spine.
There was no doubt.
This was the day she had slipped and fallen into the pond.
What confirmed her suspicion was the Duke’s furious words.
“How dare you take lightly the life that Herina granted you…!!”
Herina.
The Duchess of Elionne.
The tragic woman who chose death for her final act of devotion.
And the reason Sertia lived a life of silence.
That was why she had always endured the Duke’s harsh words and piercing gaze, kneeling before him in desperation.
“Father, I was wrong. I won’t take my life lightly ever again…!”
She had feared being abandoned.
So she had begged, over and over, until her hands and knees were raw.
She had even been grateful that, at the very least, he was not the kind of father who would strike her outright.
It was maddening.
“Haha…”
A bitter laugh spilled from Sertia’s lips, as if shedding the regrets of her past.
Then—
“My Lady.”
Knock, knock.
A gentle voice called to her through the door.
Sertia naturally brushed away her thoughts and forced a faint smile as she told them to come in.
As expected, it was Anna, her closest maid.
Anna smiled awkwardly as Sertia greeted her.
“Hello.”
But the greeting seemed to have the opposite effect.
Sertia could see Anna’s light brown eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Realizing she had unintentionally brought her to tears, Sertia felt embarrassed and let out a small, awkward laugh.
She understood how Anna must have felt.
Anna must have assumed she was merely pretending to be strong.
And that was fair.
In the past, the Sertia of this moment would have spent the entire day crying over what had just happened.
At least, the awkwardness did not last long.
Perhaps Anna had sensed Sertia’s silent request.
The maid tactfully acted as if nothing had happened, throwing open the balcony doors to let the fresh air in.
And when Sertia’s gaze briefly shifted elsewhere, Anna swiftly turned away to wipe her eyes with her sleeve, hiding the redness in her eyes.
So, Sertia pretended not to notice.
“My Lady.”
“Hm?”
“Are you feeling all right?”
Anna’s voice was tinged with concern as she worried about Sertia’s health.
Sertia met her eyes with a reassuring look.
“I’m fine. Want me to prove it?”
She made a move as if to stand.
Anna immediately waved her hands frantically.
“No, it’s fine!”
She fanned her face, which had flushed with embarrassment, before cautiously asking,
“…Are you hungry? Would you like me to bring you something light to eat?”
Sertia hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Sure, let’s eat together.”
Anna looked troubled.
As Sertia opened her mouth to ask why, Anna quickly excused herself, saying she would fetch the food, and left the room.
Was she imagining things?
Feeling slightly uneasy, Sertia absently ran her fingers over her wrist.
“It’s clean…”
In the past, her wrist bore vivid red lines that deepened with every wound inflicted upon her.
But now, they were gone—her skin was unmarked, pale as snow.
And that was when the root of all her suffering came to mind.
The family she was born into.
The Duke of Elionne and the young lord.
If they had treated her as nothing more than a pawn on their chessboard, she might not have resented them so much.
But instead, they had neglected, tormented, and scorned her.
No matter how much she begged, in the end, they had abandoned her without mercy.
Where had it all gone wrong?
If asked, Sertia would answer—
From the moment she was born.
But now, she had returned.
So it was time—
To abandon her family.
NOTE
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