Her already hazy mind grew even more muddled as she listened to the two of them talk.

Camilla was sick at this age too? What kind of situation is this now?

Camilla barely lifted her blurred gaze and looked up at Dorman, who was holding water out to her.

“Miss...”

A soundless sigh slipped from him, as if he already knew exactly what she was finding so strange.

“For now, just focus on pulling yourself together. I’ll tell you everything later.”

There was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) still something no one had told me yet? Seriously?!

She wanted to ask right away, but she had no strength at all, so she could not get any voice out.

“Ugh...”

All that came out was a low groan of pain.

“Drink this and try to sleep.”

With the sight of Dorman pouring what looked like a fever reducer into her mouth as the last thing she saw, Camilla lost consciousness.

Chapter. Tug-of-War

“Haah... haah...”

Shut up, will you?

H-honey, the child’s sick...

Fuck! The house is tiny, and she’s hogging the whole place lying there by herself!

Shouldn’t we at least take her back to the hospital—

Do you think money grows on trees? Do you?!

“Haah... haah...”

Honey, I don’t think Sia can breathe properly.

So what? What do you want me to do about it?

Sia...

Just leave her to die.

“Ah... haah...”

What’s this? What are you giving her? Medicine? Do you think money grows on trees?

“Ugh... ugh...”

Tch, hey! If you’re alive, get up right now! How long are you going to keep lying there?!

“Ugh... ngh...”

“Camilla.”

Through her blurred vision, she could see someone.

But it felt like a fist might come flying at her any second, so she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

The hell? You’re not getting up? Fuck!

“Ugh... hic...”

“Camilla?”

How much longer are you going to keep lying there!

“S-sorry... ugh... don’t hit...”

“Camilla!”

It hurts... it hurts...

Please don’t hit me. I was wrong about everything. Please... stop, stop...!

Pat, pat.

Her body trembling, her eyes shut tight, she slowly opened them.

Where is this? Dad? Mom?

Pat, pat.

At that moment, she felt a warm hand on her back.

Who is this? Who am I being held by right now?

“Camilla.”

Camilla?

“My child.”

This gentle voice...

“F...Father?”

Pat, pat.

Instead of an answer, the soft touch returned.

“Go back to sleep.”

Tears streamed down her face.

From relief.

From that deep relief rising, layer by layer, from somewhere far down inside her.

Right...

This isn’t that place. That person isn’t here.

I’m not Isia anymore...

“Camilla.”

Because I’m Camilla.

And this person...

“Sleep a little more.”

My father.

Pat, pat.

Camilla slowly closed her eyes again.

You crazy bitch! Because of someone like you—

Pat, pat.

Hey! I can’t stand looking at you, so get out right now!

Pat, pat.

The memories of pain began fading away one by one.

Pat, pat.

That touch wrapping around her whole body, as if it could protect her from any pain at all...

Pat, pat.

Her father’s touch.

*****

“Camilla?”

Ravi’s face stiffened in shock.

“Tell me something.”

The Duke of Sorpel continued carefully, worried that even asking this might wound Ravi too.

“Did that woman ever lay a hand on either of you?”

That woman. He meant Tia, Ravi and Camilla’s biological mother.

It hurts... please don’t hit me. Please...

A heavy groan slipped from the Duke of Sorpel as he recalled what he had just seen.

It was the first time he had ever seen Camilla trembling that badly, so even he had been deeply shaken.

Extreme fear. Terror of the other person.

When she had first set foot in House Sorpel, she had been withdrawn and wary, yes, but it had not been to this extent.

“...”

After hearing how Camilla had reacted, Ravi clenched his fists tight.

When they were young, he had occasionally seen Camilla being severely scolded by their mother.

When it came to Camilla, their mother never let even the smallest mistake pass. She made her stand as punishment and berated her so harshly it bordered on cruelty.

...It must have become a wound.

It had happened a very long time ago, but that did not mean the wound had disappeared.

You could call it discipline, but looking back now, it had been no different from abuse.

Maybe reverting to the age when she had been exposed to that brutal care had stirred up the old wound.

It’s my fault.

If I hadn’t researched that kind of magic in the first place...

Pat.

“Ah...!”

Ravi, his head hanging low, hurriedly looked up at the touch patting his shoulder.

“It’s all right.”

“But...”

“Everything will be all right.”

At the sight of the Duke of Sorpel quietly soothing him as though he understood exactly how he felt, Ravi could not say anything for a long moment.

This must have wounded this child too.

The Duke of Sorpel had already understood that much.

He had noticed, at least to some extent, how differently that woman had treated the two children.

Watching his mother treat his younger sister coldly, Ravi must have been deeply hurt too, whether he realized it or not.

Haah.

Regret rose in him all over again over the fact that he had not approached these children sooner, and had only waited for them to come to him first.

Knock, knock.

Just then, with the sound of someone arriving, the butler Rube hurried inside.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“You have visitors.”

“Visitors? Who?”

“Well...”

The Duke of Sorpel looked puzzled at Rube, who, unusually enough, trailed off and failed to hide how flustered he was.

But at the answer that followed, his expression too quickly hardened.

*****

“...Big sister.”

“Mm... nnng.”

“Camilla, big sister.”