UMH 02

Chapter: 02

When she opened her eyes, the ceiling above her appeared blurry.

How many times did she blink to clear her vision? Only then did her surroundings begin to come into focus.

When she looked around, there was no one.

Even though she had expected it, the room felt cold—like no one truly lived there. And the moment she took it in, pain rushed over her.

Her throat burned with thirst as if it were being scorched. She shook the bell placed on the bedside table, but no one answered.

Of course. She shouldn’t expect anything.

Serena was an unwelcome guest in this house.

“Ugh…”

Holding her still-pounding head, Serena barely managed to sit up. Judging by the rough texture of the bandage on her forehead, at least someone had treated her.

Every movement made her entire body scream.

“Ah… I fell down the stairs…”

She had wondered why, but then she remembered—she had tumbled down the stairs while leaving the Duke’s office. Letting out a small sigh, she gritted her teeth and took a step forward.

At that moment, the strange memories that had flooded in before she lost consciousness began drifting through her mind like debris, stirring everything up.

A sudden, intense pain struck her.

Serena collapsed to the floor. She clenched the carpet tightly, swallowing the scream that threatened to burst out.

“No… that can’t be…”

Breathing unevenly, she muttered. The small child curled up on the ground writhed in pain, looking as if she might shatter at any moment.

“This shouldn’t be happening…”

Clutching her tiny hands, Serena trembled as the pain in her head intensified, as if it were about to split open. Eventually, she lifted her head and slammed it down against the carpet.

Thud! Thud!

The pain showed no sign of fading. No—perhaps it wasn’t just the physical pain. Perhaps it was the memories that had forced their way into her mind that hurt even more.

Who said God was fair?

If He truly loved all humans equally, then He should have treated her the same.

To throw her life into the gutter, reveal that this world was nothing more than a story, and that she was merely a disposable extra destined to die for the sake of highlighting the protagonists—

If God were truly fair, He shouldn’t have returned these memories to her.

Muttering endlessly, she suddenly fell silent.

The room became eerily quiet, like the eye of a storm.

Her face twisted—

And in an instant, she let out a scream filled with agony.

“AAAAAH!!”

Her scream echoed not only through the room, but down the hallway—perhaps throughout the entire ducal residence.

When a maid who heard the sound opened the door, she saw Serena—her face contorted in pain, tearing at her hair, screaming with a despair no ten-year-old child should be capable of.

“My lady! Please come to your senses!”

At the scream, more people began to gather.

“Call a physician, quickly!”

They froze at the sight of her. If no one had shouted, they might have remained rooted to the spot.

“Haa…” (added)

The Duke stepped out of his office, his face deeply contorted at Serena’s scream. As he headed toward her room, a servant came rushing toward him from that direction.

“What is going on?”

The Duke stopped him and asked. The servant hesitated to answer—Serena’s condition was abnormal, but the Duke’s temper was even more frightening.

“Tch. Go.”

Deciding to see for himself, the Duke dismissed him and continued on.

Entering the crowd gathered in Serena’s room, the Duke couldn’t help but be shocked.

The child thrashing like a mad thing looked as though she were possessed by a demon. Goosebumps ran across his entire body.

But the Duke quickly began calculating.

Was she insane—or not?

If she was insane, she was useless and should be discarded. But even something useless could be used as a bargaining chip. A family lacking heirs always needed at least one more.

“The physician?”

The Duke grabbed a nearby maid’s shoulder and asked. Trembling, she bowed her head and replied that someone had just gone to fetch one.

So that servant earlier had been on his way to call the physician.

The Duke personally took hold of Serena’s wide-open door and slowly closed it.

“No one saw anything today. If even a word of this leaks out, I will have every head here cut off.”

No one could respond.

It was easier to lose their heads than to spread rumors about the young lady of the house going mad.

They had no choice but to obey.

* * *

When Serena opened her eyes again, it was deep into the night.

The pain, as if her bones might shatter at any moment, told her this was reality.

“Haha…”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

When she raised her hand to cover her face, she saw both hands wrapped in bandages.

She stared at them blankly before slowly sitting up.

She needed to know whether these memories were just a dream—or something else. And there was one person who would know.

The Duke.

Though greedy and ill-tempered, he was well-versed in magical studies.

She needed to speak with him.

Without caring about her appearance, she shoved her feet into her indoor slippers and hurried out of the room.

The hallway was dark and endless, as everyone else seemed to be asleep.

Her room was located at the far end of the first floor, so she had to climb the stairs to reach the Duke’s office.

Step by step, she ascended.

Thankfully, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness.

Judging by the time, the Duke would not yet have retired—he should still be in his office.

At the top of the stairs, she turned left.

As expected, light leaked from beneath the office door.

Her steps quickened.

Standing before the door, she raised her hand to knock—

But then she heard voices.

“Money isn’t enough.”

It was a woman’s voice. Lower than the Duchess’s sharp tone—this one was husky, mid-toned.

“I believe I’ve given you enough.”

“It’s nowhere near enough to get treatment and start a new life—you know that!”

Serena froze, pressing her ear against the door.

“I have no more money to give you. And you dare bring me defective goods? Do you wish to die?”

“That’s not true. That girl is your daughter.”

“Then why can’t she use magic? She has no mana. And today… she even had a seizure.”

“She used it just fine in front of me! I don’t know anything. Once you took her, she was no longer my responsibility!”

Serena realized who the voices belonged to.

‘My baby… I’m sorry.’

That gentle voice—

And the cruel, venomous one from behind the door—

Were the same person.

“….”

What had she been enduring all this time for?

For what?

Her bandaged hands trembled violently.

Her mind went blank.

And she heard something shatter inside her ears.

The day her world collapsed.

The day she realized she had been struggling for something she could never have.

Instead of blaming God—

Serena decided to think of these memories as a gift.

* * *

After that day, time flew like an arrow released toward its target.

The girl who once despaired in a cruel fate had become a lady who could hide that despair.

“My lady, Marquis Avenne has arrived.”

“Alright, tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

With her eyes closed from exhaustion, Serena spoke to the maid who had entered after knocking.

“It’s done!”

At Mei’s words, Serena slowly opened her eyes and looked at the mirror.

“You look beautiful. Thank you.”

The reflection showed Serena—now fully grown into an adult.

Her once dry, dull silver hair now flowed smoothly, shimmering like scattered starlight from constant care.

But her violet eyes, once bright, now looked empty.

Mei placed a pure white veil over her head. As Serena absentmindedly touched the lily adorning it—

Knock.

“How long are you going to keep me waiting?”

“You’re already inside, so stop rushing me, Luke.”

The lily didn’t suit her—it made her uncomfortable.

“It suits you.”

She looked at him through the mirror.

His turquoise, gem-like eyes sparkled as he adjusted the slightly tilted flower with his gloved hand.

Anyone who knew him would find his devotion strange.

But to both of them, it was natural.

Since their first meeting, Lucas had followed Serena. And she had accepted it.

“Shall we go, my lady?”

Lucas extended his hand.

After wrapping herself in a thick shawl to block the early spring chill, Serena placed her gloved hand in his.

They spoke only after entering the carriage.

“What bothers you so much, my master?”

Even with her face veiled, Lucas easily read her mood.

“Everything is white.”

From head to toe—pure white.

A color too clean. Too different from what she liked.

“More importantly, the letter?”

“I delivered it perfectly.”

Serena looked at Lucas, who was smiling leisurely, then turned her gaze to the window.

The red sunset painted over her all-white appearance.

“But why send it?”

“…I’m thinking of changing the ending.”

For a moment, something flickered in Lucas’s eyes.

“As expected, you’re interesting, my master.”

When she turned at his presence, his face was suddenly close.

Lifting her veil slightly, Serena smiled—a breathtaking smile.

If she already knew the ending would be tragic—

Then she would simply make it so that, at the end, she could still call it happiness.

She had no intention of being toyed with by a miserable fate.

No matter the method—

Even if it meant stepping into raging flames—

She would change the ending.