1

"Mom, don't be upset. Grace is just used to having all your attention on her."

Alice's voice drifted through the door.

"We spoiled her too much."

My mother's voice carried guilt toward Alice.

Beneath that guilt lay her disappointment in me.

"Alice, I'm sorry. Because of Grace's condition, we took our frustration out on you and ignored you.

"But you've turned out so wonderful, so mature. You even got into the Imperial Academy. I'm so proud of you.

"As for Grace, she needs to learn her lesson. She nearly ruined your registration out of sheer jealousy!"

No... that's not what happened...

The week before, Alice had asked to borrow the backup moonstone pendant for her graduation ball.

Because Alice had always been cold to me, I was thrilled that she'd come to me for something. I handed it over without a second thought.

She never returned it, but I didn't mind.

I still had one pendant, which was enough to keep the silver poison at bay.

I never imagined an emergency like this would happen...

I curled up on the floor, my nails clawing at the floorboards.

With the moonstone gone, the silver poison broke free and began spreading from my heart to my limbs.

"Mom... the pendant... give it back... please..."

I struggled with every last ounce of strength.

But the poison spread too fast. My voice had almost disappeared.

I grabbed onto the bookshelf beside me, trying to pull myself up to reach the door and call for help.

The next second, the heavy oak bookshelf came crashing down on top of me.

I felt something thick and sticky running down my head, but I was relieved.

Surely a crash that loud would make my mother come check on me.

Sure enough, I heard footsteps.

My mother sighed deeply outside the door, sounding exhausted.

"Grace! What are you doing in there?

"I only borrowed your moonstone for a moment. Don't you still have the backup?"

I opened my mouth desperately, trying to explain.

But the moment I opened it, all that came out was blood.

When I didn't answer for a long time, my mother assumed I was still sulking.

In the end, she relented.

"Fine. The registration went through already. If you want this pendant so badly, just take it."

I heard her key turn in the lock.

But the fallen bookshelf was braced against the oak door, and no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.

"Grace, didn't you want the pendant? I'll give it to you! Open the door."

I couldn't speak. All I could do was tap the floor with my fingertips.

But the sound was too faint, swallowed up by my mother's repeated demands for me to open the door.

With no response from me, her patience finally ran out.

"Grace, what have I ever done to wrong you?

"This whole family has bent over backward for your illness, leaving Alice out in the cold for ten years! What more do you want? How can you be this selfish?

"Fine, be stubborn! You can stay in there for the rest of your life for all I care!"

Alice spoke up beside her, sounding deflated.

"Maybe Grace is jealous that I got into the Imperial Academy. Mom, if I could, I'd give up my spot for her."

No, that's not it!

I screamed from the depths of my soul, ‘Mom, my aptitude test score was the highest in the entire empire. A professor from the Imperial Academy already reached out to me. He said they'd give me the best medical treatment to completely purge the silver poison...I wanted to surprise you. I'm not jealous of my sister!’

But neither of them could hear the words in my heart.

My mother pulled Alice into her arms.

"Alice, this has nothing to do with you. Let her cool down on her own."

Alice paused for a moment, then lowered her voice even further.

"Actually... I've seen Grace take off the moonstone a few times and leave it on her vanity.

"There were even times when she slept without it, and she looked perfectly fine."

That's not true. I never once took the pendant off.

Alice, why are you lying to Mom?!

My mother froze.

"What did you say? Are you telling me Grace's silver poison is already cured?"

"I don't know. I only saw what I saw."

Alice was the picture of obedience.

"Mom, please don't tell her I told you. Grace will be mad at me."

My mother said nothing more. I heard their footsteps fade away.

The silver poison had spread completely. I could see that even the blood seeping from my wounds had turned black.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just when I thought I was about to die, my father's voice came from the doorway.

"Grace, I'm home!"