Chapter 2

Three days had passed when I woke up again.

My throat was parched. I struggled to open my eyes and found myself in an ornate canopy bed.

My mother sat next to me, her eyes red from sleepless nights. A few gray strands had appeared at her temples. When she saw that I was awake, she got up to her feet, then stumbled. She had been sitting there so long that her legs had gone stiff.

"Jenine, you're awake! Someone get the physician! Quickly!" My mother cried out.

I weakly caught her hand and shook my head. "Mother, I'm all right."

I had barely spoken when I tasted blood. A thin trickle leaked out from the corner of my mouth. Mother hurried to wipe it away with a handkerchief, tears running down her face. "How could you possibly be all right? The physician said your organs are all injured. You'll need expensive medicines just to stay alive. The slightest mishap could kill you."

She stopped there, but I understood. My body was ruined.

Hurried footsteps sounded outside. Roland, the Marquis Elmwood, entered with Adrian and Lucian. Lucian's back was wrapped in thick bandages, and he limped as he walked. Mother had clearly punished him. The moment he came in, he glared at me.

"You witch! Playing dead to frame Georgina wasn't enough? You had to lie about me pushing you too? You slipped and fell all by yourself! Thanks to you, I got fifty strokes from a quarterstaff. Happy now?"

Adrian supported him too, his expression just as cold. "Mother, Georgina has been so frightened these past two days that she can't eat or sleep. Since Jenine's alright, have her apologize to Georgina so we can put this behind us."

They had nothing but sympathy for Georgina. Meanwhile, they felt only disgust and suspicion for me despite being their own flesh and blood.

My mother let out an angry laugh and got up to her feet. "Apologize? You nearly killed my daughter, and now you want her to apologize to an outsider? Roland, are you blind? Jenine's your own daughter!"

Roland's face darkened, feeling humiliated. "What outsider? Georgina may not be ours by blood, but we've raised her here for fifteen years. She has long been part of this family.

"Meanwhile, Jenine picked up all sorts of bad habits while she was away. She's barely home, but she has already thrown the whole household into chaos. It's ridiculous."

I leaned against the pillows and watched them argue. The pressure in my chest grew worse. I opened my mouth, struggling to breathe.

Lucian took my silence as a sign of guilt. He pulled free of Roland's supporting hand, limped to my bedside, and pointed a finger at my face. "Nothing to say now? You were putting on quite a performance back then, weren't you?

"Let me make one thing clear. Coming back here doesn't make you my sister. Georgina's the only sister I have. A schemer like you could never measure up to her."

I looked up at him without saying a word. Then, I took a deep breath and started coughing. It was a light cough at first, but it grew worse until my whole body shook beneath the covers.

Lucian sneered. "This again? You think pretending to be sick will get you out of being punished?"

Before he could finish, I lurched forward. A mouthful of dark, purplish blood sprayed across his face and chest. A foul, metallic stench filled the room.

Lucian screamed as he stumbled backward and fell to the floor. Then, I fell back onto the bed limply, my eyes rolling back. I could barely breathe.

Mother rushed over, shoving Adrian out of her way. "Jenine! Get the physician! Hurry!"

She turned a furious stare on Lucian, who was still on the floor. "Guards! Drag this monster outside and break both his legs!"

The estate guards rushed in. Despite Roland's attempts to stop them, they pinned Lucian to the ground.

"Father, save me! Adrian, help me!" Lucian screamed in terror.

Roland panicked and stepped forward to stop them.

"Elicia, don't you dare lay a hand on him!" Mother gave him an icy look and took a gold medallion from inside her gown.

"My brother, the emperor, gave me this medallion. It grants me immunity from execution and the right to strike a tyrant or execute corrupt officials. Say one more word against me, Roland, and I'll raze this entire estate today."