Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Selitia let out a long sigh.
Finally got rid of them—what a hassle.
Offending Sophia was no big deal anyway.
That lofty princess would never have anything to do with someone like her, the unwanted eldest daughter of a minor viscount.
Her mood for sweeping had completely vanished.
Rubbing her temples, Selitia slowly turned to head back.
“Lili!”
A gentle female voice suddenly called out from behind, using Selitia’s childhood nickname.
Selitia’s expression softened slightly as she stopped and turned around.
“Luna…”
The girl who had called her was named Luna, daughter of Selitia’s old wet nurse.
She was a few months older, and the two had always been close.
Luna hurried over, took off her outer coat, and draped the still-warm garment over Selitia’s shoulders.
“Lili, you fell into the water just a while ago—your body still hasn’t fully recovered, has it? And now you’re out here sweeping in the cold, what if your illness gets worse?”
Her eyes full of concern, Luna couldn’t help but scold Selitia gently.
“Let me do the sweeping. You’re the young lady of the house—rough chores like this aren’t for you. What Master Orall said that day was just out of anger. You shouldn’t take it seriously.”
Selitia shook her head, her voice calm.
“I’m not the young lady of the house, and Orall wasn’t speaking out of anger… You know that too, Luna.”
Selitia was the daughter of Viscount Herbert and his late first wife. Orall, on the other hand, was the only son of the current wife—her younger half-brother.
He inherited their father’s golden hair and his mother’s green eyes, combining both parents’ best features.
As the family’s only male heir, he was showered with affection.
If he asked for a star from the sky, Viscount Herbert would find a way to fetch it for him.
Selitia, by contrast, was the exact opposite.
She bore little resemblance to either parent, and her hair and eye color were completely different.
Her pale ashen-gray curls with a faint cool tone could just barely be explained away as a variant of her mother’s brown.
But those misty violet eyes—across the entire Kingdom of Lanska, they were extremely rare.
Viscount Herbert suspected his wife had been unfaithful, often lashing out at her and showing clear disdain toward Selitia.
Lady Herbert had always been in poor health.
Coupled with years of depression, she passed away when Selitia was just two years old.
After her death, Viscount Herbert remarried.
The new wife, having no blood ties with Selitia, naturally rejected her and made no effort to hide her dislike.
In such an environment, Selitia never stood a chance at a normal childhood.
With a father who hated her and a stepmother who looked down on her, the attitude of the entire household followed suit.
Her brother would often shove or beat her, and even the servants didn’t treat her with respect.
The only reason Selitia had survived up to now was thanks to a few loyal servants left behind by her mother, who protected her with their lives.
Her wet nurse and Luna treated her like their own daughter and sister.
Hearing Selitia’s words and remembering all the injustices of the past years, Luna’s eyes turned red with emotion.
She suddenly threw her arms around Selitia, holding her tightly and breaking down into sobs.
“If madam knew how much you’ve suffered since she passed… her heart would break…”
Selitia felt a bit awkward. She still wasn’t used to her current body, and instinctively wanted to avoid physical contact.
Luna was good in every way—except that she was far too sensitive.
Even the smallest things could make her emotional, and then she’d be in tears, clinging to Selitia like the world was ending.
Selitia had no choice but to gently pat Luna’s back, over and over, trying to calm her down.
“Don’t cry, Luna. I’m fine now. They can’t hurt me anymore.”
The old Selitia had yearned deeply for familial love, holding on to countless naive hopes… But she was different.
Hearing that, Luna only cried harder.
“Wuuu… my poor Lili…”
“Ah, Luna…”
Selitia sighed helplessly, continuing to pat her back while trying her best to change the subject.
“By the way—has Aunt Rebecca been feeling better?”
Rebecca was Luna’s mother and Selitia’s wet nurse.
She’d fallen ill some days ago due to the change in weather and had been bedridden since.
“She’s been feeling much better after taking the medicine you gave her. She even said her old ailments seem to have eased a lot.”
Wiping her tears away, Luna looked at her with curiosity.
“Lili, where did you get that medicine? It was amazing!”
“As long as it worked,” Selitia smiled.
“I bought some herbs from a pharmacy and mixed them myself, based on what I learned from books.”
Selitia’s words were only half true.
The Herbert estate did have a decent collection of books, but she hadn’t learned from them.
Back when she first arrived in this world, Selitia had developed an interest in alchemy, and much of her youth had been spent studying it.
In this world, alchemy wasn’t narrowly defined as “turning lead into gold”—it referred broadly to the transformation of matter.
Brewing medicine was just one of the many things she had studied back then.
But she couldn’t tell Luna the truth.
Everything she used to know about alchemy, she now passed off as “just stuff from books.”
“Lili’s still so clever. Unlike me—I’ve got such a slow brain. Even when you tried to teach me to read, I just couldn’t get it.”
Luna gently patted her on the head.
“You’ll be turning sixteen soon. That’s already marriageable age.”
“When your marriage is arranged, I’ll beg the master to let me go with you.”
“Luna, I don’t plan on getting married.”
Selitia grew a little awkward.
She’d never considered such a thing, and the word sounded utterly terrifying when applied to herself.
“But I am preparing to leave this place. If you and Aunt Rebecca are willing, I promise—I’ll find a way to take you both with me.”
“Really?”
Hope lit up Luna’s face.
“Then… we could really do what we want, like you said?”
Selitia knew Luna loved flowers.
Her dream had always been to open a small flower shop in some quiet corner of the world.
“Mhm.”
Selitia gently took her hand.
“One day, we’ll do whatever we want.”
No sooner had she said that than a mocking voice rang out from not far behind them:
“Do whatever you want? Like mother, like daughter. From the way I see it, you’re planning to use that pretty little face to seduce a few noblemen, become some aristocrat’s mistress, and claw your way up the ladder, right?”
“Master Orall!” Luna’s face went pale.
Selitia turned around—and sure enough, a boy of thirteen or fourteen with golden hair was walking up behind her, arms crossed and full of disdain.
It was her brother—Orall.
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