VOL 2 Chapter 63: We can start a new life.

Seeing her sister's state of panic, Clara sighed and extended one of her hands to gently caress her cheek. Then, with a warm smile, she commented, trying to calm her down, since, even if he truly had been an 'heir', there was nothing more to be done. It was better to stay positive than to be consumed by fear.

"Maybe you're right, and he was only the son of some rich merchant on vacation."

"Yes, you're right, that's most likely." Sofía commented while nodding like a chicken, trying to push aside the terrible foreboding that was attempting to fill her heart.

"And what do you plan to do with the money?"

Trying to change the subject, Clara asked with a smile as she withdrew her hand, then propped her face on her elbow atop the table, looking at her sister. This caused Sofía's eyes to light up like lanterns, and she immediately responded with excitement.

"I've got it all planned out. First, we'll buy a magic potion to cure your illness, and with whatever's left, we'll send Martín to the Arcane Order so he can look for opportunities. Once he's settled there, he can send for us, hehehe."

A moved but simultaneously sad expression appeared on Clara's face upon hearing her sister's words, and she quickly remarked, trying to contain the swirling mix of emotions in her heart.

"You know that's not a good idea. I've been like this for two years, and none of the doctors we've seen have been able to figure out what I have. I don't think we'll be able to get a magic potion to cure me, but your idea of going to the Arcane Order is really good. Instead of wasting money on doctors and potions, you should go with Martín to the Arcane Order—Martín is too young to go on his own."

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SAYING, CLARA?!"

Hearing her sister's words, Sofía couldn't help but shout indignantly, slamming her hand on the table and staring at her, while Clara responded in a calm tone, guilt and self-loathing evident on her face.

"You know that's the best option. The Arcane Order is a land full of opportunities; if you go with Martín, you'll have a good life and won't have to suffer hunger and hardship as you do now because of me."

Tears started rolling down Clara's pale cheeks as she spoke, expressing the immense sadness and pain she felt for having ended up in this state, where simply walking was a struggle, let alone working. Now, it was also her fault that her younger brother couldn't continue studying and had to work himself to the bone in a mine just to earn a little money. It was all her fault—everything happened because she got sick and ruined her siblings' lives, the only thing she had in this world.

"I won't allow you to say something like that, Clara!!!" Sofía shouted, now completely outraged, watching her sister give in to pain and self-loathing.

" You know that's the best! Now I'm just a burden, a dead weight. I cost money, and every day, you and Martín have to kill yourselves working to support me. I don't want this anymore. I want you two to live well now that you have the chance. Leave me here; I don't want to go on like this. I don't want to be a burden anymore…!" Clara shouted in an almost guttural voice laden with pain, which only heightened Sofía's anger. Sofía yelled back at her stubborn sister, tears streaming down her beautiful face.

"Get it through your head, Clara!! You're my sister. We were born together, and we'll always be together. I won't abandon you, no matter what!"

Swiftly, Sofía wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, who was also crying inconsolably, and spoke to her in a choked voice, doing her utmost to sound calm and composed, while her heart twisted in pain at feeling how thin and frail Clara's body had become.

"You're right that it might be hard to find a potion here, but not in the Arcane Order. They say it's the faction with the best alchemists in the galaxy. I'm sure we can find a cure for your illness there. So if we go, we go together. It's just a matter of saving up a bit more. We're so close; it's too soon to give up."

Sofía's words were like daggers piercing Clara's weary heart. Despite the immense happiness she felt at the genuine love they showed her, she also felt infinite guilt weighing her down. From any perspective, the difficult situation faced by their little family was solely her fault. However, continuing to contradict her sister—who wanted to do everything in her power to help—would only be like pouring salt on the wound. Besides, deep down, she still held a tiny hope of being cured and being able to help her siblings again.

"Thank you…"

With a voice that was almost a whisper, Clara commented through her tears, feeling immensely happy to have been blessed with a family like hers. Despite having experienced so much loss and pain, her sister was still willing to take care of someone as useless as her.

"You don't have to thank me. We're twins; we can never be apart from each other. Besides, your illness is only temporary. I'm sure we'll find a cure very soon in the Arcane Order. You know what they say— that place is a land where anything is possible." Sofía spoke in a gentle tone, delicately stroking her sister's back, almost as though she were afraid of hurting her in her frail condition.

"… Yes, you're right. In the Arcane Order, we can start a new life, and we'll find a cure…" After a few moments, Clara replied, a bit calmer in her sister's arms, but just then, her small nose twitched slightly as she caught a scent, prompting her to comment with a faint smile.

"And please turn off the fire. The soup is ready."

Hearing her sister, Sofía lifted her head and sniffed the air, immediately recognizing the unmistakable aroma of Clara's chicken soup. This led her to speak with a smile, genuinely pleased to see her sister feeling a bit better.

"You're right, I'll do it now."

After letting go of her sister's embrace, Sofía headed to the stove and removed the pot using a couple of kitchen rags, which were nothing more than scraps of clothing too worn to be repaired. She then closed the stove's air vents, letting the wood fire burn out slowly.

After that, Sofía poured some water from a large clay pot in the kitchen into a couple of metal cups and brought one to her sister, who received it with a smile. Though her expression still showed a bit of sadness and melancholy, lost in thought.

Clara's life had not been easy. Because she was born with a weak body, things were always a bit more complicated for her than for others. She got sick often, and it was common for her to spend long periods in bed, meaning she frequently missed school and had very few friends. This led her to a solitary, homebound life where her family was all she had.

When their parents were still in this world, Clara attended Aranta's main school along with Sofía and her younger brother. There, in addition to reading, writing, and mathematics, they learned basic knowledge about the galaxy, mana, mana users, and more. Though for the time being, they were at most a couple of Initiate-level individuals of second rank in the best of cases, given that they had had to leave school far too soon.

That the siblings could attend such a distinguished school in the Auroria Kingdom was thanks to their parents' good jobs— their father was a doctor and their mother was an artist. But everything changed around five years ago when their father suddenly fell ill and died shortly thereafter, prompting their mother, a deeply emotional woman, to fall into a severe depression. She soon passed away as well, leaving them alone in this world.

Although losing their parents was devastating—two crushing blows within just a few months, turning their little world upside down, leaving them broken and unsure how to keep living—that was only the beginning of a series of "misfortunes" that would eventually leave them in the miserable state they were in. It also taught them the true nature of the world in the worst possible way.

A few days after their mother's death, their parents' few relatives reappeared at her funeral, showering them with consolation and embraces, vowing to help and support them as though they were their own children. They even fought among themselves to see who would take custody of the siblings. Innocently, the three believed this might be something good amid such tragedy. But soon, reality showed its ugly face, teaching them the harsh truth of the real world.

The one who ended up "winning" custody of them during that squabble of relatives was their mother's younger sister, who showed herself to be empathetic and was the one they knew best, as she visited their mother often and stood by her side from the onset of her depression until her bitter end. She was also kind to the siblings, always bringing them gifts, helping them, understanding them, and supporting them, earning a very special place in their hearts. But appearances can be deceiving.

Shortly after they received the inheritance their parents had left them, the loving, caring aunt who had always helped and pampered them vanished like smoke, transforming into a cruel and ruthless woman who was bothered by everything they did. She even pulled them out of school, claiming their performance was abysmal and they were wasting her money.

From the moment they left school, she fired the woman who had served as her housekeeper for years and began treating the siblings as mere servants, in charge of all the household chores. She insulted and hit them if something was not done to her satisfaction, though perhaps a more accurate term for that treatment would be "slaves", one of the greatest taboos in the galaxy.

She wasn't just absolutely heartless in how she treated them; she was extremely stingy, allowing them only to eat whatever was left after her family had eaten. They were also banned from using the main dining room and could only eat at a small table in the kitchen. They had to share a single old bed for all three of them, and the clothes they wore were her family's old hand-me-downs or whatever the neighbors donated to the poor, since most of their own decent brand-name clothing "disappeared" and was never found again.

Over time, Clara came to partially understand the reason behind their "aunt's" hatred. She was a despicable, greedy woman who had envied Clara's mother her entire life and only acted nice because her mother used to help her financially. So once she got hold of the money, that twisted woman started "getting revenge" on them because, according to her, Clara's mother had "stolen the life that should have been hers". This went on for almost a year, but everything changed when one of that woman's sons hit their dear younger brother, and things spiraled out of control.

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