Whispers Beyond The Door.

I walk slowly toward the door of my room. It is slightly ajar, and from the hallway beyond, faint voices echo—laughter, cruel and sharp.

As I step closer, I realise it was the voices of some maids... gossiping.

"…What a pitiful girl," one scoffs." "She doesn't even know what happened during the year she was in a coma. When she finds out, she might faint from the shock or throw a tantrum."

"She's going to lose her position for sure," another chimed in with a mocking chuckle. "Once she sees the truth, all she'll be good for is crying and begging. Hahahaha!"

Their laughter rang like sharp needles. I froze in place, the blood in my veins boiling.

How dare they…

How can they laugh at Liora like this?

But… what can I say?

I don't know what they're talking about. I don't know the truth.

I don't even know what happened while I was unconscious.

I clench my fists tightly, biting back the rising heat in my chest.

Instead, I closed my eyes and began to breathe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Again.

When I open my eyes again, the hallway has gone silent. The maids were gone.

I turn away from the door and walk slowly back to the bed. My legs feel like stone. I lie down, covering myself with the blanket. My heart pounds—not from exhaustion, but from the storm building in my chest.

A few minutes later, the door creaks open.

"My Lady," Nirelle says gently, stepping in with a tray. "I've brought your dinner and medicine."

She places the tray on the table beside me and helps me sit up.

I eat quietly. She watches over me with silent care, offering water between bites. After swallowing the bitter medicine, I finally look at her.

"Nirelle," I said softly, "what happened... while I was in a coma?"

She stiffens. Her eyes widen slightly. "Wh-What are you saying, My Lady?"

I finally meet her gaze, firm now. "I heard some of the maids talking. They said… something big happened while I was asleep. I want to know. Tell me the truth."

She hesitates, visibly nervous. "…My Lady, during the year you were unconscious… another young woman has come to live here."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who?"

She lowers her gaze. "Her name is Lady Lilith. She has pure healing magic."

My lips part slightly. "…What?"

"She's been here for several months," Nirelle explains. "Everyone says the Duke is considering adopting her as his daughter… That's why she's living here."

I blink in disbelief. "Adopt her?"

"But nothing has been confirmed yet," she adds quickly. "Please don't worry, My Lady! You're kind… you're so soft-hearted. If people truly knew you, they'd never compare you to anyone else."

Her words tried to comfort me—but I don't respond. My thoughts are spiraling.

So that's what the maids were mocking.

Liora has no healing magic. And this Lilith… not only has the strongest kind—but now she lives under the same roof, being groomed to take my place?

While I was asleep, unconscious, forgotten.

This family…

They didn't wait.

They didn't ask.

They just… moved on.

How could they?

My head begins to ache. Not from the medicine—but from the weight of these thoughts.

I turn away and curl deeper into the blanket.

"Nirelle," I whisper, "tell me honestly. Do they hate me? Is it because I don't have magic? Or… is there another reason?"

She freezes. "My Lady… don't say that."

She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Nirelle." My voice is quiet but firm. "Tell me the truth. Everything you know, everything you've heard. If you won't tell me, I'll find someone else who will."

Still no answer.

I sit up, and she flinches.

"M-My Lady," she stammers. "I'll tell you. Just… please lie down. You still need rest. I'll explain everything."

My body is too tired to argue. I sink back into the pillow. She sits beside me, her voice soft.

"I'll tell you from the beginning," she whispered. "When we were children, we used to play together. My father was a baron under the Western Dukedom. But after my mother died, he fell into gambling."

She paused, voice trembling slightly.

"He lost everything—our house, our money. Eventually, he gambled even his life. Somehow, he won… but was robbed in a carriage accident on the way home."

She swallows hard.

"He came to the Duke, begging him to protect me. He said if the others in the gambling world found out he had a daughter, they'd hurt me. He begged the Duke to let me become your maid."

"And the Duke agreed?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. And from that day, I've been by your side."

Her voice lowers.

"As I grew up here, I overheard things. One day, Lord Renald said something terrible… He said if you hadn't been born, their mother would still be alive. That you killed her just by existing."

I suck in a sharp breath.

"They treated you like you didn't belong," she whispers. "Like you weren't part of this family. Once, when we were drinking tea together, the Crown Prince saw us and scolded you. Lord Cedric came and told him you didn't know the proper etiquette… but you were trying. Cedric clicked his tongue and said, "Learn how to treat your maid—and live quietly, without disgracing the family name."

I listened in silence, too stunned to speak.

"But you didn't give up," Nirelle says softly. "You tried so hard to be perfect. You became a proper lady. You studied, you followed every rule. And even if no one said it aloud… I know they noticed. When you collapsed… everyone was shocked."

I don't speak. My body is still, but my mind is slowly shutting down—too full, too overwhelmed.

Nirelle reaches forward and gently adjusts my blanket.

"My Lady," she says, her voice gentle now. "If you ever need anything… just pull the golden rope behind the bed, on the wall to your right. I'll come right away."

She gives me a soft, warm smile.

I look at her and whisper, "Thank you, Nirelle."

She leaves quietly, closing the door behind her.

I stare at the ceiling in silence, my thoughts tangled in a thousand threads.

---

The next day, I wake up—

But I don't know that everything in this world has already changed for me—

in just one night.

And now… what will be my next step?

---