More precisely, she was looking at her reflection in the glass, which had been cleaned for some time and now showed some dust.

Her precious daughter of a noble family, who used to live with half-dried silver hair, now had disheveled hair. Under the eyes, the color had darkened, and there was a faint wrinkle on the lips that had become dull.

It was not just a matter of having or not having high-quality ointments used for hair and skin care in noble households.

The once lively silver hair blown by the mountain wind was a trophy that fluttered vigorously outside. Her eyes were clear, and her cheeks were rosy.

That was just six months ago.

Could one change so much?

There was a mirror in the hospital too, but Karina had a reason not to look at herself in the mirror on the glass.

Rather, she didn’t want to see her pitiful self clearly.

Her chest felt so cold that it was almost frightening.

It felt like her heart wasn’t beating, and her blood wasn’t flowing.

How terrible and horrible would her revealed face be?

If she faced her face properly now, she might never forget the miserable self and regret it for the rest of her life.

Knock, knock.

The door opened with a knock.

“Oh. You’re awake.”

Sonatek placed a tray with a cup of hot water and medicine on the table.

“It’s better to rest lying down as much as possible.”

“Sonatek.”

Karina quietly called him.

“How did you know me?”

The place she was hospitalized was a hospital.

Doctors were precious. In cities with large populations, commoners couldn’t afford to call a doctor even if they had money, like Konstans Evignon.

Who would bring someone they didn’t know, treat them, feed them expensive medicine, and keep them hospitalized for days without asking where their home was and whether they had someone to pay for the treatment?

Moreover, she was clearly unconscious, yet he called her ‘Karina’ so naturally.

“Maybe… am I not being held captive here?”

She still didn’t have enough strength in her body to go down the stairs. She only cautiously moved around the floor where she was hospitalized for the necessary things.

“I was going to tell you when you lost consciousness.”

Sonatek smiled a kind smile. Somehow, there was no other evil in that smile, so Karina felt a little relieved.
“Indeed. If there were intentions to harm me, they wouldn’t have kept me alive in the first place.”

The Harington couple couldn’t protect her. They were figures who would send her away just as they were ordered when Sabiel sent a carriage. There was no room for questions or objections.

Sabiel’s mere thought made her shiver, and the best time recently was when she stayed at Duke Clevante’s mansion. Illeon hadn’t seen her for days, claiming he was unwell, and now she didn’t know what to do.

In the midst of this, the person taking care of her health, while grateful, couldn’t help but be suspicious.

The girl’s beautiful aspirations shattered, and she became indifferent.

Is this the initiation into adulthood? She only dreamed of ordinary happiness.

She had experienced it too cruelly.

“You are a person prophesied in the prophecy, Karina.”

“A prophecy?”

Karina’s eyes widened.

She had heard stories about prophecies written in a book called the Hadumsha, which contained future events. According to the founding myth, the prophecy was a divine revelation, a book written by those who reincarnated from another world to this one, establishing the Constanse Empire. The book contained the fate of the empire seen from another world.

“I’m mentioned in the prophecy?”

Of course, not all individuals could be written in such a book. Was this a story important enough for someone to come and tell her about? Or did her fate influence the destiny of the Constanse Empire?

Karina’s heart fluttered a bit.

Even in the present, having lost everything, realizing that she herself was different and special felt too sweet.

Late at night, Sonatek covered her eyes and took her somewhere. It was a strange underground space she had never seen before.

“I know that this place is the world in the book .”

As Sonatek muttered a spell, a translucent barrier-like screen emitting a faint light disappeared, allowing them to enter.

As Sonatek, as if memorizing a prophecy, flipped through the pages, he pointed to where Karina’s name was indeed written.

Karina Drepein Harington.

And…

According to the prophecy, the person who would open Illeon’s eyes and fall in love with him was Karina herself.

The person who should have lost her life due to the terrible actions of the vile prince was Elysia.

“It can’t be.”

Why did such a thing happen?

The refined duke stole the future that should have been happy for Elysia.

When Karina, shocked, stood still, Sonatek showed her another place. Seeing that place, Karina stiffened once again.

“What does this mean? Are you saying Elysia should have died?”

“That’s correct.”

In that moment, although Karina felt sorry for Elysia, she also felt a sense of relief.
After the accident, Karina raised the corner of her lips for the first time.

“What should I call you? Sonatek. The messenger of the gods? The representative of the divine?”

There was a rumor that messengers of the five gods and Oder would come and go with the contents of the prophecy.

That he came to find her.

This was an incredibly wonderful thing.

“I am Karina, your friend.”

In the dark underground, Karina saw the light of hope.

The food on the table was abundant enough for two people. It was laid out so splendidly that there was barely enough space for plates and cups, and it certainly didn’t seem like a light lunch after oversleeping and waking up.

“It’s too much.”

“It’s okay. I’ll eat a lot.”

Illeon grinned at Elysia continuously.

“Come to think of it, I don’t really know what you like.”

It was inevitable. Elysia worked as a maid in this house. How could the owner know the tastes of a maid? She had never said what she liked, just eating the food prepared in the kitchen to suit the owner’s taste.

“So, I brought a variety of things, and it became a lot.”

“It would be a waste to leave them. The table is too narrow. If that’s the case, it would have been better to have the meal at a restaurant.”

Thinking about the efforts of the servants who carried all this from the first-floor kitchen to the second floor, Elysia felt sorry.

“I don’t like that. From now on, we’ll have meals in my room, just like before.”

That was his intention. Yes, understood. Mr. Illeon.

It was when Elysia silently responded in her mind to Illeon’s words, which seemed to add about five stars to ‘the two,’ that Illeon suddenly pulled a chair and moved to sit beside her.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I’ll feed you.”

“What?”

Illeon looked at her with an expectant expression.

“Like Rona used to do.”