Chapter 2

Eventually, I bent down and picked up the book. Nothing else.

After the banquet, the old servant, Marnie, led me to a storage room.

It was a tiny, five-square-meter space.

The only things inside were a rusted iron window and a wooden plank bed piled high with junk.

Marnie stood at the door, hesitating. "Eldest... Briar. The Master and Madam remember your goodness. Once they think this through, you'll still be the eldest daughter of House Silverthorn..."

Before she could finish, two wood-borer bugs scurried out from the corner and vanished into the cracks.

I pretended not to see the pity and awkwardness on her face. "Thank you, Marnie. I know."

She shook her head and walked away.

As she left, I heard her mutter under her breath. "They look so much alike. How could she not be the true daughter? Sigh..."

I sat on the hard wooden bed, staring blankly out the window into the pitch-black night.

It didn't matter. Just one more year. Then I could leave this place forever.

That night, terrible cramps woke me. I tried to summon a basic healing spell to ease the pain, but my magic flickered and died.

With no magic and no proper supplies, I had to make do with folded rough paper.

As I stepped out of the washroom, hushed voices caught my attention.

"Darling, do you think Briar will hate us for treating her like this?" Mom whispered. "She is our biological daughter, after all."

Dad scoffed coldly. "It's her own fault for always bullying Lumina. As the older sister, she doesn't know how to yield to her sibling. Making her suffer a bit is for her own good."

"In a year, when Lumina has had enough fun, we'll just make up an excuse. We'll say the blood purity verification scroll was wrong. Once we restore her status as the eldest daughter of House Silverthorn, she'll be too thrilled to hold a grudge."

My fingertips turned ice-cold.

It felt utterly absurd and laughable.

What made them think that after trampling me into the dirt, I would just obediently stand there waiting for them?

The next morning, I went out to buy some supplies.

But when I tried to pay, the shopkeeper told me my crystal tally was empty.

I froze. I had carefully saved up thirty Glimmer Coins in that account.

Confused and anxious, I hurried back to our home.

As I pushed the door open, I heard the three of them laughing and chatting at the dining table. A delicate gift bag sat in the center.

Mom was fondly caressing a silk scarf. "Our Lumina is so sweet. You even know how to buy gifts for me now. I'm so incredibly happy."

Dad twirled a cup in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. "I loves his gift too. As expected of my precious girl."

Lumina pouted and leaned against Mom's shoulder. "But these two gifts only cost thirty Glimmer Coins. You won't blame me for buying something so cheap, will you?"

Thirty Glimmer Coins...

Mom immediately shook her head. "Of course not! As long as my baby bought it, even something worth one Glimmer Coin would be my greatest treasure."

Dad didn't miss the chance to put me down. "Exactly. Unlike your sister. She only knows how to drain the family's resources and has never bought us a single gift. She's an ungrateful wretch who could never compare to my Lumina."

Realizing I had walked in, they immediately stopped talking.

Lumina tilted her head to look at me, a malicious smile playing on her lips.

That thirty Glimmer Coins... that was my living expenses. I had saved it over three grueling months.

It was all the money I had in the world.

Something inside my brain snapped.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I lunged forward, grabbed Lumina, and raised my hand to strike her.

But before my slap could even land, Dad kicked me hard in the stomach.

I flew backward. My spine crashed violently into the sharp edge of the crystal table.

The pain was so blinding that my vision went black.

Lumina held up her arm, pointing to a tiny red mark. She wailed as if the sky had fallen. "Mom! Dad! It hurts so much! Is my arm broken?"

Mom panicked and screamed, "Quick, call for a healer!"

Dad quickly replied, "There's no time to wait! I'll take her to the Healing Temple on my Moon-Wing stag."

Lumina pointed a trembling finger at me as I lay gasping on the floor.

"I don't want to ride the stag!" she cried. "This vicious stray hurt me! I want her to carry me on her back all the way to the Healing Temple!"