The door closed with a soft click as the two brothers stepped inside her chamber. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Ashen, the brother with longer red hair, lifted a finger calmly to his lips and gave Ignes a glaring look.

"Be quiet." he whispered.

Then he stepped closer to the bedside, careful not to make the wooden floor creak.

Ignes, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a quiet "shh" back at his twin, refusing to appear as though he had been lectured.

With stubborn pride, he followed behind Ashen anyway, cautiously placing each step... he had planned to be quiet from the beginning even without needing to be told by his twin.

When they finally reached the bedside, both brothers lowered their gazes at the small figure resting peacefully before them.

A warm and genuine smile easily appeared on their faces.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke as they simply looked at their little sister.

"Isn’t our little sister pretty?" Ashen whispered softly.

Ignes calmly nodded, his eyes still fixed on Rosalin’s sleeping face.

"Yeah. She resembles me a lot."

Ashen slightly frowned before turning his head to his twin.

"Huh? No way. You’re ugly."

Ignes’s brows shot upward in disbelief, his lips parting as indignation quickly spread across his face.

"What!? You’re the one who looks ugly!"

Ashen immediately hushed him.

"Quiet, you fool. You’re going to wake her up."

Ignes opened his mouth to argue again, but then, he paused. His gaze shifted slowly toward the bed, and he lifted a finger awkwardly, pointing at Rosalin.

"Erm... actually," he murmured hesitantly, "I think we already woke her up."

Ashen stiffened and quickly turned his head.

Rosalin was already looking at them.

Her eyes had opened at some point during their quarrel, and a gentle smile now rested on her face as she watched the two of them.

Ashen quietly sighed and smiled again.

"Ah, Rosa... you’re already awake. I’m very sorry for it." he said as he stepped back and lightly kicked Ignes on the leg.

Whack!

Ignes’s eyes widened as pain shot upward, and just as he was about to protest, Ashen swiftly covered his mouth.

"I hope you had a good sleep, Rosa. We came as usual to say good morning."

Ashen’s smile appeared bright and composed, as though nothing had happened at all, while Ignes struggled silently under his grip, glaring fiercely at his twin.

Watching both of them, Rosalin’s smile growing softly warmed.

The two brothers soon settled beside Rosalin’s bed, one on each side. Then, they began telling her about the small happenings of their day.

Rosalin listened quietly to each of their stories.

She did not speak much due to her sickness, yet her eyes remained attentive, gently following whoever was talking.

The peaceful moment continued until the sound of a soft knock came before the door opened carefully, revealing the head servant.

"Young masters. Please, pardon for the interruption, but both of you should start getting ready. An important guest is coming to see the lord today."

"Eh, an important guest?" Ignes murmured, lightly tapping his forehead.

Ashen dejectedly shook his head and sighed.

"Do you have the memory of a gold fish? Father mentioned it yesterday. One of his old acquaintances from another noble house is coming to discuss some matters with him."

Ignes scratched the back of his head sheepishly, offering a small grin as if trying to defend himself.

"I-I remember it, of course. Just... not the full details. Father mentioned quite a few things yesterday, after all."

Ashen gave him a look that clearly showed he was not fully convinced, but he did not press further.

Instead, he turned back toward Rosalin, his expression softening once more. He lifted a hand and gave her a gentle wave.

"We will come again tonight before bedtime," Ashen said calmly, his voice warm and reassuring. "So rest well until then, Rosa."

Ignes immediately stepped closer as well, raising his hand in an enthusiastic but quiet wave.

"Yeah, we will come back tonight," he added with a bright smile. "So you better not forget about us while we are gone."

The two brothers lingered for only a moment longer before finally turning toward the door. Soon, the door closed softly behind them, and the room returned to its usual stillness.

Rosalin continued looking toward the door even after they had already left.

The smile on her lips slowly faded, leaving behind a faint trace of longing.

’Will come again tonight...’

The thought echoed gently within her heart.

Tonight still felt very far away.

Waiting until then felt... very long.

Before the quiet could settle too deeply, the head servant, who was still inside the room, stepped closer to her.

"Lady Rosalin," she spoke softly, offering a respectful bow.

"You should also begin preparing."

The maid approached quietly, placing a small bucket of warm water beside the bed before gently helping Rosalin into a sitting position.

"The lord mentioned that his guest will bring along his young daughter. She is said to be around your age."

Rosalin’s arm was lifted gently as the maid carefully began removing her nightwear, making sure each movement caused as little strain as possible.

"Your physician also advised that your rehabilitation will begin soon. Therefore, gradually receiving morning sunlight will help your body grow accustomed to movement again."

The maid then dipped a clean cloth into the warm water and gently wiped Rosalin’s arms and shoulders.

’Someone around my age?’

For a reason she could not quite understand, the thought made her slightly excited.

*****

After being carefully dressed by the head servant, Rosalin was gently settled into her wheelchair and brought outside.

As the wheels rolled slowly along the garden path, she lifted her gaze toward the open sky above. The blue stretched wide and calm, scattered with pale drifting clouds that seemed in no hurry to move anywhere at all.

The weather felt perfect today.

Her garden looked beautiful as well.

Rows of trimmed hedges curved neatly along the stone path, and small white flowers bloomed quietly beside them.

Of course, the garden seemed especially beautiful to her because she rarely came here.

Very rarely.

Each sight felt new, almost unfamiliar, yet comforting in a way she could not fully explain. Even the rustling of leaves sounded pleasant to her ears.

The wheelchair continued forward at a steady pace until the head servant suddenly stopped.

The motion ceased so smoothly that Rosalin only noticed it when the soft sound of wheels against stone faded.

She lowered her gaze slightly, sensing that something was wrong.

"Oh my, Lady Rosalin," the head servant said with mild concern. "Where is one of your house slippers?"

Rosalin’s eyes shifted downward.

Only one soft slipper remained on her foot.

The other was missing.

Well, truthfully, she already knew when it had fallen. She had felt it loosen slightly along the path earlier, but she could not bring herself to tell her servant.

It was still difficult for her to talk.

And she rather not much.

So she simply allowed it to slip away without saying anything.

"I must have overlooked it," the head servant murmured apologetically. "Please remain here for a moment, my lady. I will retrace our path and find it at once."

Rosalin gave a small, understanding nod.

The head servant carefully adjusted the blanket over Rosalin’s lap before leaving, her footsteps soft as she quickly made her way back along the garden path.

Because of that, Rosalin was left alone.

’It’s beautiful.’

Somewhere nearby, a small bird sang in a clear, delicate tone.

Chasing after the sound, Rosalin slowly lifted her face toward the sky again.

But it was then...

Throughout the calm silence, she heard movement coming out from the nearby bushes.

And so, she turned her gaze toward it.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 114: Pillars That Keep Her Going]