Chapter 88

Wide eyes stared fixedly at Roro’s forehead.

When the girl wiped the soot-streaked skin with her arm, something faint appeared beneath.

A mark.

Like a birthmark, it looked as though she had been born with it, engraved faintly on her skin.

“D-don’t look!”

Roro screamed.

Melissa, who had been fidgeting nervously beside them, quickly grabbed Natalianne’s arm.

“Natalianne, please stop. She looks terrified.”

“…”

Natalianne fell silent for a moment, then gave a small flick of her finger.

Srrrk.

The invisible force gently lowered Roro to the ground.

The instant her feet touched the floor, Roro sprang like a coiled spring and bolted toward the window.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Silver dishes clattered loudly as they spilled from her pants, but she didn’t care.

She’d been found out. Again.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt, but she ran faster.

Damn it.

The room was so big that no matter how hard she ran, the window didn’t seem to get any closer.

She rubbed her blurred eyes and dragged her bangs down over her forehead, scratching as if to hide the mark.

Damn this curse.

That filthy, wretched curse.

Once, a beggar woman she’d met on the street had told her that there were others like her somewhere out there.

‘That’s the Great Spirit’s blessing. Only a rare few born among those who once served close to the Great Spirit carry that mark.’

What a load of nonsense.

Who would ever believe such a lie?

Roro rubbed her stinging nose roughly and kept running.

Born in a trash heap and raised wandering the streets, she had always seen it not as a blessing but as a curse.

A curse that drove everyone away, even those few who had once shown her kindness.

Finally, she reached the window and pulled herself up onto the sill.

Then her forehead began to burn. The world wavered.

Damn it.

A pale blue shimmer flickered before her eyes.

‘I’m seeing things again.’

Her vision dimmed, and she swayed.

“Wait, don’t—!”

Melissa’s cry rang out behind her, but Roro’s body had already toppled out the window.

Ah.

Her limp hand trembled weakly as she felt the world falling away.

This damned curse again.

Tiny pale-blue lights floated before her, reaching out like droplets trying to grab her. But they were too weak and soon slipped away.

…Fine.

Roro stopped struggling.

Maybe it was better this way.

A cold wind howled past her ears.

The rushing air brought back flashes of her short, miserable life.

‘I still have that piece of bread I hid at the hideout. And that stray cat I used to feed. And…’

Roro smiled faintly.

Damn. Even my final thoughts are pathetic.

‘Well.’

This was a fitting end for a street rat.

“Got you!”

A bright orange blur dropped from above the window.

Golden sunlight caught on fiery orange curls, and green eyes shimmered like sunlight on a lake.

Before she even understood what was happening, the shadow grew larger, closing in fast.

“Got you!”

Warmth wrapped tightly around her.

Roro’s eyes flew open wide.

‘What…’

The person holding her was Melissa.

Did she jump… after me?

‘From that high up?’

Her stunned mind slowly caught up to reality, and she screamed.

“Hey, that was dangerous—!”

“Yah!”

Melissa’s cheerful cry cut her off as the two of them rolled across the ground.

The world spun several times before they came to a stop.

“Ahh… I messed up the landing a little.”

Melissa pushed herself up, her orange curls tangled with bits of grass. Her bright green eyes blinked down at Roro.

“Are you hurt?”

Roro blinked several times before finding her voice.

“You jumped… from up there? For me?”

“Yes.”

“…You.”

Roro’s lips trembled. Then she burst out.

“Are you crazy?! Why would you jump to save some filthy street rat? You’re a noble, aren’t you? Why—”

Melissa flinched at the shout. Her shoulders jerked, and her expression softened.

“Ow…”

“You’re hurt?!”

Roro leaned forward in alarm, eyes wide.

Melissa waved her hand quickly with a sheepish grin.

“I’m fine. A little spit will fix it.”

“Your arm’s dangling!”

Melissa moved her arm a little and gave a small laugh.

“Ah, I think I twisted it. It’s alright. I used to do this all the time when I was little.”

“Alright? You call that alright?”

Roro’s voice cracked as her throat tightened.

Why…

Why are you doing this?

Why would you do something like that… for me?

She bit her lip hard, fighting back the sting behind her eyes.

“Let me see. Damn it, your arm’s already swollen!”

What do I do…

Her blurred vision wavered as she stared at Melissa’s arm.

Please, someone help.

Please… anyone…

Her lips trembled in desperation. Then her forehead tingled, and a faint light began to spread across her vision.

Plink.

Tiny orbs of pale blue light shimmered like droplets, forming shapes before her eyes.

What… is that?

As she watched, the faint figures took form.

Small faces, each no bigger than an acorn, with delicate features and translucent blue bodies.

Fairies?

Roro blinked, dazed.

A tear slipped down her cheek, clearing her vision even more.

Am I hallucinating?

She rubbed her eyes hard and looked again.

But the tiny fairy-like beings were still there, flitting before her, opening and closing their mouths.

“…What?”

Roro tilted her head, focusing on the faint murmuring she suddenly realized was echoing inside her mind.

The humming grew clearer.

‘At last… you can see us.’

Then the tiny figures giggled, spinning playfully as their soft voices echoed again.

Shall we help you?

“…What?”

Roro blinked dumbly, watching them buzz around like dragonflies.

Some of them turned rosy pink, clutching their chests in frustration before fluttering toward Melissa.

They landed on her swollen arm, placing their tiny hands on it.

“Hey, what are you—!”

Roro reached out to grab them just as Melissa let out a small gasp.

“Ah!”

“I-I didn’t do it! They—”

“My arm doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Roro froze mid-sentence. Melissa’s eyes widened in astonishment as she touched her arm.

“It’s… healed. I thought I imagined it, but it’s really healed.”

She ran her fingers over the once-swollen skin in disbelief.

That feeling.

Melissa blinked slowly.

A warm, soothing sensation spread through her arm, as if someone gentle was wrapping her in light.

It felt familiar.

Like the wind that used to brush against her cheeks back home.

Like the presence that had always stayed beside her when she was a child.

Yes.

It felt just like that.

The scent of wind and fresh green leaves that had always embraced her in the Village at the Edge.

Smaller and weaker than that old presence, but unmistakably similar.

Melissa opened her eyes and looked at Roro’s hand.

“Is it… inside there?”

Roro flinched, lips pressed tightly together, then slowly raised her hand.

“You… can see it too?”