She lay on her bed, still and serene, almost as if she were merely sleeping. The soft light from the large arched window bathed her room, casting an ethereal glow on her pale features. For a moment, I let myself pretend that she was just resting, that she would wake up any second and scold me for staring at her so long. But reality came crashing back when I saw the doctor walk in. His heavy, deliberate steps echoed faintly in the quiet room, and his expression was enough to shatter any illusion I'd tried to maintain.
He looked pitiful. There was a sadness in his eyes, one that he didn't even try to conceal, and it was paired with a certain helplessness on his chubby face. His voice, though soft, carried the weight of finality when he spoke. "Poor kid," he said, shaking his head as he approached the bed. "She was only 14. Who knew that she, of all people, would fall victim to the Rosé disease? Tsk, such a tragedy. And now that brother of hers will take her place as Crown Prince." He sighed, almost as if it were a personal loss to him. "She had such a bright future ahead of her. Such promise, such potential, and it ended… just like that."
The doctor paused, his gaze fixed on her immobile form. His lips pressed into a thin line as he leaned closer, his voice dropping into a murmur. "At least," he added with a tone I didn't quite understand, "she died pure."
A soft knock on the door broke the heavy silence, and Emilia stepped inside. I knew her well; she was Avyanna's nanny, practically her second mother. But today, she looked like a ghost of herself. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her voice trembled when she addressed the doctor. "Was it… was it painful, Doctor? Please, tell me the truth," she begged, her hands clutching the folds of her dress as if she were holding on to her sanity.
The doctor hesitated. His face darkened, and he glanced briefly at Emilia before answering, his voice low but unwavering. "I'm not going to tell the Royal family this," he admitted, "but painful doesn't even begin to describe it." His gaze fell to Avyanna, and his tone turned grim. "This girl… she endured one of the most agonizing deaths imaginable. The Rosé disease… it's relentless. I can't fathom how no one noticed. She must have been vomiting blood at least three times a day." He paused, his brows furrowing deeply. "And the symptoms… they must have started when she was twelve, maybe even earlier."
No. That couldn't be true.
Emilia staggered backward, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the floor. She looked utterly broken. "If we had known sooner," she whispered, her voice trembling with desperation. "If someone had seen the signs earlier… could we have saved her? Could anyone have found a cure?"
The doctor's face softened, but his words remained harsh. "No," he said firmly. "That's the cruelest part of the Rosé disease, Miss Emilia. It's incurable. Completely irreversible. That's why they call it a godly punishment."
"But…" Emilia sobbed, her voice barely audible. "But the Princess never did anything wrong. She never did anything to anger the Gods!" Her voice cracked, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
The doctor let out a weary sigh, his expression hardening. "As if she needed to," he muttered bitterly. "The Gods are rarely fair, Miss. Everyone knows that. They punish as they please, whether there's a reason or not." And with that, he turned and left the room, his footsteps fading into the distance.
Emilia stayed on the floor, crumpled and crying, her anguish filling the space like a haunting melody. Her tears fell freely, her grief too profound to contain.
※※※※※※
The moment shattered me. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think. I felt my knees give out beneath me, and I crumpled to the ground, my body trembling uncontrollably. Hot, sticky tears streaked down my face—blood tears, the cursed mark of my power—and I couldn't stop them. My chest heaved as if my heart were being torn apart, and yet my eyes stayed locked on Avyanna's calm, unmoving face.
"Sorry for making you see it, Thya," her voice came softly, pulling me back to the present. She knelt down beside me, her gentle hands brushing through my hair in a way that only she could. Her touch was comforting, but her words cut deeper than any blade ever could. "I haven't told anyone yet," she admitted, "and I don't plan on telling them. But I wanted you to know. I needed you to be prepared."
Prepared? How could anyone prepare for something like this? My chest tightened, and I struggled to speak. It felt like my throat had closed up, but somehow, I managed to force the words out. "Have the symptoms… already started?"
Her lilac eyes met mine, glowing faintly in the dim light. "Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It started on my last birthday, Thya. At first, I didn't know what was happening, but then it got worse. Every day, it got worse." She paused, her hands clutching mine tightly as if trying to anchor me. "I've been hiding it from everyone. But I know what it is. I've known for a while now."
Before I could respond, she gripped my hands even tighter, her gaze pleading. "You have to promise me, Thya. Swear to me—on my life—that you won't tell anyone. Especially not my family."
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Avy," I choked out, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. "They're going to hate me when they find out. When they realize I knew and didn't say anything… they'll hate me forever! Everyone loves you more than anything. You're supposed to be our future Queen—"
She silenced me with a hand over my mouth, her voice calm but heartbreakingly gentle. "Thya," she said softly, her tone breaking me even more. "I'm dying. I have less than a year left. There's no future for me as Queen."
I couldn't breathe.
"Promise me," she said again, her voice trembling now. "I'll only believe you if you swear on my life that you won't tell a single soul."
My whole body shook as I bit down on my lip, trying to stop the sobs wracking through me. Finally, with a voice that barely sounded like mine, I whispered, "Okay, Avy… I swear. I swear on your life and my own that I won't tell anyone. Not a single soul."
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace, but all I felt was the weight of her impending absence crushing me. My heart shattered into pieces, and I knew that nothing would ever fix it.