Last Chance [Extra #2]

Part 5

The Countess, although beyond exhausted, never left her daughter's side. She kept a tight hold on her hand the whole time the young girl slept, anxiously waiting for her to open her golden eyes again. This time, she didn't have to wait almost a year for that, for Elena woke up only an hour later.

"My baby, how are you feeling?" the Countess fretted over her child, carefully helping her sit up on the bed.

Elena replied truthfully, "tired." She hadn't eaten anything for a year, and because of lack of movement during that time, her body was in a terrible state.

"That's understandable," the Count smiled sadly, getting Elena's attention. She tried to focus her eyes on him, but her vision still remained blurry due to exhaustion. "Dinner will be ready soon, you should eat something, and then the maids will help you bathe and change into something more comfortable."

"And then I'll take you to the greenhouse. You must be tired of staying in this room," Edgar added, giving his sister a grin. She gratefully accepted his suggestion, itching to leave the stuffy place where she had spent last ten months.

"I don't think I can walk..." Elena admits truthfully.

"It's fine, father got a wheelchair for you."

'Wheelchairs exist in this world?' Celosia thought confusedly. In the other world, things like that were normal, but here? She was sure this world was not as advanced technologically as the previous one, so she was surprised to hear such thing existed here.

"Let me take you to the dining room," Edgar carefully picked up his sister from the bed and carried her around the mansion before they reached the dining room, where he gently sat her on the chair as the maids set the table. Celosia recognized them based on Elena's memories, and she felt bad about deceiving them. Everyone in the mansion loved the young girl dearly, which made Celosia feel even worse. If they hated her, she wouldn't feel as bad about lying to them.

Entering a body that belonged to someone who was loved by her family was always the hardest. Celosia couldn't even convince them to kill her and end her suffering, because the love they felt was not directed at her. Thus, it didn't break her curse.

"I have prepared a light soup for you, my Lady. I wish I could give you something more delicious, but it's too dangerous now," the chef wailed, roughly wiping his tears with his sleeve. Seeing the lady finally awake made everyone quite emotional. They had all waited for a long time to see her join her family for a meal. It had been so long...

"Thank you," Elena smiled gratefully. She may have been a cold-hearted woman, but she still knew how to be polite.

Elena tried her best to not appear helpless, but due to being comatose for so long, her dexterity was not like it used to be. She could hardly hold the spoon in her hand, much less eat with it.

The Countess, noticing her daughter's struggle, quickly moved to sit beside her and help feed her. Had Celosia been the same person she used to be, she would've felt embarrassed by her helplessness, but now she no longer cared about her image.

It wasn't like she cared about what those people thought about her. She wasn't their real family.

"Darling, please eat some more," the Countess sighed quietly when Elena stopped her. Her poor daughter ate barely a few spoonfuls and it broke her heart to see Elena so weak. However, she was convinced that from now on, everything would get better.

"Honey, don't force her," the Count smiled at his wife. "She could get sick if she ate more. Let her get used to this one step at a time."

"Father's right. We can slowly increase Elena's food intake. I've already asked the chef to prepare some snacks for later," Edgar chimed in, throwing a warm glance at his sister. He was relieved to see her awake and well, especially after watching her lifeless body for so long.

After dinner, Edgar carefully put his sister in the wheelchair prepared for her, covered her with a thick blanket, and took her outside to the garden. Even though it was already springtime, the air was still a bit cold for someone as weak as Elena. She was very fragile, so even a simple cold could be dangerous for her.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked his sister who quietly looked around the garden. Elena only nodded at him in response, which made his smile falter slightly, though he didn't show it. He simply showed his sister around then took her to the greenhouse, where she would be shielded from the sunlight.

Elena, however, wasn't too happy about being hidden. She missed being outdoors. Being holed up in a room was torturous. Celosia was used to being outside, spending most of her time in the mountains, strolling around the woods, swimming in lakes, so staying in a confined space made her claustrophobic.

Unfortunately, it would take a long time to recover and go back to the way she used to be.

"Do you like it?" the Count asked, seeing how happy his daughter was to be outside.

"I do," Elena answered truthfully, basking in the warmth of the sunlight and the smell of flowers surrounding her. It reminded her of her fifth life, when worked as a florist. Back then she was known as Daisy. The real Daisy's dream was to open a flower shop, and Celosia did her best to achieve it. It was quite easy, thanks to her previous experience, and soon her business was booming.

Being surrounded by all the flowers in the greenhouse reminded Celosia of that time. It was one of her most peaceful lives. She lived as Daisy for over seventy years, running a flower shop in a quiet town, and she would've lived for longer had it not been for an accident in which she was crushed by a landslide.

'If only those rocks loved me, I would've been able to escape my fate,' Celosia thought with a bitter smile. 'What a ridiculous idea...'

The Count, Countess and Edgar watched curiously as Elena smiled to herself then shook her head silently, seemingly lost in her thoughts. For some reason, they all thought that something was strange with Elena. She didn't act like herself. Perhaps it was because she had just awaken from her coma, but she felt like a completely different person.

The Count even considered getting a magician to check on Elena, unaware of her affliction. Elena's body couldn't tolerate magic. Truthfully, it was Celosia who couldn't handle it, as the magic clashed with her own power. Elena's body could no longer accept other people's magic, because it had its own source of power, however neither the Count nor the Countess knew about that and continued to send magicians to heal Elena.

They were partly responsible for her ten-month-long coma. Each time Celosia healed Elena's body, a magician came and caused harm again.

Celosia didn't have the heart to tell Elena's parents the truth. They only wanted the best for their daughter. They didn't know they were causing her harm. It was unfair to blame them.

The family spent the rest of the afternoon together in the glasshouse, drinking tea and eating light desserts made by the chef. No one disturbed them, knowing how important it was for them to be together again.

Though, no matter how peaceful the afternoon was, the Count couldn't forget the earlier events. The Cardinal tried to kill his daughter. Had he not missed her heart by an inch, he would have succeeded.

Taking Elena's hand in his, the Count silently swore to seek justice for his beloved child. He may have lost his influence in society, but that wouldn't stop him from avenging his daughter.

The Count may not have known why the Cardinal was so adamant about killing Elena, but Celosia did. After looking into Elena's memories, she was sure the priest would stop at nothing to get rid of her.

He wasn't as holy as he pretended to be.