The sound of my heartbeat pounds in my ears, unbearably loud.

"Haah, haah…!!"

The distance from the gates to Alice's room in the mansion isn't far at all. Even so, I'm completely out of breath, my shoulders heaving with every step. The same goes for the old man beside me—his usual carefree demeanor is replaced with a tight, strained expression. I can understand his feelings. Though celebrated as a hero, he exposed a young girl to danger, leading to her remaining unconscious for the past month. That reality must have weighed heavily on him, filling him with unbearable guilt and regret.

Moreover, there's a high chance that the awakened Alice might now suffer from some defect. We’re about to find out.

—Who wouldn’t be terrified…

I feel the same. While I’d desperately wanted her to wake up, the thought of facing her now that she has is terrifying. I've already seen someone cursed by the Shadow Dragon bear a critical flaw as a knight—Feid, whose strength as both a knight and a person allowed him to carry on. But if it’s my still-young sister Alice, I don’t know if I’ll handle it.

"Alice..."

"Alice..."

Our parents, having been informed of her awakening, stand frozen in front of her door as well. Rushing in all at once would only overwhelm Alice. That's why only immediate family and the maid who had cared for Alice until now were allowed into the room.

The maid was already inside, explaining the situation to Alice, who had just woken up.

"Everyone, please come in."

At her prompting, the door to the room opened, and we were ushered inside. The moment I stepped over the threshold, my heart pounded even louder. In my field of vision was Alice, propped up in bed, looking in our direction.

"Alice!!"

"Alice!"

"Father? Mother?"

Our parents rushed to her side and immediately crumpled, sobbing uncontrollably. Alice tilted her head in confusion at their reaction. Ideally, the old man and I would have run to her as well.

But—

"Could it be…"

My legs froze as if encased in ice. Though I should have spoken to my awakened sister, the words caught in my throat. A terrible unease gripped me, and a foreboding sense of dread consumed my mind.

—Please, no… Let this be a lie…

Alice was looking at us, yes, but her eyes… They were void of light, her gaze hollow. Though her eyeballs moved, they seemed not to see anything at all—

"Father, Mother, are you there? My eyes… something feels wrong… I can’t see a thing."

"!!"

At Alice's troubled words, the truth struck like a blow. And with it came a devastating realization.

—She’s blind.

The Shadow Dragon's cursed "blessing" had taken her sight. We had anticipated the possibility. Just as the old man had lost sensation in his right arm, we suspected Alice, too, bore some form of curse.

But this—this was far too cruel.

"You’ve got to be kidding me—!!"

An overwhelming surge rose from deep within me. It was anger, pure and seething.

To steal the sight from such a young girl—it was unforgivable. Her vivid red eyes, as precious as jewels, were meant to see countless things and build cherished memories. But now—

"Brother? Where are you? Are you here?"

"…"

Her voice, the one I had so desperately longed to hear, snapped me out of my fury. I swallowed my emotions and took a step forward.

"I'm here, Alice. Right here."

Slowly, I approached her, taking her small hand as delicately as if handling glass.

"Are you hurt? I’ve been so worried about you—"

"I… I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m fine."

"Thank goodness. If something had happened to you, I’d have been so sad."

What kind of face did I make then? I don’t know. All I knew was that I was struggling to suppress a flood of emotions—not anger this time, but something else entirely.

—Don’t cry. Not here, not now.

Despite everything she’d been through, her first thought was for others. The selflessness of her concern highlighted my own selfishness, my ignorance, my inadequacy.

"Uncle Feid… Is he alright?"

"Ah… yeah."

She worried about the old man next. But he could only manage a lifeless reply. She tilted her head in unease at his uncharacteristic behavior.

"Really?"

"I’m… so sorry. Truly sorry…"

His restraint broke.

"Huh?"

The veteran soldier, who’d never shown weakness, crumpled to his knees, his emotions spilling out.

"I failed to protect you… Despite the trust placed in me by Zeke and Aria… I even put Clay in danger—I'm so sorry…"

Finally, he turned to our parents and me, offering more apologies.

"It’s alright… It’s not your fault. This was a terrible accident. If anything, we’re grateful that you saved our daughter and son…!!"

"Exactly…!!"

Unable to hold back any longer, our parents also wept. Even the maid joined in, and from beyond the door, I could hear the muffled sobs of the other servants.

"…"

But I alone refused to cry. I held back the tears threatening to fall, unwilling to yield to the emotions overtaking the room. Most importantly, I couldn’t leave Alice, still in the dark, to face this alone.

"Alice."

"Brother! Why is everyone crying? Did something sad happen?"

She didn’t know yet. Soon, she would learn the harsh and painful truth, and she would despair. I couldn’t fathom the depth of that sorrow. But here and now, I made a silent vow.

—I will never let Alice suffer again. I’ll protect her from that damned lizard no matter what.

"No, Alice. They’re just happy you woke up."

"Happy…? How long have I been asleep?"

"About a month."

"A-a month?!"

I couldn’t help but laugh softly at her reaction. Then, I gently embraced my precious sister.

"Good morning, Alice. I’ll help you through this. You’ll have some struggles for a while, but I’m sorry, okay?"

"??"

She didn’t fully grasp my words yet.