Karina stood, turning the paper over, her eyes darting rapidly from side to side.
Her fingers no longer obeyed her normally; she gripped the paper so tightly that her knuckles whitened, as if she feared it might slip from her hands.
Her lips trembled slightly, and her breaths grew uneven. She felt paralyzed, as if she could no longer feel the paper—or herself.
Tears began to fall, one by one, slowly at first, then faster, dripping onto the trembling paper in her hands. Every word struck her with a wild intensity—her mother's words, the feeling of enduring and silently suffering through agony.
She didn't know how to act or how to control herself. She didn't stop shaking, standing rigidly, afraid she might collapse suddenly, refusing to move her head, because all the memories could come rushing back at any moment.
And indeed, her mind filled with memories: the prison, the execution place, the accusations, the hall of corpses, the deaths of Ron and Victoria… all the suffering returned at once.
Her vision blurred, the lines before her began to melt, the light dimmed, as if the room was drifting away from her. Suddenly, she could see nothing in front of her—nothing but darkness and her tears, while her body lost all sensation… no warmth, no cold, nothing.
Then she began to see screams, a sharp and jarring voice, slaps, repeated blows, punishment, cruelty, attempts to escape, desperate defense… rapid overlapping scenes pressing on her mind.
Her mother appeared in all of them, as if living through them herself, as if the pain transferred directly to her. Someone was shouting at her mother, she was slapped, punished silently… something precious breaking for her sister, standing before her to protect her and bear all the pain.
Her mother's face was pale, her lips pressed tight, her eyes steady. No tears, only agonizing patience. Long days, enduring pain while hiding it, sitting calmly, smiling a faint tired smile, speaking normally, but her eyes revealed everything.
Karina couldn't bear it. Her face darkened, her lips cracked, a heavy pain filled her mind, as if her legs could no longer hold her. She felt nausea, not from illness, but because she had seen the woman who gave birth, the woman she had wished to see, suffer endlessly… until she passed away.
She wished it were her leaving, not her mother. She collapsed, falling to her knees with force, her body trembling, her hands slackening. The paper slipped from her fingers; she could see nothing.
Her sobs filled the quiet room just moments before, her breaths irregular, as if choking. Her eyes were red and swollen.
Damian's expression changed immediately. His eyes widened, his brows knit, panic clearly visible. He rushed forward, grabbed her wrists—his hands cold and trembling, his face shadowed.
He shook her slightly, gripping her wrists firmly:
"Karina! Can you hear me? Answer me!"
He leaned closer, trying to see her eyes, but she lowered her head. She didn't want to show weakness, yet the emotions exploded, and she couldn't restrain herself. He felt a lump in his chest with every sob:
"I'm sorry, Karina… sorry for everything… just calm down!"
He said it quickly, but she didn't stop crying. Then instinctively, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly, as if afraid she might collapse further or slip away from him. He drew her near and whispered beside her ear:
"Please… calm down… please…"
Warmth began to spread slowly, a strange yet familiar feeling, as if from before, when that man hugged her—the one who said he was the child's father who called her "Mama."
Her breaths gradually steadied, her thoughts receded, the memories began to fade, her body stopped trembling, and she started to calm down.
..
After many failed attempts to calm Karina, she finally settled down… and began wiping the remaining tears from her face with a handkerchief embroidered with golden patterns, its soft cotton fabric gently absorbing her tears and brushing against her skin.
As for Damian… he let out a breath, as if he had finally relaxed. He handed her a glass of water to help her calm down, then stood watching her with worry… afraid she might return to that state again.
She accepted the water and drank it, feeling a refreshing sensation in her throat… and a growing sense of relief.
She stood up as well, her hands nervously adjusting her dress, then… instead of sitting across from Damian, she sat beside him.
As if she was trying to make him understand what was going on in her mind.
She swallowed hard, unable to speak…
Then Damian's voice came, calm as usual… but with a hint of tension:
"Take your time speaking… don't rush."
She nodded.
She placed her hands over her heart, closed her eyes, and could only say:
"I didn't expect that… I mean, I know what my mother has been through, but I never imagined that the Empress could be my aunt."
She said it, but immediately after, Damian responded:
"This is a secret between us. Don't tell anyone for now."
Karina nodded, then finally looked at him:
"I couldn't handle it… not because I— I mean… I already know about my mother for a reason… and if I tell you, I want you to promise me—truly—that you won't tell anyone."
He nodded, then said:
"I promise… and you don't have to tell me everything."
She took a deep breath, then looked up at the ceiling:
"I've lived longer… and more than you might think. Everyone sees me as spoiled and very lucky, but it's all just rumors and misunderstandings… I was never like that at all."
Damian listened. He didn't want to interrupt her, just kept watching her, waiting for an explanation.
"It was about six years… and every single day was worse than the one before… until I was even called a criminal…"
She paused for a moment, her hand on her chest trying to restrain her emotions, then continued:
"Until I was sentenced to something terrible… but before I died and disappeared… a power ignited within me, and I found myself at the age of twelve."
With every word Damian heard, his shock grew.
Thoughts piled up in his mind—he didn't know if she was joking or not, but before he could ask for clarification… he reached a major conclusion.
"Do you possess the Blue Mass?"
That thought…
Yes, he had reached the correct answer.
Karina looked at him in surprise at how quickly he knew… not everyone had such knowledge of magic…
Then slowly…
She nodded.
Damian was deeply shocked by the information…
The Blue Mass was not ordinary magic… it was something significant… and the existence of someone who wielded it meant they were capable of many things… and any weakness could affect matters far greater than expected…
Karina understood this very well…
And that was why she always felt uneasy…
She glanced at Damian… a look carrying a silent plea… for him not to speak about it…
He understood that look…
And nodded.
Then he said calmly:
"I'm sorry if something I did made you feel bad… I understand why you can't reveal everything… is this why you know so much?"
Karina didn't reject his question…
She nodded her head…
"Yes… all the secrets were revealed… all the information appeared at that time…"
Damian nodded quietly…
Then he whispered:
"May I ask one question… but I want you to answer honestly."
Karina looked at him with a hint of tension… she hoped the question would be simple…
But… she had no choice but to agree…
And she nodded.
Damian adjusted his posture…
Then looked directly into her eyes… more serious than before…
"Why did you ask me to be your friend?… Isn't there a reason?"