Chapter 192: Ch 192: It’s not your fault, its Rin’s
"You are giving me...a sleeping potion? Does my condition look that bad to you?"
Serena asked in a tense voice, and Rin immediately corrected her.
"It’s not that your condition looks bad. I’m just worried about you. Your health is directly connected to everyone’s wellbeing, so I want you to stay as healthy and attentive as possible."
Rin told her sincerely, and Serena took a deep breath as she looked at him.
She wanted to feel angry at him for even suggesting that she was not taking proper care of herself. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had no right to be upset.
After all, it was true that she was in bad shape.
’Don’t say that, my dear! You are doing excellent. It’s just not easy to stay attentive all the time.’
’But don’t worry! Mommy is here to help you out. I will always stay by your side and warn you whenever you are in danger. So you should also do mommy a favor and remain alert.’
The ghost of her mother touched Serena’s shoulder, and she tensed beneath that touch.
These hallucinations existed only in her head, but they felt so real that she wanted to touch them and even follow them.
She almost forgot what she was doing until Rin reached out and helped her open the potion bottle.
"Here, take a small sip. I promise I’m only trying to help you."
Rin told her, and he looked oddly desperate for her to drink the potion.
It made Serena feel a little strange, but also oddly warm inside to see Rin acting like this. It felt like he genuinely cared about her wellbeing and wanted her to get better.
Something inside her fluttered, and that awkward but comforting warmth spread through her chest. Even breathing became a little easier, causing Serena to blink at Rin in surprise.
"I...thank you."
She told him while clutching the potion and bringing it to her lips. But her mother immediately returned and started causing trouble again.
’What are you doing? Are you really going to drink that potion? You don’t even know where it came from. What if it’s poison?’
It was easy to ignore that voice as the potion slid down her throat.
’Don’t do this, Serena. What if it’s poison and something happens to you? Please stop, for your mother’s sake.’
The phantom pleaded while clutching at Serena’s clothes. Serena’s body began to feel heavier, but her mind felt lighter. Her mother’s voice gradually became fainter and fainter, and her eyelids started drooping.
A slight sense of panic rose inside her, but Rin reached out and gently covered her eyes with his hand. That simple gesture relaxed her far more than she expected.
"Go to sleep now. Things will feel better once you wake up tomorrow with a fresh mind."
Rin told her, and Serena decided to follow his advice.
She doubted she would actually feel better, but there was no harm in trying. The worst that could happen was having more nightmares.
But surprisingly, for the first time in forever, she slept without dreaming and had a restful night.
...
"Should we wake her up? We need to leave soon."
"Don’t bother. She is finally getting some proper rest. Just let her sleep for now. She’ll wake up once the potion wears off."
"I know, but still—"
Voices echoed around Serena as she slowly forced her eyes open. The conversation immediately stopped once the others noticed she was awake, and they quickly gathered around her.
"How are you feeling now, Serena? Did you sleep well?"
Rin asked as he helped her sit up.
Her body still felt heavy, but the sleep had left her feeling much clearer-headed and refreshed.
"I...feel better now. Thank you for the potion."
Those words were not empty politeness. Serena was genuinely grateful to Rin for helping her sleep. She felt far more clear-headed than before.
Even her mother’s voice and presence had disappeared, making her feel as though she had finally been freed from a burden she had carried for so long.
"If you feel better, then that’s good. It seems the sleeping potion worked perfectly. You can always come to me for more if you need it."
Rin told her, and Serena nodded. Though secretly, she tried searching the market for a similar potion, she could not find any she had not already used before.(The potion Rin had purchased came from the system employee market.)
"Since everyone is awake now, we should head out. Make sure to tell me if you feel tired or need to stop."
Rin told everyone, and they nodded in agreement.
Now that Serena was feeling more alert, she started noticing things about the group that she had missed before.
Like how Shelly constantly seemed on guard around the others and kept clinging to Rin’s arm while subtly separating him from the group.
She also noticed Albus and the deliberate way he pretended not to understand the tension around him. Amelia looked both exhausted and frightened, and Serena recalled that this was Amelia’s first mission of this kind.
But the one who drew Serena’s attention the most was Teressa.
Her face was pale and her eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that she had not slept well either, even though she was pretending otherwise.
The reason Serena found herself drawn toward Teressa was simple—she felt that they were similar somehow, and that made her want to help her.
But the moment Serena took a single step forward, she felt a familiar pair of arms wrapping around her once again. The familiar presence of her mother appeared behind her and held Serena tightly in her embrace.
’My dear child, why did you do that? No! It’s not your fault. You would never willingly make a choice that would separate you from your dear mother.’
’It must be that bastard who gave you that medicine! How dare he try to separate a mother and daughter? We need to teach him a lesson he won’t forget.’
Her mother’s voice had returned, and this time it sounded furious.
And the target of that anger was Rin.
Serena felt her heart skip a beat.
’Mother, he’s not a bad person. He saw that I was struggling and—’
’Don’t take his side, my dear! He’s corrupting you. All you need is your mother. No one else should matter to you.’
