Thalia pouted, her gaze fixed on the floor as she listened to Tiara's nagging.
"I told you… he is dangerous! When I said that, did you think I was joking?" Tiara frowned. The softness in her eyes was gone, replaced with clear anxiety as her thoughts spiraled.
"I'm sorry… I was just…" Thalia trailed off, realizing that no explanation would calm Tiara down right now.
"Never mind." Tiara shook her head. "Since he already forgot… we shouldn't worry about it anymore. Just don't do it again." She looked at Thalia, pressing her lips into a tight line before nodding, though uncertainty lingered. "Let's find a suitable groom for you as soon as—"
Her words stopped abruptly when she noticed Thalia's cheeks.
They were red… too red. Not the normal kind. They looked… heated.
"Wait…" Tiara stood up and moved in front of her, pressing her palm against Thalia's forehead. "You're burning! Do you… have a fever?" Her eyes widened.
Thalia quickly raised her hand, touching her neck, then her forehead.
"Fe… ver?" she repeated, blinking a few times. "Is this what you call a fever?"
Her brows furrowed slightly, more confused than concerned. "I've never had one before…"
But Tiara's face turned pale. "This… this isn't a good sign, right?" Her chest rose and fell faster. "No—no, Lia, I can't lose you…"
Her grip tightened around Thalia's arm. "We're getting you married. Tomorrow."
"What do you mean, tomorrow?" Thalia frowned, pulling her arm back slightly. "I don't even have a groom."
Tiara didn't respond immediately.
That silence alone made Thalia uneasy.
Slowly, Tiara lifted her gaze. "We'll find one."
Thalia blinked. "Find one? Sis, this is not grocery shopping—"
"I said we'll find one," Tiara cut her off, her voice low but firm.
Thalia froze. That tone again. The one that meant Tiara had already decided.
"You don't have time anymore," Tiara continued, her fingers tightening slightly at her side. "If this is really a fever…" She paused, her brows furrowing as if she didn't even want to finish that sentence. "Then your core is collapsing faster than I thought."
Thalia's lips parted slightly. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? No relation between me having fever and my core is collapsing," she tried to laugh it off, but the sound came out weak.
"Who knows… maybe it's a sign that I'm becoming human…" she added, her words trailing into a mumble, clearly meant as a joke.
But the moment Tiara heard it, she stiffened.
"Ah… sis, come on… you know I was joking." Thalia quickly added, noticing her sister's expression and trying to brush it off, when suddenly, a small snort escaped from her nose.
She froze. "What was that?"
Tiara's head snapped toward her. "Did you just—"
"I didn't!" Thalia denied instantly, her hand flying to her nose. "That was—uh—air?"
"Air?" Tiara repeated flatly.
"Yes." Thalia nodded, as if that explanation made perfect sense.
But before she could recover she suddenly sneezed.
"Ah—choo!"
Silence.
Both of them froze.
Thalia blinked slowly, her hand still hovering near her face.
"Okay," she said carefully, "that one might not be air."
Tiara stared at her, "You're sneezing… right?"
"I don't know!" Thalia frowned, clearly offended. "Why is my body doing things without my permission?"
Another pause.
"Ah—choo!"
Tiara's expression completely darkened. "No. No, this is not normal."
"I just said that!" Thalia snapped, then immediately sniffed, her nose scrunching. "Why does it feel like this? This is uncomfortable."
Tiara stepped closer again, her gaze scanning Thalia more seriously this time. "Let's go to the clinic." She grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
"Cli—clinic?" Thalia's eyes widened as she stumbled slightly. "What do you mean? You want me to see a doctor? You know I'm not human—the doctor will find out!"
"The symptoms… it's not like—" Tiara stopped mid-sentence, clearly not convinced by her own words. Still, if what she was thinking was right… it might actually be a good thing.
"What?" Thalia frowned, pulling her arm back slightly. "You think I'm turning into a human? When I haven't even completed the ritual?"
She scoffed, clearly finding it ridiculous as her voice rose. "The freaking ritual, Tiara. The required one—I haven't done it yet!"
Tiara shook her head. "It's fine. Let's just go for now… at least get you checked." She gulped, her voice lowering slightly. "And if the doctor finds out about your anatomy… we'll just compel them."
Thalia blinked. "You're very calm about committing crimes today."
"I am not calm," Tiara replied flatly. "I am prioritizing your survival."
"I'm not going—" Thalia turned to walk past her, but her foot caught on the leg of the coffee table.
She stumbled and flopped straight onto the floor.
"Ouch!"
She clutched her face immediately. "Tiara—it hurts! My nose! Tiara—my nose…"
Tiara rushed in front of her and dropped to her knees. "Blood! Your nose is bleeding!"
Tiara's expression snapped from shock to urgency.
"Someone!" she shouted, her voice sharp enough to cut through the entire office. "Call the doctor—now!"
The door burst open almost immediately.
"Boss?" her assistant rushed in, startled.
"Get the doctor here. Immediately," Tiara ordered, her tone leaving no room for delay. "Now."
"Yes, boss!" The assistant didn't question it and rushed out at once.
Tiara turned back to Thalia, her hands already steady despite the tension in her eyes. She grabbed tissues, pressing them gently but firmly against Thalia's nose.
"Keep your head forward," she instructed. "Don't tilt it back."
"This is so embarrassing…" Thalia mumbled, her voice muffled. "Why is there so much blood? Is this normal? This doesn't feel normal…"
"It's not," Tiara replied quietly. "You know this isn't normal… you've never bled like this before."
Thalia blinked, her fingers still hovering near her nose as if she didn't quite know what to do with them.
"That's true," she admitted slowly.
Another drop fell.
She stared at it. "It's very red."
Tiara's expression darkened. "Don't say it like that."
"But it is," Thalia muttered, frowning slightly.
The words hung in the air.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then a sneeze came, "Ah—choo!"
Tiara's patience snapped.
"Enough." She stood up abruptly, grabbing Thalia by the arm again. "We are not waiting for the doctor anymore. We're going now."
"I thought you just said—"
"I changed my mind."
Thalia barely had time to react before she was pulled up to her feet again, her balance still unreliable.
"Sis—wait—my nose is still bleeding!"
"Hold it."
"I am holding it!"
Both of them rushed out of Tiara's office only to freeze mid-step.
William Carter stood just a few meters away from them, looking at them with his terrifying cold eyes.