Chapter 1187: Not a Disaster Star [Part 1]

Lullaby gently placed her palm against Aurelia’s forehead. Her magic slipped inward. And immediately encountered resistance.

A black wall. Not physical. Not even entirely magical. Something woven into Aurelia’s memories, reinforced by years of fear, guilt, and repetition.

Lullaby frowned. Whoever had constructed this prison hadn’t merely forced Aurelia to relive her trauma. They had altered the memories surrounding it. Carefully. Patiently. Cruelly.

The real Kaelmor might not be present, but his influence certainly was.

Lullaby closed her eyes.

Her violet magic changed.

Instead of attacking the barrier, it spread through Aurelia’s consciousness like warm mist, slipping into the spaces between the broken memories. She didn’t force Aurelia to remember. She gave the memories somewhere safe to return.

Aurelia gasped. Pain exploded behind her eyes.

The ballroom disappeared from her sight.

For one terrifying instant, she was standing in darkness.

Then...

A fragment.

A garden.

Sunlight.

Two little girls sitting beneath a flowering tree. One wore white. The other wore blue.

The memory unfolded slowly, like an old painting coming to life.

Aurelia recognized the garden immediately. The white marble fountain, the roses climbing along the stone walls, and the enormous oak tree where she and Celestine used to play. Everything looked exactly as she remembered, except for one peculiar detail.

Nobody was avoiding her. Nobody was whispering about curses or bad luck. There was no Disaster Star.

The girl in blue suddenly stopped walking when she heard a faint whimper coming from behind a rosebush.

Aurelia remembered crouching beside it.

A tiny brown puppy lay beneath the branches, one of its hind legs injured. Blood stained its fur, and the poor creature trembled whenever it tried to move.

"Oh, you poor thing..."

Little Aurelia carefully reached toward it.

The puppy whimpered. "It’s okay. I won’t hurt you."

She gently stroked its head.

A faint golden glow spread from her fingertips.

The wound closed.

The puppy’s trembling stopped, and within seconds, it was standing on all four legs, wagging its tail enthusiastically.

Aurelia gasped. "You’re better!" She laughed happily and scooped it into her arms. "I’ll take you home! Father will love you!"

But before she could stand, someone snatched the puppy from her hands.

Celestine.

Her sister wore a beautiful white dress decorated with tiny golden ribbons. "Oh! What a cute puppy!"

"Celestine, wait! I found him!"

But Celestine was already running toward the mansion.

"Father! Father!"

Aurelia hurried after her.

Their father was standing near the terrace, speaking with several servants.

Celestine rushed into his arms. "Father! Look! I healed this puppy!"

Lord Valessa blinked. "Healed?"

"Yes! It was hurt, but I touched it, and its wound disappeared!"

The servants gasped.

Their father’s expression brightened. "My goodness! Celestine, you have healing magic?"

Celestine nodded eagerly.

Lord Valessa laughed with delight and lifted her into his arms. "My precious girl! What a wonderful gift!"

The servants immediately began praising her. A miracle. A blessing. A gift from the heavens.

Little Aurelia stood a few steps away, confused. Then she hurried forward. "No, Father! It was me!"

Everyone turned.

"I found the puppy! I healed it!"

Celestine’s smile disappeared.

For a moment, something ugly flashed across her little face. Then she gasped. "That’s not true!"

Aurelia froze. "What?"

Celestine pointed toward her hands. "Father, look! There’s blood on Aurelia’s fingers!"

Aurelia looked down.

There was indeed blood.

From when she’d picked up the injured puppy.

Celestine immediately began crying. "She hurt it! I saw her! She hurt the puppy, and I healed it!"

"No!"

Aurelia shook her head desperately. "I didn’t! It was already hurt when I found it!"

But Celestine buried her face against their father’s shoulder. "She wanted to hurt it again!"

Lord Valessa’s expression darkened. "Aurelia."

The little girl flinched. "Father, I—"

"Enough." His voice was stern. "You shouldn’t hurt innocent animals. And you certainly shouldn’t lie about your sister’s gift."

Aurelia stared at him. "But..."

"Apologize."

Her eyes filled with tears.

Celestine peeked over their father’s shoulder. And smiled.

The memory shattered.

Another surfaced.

A servant’s daughter lay in bed, burning with fever. Aurelia had secretly visited her, held her hand, and watched the fever disappear beneath that familiar golden warmth.

The girl recovered.

But Celestine arrived before anyone else could witness the miracle.

By morning, everyone believed Celestine had healed her.

Aurelia tried explaining.

Again.

Nobody believed her.

Then another memory appeared.

A field of dying wheat. Aurelia had wandered through it, touching the dry stalks until they turned green. Celestine claimed the miracle. And when Aurelia protested, her sister accused her of causing the blight in the first place.

Another memory.

A frightened horse.

A broken carriage.

A sudden storm.

Every blessing Aurelia performed became Celestine’s achievement.

Every misfortune became Aurelia’s responsibility. And each time Aurelia tried defending herself, Celestine cried.

Celestine was always so convincing. So delicate. So terribly frightened of her supposedly wicked sister. Eventually, their father stopped asking questions.

The servants stopped listening.

And the villagers began whispering. That poor Lady Celestine. Imagine having such a troublesome twin. Perhaps Lady Aurelia brings misfortune wherever she goes.

Then came the names.

Lucky Star.

Disaster Star.

Aurelia remembered the first time Celestine used them.

They had been sitting beneath the same flowering tree.

Celestine was brushing her sister’s hair, smiling sweetly. "You know, Aurelia, everyone says I’m the Lucky Star."

Aurelia lowered her head. "I know."

"And you’re the Disaster Star."

The girl in blue looked up. "Why?"

Celestine smiled. "Because bad things always happen around you."

"But I don’t make bad things happen..."

"Of course you do."

Celestine continued brushing her hair. "Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."

Aurelia remembered feeling grateful. To the very person who had stolen everything from her. The realization made her stomach twist.

There had never been any ancient prophecy about two stars. Just a lie repeated often enough that everyone began treating it as truth.

And the worst part?

Eventually, Aurelia believed it herself.

The memories accelerated.

Years passed.

Celestine grew more beautiful, more admired, and more possessive. Whenever Aurelia tried making friends, Celestine interfered. Whenever someone showed Aurelia kindness, Celestine found a reason to separate them. Whenever Aurelia wanted to leave the estate, Celestine reminded her that the outside world was dangerous. That everyone hated her. That nobody would ever love her. Except Celestine. Her precious, wonderful sister.

The only person willing to tolerate the Disaster Star.

And then...

The cliff.