[ Vrenthalis Estate]
It was a dark night filled with mist. In that place stood a mansion buzzing with lights. Inside the mansion were tables full of food, wine, and drinks for the guests who had arrived for the party.
In that mansion of joy and celebration, there was one room where the lights were off, and the sound of crying could be heard. The guests, however, did not notice it, as the noise was drowned out by the music and merriment of the party.
A woman in her late twenties, with long dark-green hair and a youthful body that could have passed for her early twenties, walked up to the dark room where the crying came from.
When she reached the door, she flung it open suddenly, startling the boy inside.
The boy inside jolted, his thin frame recoiling as if expecting a blow.
In the pale sliver of light, his skin glistened with blood and shallow cuts — a canvas of suffering. His sobs tangled in his throat as he turned toward her.
Her lip curled. Her voice lashed out like a whip.
"Disgusting wretch. How many times must I repeat myself? We are hosting a party. Do you want the guests to hear your pitiful sniveling? If you had even a fraction of your brother's worth, you wouldn't be rotting in this state."