TNR CH 02

Chapter 2 – The Fool Who Loved Too Deeply

Seriniel Berdellet had once loved Calian Helkar.

He was the son of a poor baron — a man with no achievements, no wealth, and a noble title that had long lost its worth.

A man no one envied.

But to Seriniel, Calian was everything.

She had no choice but to love him.

When Seriniel was sixteen, her parents died suddenly.
She wasn’t yet an adult, and there were no sons in her generation to inherit the family name.

So it was only natural that House Berdellet would fall into the hands of her uncle, Velles Berdellet.

Everyone assumed Seriniel’s life would spiral into ruin.

And they had reason to think so — her father and Velles had always been on bad terms.

The Berdellet family had served the royal family faithfully for generations, but Velles was different.
He mingled with nobles who dreamed of rebellion.
Because of that, despite being the eldest son, he had never been allowed to inherit the title.

Yet, at her parents’ funeral, when Seriniel met her uncle for the first time… he was surprisingly kind.

“You only have me left now, Seriniel,” he said.

And true to those words, Velles treated his orphaned niece warmly.

“I’ll take your father’s place,” he promised. “You don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

It seemed like a new chapter in her life had begun.
And during that time, another person who supported her was Calian Helkar.

“I’ll always be by your side, Seriniel.”

Her first love.

That was the simplest way to describe him.

Because Seriniel had been a fragile, sickly girl — one who couldn’t attend social events or dance at parties.
Calian had been the only young noble to reach out to her.

He stayed by her side, caring for her gently.
And she came to rely on him completely.

So when she dreamed of marrying him, it felt only natural.

“Uncle, please allow me to marry Calian Helkar.”

“Calian Helkar? That minor noble?”

Velles raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

“I don’t need anything,” Seriniel said quickly. “I’m not asking for money or land. You don’t even need to prepare a dowry.”

Among nobles, it was tradition for the bride’s family to provide a substantial dowry.
But Calian’s situation didn’t warrant such generosity — everyone knew that.

“If you insist… very well. But are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Seriniel’s mind was already made up.

Naïve and kindhearted, she never thought to demand anything from her uncle.

Velles had inherited the family title and gained power, but he had also treated her with care, filling the void left by her parents.
She didn’t want to burden him further.

“That one mine I inherited from Mother is more than enough for me.”

The mine — that was all she had received.

And with that, the marriage was approved.

People whispered cruelly behind her back.

“He just gave away his only niece to a man who didn’t even require a dowry.”

But Seriniel didn’t believe their words.
To her, Velles was a kind man — her only remaining family.

After the wedding, she added her husband’s name to the ownership of the mine, and together they began full-scale mining operations.

Velles, who had many connections, helped them secure tax exemptions.
In return, Calian agreed to share a portion of the profits with him.

Business flourished.
Their marriage seemed peaceful.
Their life looked perfect.

At least, that’s what Seriniel believed.

Four years after the wedding, everything fell apart.

She discovered she was dying — from an illness no doctor could name or explain.

“I’m sorry, my lady,” said the physician, eyes full of pity. “Judging by your condition… you may have less than a year to live.”

Her dreams of a happy future — raising Calian’s child, living together for decades — all crumbled in that moment.

“It’s all my fault, Seri…”

Calian wept. He fell to his knees, swearing he should have stayed by her side instead of focusing on the mines.

“I just wanted to build a better life for our future child,” he cried.

“It’s alright, Calian. It’s not your fault,” she comforted him.

He promised he would save her no matter what it took.

And he did try. He brought her medicine, hired doctors, and found any food or herb rumored to be good for her health.

“You’re so fragile now,” he’d whisper, “like glass. I’m afraid to even touch you.”

Even her dearest friend, Leraie, was there for her.

“It’s okay, Seri,” Leraie would say. “I’ll help you. Whatever you need, I’ll make it happen — even if I have to sell my soul.”

Leraie had been her closest friend, ever since they met at the orphanage her parents supported.

People had disapproved of their friendship — a noble lady spending time with a common orphan — but Seriniel never cared.

They had been inseparable since childhood.
And even after the doctor’s grim diagnosis, Seriniel still believed that friendship would never change.

But as time passed, reality set in.
No matter how much they tried, she couldn’t be saved.
She would die soon. And she needed to accept it.

***

“Haaah…”

Seriniel gasped weakly from her bed.

“My lady, please, you must hold on!”

Her maid, Kina, was crying. She clutched Seriniel’s limp hand, but it was cold, lifeless.

“Calian… where is Calian…”

“The young master will be here soon! Please, my lady…”

Her voice grew faint, like something heard through water.

Her chest felt heavy. Her vision blurred. Death was coming.

A few hours earlier, when Calian learned how bad her condition had become, he’d rushed out of the mansion.

“I’ll bring Leraie,” he said — and left before Seriniel could even respond.

She wanted him to stay. But he never listened.

“Cough—!”

Blood spilled from her lips, bright red against her pale skin.

“My lady!”

Kina screamed as Seriniel’s chest and dress soaked with blood. Fear, pain, and despair crashed down all at once.

“Calian… Leraie…”

Please… before it’s too late…

Her green eyes filled with tears.
Her body trembled.
Her breathing slowed.

Her lips moved faintly — one last whisper, voiceless.

Calian…

Her hand dropped limp. Her eyes closed.

A tear slid down her cheek.

And at that moment, the door burst open.

“Seriniel…?”

It was Calian’s voice — distant, dreamlike.

But Seriniel could no longer move or speak.

“My lord— the lady— she’s—”

“No… Seriniel…!”

Calian rushed to the bedside, sobbing loudly.

“Kina… leave us.”

“W-what?”

“Please. I want to say goodbye to her… alone.”

Kina hesitated, then nodded through her tears and left the room.

“Seri…”

The next voice Seriniel heard was faint — Leraie’s.

“At least I got to say goodbye.”

Seriniel felt a strange peace, hearing her friend’s voice one last time.

But then—

“Is she really dead, Seri?”

Leraie’s tone was cold. She stood near the door, watching silently, almost like an observer.

“Check her pulse, Calian. Just in case.”

“Leraie…”

Calian sighed, his earlier sobs gone.

“Do we really need to? The doctor will confirm it soon anyway.”

“She might not be dead.”

“I don’t want to touch her. Didn’t you see the blood? It’s disgusting.”

“She was poisoned. You won’t catch it.”

“Still. It’s unpleasant.”

“Then go get the doctor right now! I’ve waited years for this, Calian!”

Her voice suddenly sharpened — full of frustration.

“You promised me it would only take three years. It’s been five!”

“You know what Velles is like. It wasn’t easy.”

“If I’d known it would take this long, I’d have poisoned her food too — every meal! Then she’d have died years ago!”

“Enough, Leraie.”

Calian rubbed his temples and patted her back, soothingly.

“It wasn’t easy for me either. Living with her was torture. She disgusted me.”

Leraie let out a bitter laugh.

“Well, it’s over now. We can finally live together,” Calian said softly. “You, me… and our child. A real family.”

He smiled faintly.

“I’ll send for the nanny and Benny. He’ll celebrate his seventh birthday here, in this mansion.”

Then Calian kissed Leraie on the cheek, turned toward the door, and said—

“Stay away from that woman’s body. It’s… unpleasant.”

His footsteps echoed through the halls as he left.

And then, only Leraie and the corpse of Seriniel remained.

“Poor Seri,” Leraie murmured.

Then, ignoring his warning, she approached the bed.

Leaning down, she whispered in Seriniel’s ear:

“You never suspected, did you? That the tea I sent you was poisoned.”

Her lips curled.

“Did you know? I never thought of you as a friend. Not once.”

Her voice hardened, years of hatred spilling out.

“You always looked down on me — ever since the orphanage.”

Her eyes glimmered with malice.

“Always pretending to be kind. Pretending to care. You disgusting hypocrite.”

She sneered.

“But look at you now, Seri. You have nothing. Your husband, your house — all of it is mine now.”

Leraie smiled coldly.

“Still, we had fun, didn’t we? You got to live my life for a while. You should be grateful — even in hell.”

Straightening up, she whispered one last time:

“Remember this, Seri. I didn’t kill you. Your own foolishness did.”

With that, Leraie turned and left the room without a single glance back.

***

Seriniel Berdellet had loved Calian Helkar.

More than anyone else in the world.

With all her heart.

But in the moment of her death, she finally understood—

He had never loved her.

Not once.

And everything she believed in…
had been nothing but a mirage.