Chapter 73: Callista

CALLISTA

When Runa told me that she wanted to complete my story, my sister meant that she would like to honor my name while also making it her own.

She decided to adapt my sketches into a novel.

Her ultimate dream was to be a published author. But for some reason, she didn't want to achieve that feat alone; she wanted to do it with me.

And so, I worked closely with Runa by illustrating that novel. I could tell that she was earnest about it, because I knew my sister. Once she had set her mind, she was going to get it done no matter what.

As a student, she had ample time to write, but she still made sure not to neglect her studies. She was smart and responsible, and I couldn't have been prouder. So I supported her in every way I can.

I worked as a maid during the day and practiced my drawing skills at night. After all, I wasn't an active artist, so my illustrations were shitty.

"Oh, welcome back." Runa greeted me indolently.

It was already past eleven and I just got home, but Runa was still up and lazily slumped on her desk.

I walked up to her and caressed her back.

What's up?

My sister straightened her back and waved her manuscript to my face. "I'm going to name the villainess after me, sis. What do you think?"

That's cringe, I mouthed.

"H-Hey! I'm gonna change her family name, so it won't be that bad." Runa spoke defensively. "Her surname will be Camellia, my favorite flower!"

That's still cringe, I reiterated.

She pouted. "But people will either call her Ruth or Lady Camellia. Everyone calls me Runa, so no one would know about my self-insert, right?"

I couldn't help but smile. Despite growing up, she's still as childish as ever. It's always the little things that matter to her, nitpicking over trivial matters.

I was kidding, I gestured to her.

"Tee-hee!" She hugged my waist. "I'm gonna name one of the characters after you, too. You should be the one closest 1 the villainess! Is that okay, sis?"

I gently combed her hair with my fingers.

Do what you want, I told her.

Do what you want. As long as you are happy and healthy, you can do anything you want, my child.

---

A year passed just like that. Our lives, though quite uneventful, were like a stream with a stable flow.

Or so, that's what I thought.

It was supposed to be a normal day. I was busy with my tasks as a maid when my employer gave me the telephone and I received dreadful news.

"Your sister collapsed on the way to school."

At that moment, I was beyond mortified.

I don't even remember how I managed to get to the hospital. I faintly recall myself running as if my life depended on it, anxious and desperate.

When I arrived, my sister was in deep slumber.

And the doctor said that she was terminally ill.

It was the most devastating day of my life.

Things started going downhill at that point. Back then, I only had to worry about putting food on the table and making illustrations for my sister's novel. But now, she was sick, and our debts were piling up in no time due to the treatment required.

To be honest, I was tired. I worked day and night in order to make ends meet, barely getting sleep.

Still, I never complained. Not even once.

Because I love my sister, and she was my world.

---

"I lost it."

That was the first thing that Runa said when she regained her consciousness. She seemed shaken.

I gave her a questioning look.

"The manuscript. I lost it." Out of frustration, Runa rubbed her hands over her face. "Someone took it from my stuff when I collapsed on the street, sis."

Ah, she was talking about the novel.

Is that really important right now, though?

Let's just rewrite it once you're cured, I told her.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in disbelief. "It won't be possible to rewrite it exactly as it is. It's not like I memorized the whole thing and wrote it overnight. I spent years writing that novel, sister!"

My chest hurts.

I know. But what am I supposed to do?

"Find it!" Runa demanded, totally distraught.

I don't have time to find that goddamn novel. I'm already working day and night to keep her alive.

When I refused to grant her request, her reaction was worse than I thought. My sister screamed and threw things at me. That's when I realized... Runa was probably distrait after discovering her illness.

The doctor said that she doesn't have that long.

So she was desperate to fulfill her dream now.

And so, I had no choice but to give in. Just as Runa demanded, I tried looking for the manuscript that she lost, even though I had no idea where to start.

Unfortunately, she only had one copy of it. We didn't have the luxury of owning any electronic device, so my sister wrote that novel manually.

Even my illustrations were drawn by hand.

So I searched for it, but it was all in vain.

After many unfruitful attempts, I decided to give up and tell Runa, who was still confined in the hospital. However, when I arrived, she was the one who had devastating news to break to me.

"It's already published." she muttered grimly.

Once again, I was confused by her words.

"The novel that we both worked so hard for," My sister glanced over me, her eyes filled with tears. She sobbed. "It's published by another person."

I stood rooted to my position, dumbfounded.

My dear sister, would you resent me if I told you that I don't give a damn about that novel anymore? Would it hurt you to hear me say that the novel is the least of my worries right now?

I walked up to her and caressed her back.

It's okay, Runa. Your health is more important.

She glared at me and swatted my hand away.

"Stop it," she said through gritted teeth. "That familial love of yours... I'm sick of it, Callista!"

I froze in an instant.

"Unlike you, I have dreams. I have my own life!" she screamed hysterically. "I'm not like you, who doesn't have dreams and ambitions. So don't tell me that it's okay. My dream was just shattered!"

My throat hurts.

"I'm not like you, who's content with wiping the floors and licking their madam's feet!" My sister shouted relentlessly. "Why is this happening?"

She broke down into tears.

"On top of having my novel stolen, I'm also dying." Runa remarked in between sobs. "Why am I the one dying? It should have been you instead!"

After saying that last line, Runa gasped as if she instantly realized the gravity of her words. My sister lifted her gaze to me, her eyes swollen.

"I'm sorry." She cried. "I didn't mean that."

Silence pervaded throughout the room.

At that moment, it felt like my life flashed before my eyes. What's more painful is that every single moment in my life has always been about Runa.

That day when she managed to stand up on her own for the first time, or when she muttered her very first word as a toddler. There was also the day when she attended kindergarten, all giddy.

My life has always been about her.

So what she said hurts, but it was all true.

For the first time in my life, I turned my back from her and left. It felt like one of my strings snapped.

I know. I know that you didn't mean it.

I know that you're just frustrated, my child.

But I wish you had chosen your words wisely at this moment, because my heart was at its limit.

You said that I have no dreams. That's true.

Because I gave up all my dreams for you.

I gave up my own life to raise you alone.

You said that it should've been me who's dying.

My dear sister, I would take your place if I could.

Your mind is like a treasure trove, full of ideas that could marvel the world. You have so much to offer that it's such a waste for you to be dying so early.

Unlike you, all I know is how to love you, Runa.

So I apologize if my love is suffocating you.

---

Perhaps Callista, the person that I used to be, was already long broken inside and beyond repair.

But because of her immense love for her sister, she tried her best to keep her shattered pieces together... even if it was already hurting her.

That fateful day, she wasn't on her right mind.

She was too enraged. She was too hurt. She was too tired. That's probably why she came to the decision to kill herself at the heat of the moment.

The world thought that she ended her life because what's rightfully theirs was stolen. Little did they know that it was never about the novel at all.

She did it to set herself free.

And that decision led to my punishment: to live and to die as an extra in the novel we created.

My previous self took her own life.

Now, I'm learning the hard way just how precious a person's life can be. That no matter how much I want to live right now, I will die no matter what.

---