An entire breath was knocked out of Zerra's body. She closed her eyes, helplessly waiting for the impact. Her breathing was ragged as she fell on something–to be exact, someone.
It was Laziel.
"Get up," The man let out a groan and snapped at her.
Zerra felt uncomfortable in some parts of her limbs. She took a deep breath, her face pale. Even if it had happened countless times, she would never get used to the feeling of pain.
Because of the strong fall, her elbow had now turned purple and bruised, just like some other parts of her feet. Laziel also stood up, hissing loudly at some parts of his limbs that had gotten bruised.
"Elder brother, I am sorry." Zerra apologized, attracting the man's attention.
"What are you thinking? Do you want to–" his words were caught in his throat and he could not continue when he saw his younger sister's watery eyes. He couldn't find it in himself to scold her further, especially when he saw her crumpled, small face full of remorse.
He originally thought that he was hallucinating, or that she was pulling one of her malicious jokes again. Now, he wasn't sure. Was she pretending again? His gaze involuntarily went from her lowered head and bruised little frame to the frozen figure on top of the stair.
Nyra was standing there with wide eyes as her hand clutched something. Laziel then remembered someone yelling. In reflex, he had thrown himself as a human mattress. Originally, he thought that the figure was Nyra, but it turned out to be his younger sister.
The commotion seemed to attract the attention of their parents.
"What happened here?"
Nerith's eyes fell on her daughter, who was clutching her bruised skin. Her fair skin made it seem obvious to every minor bruise. "Zee!"
In a few quick steps, she arrived at her daughter's standing spot and hugged her, checking her from head to toe. "What happened to Zee?"
She looked at Laziel, who was clutching his waist, and then at the top of the stairs. Her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval and anger, shooting daggers through her eyes. "Is it you who pushed Zee from the stairs, Nyra?"
Alaric also went to his youngest daughter first. Worry was apparent in his eyes. When she heard Nerith's accusation and her finger pointing at the unmoving figure above, he looked up.
"What Zee did wrong that makes you push her like this?" Alaric's eyebrows knitted in rage. His finger pointed to his eldest daughter. "Speak, is it you who pushed Zee?"
"I am sorry," Nyra choked out.
"Oh, it's really you!" Nerith glared at her, then she turned to her husband. "She has to be punished."
"That's right." Alaric suppressed his emotions. His face became stern. "No dinner for you tonight. You are also not allowed to step out of this house for a week."
Nyra's eyelashes trembled when she heard that. If she wasn't allowed to go out, it meant that she wouldn't be able to gather supplies outside or continue to earn money by becoming a waitress. Having lived a rough life outside, every little money mattered to her.
"Dad, isn't that too much?" Laziel interjected when he saw his eldest sister's eyes. She always looked so strong, but this time, she looked so frustrated. "Eldest sister will lose her job if she can't go out for that long!"
Alaric scoffed. "That will be the best. Serving any random people like that. She doesn't have the dignity of the Sylvaris family at all. It is also a lesson so that you can manage your funds. No matter how much pocket money I gave her, it was always gone the next morning!"
Of course, Alaric definitely would sometimes monitor her bank account, too. However, Nyra was quite smart too, using that money to buy something expensive and then sell the items.
There will be slight loss, but that was acceptable as long as the Sylvaris family wasn't suspicious of her spending money on supplies.
"Can you change the punishment to something else?" Nyra suddenly opened her mouth. "Anything would work as long as I can go out."
"You are in the wrong. Do you think you are in the position to haggle about your punishment here?" Nerith snorted. She rubbed her hand on her daughter's hair in an attempt to console her.
"Your mother is right." Alaric nodded. "Just accept the punishment."
He took the bottle of oil from the housekeeper's hand and no longer paid attention to his eldest daughter. Showing her that the decision was final. He handed the oil bottle to his wife.
Nerith led Zerra to the nearest chair and began to treat her bruises. The girl was obedient, not protesting the slightest, even when her small face scrunched in pain.
"Mom," she suddenly tugged on Nerith's sleeves. Everyone was still present, even Nyra.
"Does it hurt? Tell me if I apply too much force."
Zerra shook her head. She bit her lips as her gaze briefly swept over Nyra, who was about to retreat from there. "It's not my eldest sister's fault. Can you retract her punishment?"
Nyra stopped. Her gaze shot toward her with an inscrutable emotion.
"What do you mean, Zee?" Nerith glanced at Alaric, who also looked at their daughter with concern in his eyes.
"I fell on my own…" Zerra said in a serious tone. It was better for her parents to stay away from the female lead and do not go against her.
In the past, she was too apathetic. In the first three reincarnations, she was a spoiled brat, and after she woke up, she realized that she was too detached, even with her own parents.
She touched Nerith's hands, as warm as a normal human. Not just a paper person…
It didn't matter. She had made a decision. In this reincarnation, or even her next ones, she will try her hardest to make them have a decent life in the apocalypse.
Moreover, how could she forget her master's teaching? She should be filial to her parents. In this human life, they were her parents.
After she realized it, it was as if an enormous stone had fallen off her chest. Her physique felt noticeably lighter. Like she had reached some kind of enlightenment.
"Can you just let my eldest sister go?" She gazed at both her parents with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Don't punish her."
The pair of husband and wife looked at each other, and then Alaric relented. "Alright, since Zee has said so. I can retract Nyra's punishment. You can still go out, just don't embarrass the Sylvaris family outside."
Unknown emotions swirled in Nyra's eyes. She lowered her head and then shook it. Glancing at Zerra briefly, she said in an emotionless tone, "It's alright. I am the one at fault, so I will receive my punishment."
After that, she excused herself and turned around, heading toward her bedroom. Zerra caught a glimpse of the jade bracelet in Nyra's hand and it dawned on her. No wonder that she was so anxious. That jade bracelet was also some kind of artifact that can have space inside.
Just like her pair of rings.
Laziel, the forgotten middle child, looked at everything with complex eyes.
The next day, Nerith approached her daughter. "You should join Nyra to visit your grandma."
She was so immersed in her act as a loving mother that Zerra almost forgot one aspect of Nerith's personality. She was a person who loved to seek approval from others. And the grandma that she just mentioned, Alaric's mother, has always disliked her.