1.

Julie took deep breaths, trying to calm her trembling body.

‘This might really be the last chance.’

Julie looked at her rough hands.

‘Please, if there is a god, give me just one thing.’

Julie prayed earnestly.

If only the pattern of water were engraved on this, her life would change completely.

If she were chosen as the successor today.

“Begin.”

Crown Prince Wyatt Crayton declared solemnly.

It was the final test to determine the Water Heir, held in a room that only the heirs of the four elements could enter.

“Yes, understood.”

Julie, who had respectfully greeted, clenched her fist, and a stream of water emerged from her tightly clenched hand.

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Yulia, standing beside her, spoke gently and smiled. A stream of water appeared from her hand.

Those in the room approached the round table one by one.

In the center of the table, divided into four corners with a stream of water as the centerpiece, one person stood at each corner.

To the left, Crown Prince Wyatt’s hand was raised. On his outstretched right hand, the blazing fire intensified.

To the right, Dante Odrayen’s hand also moved. Unlike the clearly visible fire, a wind that stimulated the senses of hearing and touch blew. His hair naturally rustled.

“Is it my turn?”

Clagen Hwaition, who had been smiling all along, stepped forward.

As Clagen took the place in front of Julie for the last time, dirt appeared on Clagen’s hand. Within the pile of soil, a small but hopeful sprout emerged.

The land that nurtured everything, a symbol of the place that held life.

“Let’s start with Yulia.”

In response to Clagen Hwaition’s words, Yulia, who had stepped forward with a confident face, had her stream of water rise even higher. The vigorously rising stream of water was the power of water itself.

‘No, I can’t.’

Despair that welled up in her heart slowly consumed Julie. She desperately shook her head, gathering all her strength in her hands.

But deep down, she knew.

No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t overcome Yulia’s power.

There was a stark difference compared to Yulia’s.

She didn’t like that.

She didn’t want to lose to Yulia.

Julie Liv.

Raised in an orphanage without knowing her parents, she should have never been born, but a year ago, she was adopted by the Liv Marquis’s family, thanks to her water power that manifested at the age of eighteen.

Life at the Marquis’s was tough. Neglected, just as she had been in the orphanage, amid the torment of the Marquis’s illegitimate daughter, Yulia Liv, and the indifference of the Marquis’s wife.

The only solace for her was the room of the four elements.

Fire: Wyatt Crayton, the Fire Heir and the Crown Prince of the Ilainum Empire.

Winder: Dante Odrayen, the Wind Heir, an Academy top graduate, and a level seven advanced mage.

Lander: Clagen Hwaition, the Earth Heir, and the largest landowner in the empire.

It was here that Julie had the opportunity to make a different connection.

‘I thought it was an opportunity…’

The reason she met the heirs was not because she was the adopted daughter of the Marquis’s family but because she was the Water Heir.

So she tried to think of it as a connection she could build with her power. She endured the pain, waited, and tried to maintain relationships with them.

But even this might have been a luxury.

Three weeks ago, water power had manifested in Julie, the only illegitimate daughter of the Liv family, Yulia.

When Yulia gained power, the attention that had been directed at Julie naturally shifted to her.

Moreover, Yulia’s power was much stronger than hers.

Julie’s last hope.

‘I can’t let Yulia become the Heir like this.’

Julie focused all her strength, even enduring blood on her lips. The stream of water gradually grew larger.

“Oh, impressive.”

Clagen Hwaition whistled.

Wyatt and Dante watched their competition with indifferent faces.

As if it didn’t matter which side won.

It was bitter.

…Was it a mistake to think that they had opened their hearts to her?

When Yulia frowned, the stream of water intensified.

A mocking smile appeared on her face.

Julie thought, ‘God is unfair.’

She had everything.

Beautiful looks.

A prestigious family.

A well-structured life.

In high society, she was known as a renowned beauty and had caught the attention of nobles, including the Crown Prince.

If she takes this as well.

It’s just too unfair.

‘It’s too much.’

Perhaps because she had poured too much power, her vision became blurry. Julie blinked her eyes and tightly grasped the table.

No one’s support, no one’s concern.

Julie, taking a deep breath, looked around.

Wyatt, Dante, Clagen, none of them had any interest in Julie’s condition or what her face looked like.

“Is that the extent of your power?”

Dante urged Julie to exert more power.

What they were focused on was the strength of Julie and Yulia.

She poured out all her power until her mind became hazy.

‘It’s hard to breathe.’

As she struggled to catch her breath, Dante shouted as he rose from his seat.

Dante rushed toward Yulia.

“An emblem has appeared.”

“Is it really?”

Wyatt approached Yulia, coming closer to her. He took Yulia’s hand, a touch that was usually unnecessary for Wyatt, and it was completely different.

Yulia’s face turned red at the sudden contact.

In Julie’s eyes, the emblem on the back of Yulia’s hand sparkled. The Heir’s emblem, the undulating wave pattern, was engraved.

…It’s over.

‘I was nothing after all.’

If they were going to take it back, why give it in the first place?

Julie bit her lip.

Wyatt Crayton raised the hand that had not conjured fire.

‘It seems to be the end.’

She had realized it too, but she still felt regret. Julie summoned the remaining courage and raised her hand.

“I can do more.”

“No, you lost.”

Dante Odrayen, with his clenched fist, stated coldly.

“Now it’s clear. Julie Liv, you are not the Water Heir.”

Dante Odrayen’s voice, cold and cruel, enunciated each syllable as if confirming an execution.

“Liv Marquis’s first daughter, Yulia Liv, is the Water Heir.”

“My power is water too. It manifested before Yulia’s…”

She knew she had to say something properly, but there was no strength in her voice.

Having exhausted all her strength, her body was completely worn out.

Julie bit her lip and took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears.

She knew that the moment she cried, everything would be over.

This was her last remaining space.

The place where she could be recognized as “hers.”

She didn’t want Yulia to take it away from her.

“Julie, I’m sorry, but just because your power manifested later doesn’t mean you’re not Heirs. In history, there have been cases of people with late power emergence.”

A rose quickly blossomed from the sapling that appeared in Clagen’s hand. The man who had closed his eyes while smelling the flower smiled.

The previously dark atmosphere brightened slightly.

“You should accept defeat, Julie, as befits the Julie I know.”

Julie found Clagen’s smiling words infuriating.

He had been the person most comfortable to deal with in this room thanks to his smile and demeanor, but now everything about him seemed resentful.

…She had thought that there was no other option but to deceive her, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Clagen seemed like he would greet people with a smile and laughter whether Julie was here or not.

“It seems there’s nothing more to discuss.”

Dante neatly concluded.

“Starting next month, Yulia will take over the Heirs’ duties.”

Wyatt turned abruptly.

“Let’s end it here for today. Yulia Liv, from next week, you’ll come here alone. This place is confidential, so no one else should enter.”

The moment she heard Wyatt’s words, a heavy stone seemed to drop in Julie’s chest.

“Julie Liv, you are no longer allowed to enter this place.”

“No.”

“…What about the education I received?”

“It’s not necessary. It’s useless. Your power will gradually disappear anyway, now that the Heir has been decided.”

She remembered Wyatt’s cold words when she first entered this place.

[We are the Heirs of the four elements, and no one else can enter here. Only we are Heirs.]

She had liked hearing that she was special.

“You can’t do anything more here.”

Now they said she had no place here.

Dante stepped forward and suddenly extended his hand to Julie.

“What’s this?”

As Julie took his hand hesitantly, Dante shook it several times and then let go. Pushing up his glasses, Dante said, “This is my final farewell. You won’t see me again.”

“No need to see me…”

“Do you think you will? I’m a busy mage, and he is His Highness the Crown Prince. And Clagen is busy managing the top. You can’t see us normally.”

His sarcastic tone was no different from Dante’s usual manner of speaking.

She knew that he always spoke that way, but it felt like a bruise on her heart.

“Dante, you shouldn’t speak like that. It’s been a pleasure, Miss Liv.”

Clagen, after politely kissing Julie’s hand, raised his head. Julie looked around with a bewildered face.

There were so many people here, but she felt as if she were the only one.

She thought it would be nice to meet someone’s eyes, to feel like they were considering her, regretting her.

“Wait… their eyes…”

Their pupils were empty.

There was nothing there.

No regret, no longing.