The morning sun streamed through the curtains, golden and soft.
Lilith groaned as she turned over in bed, her limbs heavy and muscles sore. The ache in her lower abdomen hadn't gone away—it had only deepened. She blinked blearily and sat up slowly.
Why does it still hurt? We didn't go that hard… I mean, sure, I cried, but I wasn't expecting a full-body debuff.
She winced as she stood and felt a slow, dull pull in her lower belly. Glancing down, she spotted faint crimson on her inner thigh and a few smudges on the inside of her nightgown.
Still bleeding...? Oh god. Did something rip? Did Julian break me? Am I permanently cracked?!
Lilith grabbed a towel, cleaned herself up, and shuffled to the bathroom. A quick rinse, a fresh change of clothes, and she tried to pretend everything felt normal—even though her entire core throbbed with betrayal.
Just as she started to brush her hair—
"Big sis! Breakfast's ready!" Luca's voice rang out from downstairs.
She sighed and muttered, "Why do I feel like I'm walking into an ambush?"
------
Downstairs –
The moment she stepped into the dining room, five pairs of eyes turned to her.
The table was already full.
Julian was seated, face buried in a cup of tea like he was praying it would teleport him out of the house.
Ren glanced up the moment she entered and grinned far too wide. "Well, well. If it isn't the reason I had to stuff my pillow over my head last night."
Luca perked up. "Yeah! I thought the walls were gonna fall! I didn't even know girls could make those noises."
Lilith nearly tripped over her own feet. "Luca!"
"What?" he blinked. "I didn't say bad noises. Just educational!"
Grandfather Thorne was already chewing toast, entirely unfazed. "Didn't sleep a wink. Thought someone summoned a succubus upstairs."
"Maybe they did," Ren muttered, smirking.
Julian nearly choked on his tea.
Lilith marched to her seat, red-faced, and slumped into her chair. "You all are terrible."
Ren shrugged. "Hey, you're a woman now. Part of adulthood is getting teased by your messed-up family."
"Honestly, I'm impressed," Thorne added. "I thought you were going to take a whole year before you choose your first mate."
"I hate this breakfast," Lilith whispered.
"Father Elric, say something!" she pleaded—then blinked. "I mean, father."
Gareth—stoic as always—sipped his tea, then set it down.
He met her eyes, calm and unreadable.
"...Just don't break the bed. They're expensive to replace."
Lilith let her face fall into her hands.
Julian, finally regaining his voice, cleared his throat. "Shouldn't we all be more focused on… you know, the whole tribute system thing?"
"Oh, we are," Ren said. "We're just also enjoying the free entertainment."
"Besides," Luca added cheerfully, "you looked really happy this morning, big sis."
Lilith glared. "You little—"
"Still glowing, too," Ren added.
Thorne just grunted. "Goddess knows somebody was glowing last night."
System, if you're listening—activate 'Dig Hole and Bury Myself Lv.99.'
--------------
Upstairs –
After surviving the breakfast minefield, Lilith retreated to her room in silence.
The pain in her belly hadn't subsided—it had sharpened. She lay down, clutching a pillow to her stomach, hoping it would fade.
It didn't.
Minutes passed. Then an hour. The ache turned into cramping. A sharp twist beneath her navel. She curled tighter.
Then she felt it.
Warm. Sudden. A wet rush between her legs.
She sat up—and stared.
Blood. Not just a few drops this time. A real flow.
Her heart dropped.
Okay. No. No, we didn't do that much damage. This isn't Julian's fault, right? Right?!
Then, like thunder cracking through her brain—realization.
"Wait. No. It can't be…"
A sharp cramp seized her gut again.
IT'S A PERIOD?!
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The House Erupts
The scream echoed through the Elric estate.
Doors slammed open. Boots hit the stairs. Julian was the first through her door.
"Lilith?! Are you okay?!"
She sat on the floor, face pale, hand pointing shakily to the blood-stained sheets.
"I'm dying," she whimpered. "Bleeding. Internally. From down there."
Ren appeared next. "Unless Julian has a hidden dagger kink, I don't think this is sex-related."
Thorne huffed. "It's her cycle. Girl's on her moonblood."
Julian blinked. "Wait—her what?"
"Her period," Gareth said, entering calmly.
"Oh gods," Lilith moaned, curling into herself. "Why now? Why me? Why again?!"
Ren walked over with practiced hands and tossed her a hot-stone pouch. "Here. You always like this on your stomach."
"You've had this ready?!"
"Kid, you go full meltdown every time. This ain't new."
Luca burst in with a blanket and cup of cinnamon-leaf tea. "I brought comfort tools!"
She accepted the tea, sniffling.
"I thought this body was supposed to be powerful," she mumbled. "Why does it come with monthly self-sabotage?"
Ding!
--------
[System Notice: Biological Cycle Detected]
➤ Menstrual Cycle: Active
➤ Debuff: [Cramps – Moderate]
➤ Pain Resistance Progress: +3%
🩸 "Congratulations! You've unlocked the Female Experience achievement. Please enjoy screaming, bloating, and emotional instability."
---------
Lilith stared at the popup.
Thanks, system. I hope you step on a blast mine crystal.
She laid back, groaning, as Julian adjusted the heat pouch on her stomach.
"Just rest," he said. "We've got you."
I swear… this world better give me a dungeon to vent on after this. I'm gonna take it all out on damn monsters.
------------
Day One: The Betrayal of Flesh
Lilith stayed in bed the entire day. Her stomach cramped in pulses like waves on a jagged shore, and no amount of tea or hot stones seemed to help for long. She barely moved except to groan, reposition, or send death glares at her system window.
"This world has magic, mana, and floating mail tubes—but you're telling me no one's invented a pain-off switch for this yet?!"
By midday, she was bloated, exhausted, and irrationally angry at everything.
Julian checked on her like clockwork, refreshing her tea and massaging her lower back with warm salve. Luca sat cross-legged beside her bed with his notebook and doodled weird "period defense mechs" to cheer her up.
Ren dropped off spicy snacks and said, "For when the rage peaks."
Thorne left a note on her nightstand that read:
"You're not dying. Yet. Try not to cry into the soup."
Father Elric—Gareth—was surprisingly attentive. He quietly brought in herbal paste for the bloating and left without comment. But Lilith caught the slight nod of understanding when their eyes met.
Day Two: The Emotional Collapse
The pain dulled slightly, but her mood dropped like a magic cart off a cliff.
She found herself crying—first at a sad line in a book, then at a sweet note Luca slipped under her door, and then just because Julian asked if she needed anything.
"No, I don't need anything! Except for the entire universe to stop bleeding out of me like a cursed sacrifice!"
Julian sat beside her and gently brushed her hair out of her face. "It'll pass. You've gone through this before."
"Lilith has," she mumbled. "Not me."
That made him pause—but he just pulled the blanket higher around her shoulders.
"Then we'll go through it together."
That made her cry harder.
Ren tried distracting her with gossip: "Did you hear the baker's son tried to flirt with a visiting female mage and got turned into a toad for two hours?"
Thorne tossed a small leather pouch onto her bed. Inside were coins. "Bribe the goddess next time."
Gareth simply checked her temperature and left behind water-soaked cloths to cool her forehead.
Day Three: The Curse Begins to Break
By the third morning, the worst had passed. The cramps were manageable, and the emotional swings started to ease.
She took a slow bath. Let the hot water soak into her joints. And for the first time since it started, she looked at herself in the mirror and didn't feel like a war victim.
This body… still aches. But I didn't fall apart. I didn't die. I survived this.
The system even threw her a little gift:
--------
[Passive Growth Detected]
➤ Pain Resistance increased to 5%
➤ Mood Swings Resistance unlocked (Lv.1)
➤ Skill Potential: "Cycle Harmony" – locked until maturity threshold
➤ Skill upgraded: Persistance of the weak Lv.2
🩸 "Congratulations. You've survived three days of bleeding, bloating, and being blamed for it. True strength comes monthly."
---------
She laughed out loud.
Closing the Chapter
That night, she sat at the dinner table again. Dressed, upright, and mostly in control of her face.
Everyone glanced over.
"You're alive," Ren said. "Impressive."
Thorne nodded. "Told you she wasn't dying."
Luca jumped into her lap. "You smell like soap and rage!"
Julian just smiled gently. "Welcome back."
Lilith smiled faintly.
Maybe this world won't go easy on me. But I've got a family… and a body that bleeds and fights through it.
I'll manage. I'm Lilith Elric now. And I won't lose to biology, tribute officials, or system quests.
It's time to kick some monster butt.
Continued...