Chapter 26: Sisters. And in the End—

“Aaah, my stomach hurts…”
“That’s because you drank too much tea.”

The enjoyable tea party ended in the blink of an eye.
Faustina, who had gotten carried away and drunk cup after cup of tea, felt her stomach slosh every time she moved.
Some time had passed now, and the initial discomfort was gone.
Tea was not the only cause, but everything had its limits.

Back in her room, Faustina placed the picture book she had been reading onto the table as she sat on the sofa.

“I’ve finished this one too.
I’ll return it to the library.”
“In that case, I’ll go for you.
Shall I bring you a new book?”
“No.
Dinner’s soon anyway.
Ah, but I’ll be in the garden.
Come get me when it’s time.”
“Yes.”

She handed several picture books to Linsu.
Faustina went out into the garden and gazed at the purple flowers.
The azaleas she had chosen as hair ornaments for the tea party were in bloom.

She crouched down, tucking the skirt behind her knees so it wouldn’t get dirty, and stared at the flowers.
Doing this—being alone, quietly looking at flowers—calmed her.
Just one person, alone in an empty place.
How would it look to an ordinary person?

Lonely?
A child all by herself?
A strange child?

It could be seen either way.

“Elder Sister.”

The one who called out to Faustina, who had been idly thinking about dinner while looking at the flowers, was Elvira.
Ever since the tea party two months ago, distance had grown between them, and they spoke only when necessary.
Only Elvira could wear a pure white frilled dress so effortlessly.
Faustina thought white didn’t suit her.
Besides, even the smallest stain stood out on white, and someone as active as Faustina would dirty it immediately.
Incidentally, the dress Faustina was wearing now was a plain navy blue.
It was simple in design, prioritizing ease of movement.

Faustina turned only her face toward Elvira.

“What is it?”
“Elder Sister.
Please stop being selfish and troubling Father and Mother already.”
“Huh?”

Troubling them?

What was Elvira talking about?
Certainly, collapsing from an unknown high fever had caused panic and trouble, and Faustina was aware of that.
But that had been two months ago.
Nothing else came to mind.
Was she referring to the birthday that was fast approaching?
Lyudmila had made a displeased face when Faustina said she wouldn’t hold a birthday party, saying it was unbecoming of a duke’s daughter, but that too had been two months ago.
If her father, the duke, had accepted it, no one needed to say more.

Or was it about her birthday presents?
But that made even less sense.
A stuffed toy and an apple pie from a popular commoner shop.
That was hardly extravagant.
Could it be that they were troubled instead by the fact that a duke’s daughter wanted such cheap things?
That thought crossed her mind.

Seeing Faustina’s confusion, Elvira gave her the answer first.

“It’s about Lord Bernhard!”
“His Highness?”

A bad feeling.

“Despite your weak health, clinging to the position of fiancée for so long is disgraceful!
No matter how well the Queen thinks of you, you’re shameless!
Step down from the position of fiancée at once!”
“……”

………………
…………
……

A long, long silence followed.

Faustina froze, eyes wide open.
Her silence only fueled Elvira’s irritation.
What was she supposed to say?
Or rather, what did Elvira want her to say?
Faustina had a rough idea, but saying it would only cause trouble.
She desperately searched for words that wouldn’t provoke Elvira, but nothing suitable came to mind.

“Father still insists on keeping you as Lord Bernhard’s fiancée, but that’s absurd!
You’ve collapsed twice in front of him!”

Strictly speaking, the second time had been collapsing in the same space.

“There are others besides you who are worthy of becoming Lord Bernhard’s fiancée!”
“……Yes.
That’s true.
For example, Lady Aeria of the Laris Marquisate.”
“Eh—”

The moment Aeria’s name was mentioned, Elvira lost her momentum.
Faustina swallowed back the sigh that nearly escaped her lips.
As expected.
Elvira must have believed that she herself was the most suitable candidate to stand beside Bernhard, the Crown Prince.
And she had wanted Faustina to say that aloud.

“I’ve heard that Lady Aeria is extremely capable.
If my health remains unstable, the likelihood of her becoming the next fiancée is very high.”
“W-Wait!
Why wouldn’t it be me…?”
“I was chosen as the Crown Prince’s fiancée because our house and the royal family decided it.
I don’t know the detailed reasons.
But if we’re talking about ability, Lady Aeria is the best.”

‘If I didn’t remember the past, I’d be saying something like “There’s no one more suitable than me!” with absolute certainty.’
‘Yes, definitely.’
‘I’d be declaring it myself.’

Having reached that conclusion internally, Faustina looked at Elvira.
Elvira was trembling slightly from shock.
Where did this belief that she alone was worthy of standing beside Bernhard come from?
If Faustina stayed here any longer, depending on what Elvira did next, Faustina would once again be cast as the villain.

She stopped observing the flowers and stood up.

“It’s almost time for dinner.
Let’s go back inside.”
“……Elder Sister.”
“Hm?”
“Elder Sister… why do you always steal things from me like that?”
“……Huh?”

That made the second “Huh?” of the day.

Steal?
What was she stealing?

“Steal?
I haven’t stolen anything from you.
I have no interest in other people’s belongings.”
“That’s a lie!
Then why haven’t you been removed as Lord Bernhard’s fiancée!”
“That’s because—”
“You cried to Father, didn’t you!
Father is always strict with me, but indulgent with you and Brother.
Especially with you!
It’s unfair!”
“……”

She wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
She never wanted to hurt the people she cared about again.

That was why she wanted to end her engagement with the Crown Prince, the root cause, as soon as possible.
Though most of her actions ended in failure, Faustina endured the harsh lady’s education without complaint, and even the more demanding Queen’s education didn’t break her.
Even if the engagement was annulled, the knowledge she had gained wouldn’t be wasted.
Someday, it would be useful to her.

Elvira shouted that it was unfair how Father spoiled Faustina.
Then what about Elvira?
Wasn’t it unfair that Elvira had been doted on endlessly by their mother, and given the affection Faustina had longed for, not only from Lyudmila but from Bernhard as well?

‘Don’t get angry.’
‘Don’t.’
‘If I get angry here, it’ll just happen again.’

She had tried to seal away her emotions, using the past as a lesson.
Yet anger welled up from deep within her body, mingling with her past feelings.
She clenched her fists tightly.
If her nails had been longer, they would have dug into her skin and drawn blood.

She took several deep breaths, forcibly calming herself.
Then Faustina directed pale yellow eyes, devoid of warmth, at Elvira.

Elvira, faced with an even colder gaze than when she had angered Faustina two months ago, lost her nerve and turned pale.

“So you’re saying I begged Father and clung to the position of fiancée?
Very well.
I’ll ask Father myself.
I’ll tell him that Elvira, who can’t even properly keep up with her regular tutor lessons, is selfishly insisting she wants to be the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”
“That’s cruel…!”
“It’s the truth.
Let me tell you this.
Queen’s education involves far more to memorize and is far harsher than the lessons you take here.
If you can’t handle it, you’ll cry and run to Mother for help, but at the castle, there will be no one who rushes to your side just because you cry.
If an unfit girl is sent as the future Crown Princess and Queen, our house will be the one disgraced.”

The words flowed out mercilessly, without hesitation.
As she spoke, she realized her heart must have been harboring resentment.
Toward Elvira.
Toward Lyudmila.

Just as Faustina had said, if Elvira burst into loud sobs, frightened and hurt by her words, Lyudmila would come rushing over.

Let her come if she wanted.

Faustina walked past Elvira, who had begun to sob and cover her face with her arms.
Just as she passed by—

“But Father once said this.
If you think of studying subjects you’re bad at as piano lessons, which you’re good at, you’ll improve.
If you truly love His Highness and won’t give up no matter how painful it gets, then overcome that much.”

Even if she pretended indifference, even if Elvira had once stolen the one she loved, she was still her blood-related sister.
She couldn’t completely cast her aside.
Leaving behind that harsh advice, Faustina returned to the mansion.

On the way, she told a passing maid that Elvira was in the garden, then headed for her room.

“My lady.”

Linsu called out to her.
Faustina had asked her to come when it was time for dinner.

“Is it dinner already?”
“No, not yet.
More importantly, about what just happened with Lady Elvira—”

Faustina made a face that clearly said “Uh-oh,” and Linsu’s brows bent into a worried curve.

“Much like Lord Cain, for someone your age and personality, you can be oddly detached from being a child.”
“What do you mean, ‘for my personality’?”
“You and Lord Cain both give off such a mature air that you end up reprimanding Lady Elvira, but at this rate, you’ll be made the villain again.”
“Hey!
You ignored my question!”

Since she didn’t know how long Linsu had been watching, Faustina asked.
Apparently, Linsu had heard everything starting from Elvira’s “unfair” outburst.
Concerned by Elvira’s raised voice, she had come to the garden.
She apologized for eavesdropping, but Faustina shook her head.

“I don’t care who hears it.
Even if Mother heard.
But even if you say that, I can’t change things now.
Brother was decided as the heir, and I was decided as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, so we started stricter education much earlier than normal children.
Even if Elvira runs to Mother and I’m made the villain again, I won’t feel anything.
It’s too late for that now.”
“My lady… I understand.
Then I won’t say anything more.”
“Mm.”
“However, there is something I must tell you.”
“What?”
“Lord Cain heard your exchange with Lady Elvira as well.”
“……Huh?”

That made it the third “Huh?” of the day.

“He was taking a break in the corner when your voices reached him, and he came over while I was eavesdropping.”
“Y-You were listening together?”
“Yes.
After making sure you returned inside, he went to Lady Elvira.
He’s probably comforting her.”
“……”

After comforting Elvira, he would come to Faustina next.
There might not be a scolding, but she had no idea what he would say.

Should she return to her room?
Run to the library?
Hide in another room?

As she frantically searched for an escape, she heard a voice she most definitely did not want to hear behind her.

“Fana.”

She turned around slowly to see her brother Cain, wearing his usual cool expression.

“B-Brother.”
“Fana.”

Cain stepped closer and reached out.
His hand closed around Faustina’s.

“Your hand.
If you keep clenching it, you’ll hurt yourself.”
“Ah…”

Only then did she realize she’d been clenching her fist the entire time.
When she opened her palm, it was bright red.

“It’s good your nails are short.
If they were longer, you’d be bleeding.
I told Elvira that if all she can do after being told that much is cry, she should save her nonsense for when she’s asleep.”
“……”

Faustina was Faustina, but Cain was harsh too.
If anything else happened, Elvira would probably accuse her of being spoiled not only by Father but by her brother as well.

Cain had likely meant it as a push, but what came after was frightening.
Still, all she could do was trust Elvira.
As Cain said, if all she did was cry after being told that much, it was nothing more than a dream.

“Well, if she’s awake, it’s not a dream.”
“That’s right.
You only call it a dream if you’re asleep.”
“Exactly.
Oh, by the way.
You’ve got a letter, Fana.”
“A letter?”
“Yes.
From Lady Aeria of the Laris Marquisate.”
“!”

At the mention of Aeria’s name, Faustina’s body stiffened.

Linsu had the letter and handed it over.
Faustina opened the seal on the spot.
It was an invitation to a tea party.
Aeria had likely invited only Faustina.

A former rival, and someone who also remembered the past.
Faustina had wanted to know what Aeria remembered, and this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for.

“What will you do?”
“I’ll go!
I’ll write an acceptance reply right away!”
“My lady!?”

She dashed back to her room, quickly wrote her reply, and handed it to the Linsu who had chased after her.

“Here!
I’m done!”
“That fast!?
But, my lady, you weren’t acquainted with the Laris Marquisate’s daughter, were you…?”
“It’s fine, just hurry!
Please, Linsu!”
“Y-Yes!”

Overwhelmed by Faustina’s intensity, Linsu could only nod despite her doubts.

‘I don’t know what Lady Aeria is thinking, but I finally found someone who remembers like I do.’
‘Depending on what she remembers, she might know why I died.’

She should also know what happened after Faustina was disowned by the ducal house.
Faustina wanted to know.
Whether Bernhard and Elvira had become engaged.
Whether Elvira had become Crown Princess.
What happened to Cain and Neige as well.

Faustina watched Linsu’s retreating back with a satisfied expression.

That night, deep in the royal castle, in the Crown Prince’s chamber.

Neige, who had been bedridden since the tea party hosted by the Queen, had finally stabilized.
Before going to sleep, he visited his brother Bernhard’s room, clutching his favorite teddy bear.

“Brother.
Can I sleep with you?”
“Sure.
But did you tell someone before coming?”
“Yes.
I told Lapis.”

Having properly informed his personal maid, Neige came to Bernhard’s room.
Bernhard, who had been reading in bed, had just closed his book.
He patted the space beside him, and Neige sat down.
The book was placed beside the pillow, and the two young princes fell asleep together.

Several hours later—

Neige suddenly woke and sat up, staring at the teddy bear he’d been hugging in the dark.
This teddy bear was a custom-made gift Neige had begged for on his fifth birthday.
Its pale yellow eyes, which glimmered even in the darkness, were made of real citrine gemstones.
The bear itself was sky blue.

“Hehe…”

After gazing at it for a long time, he hugged it tightly.

“This time, I won’t let anyone take it from me.”

His merciless violet-blue eyes pierced Bernhard as he slept beside him.

“Make sure you properly fall in love with Lady Elvira too, Brother.
To the very end.
You’re the one who threw her away, so why did you look like you were the one abandoned?”

Neige, who knew all the circumstances, brushed his fingers over the violet-tinged silver hair.

“Hey, Brother… grant my wish.
I’m the one who wants Faustina.
The one you want is Lady Elvira.
That mustn’t be changed.”

He withdrew his hand from Bernhard’s hair and lay back down.
The darkness swallowed his vision.

Because Brother and Lady Elvira are “fated lovers.”