Chapter 4: The Past

From there, Arthur began to speak, his voice filled with pain.

Clara Ashford, Cecilia’s younger sister by two years, had been a child anyone would describe as “selfish.”

She always wanted whatever belonged to Cecilia, and if she could not have it, she would cry and throw tantrums.

Their parents and Arthur had tried to reason with her many times, but she would not listen, leaving the entire household at a loss.

Then one day, Cecilia’s engagement to Heinrich was decided.

At the time, Arthur was already often by Heinrich’s side as a candidate for his retainer, and through that connection, Cecilia had met him several times.

Once the engagement was formalized, regular visits began, and Heinrich came to the Ashford Ducal House for the first time.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Clara. I am Heinrich Ravencroft, Cecilia’s fiancé. I look forward to getting along with you.”

Heinrich had heard that Cecilia had another younger sister, but this was his first time meeting Clara.

At the time, Clara often ran away from her tutors and had not acquired proper manners, so even at the age of seven, her parents had not taken her to other noble houses or the royal palace.

Meeting someone outside the household for the first time—and learning that he was a prince—Clara fell in love with Heinrich at first sight.

“Big Sister! Give me the prince!”

“His Highness Heinrich is not an object. Besides, His Majesty the King has decided it, so it is impossible.”

After Heinrich returned to the palace, Clara demanded Cecilia give up her position as Heinrich’s fiancée, but such a thing was impossible, and Cecilia responded with simple logic, causing Clara to cry and throw a tantrum when things did not go her way.

However, just a few days later, Clara’s behavior suddenly changed.

She no longer skipped her lessons in etiquette and began attending them properly, studying diligently.

At last, the family rejoiced, believing Clara had finally understood.

And it was about half a year later that it began.

“Brother, Big Sister scolds me…”

Crying as she said this, Clara began to complain to Arthur and their parents.

Upon hearing her out, what Clara described as being “scolded” was within the bounds of normal correction, but Cecilia’s way of speaking was somewhat strict, so perhaps Clara had taken it too harshly…

Thinking so, each time, they would ask Cecilia to “please try to be a bit gentler when guiding her.”

However, Clara’s claims of being mistreated escalated more and more, and at the same time, the relationship between the two sisters deteriorated rapidly.

“…At first, each incident was nothing significant. It was vague, like ‘Cecilia said something harsh to me,’ but gradually it escalated into more specific claims, such as ‘she broke my precious necklace’ or ‘she tripped me and made me fall’…”

By that time, Clara had grown closer to Heinrich, and during those moments, she would tearfully confide in him that her sister treated her coldly.

At first, Heinrich had not taken it too seriously.

He comforted her, saying, “Cecilia can sometimes come across as a bit cold in her words.”

However, he had also heard from Arthur, who seemed troubled, that Clara would cry at home because Cecilia treated her coldly.

“Cecilia, about Lady Clara… wouldn’t it be better if you were a bit kinder to her?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Well, Lady Clara has told me that you’ve been cold toward her. Cecilia, you are easily misunderstood, so perhaps you could be more mindful and try to treat her gently? Arthur is also worried about the two of you.”

“…I see. I apologize for causing trouble. I will make an effort not to worry Your Highness or my brother.”

Relieved that Cecilia had shown understanding, the conversation ended there.

However, thinking back now, Heinrich felt that for just a moment, Cecilia’s expression had seemed to vanish, but since it quickly returned to normal, he had not paid it any mind.

He had thought that this might improve the situation, but in the end, it only worsened.

“At every tea gathering during our regular visits, I would caution her, but Cecilia never changed, and I grew frustrated and began to distance myself… Before I knew it, I was spending more time with Clara than with Cecilia.”

“It was my fault… Clara cried almost every day… and I ended up telling His Highness about it, which created a rift between him and Cecilia…”

Clenching his hands tightly together on his lap, Arthur kept his head lowered, his deep regret evident.

By the time they entered the Royal Academy, Heinrich had begun to treat Cecilia coldly, and when Clara enrolled, the time he spent with her increased even further.

Among the students, rumors spread that Heinrich and Cecilia were on bad terms, that Cecilia bullied Clara, and even that she had grown close to men other than her fiancé.

Since all of these stories came from Clara’s own “confessions,” they were considered highly credible.

As a result, it all led to the annulment of the engagement.

Looking back now, Cecilia had been busy completing her Crown Princess education by the time of graduation, while also handling her academy studies and official duties, leaving her with no time to concern herself with Clara.

If anyone had simply taken a moment to think and verify Cecilia’s actions, they would have understood the truth.

But no one did so, and instead, they believed Clara’s words and the rumors, leading to everything that happened.