“Lady Sharen, will you continue to visit our estate in the future?”
“Until Amy grows tired of it, I plan to. Or… do you dislike my visits?”
“Of course not. However, I might soon have to move to the royal capital, so I’m worried we may not meet again after today.”
“Amy, to the royal capital?”
To be honest, I had half-given up on persuading my mother to let Alyssa go alone and allow me to stay at home.
Knowing my mother, who adores Alyssa, she would want a reliable family member to accompany her.
But if the imperial princess intervenes?
If she, who seems to favor me, asks me to stay here, my mother would have no choice but to relent.
“In that case, wouldn’t we actually meet more often? I reside in the royal capital, after all.”
“To be precise, I’ll be enrolling at Philia Academy with my younger sibling. I’ve heard that students at Philia Academy, even noble children, rarely leave campus more than once a year unless there are exceptional circumstances. It seems our chances of meeting would drastically decrease.”
Pleased at having steered the conversation exactly as I intended, I sipped the tea brewed by the princess’s maid.
Unlike the sweet tea I usually enjoy, this one had a slightly bitter yet luxurious flavor, befitting my victorious mood.
“That’s great! This body also attends Philia Academy!”
“…Pardon?”
A stifled laugh came from Alyssa, who was sipping tea beside me, and I felt the collapse of all my carefully laid plans.
Your Highness, how have you been leaving campus all this time if you’re a student at Philia Academy?
“I haven’t been attending properly because there wasn’t anyone interesting. But if Amy’s going, then I’ll have a reason to go! Feel free to ask this body anything you’re curious about! Ahahaha!”
“Ah… haha… That’s… reassuring…”
Princess, I wish I were born a princess too. Ignoring rules and acting freely…
This tea, it’s bitter and utterly unpleasant.
“Your Highness, aren’t the Tower Master’s apprentice and the Grand Duke’s daughter also attending the academy?”
“How do you know such things? Share your secrets with this body!”
“Just rumors carried by the wind.”
“Ha! The wind seems swift and cunning.”
While Alyssa and the princess exchanged chatter, I couldn’t focus.
Imagining a future where I’d be stuck at the academy for at least three years, with both Alyssa and the princess constantly by my side, made my stomach churn.
“Amy, is that all you wanted to say? If so, tell us another entertaining story, like last time. This body loves hearing your tales.”
“…Understood.”
Even though I wasn’t in the mood, I composed myself and chose an appropriate story from the library of my mind.
My plans were utterly ruined, but there was no benefit in falling out with the princess.
In fact, I might need to work harder to stay in her favor.
After all, as the daughter of a lower-ranking noble, I could guess the treatment I’d receive at the academy.
“Today’s story is about a foolish and tragic woman who lost her beloved due to a single moment of carelessness: the tale of Orpheus.”
“…A woman?”
“Alyssa, is there a problem?”
“No, nothing at all.”
“Don’t interrupt without reason! I find nothing about you agreeable!”
“Oddly enough, that mirrors my feelings for Your Highness perfectly.”
…Sigh.
“Let’s begin. Please listen quietly.”
The story I shared today, Orpheus’s tragedy, wasn’t layered with hidden meaning like the tale I told the young princess before.
It was a story I genuinely wanted to share with the two. A love story I cherished, from one of the books Ameri brought me.
A tale of enduring countless trials to almost reclaim a loved one, only for it to all collapse in a single fleeting moment.
Ah, no matter how many times I revisit it, it’s truly captivating.
“And so, Orpheus’s beloved was pulled back into the depths of the underworld before his very eyes. Heartbroken, Orpheus pleaded with the ferryman and the gods to descend once more but was denied.”
“…Surely, that’s not the end?”
“Fufu… There’s a brief epilogue. Heartbroken, Orpheus rejected all suitors and was eventually beaten to death by drunken revelers.”
“That’s not a happy ending! This body hates sad endings!”
“Sometimes, sorrowful love appears all the more beautiful.”
Seeing the princess, captivated by the story, grab my collar and shake me was oddly satisfying.
If you always act arrogantly, you should also learn to take it. Fufu…
“Amy, where did you hear that story?”
“It’s from a book Ameri brought me. Didn’t you read it with me, Alyssa?”
“Ameri…?”
She sat next to me while I read it.
What’s she talking about?
Sometimes, I wonder if her head is full of air.
“Amy! Tell another story, one with a happy ending! The last one left me feeling uneasy!”
“Well… I’ve talked so much my throat is parched. Could I have a drink…?”
“Shellyn! Bring Amy the finest tea! Quickly!”
“Understood, Lady Sharen.”
So the maid’s name is Shellyn. I’d always wondered if she was alive, standing so motionless. At least she can talk.
“Once I have the tea, I’ll consider telling another story.”
“Good! But it must have a happy ending!”
“Fufu… If the tea is of excellent quality, I’ll think about it.”
“You!”
The princess is surprisingly charming.
She’s entirely different from my younger sister, who’s always lost in thought and not engaging in the conversation.
She might not be such an unpleasant type after all.
“Now, let’s move on to the next story…”
The conversation, accompanied by the tea brewed by the maid Shellyn, continued until the sun set and the graceful moonlight lit up the garden.
Though my throat hurt after hours of talking, seeing the princess’s ever-changing expressions made it unexpectedly enjoyable, and I was able to wrap up the conversation on a positive note.
“When I reach the capital, I’ll be sure to write to you first, Lady Sharen.”
“Mm, I’ll be waiting.”
After seeing off the cheerful princess, who left with a happy ending, I finally returned to the comfort of my room.
I still needed to bathe, but my body and mind were too exhausted to do anything right now.
…Yawn.
Tomorrow, Mother will return.
Then, I’ll eventually have to go to the capital, and after that, my dreary three years living with Alisa will begin.
My home.
In this mansion, the only place where I can truly feel at ease, I’ve been fine.
But once I leave for another land to live with Alisa, will I be able to maintain my composure?
Even now, every time I see her…
I barely suppress this surging impulse.
The face hidden under multiple layers of masks—how I want to reveal it, to show others that she isn’t a perfect protagonist after all.
Can I endure it?
This wish of mine, corroded by inferiority.
…It’s going to be fine. You’ve done well so far, haven’t you?
Surely, even in a foreign land, you’ll manage. Amy.
So, for now… just sleep…
“Alyssa, why aren’t you eating?”
“But… this is garbage…”
“Are you mocking what your sister just said?”
Thud.
“Ouch…”
“Now, unless you want to be hurt further, crawl on all fours like the dog you are and eat. This is a perfect meal for someone as vulgar as you.”
“Hic… sob…”
“How fitting, how very fitting! You really are no better than a dog! Those moldy blue eyes of yours, that hair the color of a prostitute’s jewelry—all proof that you’re nothing but a dog! Oh-hohoho!”
Ah, this is delightful.
So delightful I can hardly stand it.
If only I had done this from the start.
If only I hadn’t held back and had let my twisted desires completely destroy her.
Then I wouldn’t have had to fall apart myself.
“Hah!”
Thump-thump-thump—
I abruptly sat up, gasping for air as I bolted upright in bed.
My chest felt like it would burst from my wildly beating heart, but such minor pain didn’t matter compared to the turmoil in my head.
‘Was that… a dream…?’
A dream too vivid, a horrifying act as though committed by my younger self.
No matter how much I hated her.
No matter how jealous I was.
No matter how much I didn’t want to see her again.
I could never commit such a vile act of malice toward my one and only sister.
Even though it was just a fleeting vision, I found myself retching. The sight of Alisa crying and eating trash lingered vividly in my mind, and it pained me terribly.
Throwing a thin cardigan over my sweat-drenched pajamas, I left my room and walked toward my sister’s room.
All the while, I couldn’t shake the image of my younger sister crying beside me.
Creak—
‘Alyssa…’
Thankfully, my sister was peacefully asleep, unburdened by any distress.
Being careful not to wake her, I sat on the edge of her bed and gently caressed her lovely face.
‘Thank goodness… my sister is okay.’
The sister in my dream was…
Horribly disfigured.
My young sister had knife marks covering her body, save for her face and arms.
Her usually stunning blue eyes, enviable to a fault, had lost their color, dulled by tears and dark circles.
Not the Alyssa who was loved by all and blessed by the heavens.
But the tragic heroine cursed by her only sister in a nightmare.
‘I didn’t cross the line…’
Grateful that it was all just a dream, I gazed at my sister’s face for a while.
Though my head and stomach throbbed terribly, I endured by furrowing my brows and gently stroking her hair.
Alyssa.
If only your hair wasn’t golden.
If only your blue eyes were as dull and dirty as my brown ones.
Could we have been just ordinary sisters?
Sharing simple breakfasts together, watering the garden, and strolling through the vast estate under the warm morning sun.
An ordinary yet happy daily life.
Would that have been possible?
…It’s pointless to imagine.
Alyssa, there’s nothing good about us being together.
It’s a sad but cruel truth I’ve known for a long time.
We were enemies from the moment we were born.
So, once we finish the academy, let’s part ways and never see each other again.
I’ll stay in the comfort of my home.
And you, in a vast world where you can spread your great wings.
That’s how we’ll live happily ever after, far away from each other.
That will be our happy ending.
…I should head back to my room now. I need to take some antacids and painkillers.
Still, just this once,
Let me act like an older sister.
“Good night, Alyssa.”