Chapter 4
“This isn’t exactly wrong.”
“What kind of rudeness is that in front of His Highness and the guest? Come out at once!”
Sheila, for once, harshly scolded Pell and pushed him out of the room. I frowned as I watched Pell’s retreating back. Somehow, he seemed even sharper than before.
“Yohan, let me apologize on behalf of my attendant—”
“No, Your Highness. From his point of view, it’s only natural that he dislikes me. After all, I’m the doctor who gave up on treating the one he serves.”
The doctor gave a hearty laugh and waved his hand.
“I have no excuse, Your Highness. That’s why I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you up and healthy like this.”
He bowed slightly, leaning on his cane. I waved him off, asking him to leave.
“Please, don’t be too harsh on your attendant.”
“Hm…”
When I didn’t respond, the doctor gave a faint smile and quietly took his leave.
Pell had probably already gotten an earful from Sheila, but I couldn’t just let it go. The attitude he’d shown earlier in front of the doctor was beyond his usual grumbling.
“At least tell me the reason.”
If it had come from genuine concern for me, I might be willing to forgive him—if only for Yohan’s sake.
I got up from my chair and stepped out. The palace I was staying in wasn’t large; it used to house servants of the imperial palace. So if I decided to find someone, it wouldn’t take long—
“Ah, finally found you.”
Just as I was about to head down the stairs, I heard a voice I didn’t recognize from within my residence. The voice’s owner wasn’t far away.
Standing at the landing, looking up at me, was a boy. His ice-blue eyes, resembling the cold sky, widened a little, then curved gently. And then came a sweet, friendly greeting, like we’d known each other for ten years.
“Hello, sister.”
I immediately recognized him.
The Empire’s sixth star, Siafil Bea Crayden. Age: fourteen. Raised in the utmost affection by everyone in the palace. Despite being the youngest, he was a natural-born prodigy already carrying the name ‘Crayden.’
Unlike me, a nineteen-year-old stuck in the back room, he was someone of an entirely different league—someone I had no connection to whatsoever.
‘When has he ever seen me to call me “sister”?’
And it wasn’t just the way he addressed me that was confusing.
‘Why is he even here?’
The place I lived wasn’t the kind of area where a beloved youngest prince would ever step foot. It was the most neglected, sunless corner of the palace.
“…Hello.”
I wasn’t bold enough to speak casually to a prince loved by all.
“You can speak comfortably, sister.”
But Siafil was more sociable than I expected. From the way he kept calling me sister to his unflinching attitude despite my stiff reply—it all made sense why everyone doted on him.
Still, this wasn’t the time to be admiring him.
“Let’s talk another time… if you’ll excuse me.”
“Are you in a hurry?”
As I brushed past him, Siafil gently tugged at the edge of my sleeve. His blue eyes looked up at me intently, and in that moment, I finally understood why people would be so eager to give him their hearts.
‘Is this like… Puss in Boots?’
His eyes really did resemble those of that charming cat. But I couldn’t be fooled. This cute little prince was hiding his true nature.
Yes, Siafil was destined to become a terrifying figure who would one day massacre countless nameless siblings—including me.
“Yes, I’m a bit busy right now.”
I replied firmly, and his small hand let go of my sleeve.
‘Good. Hopefully, we never cross paths again.’
Siafil was target number one on my “avoid at all costs” list until I could safely leave the palace—and even after. The Siafil of the future would show a tenacity so frightening that he’d chase down even those who had renounced their titles and fled.
‘He’s definitely dangerous.’
Forget Puss in Boots—I needed to survive.
“Then is there anything I can help with—”
“No.”
My curt answer had a hidden meaning: I’ll live quietly, so please just let me live.
At that, Siafil looked as if he were deep in thought before smiling brightly again.
“Then I’ll come visit again, sister. Sorry for barging in like this without warning.”
…What, again?
“Next time, you have to speak comfortably with me, just like you said.”
With that, Siafil beamed like an innocent child and rushed down the stairs before I could even stop him. His steps were so quick that I stood frozen until he had completely left the small palace.
“What… just happened?”
Had it really only been a few days since I resolved to escape this dysfunctional imperial family? And already, I was hearing the eerie sound of fate creaking.
Surely… just my imagination, right?
That day, even when I finally saw Pell again, I couldn’t say a single word.
The reason was simple—Pell apologized before I could even open my mouth.
With him admitting fault so quickly, there wasn’t much else for me to say. I just told him not to do it again, like a cliché.
And from that day forward, one thing changed.
“Sister, are you in?”
Peeking through the door, Siafil grinned when he saw me.
Yes, that was the change: I started getting visitors in my palace.
‘And that visitor had to be…’
Siafil Bea Crayden. The very person I should avoid the most.
I didn’t even have the nerve to show my displeasure and simply nodded at him.
“Reading again today, I see.”
Siafil had become someone who regularly entered my bedroom. The reason was simple—I never left it.
“You’re always in bed too.”
“My recovery has been slow. I can’t help it.”
Pell scolded me otherwise. The moment I stepped out of bed, he got visibly annoyed. Even though the doctor had cleared me, he was still overprotective.
‘I guess it’s because I’d never been that sick before.’
I pictured Pell, probably somewhere in the palace at that moment.
Then, I felt a gaze gently land on my face.
“?”
I looked over, confused, and Siafil smiled brightly.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“You smell like a fresh forest.”
A forest? I looked down at myself and took a breath, but I couldn’t smell anything. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to smell myself, but I was certain I didn’t give off a forest scent.
“Isn’t it because of the potted plant?”
I pointed to the one Pell had placed beside my bed. Siafil giggled like I’d said something silly.
“Nope. It’s definitely your scent, sister.”
“That can’t be…”
I hadn’t even been near a forest, and none of my oils smelled like that.
“Being near you feels like being next to the Fairy Tree.”
The Fairy Tree… I’d only ever seen it from afar. Even within the imperial forest, the grove of Fairy Trees was heavily protected and hard to access. The largest among them was even more difficult to see.
‘Does he want to see the Fairy Tree?’
It was said that those blessed by the Fairy King were naturally drawn to the tree. I’d felt that pull from afar at times too. If Siafil felt that way, he could always go visit it.
I said what came to mind.
“If you want to see the Fairy Tree, why not go and look at it?”
But Siafil just laughed again.
“I do miss it, but that’s not it. I can see it whenever I want.”
Of course—true Craydens were different even in things like this. As I had that thought, Siafil gave me a strange look.
“I just mean it’s that comfortable and pleasant being by your side, sister.”
“…”
“That’s all you need to know for now.”
For now? That cryptic line wasn’t the end of it.
“You smell so nice, but why does this palace stink?”
“It stinks?”
Even if my palace was neglected, it didn’t smell bad. Sheila and Pell worked hard to keep it clean.
“You didn’t notice? There’s an unpleasant, fishy smell.”
Fishy? There wasn’t even a pond nearby. I frowned and replied:
“Your Highness must have a sensitive nose.”
From saying I smelled like a forest to claiming there was a fishy smell—it was all about scents.
“Maybe? I don’t really know, sister.”
I found it terrifying when Siafil played dumb like that—acting sharp one moment and oblivious the next.
‘It’s impossible to read him.’
Why was someone like him, who had no reason to, sticking so close to me? This wasn’t mentioned in the novel at all.
[Siafil Bea Crayden—the last heir of Crayden who would one day slaughter his nameless siblings.]
In the novel, Siafil was nicknamed “the Mad Dog.” Knowing that this sweet boy, beloved by all, might one day kill me made my skin crawl.
‘Should I start buttering him up to save my life?’
But no, I couldn’t throw away my pride… or rather,
‘It wouldn’t matter anyway.’
Even the siblings Siafil doted on in the novel ended up dead. On the surface, he accepted their love, but inside, who knew if he wasn’t laughing at them all?
I shook off my paranoia and turned the page of my book.
“What are you reading today, sister?”
I stared at the fluttering page.
Sometimes, when Siafil asked me such pure questions in that innocent voice, I found myself speechless.
Maybe I was misunderstanding people—trapped in the confines of a story.
