Chapter 1. We Ran Away at Night
“Are you really going in there?”
“Yes.”
At my sister’s firm reply, the coachman’s face went pale.
I couldn’t help but glance nervously between them.
I tried to pretend I didn’t notice anything, just looking around quietly—until my sister squeezed my hand tight.
When I looked up, she was smiling: elegant, yet determined.
It was the kind of smile that said, “Trust only me.”
“Bell. Are you cold?”
“N-no, not at all!”
My name is Veronica, though my sister calls me Bell.
I turned six this year, and I was… a servant at the Herelda Marquis’ household.
They often called me a “bastard child.”
But the person I admired most was nothing like me—
the Marquis’ legitimate daughter, my older sister Kallia.
She had beautiful violet hair and deep ocean-blue eyes.
In the empire’s social circles, people called her “the flower of society.”
Well… the maids taught me that phrase.
And sometimes they whispered darker stories, saying that such a “flower” also had sharp thorns.
But whenever I came near, they hushed up quickly, so I never got the full story.
Anyway—my sister and I now stood in front of a massive iron gate.
It was tightly shut, as if to say, “We don’t welcome visitors.”
The coachman’s expression looked the same.
“Miss, do you even know where this is? Showing up suddenly at the Grand Duke’s castle…”
“It was never going to be easy,” my sister said.
She let go of my hand and began rummaging through the luggage.
“S-sister?”
From among the bags she had taken when leaving the Marquis’ house, she pulled out a huge sword.
I remembered how she had swung it fiercely in the training yard.
Yes, of course—if it was my sister, she could definitely beat even the war hero, the northern Grand Duke.
“Bell, hold onto my skirt and stay right behind me.”
“Yes!”
I gripped her skirt tightly.
“Good. Now you won’t get blown away.”
Then she stomped the ground with a heavy thud, lifted the sword with ease, and—
The coachman’s once-bored face turned tense.
Because around her sword, the wind began to swirl.
Sssshhhhhh—
The storm of wind gathered, following every movement of her blade.
So fast it left no afterimage, the sword cut through the air and released a violent blast straight at the gate.
And then—
BOOOOOOM! CLAAANG! CRAAAASH!
The iron gate was blown clean off.
“Hiiiii…!”
***
We—me, the “bastard child,” and my sister, the “legitimate lady” Kallia—
had decided to run away in the middle of the night just a few days ago.
Clop clop.
Rattle, rattle.
The only sounds in the quiet night were horse hooves and the wheels of our carriage.
That night, when all the maids were fast asleep, my sister came to me.
[Pack your things.]
[W-where are we going?]
[To get engaged.]
[What?]
Before I could even process what she meant, she scooped me up in her arms and carried me out of the Marquis’ estate.
She wore a jet-black cloak, as dark as the night itself.
No matter how you looked at it—this was an elopement.
The maids had once told me: “Lovers who are forbidden to be together run away at night. That’s called elopement.”
Then… does this mean Sister and I are lovers?
I loved her so much, so wasn’t it true?
My heart pounded wildly in my chest.
Besides, there was hope.
[From now on, don’t call me ‘Miss.’ Call me ‘Sister.’]
That’s what she said to me!
A word I had only dared to whisper in secret felt so sweet coming from her lips.
…But where exactly was this carriage taking us?
“Um…”
“What is it?”
Her calm reply made my heart flutter.
A servant wasn’t supposed to speak freely to a young lady.
But as her younger sister… I could.
Trying to hold back my excitement, I squeezed my skirt in my hands and asked carefully:
“Where… are we going?”
Her ocean-blue eyes turned toward me, and she smiled gently.
“Curious?”
“Yes!”
“To the Grand Duchy of Creatore. A place where no one will look down on you. A place where you’ll live as a lady.”
“…What?”
The Grand Duchy of Creatore?
Rumor said it was terrifying.
Unlike the warm, peaceful capital, it was the farthest north—freezing cold, crawling with monsters.
And they said the Grand Duke ate disobedient children!
The maids always used to scare me with that story when I made mistakes.
And now… I was going to become a lady there?
“R-really?”
I stared dumbly.
My sister nodded, then looked me up and down before shaking her head.
“This won’t do. I wasn’t planning to stop in a village, but I’ll need to get you proper clothes.”
“M-my clothes?”
I was already wearing my best dress! Of course—I was eloping with my sister!
But I guess to her, it still wasn’t enough.
I pouted, fiddling with my skirt, when she tapped my cheek lightly.
“A proper lady always wears beautiful clothes. Like me.”
“…!”She had started teaching me how to be a lady.
I widened my eyes in awe.
She just smiled faintly.
“…Cute.”
Then she stroked my hair gently.
Her touch was so soft, like sinking into her fluffy bed.
I wanted her to keep touching me forever.
While I pressed my head into her hand, she asked,
“What’s your favorite color?”
“My favorite color? Purple and blue.”
I quickly answered with the colors of her hair and eyes.
She chuckled.
“Really? Mine are pink and sky blue.”
Ah!
Those were the colors of my own hair and eyes.
Hearing her say she liked them made my face burn hot.
She just smiled again.
Just then, the carriage stopped.
“Looks like we’re near a village. Let’s make a quick stop. Come here.”
“O-okay!”
She easily lifted me in her arms and stepped down from the carriage.
Yes, my sister was strong. The maids often whispered she was “unlike a proper lady” because she trained with swords.
But I liked that about her too.
And despite her strength, she never bullied anyone.
Even now—
when my lips tightened from the pain of holding her hand too long, she crouched down to look me in the eyes.
“What is it? Did I grab too hard? Does it hurt?”
“N-no! It’s not that…”
“That’s odd. I held on as gently as I could.”
“I-it’s fine… really!”
“…Kids are so soft,” she murmured.
After a moment of thought, she leaned closer—
And suddenly picked me up into her arms.
“…!”
Just holding hands already made my heart feel like a rabbit bouncing inside me.
Now being held in her arms…!
I froze, folding my hands neatly in front of me, not daring to cling to her neck.
She glanced at me sideways.
“Don’t fidget your fingers.”
“Y-yes.”
She sighed, brushed back her hair, and said,
“…I’m not scolding you. Just—hold onto my neck, so you don’t fall.”
With that, she carried me forward.
Everything felt so unfamiliar.
Back at the Marquis’ house, I had never been allowed to want anything.
I was always told: “You’re just a bastard child. You can’t hope for anything.”
But my sister was different.
[So this little one is growing up after all…]
[M-me?]
[How will I raise her…]
It all began that morning, when my sister woke up screaming from her bed.
