ONE YEAR LATER
(Training Grounds —Royal Palace)
The clang of wooden swords echoed through the courtyard.
Leo and Nolen stood opposite each other, sweat glistening down their temples, chests rising and falling in sync.
"Again," Luca commanded, his voice firm but patient.
Both boys tightened their grips, exchanging a determined glance.
"Yes, Master," they answered breathlessly, raising their swords once more.
When the session finally ended, the air was filled with their exhausted panting. Leo dropped to one knee, wiping his forehead, while Nolen stretched his sore shoulders.
Just then, a cheerful voice broke the quiet.
"Brothers!"
They turned.
Nyra came running across the field, her ribbons bouncing with every step.
"Nyra," Leo smiled, his tiredness softening.
She stopped in front of them, beaming. "Brother Leo, are you two done with training?"
"Yes," he said, catching his breath.
"Then play with me!" she clasped her hands eagerly. "I just finished my study lessons."
Leo glanced at Nolen, who gave him a knowing look.
"Nyra…" Leo sighed softly. "We still have horse-riding practice. Sorry, we can't play with you."
Her smile faded. "Oh… okay."
Before he could say more, Luca's voice carried from the stables.
"Leo, Nolen—get ready for riding practice!"
"We're coming!" the boys replied in unison.
Leo bent down slightly. "Go back inside now, Nyra, alright?"
She nodded, forcing a small smile. "Alright…"
As the boys left, the wind tugged at her dress. She stood watching until they disappeared from view.
---
(Palace Corridor)
Nyra walked down the quiet hall, her slippers tapping softly against the marble floor.
"Ever since Brother Leo and Brother Nolen started their training," she murmured, looking down, "they don't play with me anymore."
She slowed near a tall window, sunlight catching her pale hair.
"They don't even have time to rest… but at least they have each other."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"But me… I don't have anyone."
She stopped, folding her hands before her chest.
"I wish I had a sister too… someone who could play with me, study with me, And stay with me…"
For a moment, her eyes brightened with a new thought.
"Maybe…" she whispered, smiling shyly, "I'll ask Mother for a sister."
---
(Garden of Velmoria Palace — Afternoon)
Aranel and Eva sat together at the marble table, the air scented with jasmine and tea.
Suddenly, little footsteps echoed across the path.
"Mother!"
Aranel turned sharply, setting her teacup down. "Nyra, don't run! You'll fall!"
But Nyra kept running, her curls bouncing as she stopped right before her mother, eyes wide with excitement.
"Mother, you told me that when you made a wish to Goddess Liora, she gave you me and brother!"
Aranel blinked, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. "Yes, I did say that. But what about it, my dear?"
Nyra clasped her hands together, her face glowing with innocent hope.
"Mother, can you make a wish again?"
"Why?" Aranel asked, amused.
Nyra lifted her chin confidently. "Because, Mother… I want a sister!"
Aranel nearly choked on her tea. "A... sister?"
"Yes!" Nyra nodded eagerly. "I want a sister!"
Aranel glanced at Eva, who was already hiding a soft smile behind her cup.
"Nyra, why are you suddenly asking for a sister?"
Nyra pouted, tugging at the hem of her mother's gown. "Because I don't have anyone to play with!"
"But you have your brothers—Leo and Nolen. You can play with—"
"No, Mother!" Nyra's voice wavered as tears welled in her eyes. "I don't wanna play with them! I want a sister!"
Aranel sighed softly, brushing Nyra's hair back. "Nyra, sweetheart… I'm sorry, but I can't make a wish now."
Nyra blinked up at her, confusion and sadness mixing in her gaze. "You can't?"
Aranel nodded and gently lifted her daughter into her arms. "You see, the Goddess can grants only two children to me. I already have you and Nolen, so… she can't give me another one."
Nyra's face fell. "Oh… then I can't have a sister?"
"No, you can't, dear."
Nyra's lips trembled, and after a quiet moment she wriggled out of Aranel's embrace. "Fine... then I'm going, Mother."
With her head bowed, she turned and walked away, her small figure disappearing behind the hedge.
The garden was quiet again after Nyra's small footsteps faded down the path.
"What's gotten into her, suddenly asking for a sister?" Aranel muttered, half amused, half concerned.
Eva smiled faintly, stirring her tea. "You never know what a child is thinking."
"Right," Aranel said with a small laugh, though her gaze lingered on the path Nyra had taken. "Well, I would give her a sister if I could."
Her voice softened. "But after my twins were born, I got some problems… and now I can't have a child anymore."
Eva's hand gently found Aranel's. "Aranel..."
Aranel smiled, though her eyes dimmed. "I'm fine, Eva. It's not like I can do something about it."
Eva looked down, her fingers tightening around her cup. "Still… Nyra looked so sad."
Aranel exhaled, leaning back in her chair. "Oh, don't worry about her. She'll be fine."
Eva gave a small, wistful smile and turned her eyes toward the path where Nyra had gone.
----
(Eva's Chamber — Evening)
After finishing tea with Aranel, Eva returned to her chambers. The sun was dipping low, its golden light spilling through the curtains, painting the room in a warm hush. She sank onto the couch, resting her hands in her lap as her mind drifted back to the garden.
"Nyra… she feels lonely," Eva murmured to herself, her gaze distant.
"Of course she does."
Her fingers traced the embroidery on the cushion absently as old memories surfaced.
"Aranel and I always had each other when we were children…" she whispered.
"And Eyan had brother Luca with him."
Her eyes softened. "Now Leo and Nolen have each other."
A small sigh escaped her lips. "But what about her?"
She leaned back, her heart tightening as Nyra's sad little face flickered in her mind.
"Nyra doesn't have anyone."
For a long moment, the room was quiet. Then Eva straightened slightly, an idea forming like a spark.
"Should I… give her a sister?"
The thought made her smile faintly — but it faded as soon as it came.
"I can… but—" She exhaled, her voice trailing into a sigh.
"Only if Eyan wasn't so against the idea of having another child."
Her brows knit together. "For a whole year, he's been taking those special medicines… just to make sure i don't conceive again."
"He even fixed a day once a week for… sharing a night together. The medicine works only if he takes it twenty-four hours before that night… not once, not even once, has he forgotten taking it."
Eva leaned forward, elbows on her knees, letting out a heavier sigh.
"I asked him so many times to have a second child… but he always refused."
Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, the flicker of candlelight dancing above her as she whispered,
"So asking again won't change anything."
But even as she said it, Nyra's tearful face returned to her mind — small, trembling lips and wide, hopeful eyes.
Eva's chest tightened. She stood abruptly, her voice low but determined.
"That's it. I feel so bad for my Nyra."
She turned toward the window where the moon had just begun to rise, her eyes glinting with quiet resolve.
"I'll give her a sister," she whispered.
"One way or another."