The sky was already painted in soft shades of dusk by the time I returned to the palace. My body ached as if it had been torn apart and sewn back together with thorns. Every muscle screamed with fatigue, every bruise burned. I moved slowly, each step a battle.
When I finally crossed the marble threshold of my chambers, I was greeted not by silence but by a high-pitched gasp.
"Brother!"
Before I could react, a small blur of pink and black barreled into me. My little sister clung to my waist like a limpet, her ribbons flying and her eyes blazing with outrage.
"You're hurt again, aren't you?! How dare you!"
I blinked. "How dare I… what? Survive?"
"Don't joke!" she huffed, tugging me toward the bed with all the force of a furious kitten. "Sit down. Right now. Or—or I'll make sister Serenya scold you!"
I chuckled, though the laugh hurt my ribs. "Terrifying. Truly, the greatest weapon in the empire—my little sister's tattling."
She puffed up her cheeks, which made her look like a sulky squirrel. "Hmph! Just wait, I'll really do it!"
Still grinning, I let her push me onto the bed. She scrambled to fetch a small jar of ointment, her little hands fumbling with the lid before dipping her fingers inside.
Every time I see my sister Lilia, something stirs in my heart. I know it's the influence of the original Rishi, but… in this world, she's the only one I can truly call family.
"Hold still," she ordered, dabbing at my bruises. "And don't make faces!"
"I'm not making faces," I protested as the cool ointment stung against my skin.
"You are! Your eyebrow twitched!"
"My eyebrow twitched because you nearly poked me in the eye!"
She gasped, scandalized. "How rude! Here I am, saving your life, and you dare complain?"
I pinched her cheek lightly, making her squeak. "Yes, yes, the great healer of the Darknorth family. I should compose an epic poem in your honor."
She squealed, pulling back her tiny fists to punch me, but instead carefully returned to dabbing the ointment across my arms.
My sister has to use ointment because that bastard instructor prohibited me from using healing potions. He says it's to make my body stronger and keep me from building immunity to potions too quickly… but I'm sure that sadistic bastard just enjoys watching me suffer in pain.
The sting of the ointment faded to coolness, but in its place, another ache bloomed—one I kept buried deep.
Maybe it's the grief of losing my mom. Ah… I don't want to think about it, because it makes me so unbearably sad. But I miss you, Mom. I really miss you. I promise… one day, somehow, we will reunite.
Before the weight of that thought could crush me, the door opened with a soft creak.
Serenya entered, her presence like the calm of moonlight after a storm. Her silver hair shimmered in the dim light, her violet eyes softening as they fell on me. Her maid trailed behind, quiet as a shadow.
"Sister Serenya!" Lilia exclaimed, spinning around dramatically. "See?! He's hurt again! Scold him! Scold him!"
Serenya's lips curved faintly, but her gaze never left mine. "Oh, I'll scold him," she said softly, stepping closer. "But not in the way you think."
Lilia frowned, confused, but I felt the shift instantly. Serenya sat beside me, close enough that her perfume—light and floral—brushed against my senses. Her gaze was calm, steady, and entirely too sharp for comfort.
"Rishi," she murmured, low enough that only I could hear, "what's really driving you? You've changed. You push yourself as if tomorrow doesn't exist. Even I—who have always known you best—can feel it."
For a heartbeat, I considered the truth. That I wasn't really her Rishi at all. That I was a stranger wearing his skin.
Instead, I leaned back, letting a faint, weary smile slip across my face. "Perhaps… grief changes a man more than he realizes."
Serenya's eyes lingered, as though trying to peel back the layers of my soul. Then, with a gentleness that made my chest ache, she said, "Whatever burdens you carry, don't lock them away from me. We're family. We've always been each other's strength."
Before the weight of her words could settle, Lilia stomped her foot. "Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm still scolding him!"
Serenya's serene composure cracked just enough for her lips to twitch. She reached out, smoothing Lilia's hair. "Don't worry. He deserves a good scolding. We'll work together, won't we?"
Lilia brightened instantly, nodding with the fierce determination of a soldier preparing for war. "Yes! Operation Keep Brother Alive starts today!"
I groaned. "That sounds like the worst campaign name in history."
"Silence!" she declared, pointing at me like a general. "You've lost the right to complain!"
The world was cruel, my path even crueler. But in this small, stolen moment, I remembered what it was like to have a family.
And deep inside, a vow burned:
I will eradicated that bastard instructor bloodline from this world one day.
'Ouch! It hurts.'
'Shut up!'
'Yes... SHUT THE FUCK UPPPP!!!'
'...'
'...'
'Hey, Lilia did you just cursed'
'NO no no brother you must have heard wrong'
'...'
'...'
'Why are both of you staring at me I am telling the truth'
Even Serenya laughed softly at that, the sound like silver bells. And despite the soreness in my body, despite the exhaustion pressing down on me, I felt something warm settle in my chest.