Chapter 4

I blurted out the name of the person I had missed. Although it came out quietly, my younger brother, Eru, who had good hearing, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Blue hair that fluttered in the wind and silver eyes that looked exactly like mine.

My longing made me choke up as a burning sensation welled up in my eyes.

“Ariana.”

And next to him was a lovely silver-haired girl who was looking at me with perplexed eyes.

Ahh. That’s my younger sister.

My goodness. How did she grow to be so lovely?

It felt like just yesterday when she would chase after me saying ‘sister, sister!’

Well, since she was ten years younger than me, she must already be seventeen years old now.

“Who are…?”

Seeing the faces I had missed so much, I could do nothing about my vision blurring with tears.

I took one step, then another forward. The closer I got to them, the more emotional I became. It was to the point I felt like I was going to faint from how overwhelming it was.

“What?! This crazy bitch, really!”

It was when I was close enough to touch my younger siblings if I simply reached out.

The guard, who was dozing off, had woken up and must have felt something was off, opening his eyes wide open before running my way in shock.

Ignoring him completely, I told the puzzled children, “You’ve grown a lot. I bet we can even open the time capsule together now.”

The time capsule was something the three of us and Hadel had secretly filled with precious things and buried as a secret from our parents.

We promised that we would open it when we were all grown up and leaving the residence.

It was a secret only the four of us knew.

At my words, the two of them flinched before looking over me.

They were surprised at my silver hair, and their eyes widened even more at my silver eyes.

“This makes no sense.”

Yes, you’re right. It really doesn’t make sense.

But it’s really your older sister. It’s me!

I’ve returned. Finally.

“Gosh! Young lady, young master! I apologize. This woman seems a little crazy, so please don’t mind her and come in.”

Geez. This guard seriously can’t read the room whatsoever.

However, fortunately enough, it didn’t seem as if Ariana or Ercian could even hear the guard’s words.

Ariana’s blue eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Next to her, Ercian seemed as if he couldn’t hide his shock with his mouth silently opening and closing.

“There’s no way… there’s no way this is possible.” Ariana was the first to speak.

She had always been mature when she was young, and as expected, she was one beat faster than Ercian at comprehending the situation.

Ariana kept shaking her head but still approached me slowly.

“Ahh, there’s no way.”

Ercian held his arm out and blocked Ariana. It seemed that he still had the manly pride in him to protect his sister.

Yet, the Ercian that I last saw was him crying on the floor because he had his candy taken away from him.

“Ariana, I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. It’s not that person. It’s not.”

“But…!”

“It’s not! Eldest sister died ten years ago! Why are you acting like an idiot? It’s just someone who looks like her!” Ercian shouted, his veins bulging like a madman.

At those words, Ariana stopped and stared holes into me.

“You… who are you? Just who are you that…”

Just who am I that I look exactly like your older sister and have the same features as her?

Although she didn’t finish her sentence, I could easily guess what she wanted to ask.

Since it was written all over her face.

I slowly approached them and reached out a hand to her.

Although I could feel Ercian recoiling and being cautious of me, I ignored it and slowly put my hand on top of Ariana’s head.

Her hair, as blue as water, felt soft and pleasant against my hand.

“Eru didn’t bother you again today, did he, Ari?”

“…!”

“Haha. Probably not. Since Eru is all grown up now, he must not bother you anymore, right?”

Since Ariana and Ercian were twin siblings, they always fought with each other.

Ercian would usually bother and tease Ariana, so I would often ask her this at the end of the day.

Asking whether Eru had bothered her today. Then, you would answer like this.

[He did, but thanks to you, Sister, I’ve already forgotten all about it!]

You, who would rub your chubby cheeks against my hand and smile brightly, were really cute.

But now you’ve become a lady.

“Hic…!”

Ariana’s silver eyes blurred, and clear teardrops started dripping down her face. Ercian, who was next to her, couldn’t control his jaw that had dropped and could only blink.

“I’m sorry.”

There’s nothing else I can do but apologize while looking at you like this.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I lived while forgetting you all this time.

That I forgot you, who must have missed me and cried so much… I’m so sorry.

I slowly moved my hand that had been on top of Ariana’s head to her cheek. It felt soft and squishy, reminding me of when we were younger.

“Is it really…”

Ariana put her hand over mine. At her warmth, my heart tingled.

“Is it really you, Sister…?”

That single question was filled with countless hesitations.

Ariana’s blue eyes were filled with so many tears that she couldn’t even focus them.

Looking at the teardrops that fell down pitifully, I nodded my head.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s your older sister. I’m back, Ari. My lovely younger sister.”

My voice had already started shaking from how emotional I was long ago.

To reunite after ten years, it was really worth bawling my eyes out.

“I… I can’t believe it. Ten years ago, older sister Asha already… hic… Already…!”

Ercian was like this from before, too. He was the king of being a step behind, and he was slow-witted. He was often the last to realize something everyone already knew.

“You haven’t changed, Eru.”

It really felt like I had returned home.

Seeing my family who hadn’t changed at all from before, my heart felt overwhelmed.

“Come here, Eru.”

I hugged Ariana with one arm and held out my other arm towards Eru.

Eru, who was already covered in tears and snot, put down his last defense and ran towards my arms, into my embrace.

“Waaaah! Sister!”

Yes, yes. You missed me a lot, right? You suffered a lot, right? You wanted to see me, right…

The three of us stood there in each other’s arms, weeping for a long time.

As I hugged them tightly to me, I could feel the ten years that had passed through their skin.

It was a long period of time, so much that a young child could become an adult.

As soon as I realized that, I realized that what I had lost during that time were not just my memories.

“Hic. Hic, Sister, Sister, Sister…! Sniff, we, all, hic, thought that sister, was, was dea… hic!”

The kids, who had completely grown up, and I, who had not been able to see the process of them growing older.

That would eternally be something I would be sad and regretful about.

So as much as I was happy that we could reunite, I was sad.

At the fact that I couldn’t see you when you were growing up, that is.

“Waaah! Hic! Hic! Sniff sniff… Sister, sniff!”

Eru, who was initially so suspicious of me, was now covered in tears.

Seeing how that was so similar to him from before, I couldn’t help but laugh among my tears.

“No, I… what is going on…?”

The slow-witted guard was taken aback at how the three of us had been crying for such a long time, looking nervously.

* * *

“Your Excellency. What do you want for dinner?”

“Is there any soup left from this morning?”

“There is a little left. Should I heat it up?”

At the maid’s words, Seretina thought for a moment.

Currently, the finances of the household were not great, which was why they couldn’t eat proper food.

Although the children were at an age where they had to eat a lot of meat to grow, they had been eating vegetables every day.

Even though the Emperor often came quietly and gave them some costly items, how could they dare to sell something the Emperor had given them?

“…Okay. We should eat that at least. But why haven’t the children returned yet?”

“It’s the time where they should already be here… should I go out and look?”

It was at the moment the maid had said that and was about to leave the residence.

They could see Ariana and Ercian open the door and enter the front yard.

“Ah, they’re coming. It’s fine.”

“Yes, Your Excellency. Then I’ll go prepare dinner.”

After the maid left for the kitchen, Seretina turned to the children who were approaching her and stopped before she could take a step.

Behind the two children was a familiar, no, a face that she had longed to see, walking slowly.

“…There’s no way.”

Wavy silver hair and bright silver eyes. There had been countless nights where she had fallen asleep thinking about that face, begging that she would show up in even a dream.

“How… how could this be.”

She couldn’t form proper words with her mouth. That was how shocked she was.

Seretina repeated to herself countless times.

If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up, please.

It’s fine if I’m trapped in this dream forever, so please don’t wake me up…

And as she took a trembling step forward.

“Mother,” the mirage-like silver-haired child spoke.

With a voice she had missed so much, with a face filled with tears.

On the pale and round face, the straight eyelashes delicately moved.

The habit to bite and let go of her lower lip with her front teeth whenever she was sad.

And how she would always cry with her right eye a little more crinkled up than her left eye.

Everything was the same as her memory.

Even if all of her younger features had disappeared, Seretina recognized her in a single moment.

“Asha…!”

Because she was her mom.

Because she was no other than Ashella’s mom.

Regardless of how she looked or even if she had died, she would recognize her no matter what.

Even if it was something the entire world would not believe, a single word from her and her expression in that one moment, was enough.

To prove that the child in front of her eyes was her daughter, that was enough.