* * *

“Hello, Belinda. I’m Sybel. Sybel Blanche.”

It was the day Sybel Blanche first set foot in the Blanche estate during the academy’s vacation period.

The newly acquired brother appeared with the brilliant sunlight at his back.

A five-year age difference.

Despite only that, he who dreamed of becoming a knight was incredibly mature and calm, like a knight from a fairy tale.

That’s why Belinda remained on guard.

‘There’s no such thing as friendly siblings. Especially among nobles.’

That was the world Belinda lived in.

A world where one would willingly stain their hands with a sibling’s blood for wealth and succession.

Belinda had no intention of yielding her uncle’s affection or the position of heir to the family to Sybel.

‘It’s all mine!’

Belinda steeled her resolve, exhaling sharply through her nose.

And she didn’t hesitate to put that resolve into action.

“Belinda, this evening…… Belinda?”

“Hmph!”

She ignored Sybel when he called her, snorting dismissively.

“The main course is particularly excellent today. Young master, here……”

“I want to eat that! It’s bigger, so it’s mine!”

She always tried to get whatever was bigger and better than Sybel’s.

“Belinda, you almost stepped on my foot. You should be careful.”

“Tch.”

Whenever Sybel passed in front of her, she would subtly stick out her foot to try and trip him.

But even when Belinda acted spitefully, thinking ‘I’ll be the stone that stubs your toe!’, Sybel never got angry and only smiled.

The more he did this, the more Belinda’s insides twisted.

Perhaps she would have felt a bit better if he had been as nasty as her.

Belinda glared at Sybel standing next to her with displeasure.

They were out to watch the Harvest Festival.

Originally, it was supposed to be an outing with her uncle, but due to a sudden accident at one of the Blanche-owned trading posts, she had no choice but to go out with Sybel instead of her uncle.

“Belinda, do you have something to say to me?”

“What are you talking about? Instead of trying to stand in front of me, why don’t you just follow behind me?”

“It seems Belinda is quite familiar with the streets. That’s a reassuring thing to hear.”

Belinda clicked her tongue at Sybel, who only smiled at her spite.

‘All he can do is grin. What an idiot.’

The unpleasant feeling did not dissipate even when watching the long-awaited monster circus.

‘How boring.’

Losing interest in the stage, Bellinda secretly slipped away like a squirrel from the escort knights.

While wandering around after leaving the tent where the circus show was in full swing, she noticed a heavily guarded tent.

Curiosity piqued; Belinda took advantage of the changing of the guards to squeeze her small body under the tent.

“Wow.”

Belinda let out an exclamation as she looked inside, relying on the dim lantern light.

Magical beasts, far larger and more grotesque than those shown in the show, were caged and growling lowly.

Belinda swallowed hard as she observed the magical beasts beyond the iron bars.

Soon, her steps halted in front of the innermost cage.

“Huh…?”

The cage, with one side, completely caved in and the bars bent, was empty.

Belinda’s gaze moved from the cage, following the trail of blood droplets leading to a corner, where she met gleaming blue eyes in the darkness.

The moment she felt their eyes meet, something in the darkness leaped towards Belinda with a horrifying shriek.

“Kyaah!”

Belinda instinctively covered her head and crouched down. She felt the terrible sensation of the magical beast’s fur brushing against the back of her hand.

If she had lowered her body even a moment later, her head would surely have been torn off by the creature’s claws.

But there was no time for relief.

She needed to get up and run away immediately, but whether due to fear or not, strangely, she couldn’t muster any strength in her body.

“No, no. Move, I said move!”

As she was trying to force her body up, hitting her unmoving legs resentfully with trembling hands.

Grrrr.

Something cast a huge shadow in front of Belinda.

Its hot breath ruffled her hair, and its bizarre forepaws, seeming like a mix between a monkey’s and a bird’s, raised its claws as if about to slash at Belinda.

“Hick.”

Belinda didn’t dare raise her head to confirm what was in front of her.

‘I’m going to die.’

That monster is surely licking its chops looking at me.

As if to prove her ominous premonition, the magical beast howled with a terrible sound, but no matter how long she waited, it didn’t attack her.

As Belinda slowly raised her head to check the situation, just as something like a golden light dimly came into her view.

“Don’t raise your head.”

Along with Sybel’s cold voice, which she had never heard before, a strong force pressed Belinda’s head down to the dirt floor.

What happened next was instantaneous.

There was a loud sound like a taut leather ball bursting, followed by something falling and the nauseating smell of blood.

“It’s alright now.”

Belinda barely lifted her face, which was covered in dirt.

Sybel was smiling as always, wiping the magical beast’s blood that had splattered on his cheek with his sleeve.

“Belinda, are you okay?”

I almost died. If Sybel hadn’t saved me, I would have certainly died.

Sybel…

“Y-You idiot! Why did you come so late! If I had gone missing, you should have come looking for me right away!”

With belated relief, Belinda grabbed onto Sybel’s pant leg and burst into tears.

And that day, after returning from the festival, Belinda opened the Crown Prince’s letter that she had left unopened for a while.

The letter, neatly written in round handwriting, was consistently filled with concern for Belinda.

Finally, only now did she make up her mind to meet him.

Belinda headed to Mikhail’s palace after a long time.

“Belinda!”

Unlike Mikhail, who was extremely glad to see her, Belinda’s expression remained gloomy throughout.

“I was worried because you didn’t come for a while. Are you alright? Did something happen? Did you receive the letters I sent?”

“Your Highness.”

“Why so formal? It’s just us here.”

Mikhail smiled as freshly as the sunlight poured into the palace garden.

However, Belinda’s following words cast a shadow on that innocent face.

“I’m going to ask my uncle, no, my father, to let me stop being your companion.”

“…Why? What did I do wrong? Hm? Bell, tell me and I’ll fix it.”

“Don’t you understand why I’m saying this?”

Belinda asked with a hint of resentment.

She got along well with Mikhail.

He had an untainted purity, and sometimes when she felt too weak and mean, she would find comfort by his side.

But right now, she hated his innocence.

To protect himself from the threat of the collateral line backed by the support of the royalist nobles, her uncle had turned to the nobility faction, but his support base was still unstable.

In such a situation, how difficult would it be for her uncle if she kept her position as the Crown Prince’s companion and fiancée, who could be considered the representative of the royalist faction?

Despite her young age, Belinda understood such power structures as naturally as breathing.

“I don’t want to be hated by my uncle and brother. They’re the only family I have left now. So… don’t write to me anymore… don’t even pretend to know me… and…”

Belinda’s voice grew quieter and quieter.

Mikhail gently held Belinda’s tightly clenched fist.

“I’m sorry for making you say such things.”

“……”

Belinda bit her lower lip hard and then shook her head.

“Don’t apologize. I chose my family over Mikha, and there’s no reason for Mikha to apologize for that choice.”

With those final words, the two children held hands and silently walked around the palace’s back garden several times.

Afterwards, despite her uncle’s opposition, Belinda quit being the Crown Prince’s companion, and naturally, their engagement was called off.

Belinda met Mikhail again when the queen’s funeral was held.

While the entire country was in tears, only one person, Mikhail, who used to cry so much, didn’t shed a single tear throughout the funeral.

In place of the King, who had reportedly stopped eating and withdrawn from all state affairs, the young Crown Prince took the lead in all funeral procedures.

In the sea of black mourning, Belinda only looked at Mikhail.

Before coming here, Belinda had hesitated countless times.

Should I send a letter to His Highness? Would it be okay to speak to him?

But with what face could she comfort his sorrow?

‘I told him not to even send letters.’

But unable to bear it any longer, Belinda secretly made her way to the back garden where she and Mikhail often used to walk.

‘It might cause trouble for my uncle, but meeting secretly…’

As if their hearts were connected, she was able to encounter Mikhail there alone.

The friend she met after several months had changed quite a bit in his demeanor.

“Bell.”

“Mikha.”

Just as their hands, calling each other by their nicknames, were about to touch—

“Bell, are you here?”

At Sybel’s sudden intrusion, Belinda hurriedly hid both her hands behind her back as if caught doing something wrong.

Soon after, Sybel appeared and belatedly noticed the Crown Prince, offering a graceful and respectful greeting.

However, his following words were not to mourn the Queen.

“You’ve managed to break off the engagement with difficulty, but if someone were to see you like this, I’m concerned it might lead to unfavorable rumors. However, if I’m here with you, I can prevent such baseless gossip. Isn’t that right, Bell?”

Sybel’s hand pressed heavily on Belinda’s shoulder.