The World Without My Sister Who Everyone Loved

“……”

It was a beautiful necklace in the center of the corridor. It was an item that was familiar to Sienna, even though she was not interested in jewelry.

‘What…?’

I’m worried about this feeling of desperation…

“You aren’t paying attention to my explanation, and where are you looking now… Oh, you’re looking at that. You have good eyesight.”

“Yes?”

Michael pointed to the portrait he had been talking about so far.

“That’s right. That’s the necklace my great-grandmother was wearing.”

“…….”

I wasn’t focusing on the explanation enough to recognize the necklace in the picture, but I decided to make an attentive expression. Sienna nodded sharply.

“I see.”

“Would you like to see it up close?”

Perhaps he liked that Sienna was focusing on his explanation, as Michael’s attitude was quite relaxed.

‘It’s awkward, though.’

It was a hundred times better than yelling and picking a fight.

The two stood in front of the exhibition table in the middle of the building. On it, a scarlett, fair-cut jewelry the size of a baby’s fist.

“The flame of Hesaros, one of the Named.”

“Named…”

“You know? It’s a famous construction. A new thing sealed in a millennium box.  Ancient legacies that only submit to qualified people.”

“Ah yes. That.”

“There are thirteen eligible, and there are four of them in Nacht alone.”

Michael raised his nose.

“Two belong to my father and brother, but I do not know who the other one belongs to. But one of them is special.  They say it has never been subjugated to others yet.”

Listening to his explanation brought back a blurry memory.

‘You almost got in trouble when you touched this before.’
P/N: The ‘you’ in here is referring to Loreina.

It was not long after Sienna and Loreina’s  unforgettable summer events.

Loreina, who came to see the gallery exhibition room alone, touched the jewel out of curiosity, fell down, and had to lie down for about two weeks.

Later on, Loreina said she almost died.

‘What did she say? Her magic was so powerful that when she came into contact with it, something like a collision happened.’

The jewel that drove Loreina to the brink of death was also not safe, and broke in two on the  spot.

For that matter, Loreina became famous as a “genius who couldn’t even handle the body of a millennium box,” and the Named Hesaros disappeared from Nacht.

That was why Sienna did not recognize the object that threatened her sister’s life at a glance.

‘…wait.’

Sienna suddenly thought.

If Loreina’s mana almost killed her in a collision, wouldn’t something similar happen if she touched it?

Not dark blood reds like Ruby and Garnett, but the fiery jewel caught the eye.

‘Maybe I’ll die….’

Huh….

The more you look at it, the more you seem to see it, the more it seemed like a fire that was trapped in a clear glass, the more mysterious and powerful it seems to have the power to kill at least one person.

“…What is it? You’re going to touch it?”

“What?”

At Michael’s words, Sienna came to her senses and was confused.

‘Uh.’

And I realized that my hand was just above the red jewel with only a finger’s distance left.

“I’m sorry, I do not dare too…”

When Sienna quickly pulled her hand away, Michael shrugged it off.

“You can touch it. Touching doesn’t mean anything.”

Whether or not Sienna listened to his explanation well, he was very generous.

Sienna smiled and shook her head.

“……no, I’m okay for now.”

Yet.

She was worried she was going to die right now. But she did not want to yet. Sienna decided to keep in mind that there was such a way for now and bit her hand back.

“Hmm… well, if you don’t like it.”

Michael, who had no idea what I had just thought, tried to lead me and continue guiding me to the exhibition room in earnest after that.

But in a moment…

“Hey, you’re…”

“…ah.”

When Sienna heard the explanation, she suddenly fell asleep. It was a major accident.

“I’m talking, and you’re falling asleep? You must have been bored.”

“Well, I’m sorry…”

Sienna rubbed her eyes

That was too much. Michael seemed to have been completely offended by the dry apology.

“That’s enough! It’s not like I even know you well enough!”

Michael shouted and left the exhibition room.

Do I have to hold onto him? I had that thought for a moment, but Sienna soon changed her mind.

‘We’re not meant to be.’

Fortunately, Mrs. Deborah soon came to pick up Sienna.

“How are you?”

Unfortunately, the Head Maid hoped the two children would become moderately close, and had arranged a place for refreshments to promote friendship.

“He left first.”

Sienna who was young but honest, confessed, “He was explaining everything well, but he was angry because I fell asleep.”

“Oh, I see. You must be disappointed.”

No way. Sienna laughed silently.

“But today was rather good. Because you have to prepare yourself again later.”

“…what?”

I had a bad feeling in an instant.

“I just got a telegram. I heard that the operation ended very successfully. His Highness will return home early, so there will be a family dinner for the first time in a long while.”

“Oh dear.”

Deborah’s eyebrows twitched at my sincere words that came out unconsciously.

“What did you just say?”

“Pardon?”

Sienna tilted her head. It was an innocent gesture. Mrs. Deborah looked at her with suspicion, but instead of continuing to question Sienna, she led her into the room.

“Well, that’s all right. You might be out of words. Anyway, you have to hurry. Hurry up and get ready.”

It seems, each and every one of the strict maids are excited?

“Well…, ma’am, I’m still not very well-mannered. I’d like to eat alone in my room like i do now, until I finish studying…”

“Absolutely not. His Highness has ordered you to prepare for your first dinner with them. Besides, a very good thing is waiting for you.”

There’s no way out. Sienna clicked her tongue secretly inside.

“Oh, Young Master Ashiel will also attend.”

That just made things worse.

“The Young Master has even been granted permission to stay here to welcome you. You should be grateful.”

‘Why the hell are you so…’

I didn’t want to go before, but now I was against going even more now.

‘Would it hurt.’

It was only but a dinner meeting. If I avoid them today, there will be tomorrow, and waiting till tomorrow would cause even more problems.

Sadly, there was no way out. I’ll just have to deal with it.

* * *

Night was the same wherever the sun went down, but the night that came to this castle was unusual.

A toxic, heavy, solem, and deep night.

As if the daytime, which seemed to be a place where people lived, was a joke. Delicate air flowed everywhere that made people as wary as prey.

P/N: Delicate is describing how the air seems to be thin which implies that there’s a heavy pressure weighing down on everyone.

Even the shadows cast in the corridor were like swamps, so if I went in the wrong way, it seemed to be entangling my ankles.

The memories of falling asleep while crying softly every night when I first came to this castle, loomed.

‘It doesn’t happen as often now, but…’

After she returned to the age of 11, she began to try and adapt, but this darkness was beginning to feel creepy again for the first time in three years.

“Come on, Miss. Follow me.”

Without anyone opening it, the door to the dining room opened.

“…are you here?”

“Yes…”

We have eaten here together several times before.

But today’s atmosphere was somewhat different.

At the top of the long table sat the Grand Duke, on the right side of the table were his two sons.

“Sit down.”

Would it be an illusion if everything in the dining room was polished more brightly than in her memory?

The furniture wasn’t exceptionally shiny. But The Grand Duke and his sons were all dressed up regally.

‘You’re dressed embarrassingly…’

On the other hand, Sienna was dressed up in the orphanage’s clothes because her new clothes were not ready yet.

All the clothes went through Mrs. Deborah’s hands, but the leftover rough cotton fabric could not be transformed into silk.

I was past the age to be ashamed of one’s clothes anyways. But I was a little curious about their intentions.

‘Are you doing this to kill me?’

The Grand Duke, Ashiel, and Michael were also silently watching Sienna sitting on the left side. Sienna sighed inside.

Yes, I know.  Even if I don’t look at them, I know very well myself that I’m a foreign object that doesn’t fit in this place.

Anyway, I didn’t want to make eye contact with any of the three, so I began to open the centerpiece of the table.

‘It was not a common flower.’

It was a fruit.  On a golden embossed plate like a giant fountain, fresh khaman grapes were hanging on it like the water of the fountain, and a large pomegranate that was cut open appeared above it, showing red beads.

The Nacht crest contains pomegranates. Perhaps that is why it was adopted as an ornament instead of a flower.

“…Let’s begin.”

Seeing Sienna concentrating on pomegranate seeds one by one, the Grand Duke gave up and called over his servant to say something.

Rumble, bang.

A roar sounded like a huge earthquake. The butler clicked his tongue.

“Suddenly it’s raining heavily.”

Lightning flashed one after another along with the sound of rain.

“I think it’s going to interfere with your meal, so I’ll pull down the curtains.”