Today was a special day. It was the day my beloved brother was to introduce the woman he loved to his best friend. It was also the day they planned to hold a pledge ceremony, with a friend as a witness, before the official engagement.
“Selvia, have you finished preparing the dinner?”
“Huh? Milady, it’s still morning. You haven’t even had breakfast yet.” Selvia looked at me with concern as if wondering if I was unwell.
“What are you talking about? Everything must be perfect.”
“The marquis will think Milady is beautiful even if you make a mistake.”
“Did you forget that Kasion is coming today?”
“Oh…”
“It’s been two years since he returned.”
I wanted to show him a perfect appearance. I also wanted to welcome someone who had endured hardships on the battlefield.
“It won’t be easy to satisfy him…”
“Exactly. That’s why we need to rehearse everything, even the exact movements when serving so that everything is flawless and no one can find fault.”
Kasion is a perfectionist, almost to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. He is a person who is stingy with praise. But when he gave even a small compliment, it meant he acknowledged you. Although, I wasn’t sure if anyone had ever actually been praised by him.
That’s why I was even more desperate. I wanted to silence the whispers of the social circles that subtly looked down on us for growing up without parents.
“If we get through today, I won’t make you clean for two days, so don’t leave a speck of dust!”
“Yes! Understood! We’ll prepare everything thoroughly, so please rest a bit, Milady!”
Encouraged by the promise of a reward, Selvia rallied the maids with a loud shout and disappeared from sight, puffing out her chest like she was the leader of the maids.
“Phew, if they’re that carefree, I’ll have to inspect everything again in the afternoon.”
Whenever they were like that, they always ended up making a mistake.
“Ariel, it’s noisy from the morning, isn’t it?”
At that moment, a voice as soft as cream and as gentle as a spring breeze came from the hallway in front of the study.
I pouted and put my hands on my hips. “Brother, who do you think is the reason I’m working so hard, and now you’re just getting up?”
“Haha, sorry.” Serhen approached me and placed his large hand on my head, gently ruffling my golden hair, which was the same color as his.
I shrank my neck like a cat. “What were you doing all night to be oversleeping?”
“I stayed up late planning how to make use of the surplus grapes from this year’s harvest.”
“Ugh, hurry up and bring Lady Soler over. You two need to dress up and show off to Kasion.”
I playfully punched Serhen’s chest with my fist. This was also a matter of pride. The two were close friends but also fierce rivals.
“Alright.”
A little later, Serhen returned, looking impeccably dressed. How could any young man be so handsome?
Serhen is the Marquis Mellin, known for its wealthy granary region and the prestigious merchant guild. On top of that, he is tall and has a handsome face. Though he isn’t muscular like a knight, he has a solid, pleasing physique. And his personality is incredibly kind. Thanks to that, my only sibling is always the top husband candidate in the social scene. Unfortunately, the reason he wasn’t the number one choice was because of me.
“I’m off.”
“Okay. Tell Lady Soler she only needs to bring herself, as I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Got it. Don’t overwork yourself, and take it easy.” Serhen gently kissed my forehead.
After he left in the carriage, I immediately went out to the garden. This time, it was the gardeners and stable hands’ turn to receive a scolding. Whenever Kasion visited our house, it was my routine to inspect the garden and stables.
The sun hadn’t even reached halfway across the sky, yet I felt strangely anxious.
* * *
“Aaah!”
“Ariel? Why are you sleeping here?”
Under the lazy afternoon sunlight, my loved ones looked at me with concern. It seemed I had dozed off after having a simple lunch and tea in the garden gazebo.
“Brother, you’re back? Is Lady Soler here?”
“Oh gosh, Lady Mellin, you’re sweating…”
Lireania pulled out a delicate frilly handkerchief, similar to herself, from her chest. She carefully dabbed at the sweat on my forehead.
“Ariel, did you have that dream again?”
I nodded at Serhen’s question, and he frowned.
“It’s becoming more frequent, isn’t it? Didn’t you have one just yesterday?”
“Yeah. I hardly dreamed of it when I was young, but now the intervals are getting shorter.”
“Maybe we should consult an astrologer.”
“We should see a doctor first, don’t you think, Lord Mellin?”
Lireania and Serhen began competing over who was more worried about me. It was so touching and endearing that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“El, this isn’t the time to laugh.”
Serhen scolded me with a serious expression, and I stopped laughing immediately.
“You still can’t remember the contents of the dream?”
“No. I have a vague sense of it… but it’s not clear.”
In truth, I remembered everything perfectly. I just couldn’t find a way to explain it to them, so I kept silent. It was a memory from my previous life, especially the moment I died.
I was someone who had already died once and been reincarnated. I’d known that for sure since I was young. Fragmented memories were gradually being recovered through these recurring dreams.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s nothing special.”
I forced a smile, trying to calm my racing heart. I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the fragment of memory I’d just recovered from the dream.
What was that book again?
“More importantly, Lady Soler, shall we spruce you up a bit before the duke arrives?”
I quickly scanned her from head to toe. Thanks to her own boutique, her clothes were certainly stylish. But her decorations and hairstyle were still rather plain. It was because she hadn’t made much money yet.
“Brother, you focus on preparing to welcome Kasion.”
“Alright.”
I took Lireania’s hand and led her back inside. She looked adorably embarrassed and awkward despite the situation being a bit overwhelming. Even with Serhen around or not, she was always kind and consistent, which made me like her even more.
She was diligent and frugal, too. Even after securing her place by my precious sibling’s side, she hadn’t changed.
“Make Lady Soler shine as much as possible, like when I prepare for a royal ball.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Selvia’s confidence carried over this time as well. She gently pulled out some hair from near Lireania’s ears and braided it. With the braid, she created a butterfly shape and secured it on top of the remaining hair, which she curled elegantly with a pre-warmed iron.
“Hmm. Something is missing.”
Seeing Lireania’s exposed neckline, I felt something was still lacking. It seemed wrong to leave such a smooth, long neck without a necklace.
“Selvia, hold on. I’ll go get a necklace.”
“Yes, Milady.”
Lireania tried to decline, looking troubled, but I ignored her and went to the nearby wardrobe. Between the racks of clothes, there was a small decorative table. I grabbed one of the jewelry boxes placed on it.
“Hmm. Which one would suit her best?” I hesitated between a ruby necklace with a large gem and another with several small diamonds. The expensive one would surely make Kasion say it was extravagant, so a more modest silver cross necklace seemed better.
As I tried to put the two rejected necklaces back in the glass case, I accidentally dropped them on the floor.
“Oops.”
Bending down, I picked up the necklaces.
“Huh? What’s this book?”
Then, a strange red leather-bound book caught my eye. The title was [Desire, Who Clipped Her Wings?]
Why is something like this in our house, no, in this world?
My hands trembled. The book felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. Unable to resist my curiosity, I opened it and started reading as if under a spell.
* * *
“They’re taking forever to get ready.”
Serhen paced back and forth alone in the parlor, looking bored. But as he thought of the harmonious relationship between Lireania and Ariel, a smile naturally spread across his face. At the same time, he felt nervous.
It was the day he was introducing his lover to a friend who was like an older brother to him, who had played the role of a father despite being the same age. What if his friend didn’t like his lover? He felt worried. But he was also confident that Kasion would be happy for him, no matter what family his lover came from.
“Marquis, the Duke’s horse is about to pass through the front gate,” said the butler.
Serhen immediately rushed out of the parlor. At the same time, a shout rang out.
“Marquis! Something terrible has happened! The young lady has suddenly collapsed!”
Serhen’s face turned pale at that.
