Have you ever touched a cold metal that makes your hands stick to it, like you can’t pull away?
What about a sharp, black sword that looks like it could cut you just by looking at it?
Just a light tap would probably leave you burned.
Just bringing your finger close to it seems like it would make red droplets of blood trickle out.
Sliiiish!
Inside that cold, sharp edge, there’s probably a boiling rage lurking and waiting like a predator.
Even if you try to hide it, I can see it all.
My sister is really amazing.
Yup, very impressive!
The hunting competition has begun.
Anna appeared in the competition hall, looking so calm and collected, despite everyone’s gaze.
The previously nervous and agitated signs had completely transformed, as if she was treated and healed from all that nervousness.
She was the picture of the ideal princess that everyone hoped for.
The crowd burst into cheers at her appearance.
The protagonist of the day has arrived.
I, too, sent my applause from my heart.
Walking slowly towards the hall, Anna courteously acknowledged how difficult things had been for her before and how she overcame it thanks to everyone’s help.
She concluded her greeting with a promise to work hard to prevent it from happening again, receiving applause as she stepped down from the platform.
Queen!
Yeah, “Queen” suited her better than anything else.
Many who looked at Anna praised her, relieved to see the gentle-hearted sister back in form.
And Remy, witnessing all this, said…
“Phew… At least it’s a relief. That foolish sister.”
“Hehe… So we can all play together now, right?”
“…Well, I guess so. But I’ll never forgive her for making Aris cry!”
Though it seemed like there were still unresolved grudges, she sadly looked at Anna with a small smile.
She was mad, but deep down, Remy was worried about Anna too. After all, she had been living with worry, and now Anna appeared so normal, it was comforting.
Yeah, rest easy, Remy. Everything will be alright.
In the end, it’ll all finish with everyone smiling. Happily.
After finishing her speech and greetings, Anna walked directly towards us with a confident stride.
Though there were still traces of worry in her eyes, her unmistakably clear gaze showed that her mind was now intact.
So pure, those eyes.
The chains that once shackled Anna had crumbled to dust and disappeared far away.
Love, affection, morality, ethics, regret, pity.
Free from the odd mix of emotions, only one feeling remained alive.
Eventually, she got swallowed by it.
When Anna had gotten close enough, I quickly dashed past Remy to her side.
Softly, Anna embraced me as I rushed in. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had pushed me away with her cold glare.
Hehe.
“Anna unnie—!! I missed you!!”
“…Yeah, Aris. You must have had a tough time because of me, huh?”
“Uh-huh! But I’m happier to see you!”
Behind, Remy came screaming if I was abandoning her and chasing after me.
“Is our bond so light? How could you do this?” she exclaimed, shaking me back and forth.
Eeeeeeeah!
“Don’t shaaaake!”
Come on now, I’d never abandon my unnie!
Really! I’ll always stay by your side—!
“But you should get married too…”
“Eeeh!! No, I don’t wanna!!”
Remy joined in the hug with Anna, and at that moment, the three of us finally reunited after a long separation.
Thump-thump, I could hear the heartbeats of Anna and Remy. In the warm embrace, I closed my eyes and savored the sound.
Feeling the soft and familiar hand stroking my head, I looked up and smiled at Anna. She was gently caressing my head with a smile on her face.
Anna’s hand is so cold.
Even the gaze looking at me feels cold.
Really, so chilly.
It felt like her touch could stick to me at any moment.
As if it could take a piece of my flesh if I don’t peel away.
That was what was touching me now.
Ah, so cold.
“From now on, I’ll treat you well. I’m really sorry for the past. I’ve been reflecting.”
“Hmph! But that doesn’t mean Remy and I will forgive you! Right, Aris?”
“I love Anna unnie! I’m okay with it!”
“Aris!!!”
Remy looked like she got betrayed.
Crying, she yelled that she would treat me better now. She looked like she’d give me her liver and gallbladder!
I glanced at Anna, then spoke to Remy in a gentle voice.
“Let’s forgive Anna unnie~ okay? Just for today, just ‘today’!”
“W-What? Just today? Really!? It’s a promise!”
“Yep—!! Just ‘today’ will do!!”
Once I calmed her down, Remy quickly thawed out. Soon, we all laughed as the three of us embraced each other, truly happy after so long.
I didn’t lie.
After all, today everything is finished.
Watching from a distance, our parents let out sighs of relief.
They must have been through it all, feeling the tension rise from the sisters who one day began to drift apart.
When couples fight, it’s like cutting water with a knife, but when sisters fight, they cut with water.
As they pondered how to bridge the gap, in secret, they must have felt relieved that we reconciled like this.
They would firmly believe everything would return to normal.
Fools.
Remy, Dad, Mom, knights, nobles, teachers—all of them, fools.
Foolish.
People who only want to see what they want to see; what’s the difference between that and being blind?
Sure, a person can fall apart overnight, but can they heal completely in a day?
Such neat tales only happen in fairy tales.
A princess waking up from a prince’s kiss, a hero defeating a witch with the princess’s help.
Desiring something so strongly means it’s lacking in life. Wanting happiness means that person is unhappy right now.
Such stories pervade the world because beautiful things don’t happen in reality.
And yet, how can a sister who hasn’t even received a prince’s kiss—how could that be?
You all know, deep down, there are unresolved feelings, a discomfort that lingers, don’t you? Look, confront it, explore that curiosity!
But in the end, you’ll turn your eyes away from your hearts.
Even if fear is present, you should have dug deeper.
That’s laziness, arrogance, and ignorance.
You all will pay the price.
A typhoon brings heavy rain and wind, but right at the center, you see a clear sky without a breeze or clouds. If eyes move, and the person inside emerges from the eye of the storm—
In the end, they’ll be engulfed back in the storm.
Whoooosh, just like flower petals breaking apart in the wind, only then will they realize.
What the problem was.
“Aris—want to go hunt together?”
“Huh… okay?”
Anna said to me softly while looking into my eyes.
“I want to apologize personally… I’m sorry.”
“…Oh?”
“Let’s leave Remy with the fathers… just the two of us.”
The eye of the storm was smiling at me.
So, I smiled back at her.
Grin.
“Is that alright? Aris.”
Her eyes reflected only my figure, as if nothing else could fit in them.
Not Remy next to me, nor the grass beneath my feet, nor the stunning trees far away, nor the sky with fluffy clouds. None of it registered in Anna’s eyes.
In the pitch-black pupils, my figure was the only one floating in the dark backdrop.
Ah, indeed, she couldn’t escape from herself in the end.
She could run from the shadows of others, from everything that troubled her but couldn’t run from her own shadow.
Shadows follow you.
Even in death.
Forever.
“Hehehe.”
I laughed happily.
The clouds parted, and the sun revealed itself behind Anna’s head.
In the dazzling bright backlight, Anna’s face appeared shadowed and dark when viewed from my angle.
I couldn’t see her expression. What kind of expression is she making now?
Well, she’s probably smiling too.
Like me.
She, who tried to escape from the shadows, chose to merge as one with her shadow in the end. She thought if she became the shadow, she wouldn’t have to tremble in fear anymore.
But there’s a price to pay.
Shadows cannot exist on their own.
That price will return to Anna like a dagger.
But above all else, I love my family, my sister—
“Okay! Let’s go hunting together!!”
“—Thank you, Aris.”
I will become that price.
Ah, I’m too good-hearted, you know?
