“It’s been a while, sister.”
“Yeah. It really has… Santana.”
In front of me stood Dust and my two sisters.
After greeting them as their younger brother, I began to take a closer look at them.
First, the second tallest woman standing right next to Dust came into view.
Unlike my other sisters, she seemed to have inherited her shiny blonde hair and deep green eyes from our mother.
However, her skin was a light brown like mine, and overall she gave off more of a vibe akin to our father than a beauty…
To express it, she was the kind of person that brought to mind the term ‘strong woman.’
Vicer Andreas.
The second daughter of House Andreas, clearly in her mid-twenties, she had a muscular build that you could tell was formed from rigorous training.
Not overly rugged, but she definitely looked like she could knock out a regular adult man with a single punch.
However, despite that fact, the face of my sister Vicer standing in front of me had a very joyful smile.
It was a smile that seemed quite genuine, unlike the somewhat cryptic glances Dust used to give me.
‘Vicer Andreas. She was definitely a mid-grade Mage, right? In the original work, she was depicted as somewhat aggressive with a love for battle…’
Although she wasn’t saying it, my second sister certainly seemed to be welcoming me.
I felt that in this regard, she would truly have a straightforward personality like in the original work.
Next, my gaze shifted to another woman who had greeted me in a somewhat chilly tone just a moment ago.
The tallest of the three, with a mature appearance, she shared the same reddish-blonde hair and black eyes with me.
Unlike Vicer, her face carried a beauty that was quite striking among ordinary people, but at the same time, she had a cold and sharp impression.
Especially at this moment, the look in her eyes as she stared at me was as chilling as a sword pointing right at me.
‘Could she be… the first daughter of House Andreas from the original work… my eldest sister…?’
Queen Andreas.
As the eldest daughter of House Andreas, she possessed the power of a high-grade Mage at level six at this point in time.
In her late twenties, she would be considered somewhat of an old maid by the standards of this era, yet the original didn’t mention anything about her marriage.
‘In the original work, she was depicted merely as a cold Bohemian warrior. She faced her end valiantly during the Battle of Baeksan…’
By those criteria, she should have been dead by now, but thanks to me, you could say her life had been prolonged.
Of course, it would be hard for her to recognize that fact.
However, regardless of that truth, I could perceive that the gaze of this eldest sister in front of me was not as friendly as the other two.
‘No matter how I looked at it, she seems to harbor some displeasure… Did Santana do something wrong when he was younger or something like that?’
Not knowing Santana’s exact past made it hard for me to judge.
With that cold look, Queen asked me in a cool voice:
“I’ve been busy and haven’t met you, but now I finally see your face. Have you been well?”
“Yes, sister. I’ve been able to travel to various places and gain diverse experiences.”
“Experience, huh… Yes. I was quite surprised by this operation. If that’s the result of the experience you mentioned, then it’s indeed something to look at positively.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
She spoke somewhat of a compliment, yet the tone remained chilling from Queen.
Then, her gaze turned towards the other two people sitting next to me.
“Are these people… your friends?”
“Ah… Yes, this one is Cazerose, my fellow Paladin, and this one is Polena, my exclusive Maid I met while traveling.”
“Hmm…”
Her expression seemed to strain slightly at my introduction of my companions.
It felt like she didn’t think too highly of them.
If not, perhaps it was simply due to the fact that they were associated with me.
In any case, seeing her like this made me feel a different kind of discomfort than with Dust.
‘At least Dust had a somewhat ambiguous vibe, but this one is practically radiating hostility. It seems that troublesome times with this eldest sister may lie ahead.’
As I thought this, I cautiously observed Queen’s demeanor.
She continued to look at me and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Making friends is fine, but from now on, remember your status. Don’t mingle with the lowly and bring disgrace to the family’s name.”
With that, Queen, along with the other two, left my presence.
Seeing her behave this way made me automatically frown…
But the ones in front of me didn’t show any changes in emotion.
As if they were already accustomed to such things.
*
Since childhood, she had always been told one piece of advice from her father.
-“You should have been born a son.”-
At first, she didn’t understand exactly what that meant.
It was just something he repeated as a habit, especially whenever she showed extraordinary abilities compared to ordinary people, it felt more like her father’s indirect complaint.
But…
As time passed and she grew older,
And with the arrival of her younger brother,
She finally understood.
What her father’s words meant.
What lay before her, born as a daughter, was an insurmountable wall of fate.
It meant the fact that a woman cannot become the lord of Bohemia.
No matter how excellent her skills are,
No matter the great achievements she attained,
She could never inherit her father’s legacy.
Simply because she was a woman.
Just because she was born a girl.
And this reality has continually cast shadows in her heart.
Unlike her, her younger brother, who was born as a son, was destined to be the successor.
At the time he was born, she already possessed the abilities of a level three Mage, overwhelming her peers.
However, even when she showcased this achievement to her parents, her father didn’t have a smile on his face.
There were only formal compliments.
In fact, the emotions contained within were closer to concern than joy, a realization she could clearly perceive.
On the other hand, whenever he looked at that boy, her brother Santana, her father would smile.
Even for the most trivial things, he would radiate pure joy.
A smile so different from how he treated her.
And this realization was reconstructed once again through the sight of her father’s figure at this very moment.
He was proudly showcasing his son to the gathering, exuding joy over the span of two long hours…
Despite being the one who had filled her life with worry and sadness for over a decade, he was showing a face he had never once revealed to her.
As she watched from afar,
Dark clouds began to gather in her heart.
Finally, as that boy went off to mingle with those of unknown origin, she felt a discomfort that she couldn’t dismiss but still decided to approach him.
Even if she felt it was far from comfortable, she was still the eldest daughter of this family and his sister.
After more than ten years apart, now that the war had finally ended and she had the time, it was necessary to at least greet him.
Even if in the future,
She had to resolve the feelings she held today.
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