#10
“……”
In front of the bedroom door.
By the small wall next to the door, in front of a mirror, Shion quietly stared at his reflection.
After a moment, the boy lifted his hand and first adjusted his hair.
His already neat, nearly black, deep-blue hair was combed so that not a single strand stuck out.
His hands then moved downward in order—straightening his collar and neatly refolding his cuffs.
After that, he even took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the dust off his shoes himself.
‘Well…’
Finishing his inspection, Shion folded the handkerchief and tucked it into his back pocket, murmuring—
“Being tidy is good.”
Just then, someone lightly placed a hand on his shoulder from behind.
“Your Highness?”
“Gah!”
“Oh—sorry! I didn’t realize you were… Prince Shion…?”
‘Huh? It is Prince Shion?’
Mary blinked in surprise and, for a brief moment, even forgot she was supposed to apologize, simply staring down at him blankly.
She had been sure it wasn’t him.
The Shion she knew never showed emotion and always wore his characteristic expressionless face no matter what happened.
But just now—his shoulders had jumped and he’d gasped, “Gah!”
‘Prince Shion isn’t the kind of person who would have such a cute reaction… could it be he’s not really the Prince?’
“…Hey.”
Fortunately for Mary, Shion’s usual cold tone and icy gaze quickly erased any room for doubt.
“If you startled someone by approaching without a sound, shouldn’t you apologize first?”
“Ah, r-right… sorry!”
“……”
Mary bowed her head hurriedly.
But Shion, arms crossed, continued to glare at her with a dissatisfied expression. She couldn’t see it exactly, but she could feel it pricking at her like needles.
He didn’t seem like he was going to let this go easily. She braced herself for a scolding, maybe even for all the small mistakes he’d been oddly lenient about lately.
But instead—
“Forget it. What about Veronica?”
“…Sorry?”
“I asked you. Do I have to repeat myself?”
Looking up at Mary, Shion enunciated each word again.
“Is Veronica ready?”
“Ah… she’s probably still sleeping.”
“If she’s sleeping, she’s sleeping. If she’s not, she’s not—what do you mean ‘probably’…?”
He stopped mid-sentence and turned a sharp gaze on her.
“Then why are you out here?”
“Huh?”
“If Veronica’s sleeping inside, why are you outside?”
His voice grew more hostile.
“So you’re saying Veronica’s in there sleeping alone?”
“N-no! Another maid is—”
“Why is it another maid at her side and not you?”
“Your Highness, that’s—”
“Do you understand why His Majesty entrusted Veronica to you? You—”
“Your Highness! Please, calm down for a moment.”
Mary lowered her head in apology for cutting him off, then began explaining slowly.
“Right now, besides me, there are two other maids taking turns attending to the Princess—Rizzy and Aria.”
“…And?”
“Lady Rizzy has served His Majesty since his childhood, along with me. Aria is young, but she’s from the Philberon family.”
The Philberon family had sworn, since the founding of the empire, to serve the Emperor of Sloran and the Imperial family with absolute loyalty under an ancient pact.
In thousands of years of Sloran’s history, that oath had never been broken.
“What I mean is, they’re both trustworthy people.”
“……”
“And above all, as you know, the Princess is under His Majesty’s protection wherever she is.”
Especially in the Imperial Palace.
Mary smiled gently at Shion.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“…Fine.”
When Mary tried to pat his shoulder comfortingly, Shion instinctively smacked her hand away.
“Now that I think about it, I might have been too harsh. Sorry.”
“…Huh? Oh, there’s no need to apologize—”
“It’s my choice.”
“Ah, o-okay…”
“But I don’t like the idea of you knowing.”
“…Knowing what?”
“Come here—your ear.”
Shion crooked a finger at her.
When Mary bent down, he placed his open palm over her eyes.
Mary shifted uncertainly.
“Your Highness?”
“You saw it, right?”
“…Saw what?”
“How I reacted like an idiot just now.”
“Oh…”
He must have been talking about that startled “Gah!” from earlier.
Mary smiled sheepishly.
“It was cute, actually.”
“Exactly. That’s why I don’t like it.”
From the palm covering her eyes, a faint blue light began to flow.
Shion muttered under his breath—
“Erasure.”
“Y-Your Highness?”
“What are you doing?”
Removing his hand from her eyes, Shion brushed his knuckles as though wiping them clean and said—
“What about Veronica?”
“Ah.”
Mary blinked a couple of times, looking briefly puzzled.
But that was all.
She then started chattering to him as if nothing had happened.
“She’s probably still sleeping. Should I go wake her now?”
“No. Just call the maid inside out.”
“But then there’ll be no one to look after the Princess—”
“Forget it. Send them both away to do their work.”
“Huh? But—Your Highness?”
Shion pushed her lightly toward the large door.
“I’ll take care of it.”
‘Hmm…’
In the quiet room, the older maid who had replaced Mary was scribbling with a quill, copying over Veronica’s schedule.
Veronica stared at her, trying to recall her name.
‘Rizzy, wasn’t it?’
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have strong magic.
Veronica reached out a tiny, chubby hand toward Rizzy’s moving shoulder.
Just before Rizzy turned around at the sound, Veronica’s small lips whispered—
‘Block.’
“…Huh, what was that sound…?”
‘And… Distort.’
“Your Highness?”
Hearing the rustle, Rizzy got up and walked toward the cradle.
Veronica gazed up at her with wide eyes.
Rizzy looked down at her with a fond smile.
“You look just like His Majesty when he was little, even in your sleep…”
“You’re a dumby.”
“How can you be so cute?”
“I said you’re a dumby.”
“If only my husband and I had a daughter like you… but alas, only sons… sigh…”
After a few more muttered complaints, Rizzy tucked Veronica’s blanket neatly over her and went back to her desk.
Veronica glanced at her own palm, faintly shimmering with blue light.
‘It works, I think.’
Block—a short-duration spell that could only target one person.
Distort—an illusion so weak that even an ordinary person could see through it if they concentrated.
Both were weaker versions of higher spells like Banishment and Hallucination, but the fact she could use them at all was significant.
Especially in the body of a child not yet two years old.
‘This might be the first time in Sloran’s history, actually.’
Veronica’s bright blue eyes sparkled as she stared at her hand.
In her previous life, she had first used magic around midwinter of her second year.
That was three months earlier than when the so-called prodigy Shion had first used magic in the spring of his third year.
It was the event that marked the birth of Veronica—the absurdly gifted young mage.
‘…And also what led to my death.’
No, best to put away those bad memories.
Veronica shook her head firmly.
‘What matters is that I’m nearly a year ahead of myself now.’
And this time, the circumstances were different.
‘And the magic I used is different, too.’
Back then, the first spells she’d used were things like producing a small light in the air or moving small objects.
For a two-year-old, that was extraordinary.
But abstract magic that could directly interfere with someone’s mind—like Block or Distort—was on a whole other level.
‘And I did it.’
I can’t draw attention.
I have to live quietly.
‘But…’
Her natural talent was too great to ignore.
She wanted to learn. She wanted to master it.
Like any normal person born with magic, she wanted to unleash her gift and be praised for it.
‘I really do, but…’
Click.
The door creaked open, and Mary entered to say something to Rizzy.
Rizzy left with Mary, and in her place entered—Shion.
Veronica shut her eyes, pretending to sleep, and murmured inside the blanket—
‘No… it won’t work…’
The room was draped in thick blackout curtains.
The only light came from a small, magically lit night lamp, glowing a soft green that didn’t hurt the eyes—a testament to the Emperor’s thoughtfulness.
Shion walked silently, careful not to make a sound, as he looked around.
The first thing his red eyes landed on, of course, was Veronica—fast asleep.
Today was supposed to be a day for visiting the academy; he considered waking her, but she looked so peaceful that he decided to let her be.
Turning away from her, he headed for a shelf with a mirror.
‘There are fingerprints on this.’
Clink.
He picked up a pendant from the makeshift dressing table, turning it in his hands.
There were small, round handprints and other signs of frequent handling.
Taking out a silk handkerchief, he began carefully polishing the pendant, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
It pleased him to see her cherishing the gift he had given her.
‘But…’
Looking at his watch, he narrowed his eyes.
For some reason, he had come much earlier than school time—far too early.
‘Well, I came early to give Veronica time to get ready.’
And coming early didn’t matter anyway—he could just wait.
He pulled over a small chair and sat beside her cradle, crossing his legs.
Looking down at her for a moment, his expression shifted slightly.
“To be honest… no, quite often—I’m jealous of you.”
When Father loves you.
He recalled Helios at Veronica’s first birthday—dropping everything to rush over, smiling brightly, lifting her into his arms.
Telling her she was the most precious thing in the world, promising her a knight order as a gift for her second birthday.
At that moment, Helios had been less a powerful religious leader and more just a doting father.
Shion muttered bitterly—
“He’s never done that for me. Not once.”
To Shion, Helios was a high priest who only smiled for him like a rare rainfall in a drought. For Veronica, he was the sun itself—warm and ever-present.
Shion had to go to him to catch a glimpse of his face, while Helios always came to Veronica first.
To Shion, he was the High Priest. To Veronica, he was a father.
“I know it’s because his expectations for me are high. I get it.”
“……”
“But still… sometimes I…”
Shion’s words trailed off.
He shook his head, clearing away the thought.
‘Still an hour left.’
Maybe because he had woken earlier than usual, a yawn escaped between his slightly parted lips.
Arms folded, he closed his eyes in the chair.
Soon, the quiet, even sound of his breathing filled the room.
At the same time, Veronica opened her eyes.
‘Still doesn’t know.’
The reason Helios treated Veronica and Shion differently.
She’d wondered if maybe, with how much he’d changed from the Shion she remembered, he might already know.
But he didn’t.
He didn’t know that Helios wasn’t his real father—that she and he were half-siblings.
Veronica looked at him in silence.
‘I was five when someone told me that.’
The jealousy, inferiority, and the stress of not living up to expectations that had been building in him—
That single fact had lit the fuse.
That she and Shion were half-siblings.
‘Looking back now… I can’t say I don’t understand how he felt.’
Helios had, in subtle ways, shown his discomfort with Shion long before.
Even so, the young boy had believed—fiercely—that his father would one day look his way.
‘That’s why he threw himself into magic like a madman, obsessed.’
And when all that effort turned out to be meaningless from the start—
When his very life was denied—
Shion killed Veronica.
‘Finding the one who revealed that we weren’t full siblings is urgent, but…’
Veronica clenched her tiny fist toward the sleeping Shion.
‘If I’m going to stay in the palace, I’ll have to fix it from the start.’
No matter how much they tried to hide it, the truth would come out someday, in some way.
There are no eternal secrets.
The real solution was to create an environment where it wouldn’t matter if people knew they weren’t full siblings.
‘But…’
Her gaze shifted away from him.
Shion had changed a lot. He claimed to be constantly annoyed, wore a blunt expression, but she could tell it wasn’t entirely genuine.
But all of that rested on hope—on a future.
On her being his cute little sister by blood, and on his belief that one day, Helios would acknowledge him.
That was the foundation of their current relationship.
‘But if you were to find out now—’
Veronica turned back to look at him.
Her usually clear blue eyes had settled into an oddly calm stillness.
‘Even if I’m not five… would you still end up killing me?’
