“Tani! Should I ask Jar to read you a book?”
“Huh? Okay!”
The first goal I set was to bring the two of them together.
After dinner, I took Tani straight to Jar.
As expected, he was still in the study.
Has he even eaten…?
Shoving aside that thought, I led my little sister up to him as he read.
“Hello, Jar. Tani wants to read a book with you.”
“Titania, Edelweiss. Come in.”
Just like before, the two of them quickly fell into their own little world.
I lingered for a moment, watching with satisfaction, then slipped out of the study with a pleased smile.
If only they could keep meeting like this… but time is short.
Once Tani’s birthday is over, I’ll be returning to the house where I’m originally meant to stay.
Could the two of them grow close enough to exchange letters before then?
If I want them to bond faster… ah!
I clapped my hands as an idea suddenly struck.
“That’s it!”
“What is this, Knightley? Why do we have to come along with you?”
“Shut it, Neneri. You and Jeremy weren’t even invited to this in the first place, were you?”
The next evening, I huddled in the backyard with Ilan and Jeremy, watching one spot.
Naturally, our focus was on Tani and Jar.
“Why are they the only ones who get to use the telescope?”
“Well, this is Tani’s astronomy lesson. I’m allowed to tag along—but you two aren’t!”
I whispered sharply at the two boys, who were pouting.
Today was Tani’s first lesson on how to use a telescope.
Of course, I had arranged for Jar to be here too.
A clear night sky, stars twinkling as if ready to fall, and romantic stories of constellations.
With a backdrop like this, how could they not grow closer?
Though Ilan and Jeremy were still buzzing around, noisy as ever, I was confident I could handle them.
What matters is Tani and Jar.
Sure enough, Tani’s eyes sparkled like starlight itself as she chattered away, and Jar listened with a gentle smile.
Earlier in the day, I had already given them space twice. Thanks to that, they seemed noticeably closer than yesterday.
As Tani pressed her eye to the telescope again, I tilted my head back as well.
The moon’s so bright… can I even see the stars clearly?
The sight was nothing like the murky night skies I’d seen in the back alleys of my past life.
I wish Cindy could have seen this.
“Sis!”
My wistful thoughts were interrupted. Tani was already running toward me.
“You’ll trip—!”
“Come look at the stars with me!”
Behind him, his tutor, Miss Chelsea, and Jar were following more slowly.
I caught Tani in my arms and laughed softly.
“You’ve seen plenty already, Tani.”
“It’s not the same when you look with the naked eye, Edelweiss.”
Jar’s voice drifted over as he approached.
“Just say ‘eyes.’ Why use a word like ‘naked eye’? Tani won’t understand.”
I gave him a look, but couldn’t snap back.
His eyes were fixed on Tani—gentle, warm.
If anyone saw this, they’d think he was her big brother.
“Shall we go inside soon?” Miss Chelsea suggested carefully.
But the boys immediately whined:
“No! We want to use the telescope too!”
“That’s right! Teacher, you go in first—we’ll finish up!”
Miss Chelsea hesitated, clearly torn.
“It’s dangerous to wander outside late at night, even in a backyard…”
“Don’t be like that… just a little longer!”
“This is our only chance!”
“Teacher.”
Jar’s calm voice cut through their protests.
“I’ll stay with them and bring them inside myself. If we’re late, you can send a maid.”
Chelsea’s brows furrowed, uneasy about leaving children unsupervised.
But when Jar spoke again—
“It’ll be fine. I promise.”
—she reluctantly nodded.
“All right. But don’t break the telescope, and don’t leave the backyard. I hear there’ve been stray dogs roaming lately.”
“Thank you, teacher!”
The boys cheered and darted back to the telescope.
Chelsea left, promising to send someone in twenty minutes.
“Tani, what should we—”
But I cut myself off.
Because Tani had already gone back to Jar’s side.
“Want to keep playing our constellation game, Titania?”
“Yeah! Tani’s going to find more, more!”
…I can’t squeeze myself in, can I?
I smiled faintly. Lingering here would just make me a third wheel.
Still, I wasn’t about to trail after those other two brats.
Maybe I’ll take a walk in the backyard. It’s been a while.
The Knightley estate’s backyard was vast—bigger than the designated play areas we usually used.
I’ll just circle around once and head back.
Casting one last glance at my brother’s happy face, I quietly wandered off into the dark.
Not knowing what awaited me there.
She’s wandering off again?
Jar heard Edelweiss Knightley’s footsteps fading, but he didn’t turn his head.
It was the fifth time she’d slipped away, leaving Tani behind.
Sometimes he wondered if she was just shirking responsibility as an older sister… but in the end, her absence didn’t matter to him.
Not when Tani was here.
“Ahaha! That tickles!”
“Found Libra yet, Titania?”
Jar let his focus settle solely on the little girl before him.
That was enough. He had no reason to let his attention stray elsewhere.
In just a few days…
The only reason he had come all the way out to this remote estate was for Tani.
More precisely, to celebrate her fifth birthday.
Because of a belief he had clung to since long ago, when his memory had still been hazy.
“If you ever find your destiny, remember the fifth anniversary of that child’s most sacred moment.
That day, everything will become clear.”
At first, those words had seemed like a riddle. But time revealed the truth.
Nothing was more sacred than the birth of a human soul.
And when Jar finally traced the flow of fate to the Knightley family, he knew—
Tani’s fifth birthday was close at hand.
The signs all pointed to her.
All except… one thing.
That nagging, irritating feeling that clung to him whenever Edelweiss was near.
“…Annoying.”
At last, Jar turned his head toward the direction Edelweiss had vanished.
But she was already gone, swallowed by the darkness of the trees bordering the backyard.
His brow furrowed.
From that forest, an unpleasant energy seeped into the night air.
And unbidden, an image flashed in his mind: Edelweiss, grimacing as she tried to climb a tree.
I should’ve ignored her then too.
“Jar, wh-where’s Sis?”
Tani’s wide eyes darted about.
“She went for a walk.”
“But teacher said there are stray dogs around…!”
“That’s why I’m going to bring her back. Want to come with me, Titania?”
“Uh… Tani’s scared of the dogs…”
He glanced toward Ilan and Jeremy, still busy squabbling over the telescope.
They’re distracted enough. She won’t be bothered while I’m gone.
Decision made, Jar covered Tani’s eyes with his hand.
“Ah!”
“It’s fine, Titania. Just focus on my voice.”
He turned her gently, guiding her toward the telescope.
“Take three steps forward with your eyes closed. You’ll be right next to the telescope. I’ll keep holding you—so don’t worry.”
“O-okay…”
Trusting him, she nodded.
Of course, the telescope was far more than three steps away. But the steady weight of his hand was reassuring.
She took one step.
Two.
Three.
Snap.
A sharp sound echoed—the snap of fingers.
And suddenly, the weight on her shoulder vanished. The hand covering her eyes was gone.
“Jar?!”
She opened her eyes wide.
“Hey, little Knightley. When’d you get here?”
“Where’s the other Knightley? And Jar?”
Ilan and Jeremy were in front of her. But Jar was nowhere to be found.
Only the dark forest loomed behind.
“Huh? What just happened…?”
Meanwhile, Jar had already stepped into the forest.
“Stray dogs? Don’t make me laugh.”
A faint, mocking chuckle escaped him.
“If they’ve gathered because of me, I’ll deal with it.”
Snap.
He flicked his fingers.
And in the next heartbeat, his body vanished—
leaving behind only a single black feather drifting gently to the ground.
