Side Story Chapter 04
The first to open their eyes was Kairon. When he suddenly sat up, Kist wasn’t in the room. And next to him lay… himself.
Kairon blinked. Was it even possible to see himself asleep while he was awake?
Feeling strangely stifled, Kairon twisted his body back and forth. His arms and legs felt shorter than usual. Then, in an instant, he realized:
Short arms and legs. Pink hair. A voluminous skirt.
“Ahhh!”
He had become Bella.
Kairon frantically tried to wake his own body. The first thing the boy noticed was just how fragile his younger sister, Bella, really was. No matter how much he shook her, his own body showed no signs of waking. In the end, Kairon slapped his own face. But the sting was only felt in his palm—his face remained completely unscathed.
Still, it seemed to have some effect, as Kairon’s sleeping eyebrows twitched. Forcing his eyes open, he exhaled sharply. Once his eyes dried, he let out a scream and leapt up.
“What the—!”
The boy’s frantic stomping froze for a moment. Kairon could sense it: his irritating little sister was processing the situation from within his body.
Just as he had been startled by the skirt and short limbs, Bella was now coming to terms with her new form.
“Th-this is really…”
Hearing his own voice from another perspective was a truly bizarre sensation.
“Did we really… swap? Really?”
“Ugh. Don’t do that in my body.”
Kairon mimicked the actions Bella had done just moments ago. Covering his face with both hands in panic—truly a nauseating gesture.
“I’m not doing that. If I did something like that in front of Father, he’d notice immediately.”
Kairon smirked at his sister. Bella glared at him with narrowed eyes.
“And you, Kairon, shouldn’t you sit properly? I don’t sit like some uncouth brute!”
Spreading one’s legs and even shaking one leg—things Bella would never dream of doing—looked completely unrefined in her eyes. Kairon tapped her thigh to tell her to sit nicely, eliciting an immediate scream.
“It hurts!”
Startled, Bella froze, blinking rapidly. She instinctively reached out her hands as she would to strike someone, forgetting momentarily that her body had changed. Her thigh now bore a bright red handprint.
“S-sorry…”
The siblings had always bickered fiercely even just by making eye contact. But even after all their fights, when Kairon hit her, it had never really hurt.
‘What…?’
Confused, Bella hesitated and withdrew her hands. Seeing Bella avert her eyes while frowning, Kairon, who had been rubbing her thigh, also felt an odd sensation and slowly let go.
It was obvious that Kist had granted their wish. Time had already crept toward two in the afternoon. Lunch had long passed, and soon the people of the Grand Ducal Palace would start searching for them.
“Listen carefully. At two, I practice the lute. After that, handwriting. Then, I have to practice social dancing, so I need to do it properly.”
Bella raised a finger and warned, not to ruin her reputation.
“Do you even call that practice? Playing an instrument, writing, dancing—they’re just playing around!”
Kairon, in Bella’s body, stuck out his tongue teasingly. Bella clenched her fists, but now she knew just how strong Kairon was and couldn’t recklessly slap him.
“You better watch your reputation too. From two onwards, I have sword training with Father, then horseback riding.”
“Sword training? Really? Riding a horse too?”
Bella clapped her hands and bounced on the spot—well, in Kairon’s large body. Kairon grimaced as he watched her antics.
“I’m warning you, that’s forbidden. Who does such disgusting things?”
“You too, Kairon. Could you please bring your legs together? That bad posture—it’s utterly uncouth.”
The siblings turned simultaneously, as if eager to distance themselves from each other. Without looking back, they moved briskly toward their respective destinations.
“Milady! Miss Bella!”
The first person Kairon encountered was the head maid, Sarah. Seeing Sarah, who was always kind to her, Kairon smiled brightly.
“Sarah!”
“Now is not the time for smiling! The lute teacher is waiting for you!”
With a serious expression, Sarah picked up ‘Bella’ and started moving quickly.
“It’s rude to be late, Milady. You know that, don’t you? Soon, you’ll be entering the palace as the Princess’s playmate. This can’t happen.”
“The playmate just plays together, doesn’t it?”
Kairon pouted, muttering to himself. But Sarah panicked and set him down, scolding sharply:
“Milady! Becoming the Princess’s playmate is a highly political matter. Every action you take reflects your family’s standing.”
As if forgetting about the waiting lute teacher, Sarah continued her lecture.
“It’s not too late. Tell your mother you wish to give up being a playmate if needed. I was never keen on it from the start. How could a young lady from the North come to the capital to do such a dangerous task?”
She gripped Bella’s shoulders, filled with worry, trying to convince her.
“You know how worried your mother is, right? She’ll surely approve quickly. You are still a child. You can play as you wish. You don’t need to worry about the family’s prestige yet.”
Kairon just blinked, dumbfounded.
“Did I… really?”
“Yes! That’s why you’re subjected to this insane tutoring schedule! Lute practice, handwriting, dancing, drawing, conversation skills, walking etiquette. My goodness! Even when your mother was the duke’s daughter, she didn’t study this much, at least not at your age!”
Kairon had no idea. Really, no idea.
As Kairon, who had assumed Bella’s life was all play and pampering by adults, this was a shocking revelation.
“Uh… I, I mean…”
Recalling how his sister had scolded him for his reckless posture, Kairon found his mouth clamped shut, unable to say a word.
Sarah misinterpreted his silence.
“Yes, just go to your lessons for now. You must have many thoughts. After all the effort you’ve put in, suddenly giving up would be unsettling. But when it gets too hard, speak up. Understand? If you overexert and collapse, I will be furious.”
Kairon yelled in surprise.
“Collapse… me?”
“Yes, yes. Of course, we agreed to keep it secret. But no one else is here. Your body must not overexert itself. The doctor always says so, right? So never push yourself. If it happens again, even at your request, I’ll have to report to the Grand Duke.”
Kairon was struck dumb.
‘Is this… really the Bella I know?’
To Kairon, Bella had always been an irritating younger sister. Born alongside him, she always let him bear all the hardships while she took only the sweet and pleasant things.
He had no idea about her duty to the family, or the political responsibility of being the Princess’s playmate. When she bragged about it in front of him, he just thought she was being annoying, as usual.
Sarah, holding the silent ‘Bella,’ began briskly hurrying down the corridor. Only now did Kairon realize that Sarah’s previous attentions were not just affection—they were to prevent Bella from collapsing. That realization sank deep into Kairon’s heart and refused to leave.
