Chapter 22

I’m seventeen. Out of nowhere, I have a little sister now.

“Big bro! Big bro! Hi!”

A two-year-old baby with fair skin and pretty eyes, resembling our parents, slaps my cheeks with her tiny hands.

Slap~ Slap~

“Ouch~ Ouch~ Stop, stop. Uncle hurts.”

She’s not hitting me because she dislikes me; she’s just overly excited and flailing her arms around. By the way, she’s not my sister but my niece, Sima Hee.

As I hold the two-year-old niece in my arms and try to calm her down while getting hit, a woman in her early twenties with fair skin and pretty eyebrows and eyes—my sister-in-law, Geum Moran—hurriedly picks up Hee.

“Hee-ya!? I’m sorry, Young Master!”

“It’s okay. She’s so small, it doesn’t hurt.”

I tickle Hee’s side with my finger as she fusses in my sister-in-law’s arms.

“Good~ Good~ Are you having fun playing with Uncle?”

“Heehee~ It tickles~ Hi~ Hi~”

Watching Hee squirm and giggle, I laugh along and check the time. It’s almost time.

The new member of the Sima Family. A face I’ve never seen before. The girl who will become my sister from today is about to arrive at our house.

…To be precise, she’s my cousin, the daughter of my uncle, and she’s coming to our house as an adopted daughter. But since she’s adopted, she’s still my sister.

Tap~ Tap~

I walk around the house with a cane, checking if the servants are doing their jobs properly. I see Jang Sam-i bustling back and forth in the dining area.

“Jang Sam, is the food ready?”

“As per your orders, Young Master, we’ve prepared enough to break the table legs. But will a girl eat all this?”

I wag my finger at Jang Sam’s doubtful question, as a servant and in the service industry.

“This isn’t about whether she can eat it all or not. It’s about showing how much we’ve been looking forward to her arrival. It’s a gesture of welcome.”

“Then what about the leftovers? It’s a waste.”

“What else? You guys should enjoy it.”

Jang Sam’s eyes greedily scan the roasted suckling pig. The other servants also eye the rich, high-quality food they usually can’t eat, licking their lips.

“I hope the new young lady has a small stomach.”

“Leaving her stomach aside, she’s from the Western Regions. Who knows if Central Plains food will suit her taste?”

I frown slightly, worried. Jang Sam playfully nudges me with his elbow.

“Originally, this should be the family head’s job. But you’re taking care of everything, Young Master. You’re working hard.”

“There’s no such thing as my job or someone else’s job in family matters. It’s just what the less busy person does. You guys work a little harder too.”

Although she’s a cousin, since she’s coming as an adopted daughter, as Jang Sam said, it should actually be my father leading the welcome preparations.

That would look better. The head of the family personally welcoming the new member would create a warm atmosphere and signify becoming a harmonious family.

But unfortunately, my father suddenly got busy with work, and my older brother, the eldest son, is lying in bed with a high fever. Naturally, my mother and sister-in-law are too busy taking care of him to think about welcoming anyone.

So, as a substitute, I’m preparing the welcome ceremony for the new family member, Sima Yeonghwa.

…But Yeonghwa (炎火), I have to say, what a unique name. How much did my uncle love fire to put three fire characters in his only daughter’s name?

Well, it’s a story we’ll never know now. The person who named her has passed away.

Suddenly, my uncle, who was trading in the Western Regions, caught an infectious disease and passed away. I heard Yeonghwa’s mother also passed away shortly after my uncle died.

To have the family fall apart overnight and become an orphan… Even though I’ve never met her, it’s a sad story.

Chirp~ Chirp~ Chirp chirp~ Chirp~

Birds are chirping, and warm sunlight pours down, contrasting with the chilly air. Winter is over, and spring is coming.

Honestly, even if I suddenly have a sister, it doesn’t feel like family yet. And it’s probably the same for Yeonghwa, who’s on her way to the Sima Family estate by carriage.

For a while, there will be a strange and awkward distance in the house, where we’re family but not quite. I might have to be cautious in my own home, where I should feel comfortable.

With a girl joining the family, new rules might emerge, and we’ll have to be considerate. That will definitely be incredibly inconvenient.

Sometimes, I’ll get annoyed, and we’ll argue. But what can I do? She’s family, so I’ll have to endure.

Anyway, regardless of our opinions, from today, Yeonghwa is my sister, and I am her older brother.

An older brother should take care of and look after his sister. It’s a losing role.

“Young Master, I prepared some confetti just in case. Should we throw it when the young lady arrives?”

I lightly hit Jang Sam’s head with my cane, looking at the basket full of small, square pieces of confetti.

“Ugh?!”

“Do you want to throw confetti to celebrate a girl who just lost her parents?”

***

While preparing this and that, the carriage carrying Sima Yeonghwa arrived at the estate.

I straighten my clothes and look around. Except for me, no other family members are here. …They each have their reasons, but it still looks bad.

Feeling regretful, I look around more. I see Jang Sam nervously shaking his leg beside me.

“Stop shaking your leg, Jang Sam.”

“I didn’t think much of it until now. What if a really mean girl comes?”

Well, for me, it’s just gaining a sister, but for the servants, it’s another person to serve. They must be worried.

…But come to think of it, I don’t know much about Yeonghwa either. All I know is that she’s fifteen this year and is of mixed race because her mother is a foreigner.

Just in case, I close my eyes and simulate a mean sister.

“Kukuku~♥ Loser♥ Without your cane~ You can’t even walk properly~♥ Total loser♥ Loser brother♥”

“Without your cane, it’s ouch~ ouch~ Loser brother, Yeonghwa will take care of you~♥”

“Kukuku~♥ Really leaning on me~ How pathetic♥ Hey~ How does it feel to be supported by a girl younger than you? Huh~ Tell me~♥”

Sigh… A mean little sister might not be so bad?

While I’m lost in these foolish delusions, the carriage door opens, and Sima Yeonghwa steps out gracefully. And all the foolish delusions in my head turn blank.

To be precise, I’m stunned by her unexpected beauty, and my mind goes blank, speechless.

Flawless, smooth, white skin, neatly grown black hair, a cute nose, pink lips, and captivating red eyes that dominate the surroundings with just a glance.

She’s pretty. She’s beautiful. She’s like a finely crafted porcelain doll.

Even though she’s only fifteen, she exudes a strangely mature aura, with elegance and grace in every movement.

I thought just some kid was coming. This is unexpected. Shocking.

But her eyes are red… That’s unique. Is she an albino? But her hair is black, and she doesn’t seem to have any issues under the sunlight. Maybe it’s just genetics?

As I roll my eyes, gathering information, I notice a peculiar accessory among the ornaments the girl is wearing.

It looks like a golden ornament shaped like a human upper body with a bird’s lower body and spread wings.

I remember seeing it before. Not exactly in this life, but in a past life. That’s not just an ornament. It’s a religious symbol.

I didn’t see it in a religious book but in a manga I skimmed through. The name is probably…

“Zoroastrianism?”

Yeonghwa, who had been quietly observing her surroundings, widens her eyes in surprise. They grow round. They light up.

As if the doll-like appearance was a lie, Yeonghwa clasps her hands together like in prayer, her eyes sparkling, and smiles brightly.

“Wow~ You know about Zoroastrianism! It’s truly a godly religion!”

“…Huh?”

Yeonghwa immediately approaches me, clasping my hands with hers, ignoring the surroundings, and chatters in a sweet voice.

“You’re Mantian, right? People in the Central Plains usually know it as the Baehwa Church. How do you know the formal name, Zoroastrianism? Where did you learn Western languages? Did Father—I mean, Uncle teach you? Did Uncle tell you about me?”

…I had a lot to say.

For example, “Ugh~ I already have a church I go to!” or “Don’t use foreign words in the martial world!” “This isn’t wuxia!” I had a lot to say, but nothing came out.

Looking at her red eyes filled with joy, shaking with excitement at meeting someone who shares her religion in the distant Central Plains, far from her homeland, I couldn’t say anything.

In the end, I pulled out my ultimate move.

“Well… Let’s talk over dinner. I prepared a variety of dishes since I didn’t know what you’d like.”