Liya’s history of running away was a long one.
The first time she ran away was around two years after she came to the manor.
She had slowly started to open up to me, but then Liya got scolded by me for the first time.
The reason wasn’t remembered clearly.
However, I did recall being worried about her clinging to me too much. At any given moment, she would hug me, kiss my cheeks or forehead, and give me a bright smile.
After all, she was just a twelve-year-old brat causing mischief.
In my heart, I wanted to let it slide, considering it as cute sibling antics, but the Percus family was a noble one and we couldn’t ignore the eyes of the public.
Even though we were siblings, there still had to be a distinction between male and female.
Liya seemed shocked at this fact.
That day, I searched for Liya for hours. Since this was the first time such an incident had occurred, my family and servants were quite troubled.
Later on, even the people of the territory joined in the search for Liya.
Still, the fortunate part was that Liya possessed a minimum level of common sense.
A noble wandering around carelessly would likely expose themselves to various crimes.
Especially among the criminals who preyed on young women, there were many who lacked common sense. Therefore, Liya chose a place where no one would find her as her temporary refuge.
The location would change every time.
However, there was a commonality in every place Liya sought refuge: they were places filled with memories of her and me.
The criterion for choosing a refuge remained unknown.
But after searching for Liya numerous times, I began to vaguely guess where she might go. After that, our family no longer prevented Liya from running away.
Even without me, within a few days, Liya would return home.
There was even a favorable side to her having her own time. It helped her sort through her feelings and rejuvenate her energy.
After all, everyone deserved the right to escape from the chaos of noise.
Therefore, the family likely tacitly allowed Liya’s disappearances.
Although many people were distressed by my grave condition, Liya’s pain was the most unbearable.
It was because she had stabbed me with a knife while being manipulated by the Dark Cult.
But it wasn’t Liya’s fault.
It wasn’t her intention, and it was just bad luck.
If that “Masked Monster” hadn’t appeared, Liya wouldn’t have had to stab me.
Still, regret and guilt seeped into her like rainwater soaking into rock.
Until it felt as if her heart was being sharply torn apart.
Only now did I truly realize this.
Contrary to our family’s expectations, Liya’s condition seemed to be worsening.
Her complexion was pale from fasting for a few days.
She already looked delicate, but now she had become even thinner, to the point where she no longer seemed frail.
She was as fragile as a single flower.
As she saw me and her eyes began to redden, she suddenly became startled.
Her hands covered her face, as if trying to block out the sunlight seeping into the cave.
Or maybe she didn’t want to see me.
“…No, don’t come closer.”
Her voice quivered.
Liya, filled with fear, pleaded like that.
“Please, don’t come closer… I don’t want to see you, brother.”
I could tell her voice was trembling faintly with suppressed sobs.
Her trembling figure was pitiful.
Seeing Liya desperately hiding herself, I sighed deeply.
“Again, you’re saying something you don’t mean.”
“It’s true.”
Even as she sobbed, Liya tried to feign a cold tone.
Even so, there was no way she could deceive me, her brother, with her words and actions.
Liya was lying.
There was no way she didn’t want to see me.
Because of me, she felt guilt, and as a result, she had even taken refuge in a cave.
She was, after all, a younger sister who loved her brother helplessly.
I wondered for a moment how I should scold this liar.
During that time, Liya continued with her deflated voice.
Saying she didn’t want to see her brother, something she had never said before, her voice faltered, mixed with repulsion.
“I… I don’t want to see someone like you… Anyway, we’re not even related! I understand now… I’m just a substitute….”
“Substitute” – that dreaded word left me speechless as I looked at Liya.
From between her crossed arms, her eyes were faintly visible, brimming with moisture.
Those tears would soon fall like raindrops.
I couldn’t even gauge how much pain she was in.
Her entire lifelong faith must’ve felt like it was being shaken.
That’s why Liya was being stubborn.
She was repeatedly lying to hide her true feelings.
Eventually, the girl, shedding tears, shouted.
“Stop tormenting me already and go away!”
“No.”
At my firm tone, Liya’s mouth clamped shut.
Her golden eyes began to waver.
It was always the brother’s role to break the younger sister’s stubbornness.
I decided to do what I had to do.
Since the cave’s height was a bit low, I stepped forward while bending my waist. Upon seeing this, Liya trembled, her eyes filled with fear.
The way she dragged her bottom further back showed that she was scared of me.
No, maybe not really of me.
That’s why I didn’t stop walking.
Liya tried to stop me with her trembling voice.
“I… I don’t want to see someone like you…”
“You wanted to see me.”
I recalled the fragrance of blooming flowers.
The humid summer air suppresses the fragrant smells. Still, there are certain scents that cannot be concealed.
The fragrance of sepia flowers was like that.
The scent of these flowers that bloom from spring to summer was delicate yet strong, and every time I smelled it, I would sometimes be lost in memories.
I had once made a promise to Liya.
To protect her when I became a knight.
The reason she came here was undoubtedly because of that memory.
If she didn’t want me to find her, she wouldn’t have chosen this place.
The true feelings of a maiden were like the fragrance of summer flowers.
“So that’s why I came to see you… as we promised before.”
“Liar…”
Liya sobbed and shook her head again.
The struggling of her legs trying to push her body back was pitiful.
“That’s a promise with a younger sister.”
“So, that’s why I came for you, younger sister.”
“No!”
It was an abrupt shout.
Liya glared at me with fiery eyes.
The emotions swirling within them were complex.
Anger, hate, self-loathing, unease, and despair.
It was as if the raw materials of pain had been melted down and solidified into a lump of gold.
“I’m not your sister! I’m just… just…”
The girl’s head bowed down heavily.
She pressed her hands against her head and buried her face between her knees.
“You’re just a monster…”
Her sobbing sounded pitiful.
I momentarily stopped my steps.
It was then that Liya revealed her true feelings.
“Scared… scared of stabbing you again… scared I won’t be me anymore, and I might end up killing you! Or you might end up hating me…”
It turned out that Liya’s worry originated from this fear.
Before this, she had been happy to learn that she wasn’t my real sister.
There was no reason for her to suddenly reproach herself over that.
Instead, her worry was about something else.
The fear of stabbing me again.
The fear that I could die, or that I might come to hate her.
To her, it was a dread far greater than death.
I didn’t want to know the feeling of harming my only existence in this world with my own hands.
So, I stepped forward again and called her name.
“Liya.”
“Don’t get my hopes up!”
It was a scream.
A cry that condensed years of life made me pause briefly.
Before long, tears were dripping from Liya’s eyes.
“You always do that, big brother… You’re always kind, always gentle, and you make me expect too much! If only… If only I hadn’t known you, it wouldn’t have hurt so much!”
The tone, so heart-wrenching and plaintive, pointed to a secret I didn’t even know about her.
I looked at Liya curiously, unsure where this was coming from.
Meeting that gaze, Liya cried even harder.
“For how long have I been suffering like this…”
Her anguish and agony dropped one by one.
I sighed deeply and took a step forward.
“You’ll push me away, won’t you…”
And another step.
“You’ll leave me all alone again, won’t you…”
Until we were finally close.
“Big brother… big brother’s not the second son of just some country noble anymore… You’ll be with someone prettier and grander, and if I’ll end up abandoned anyway…”
Without a word, I embraced her.
As opposed to her previous refusals and saying she didn’t want to see me, there was no resistance this time.
She just melted into my arms, sobbing.
“And still, you’re my sister.”
That was my undeniable truth.
Liya continued to stare blankly, filled with disbelief.
“…But I’m… fake?”
She asked me, and I tightened my embrace around her.
That couldn’t be possible.
Well, it might’ve been possible for others.
Liya was, after all, a created being.
A fake, destined to never be “real,” what cruelty that was.
But not to me.
I revealed the truth I had kept hidden till now.
