Chapter 1

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: My Arch-Enemy Sister Cherishes Me
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The world was entirely red.

Amidst the fiercely burning castle, the occasional screams, shouts, and clashing of weapons, I quietly waited for her.

‘…It’s all over.’

The Crown Prince's Army wouldn't last much longer.

My sister, Callista Luperne, now the Duke, fought with the force to sweep across the continent, and she would soon seize victory.

‘I should have just died back then instead of running away.’

Born as the second daughter of the Luperne Ducal Family, I, who had my life threatened by my half-sister Callista my entire life, ran away four years ago.

When I met Crown Prince Calein Bayan, who was passing by outside the gates, I thought I would finally be able to live.

Because I didn't know what a cruel warmonger that bastard was.

He, who coveted the Luperne Ducal Family, finding the throne insufficient, saw me as an unexpected boon and devoured me.

In other words, he made me his nominal fiancée and used that as an excuse to declare war on the Luperne Ducal Family.

“My fiancée is the true heir of the Ducal Family. Callista Luperne, surrender your castle and territory to me!”

This was the Crown Prince’s nonsensical claim.

Just for the record, I didn't really know what I was doing when I got engaged to Calein.

The problem was that I believed his words that if I became the Crown Princess, the Luperne Ducal Family, the Imperial Family, and I would all get along.

When I learned of his plans and tried to stop him, he scoffed, locked me in a small room, and spouted a few threats.

“If you want to die, feel free to keep talking. I don’t mind marrying a corpse.”

I tried to escape several times, but all attempts failed.

The only time I was allowed out was when he needed to parade me in front of his march.

The empire was devastated by the war he started, but the Crown Prince didn't care.

No, he genuinely enjoyed the suffering of others and even engaged in unnecessary torture.

And when I suffered seeing that, his joy was doubled.

They said that in his youth, he was a hero who killed a Demonic Dragon for his younger sibling, even earning the nickname 'Incarnation of the Founding Emperor,' but now, even Calein's own mother, the Empress, probably wouldn't agree with that.

Because he was the kind of person who would be satisfied if the entire empire was in his hands, even if nothing but ashes remained.

‘To think the day would come when I’d long to see my sister.’

Callista was a thousand times better a ruler than Calein.

She cherished her Duchy's people, respected her subordinates while strictly leading them, and was an ideal Duke who led the Duchy to prosperity with clear principles and efficient means.

Even while fighting the Crown Prince's Army and committing countless massacres, my sister likely grieved for the dying citizens of the empire.

Even as she burned down the Imperial Palace with her own hands, she would have shown mercy, allowing the people to rise from the ashes.

Perhaps the only person she truly hated in the Luperne Duchy was me.

Born as a rival who threatened her, and ultimately becoming the pretext for this war.

‘…What an ironic end.’

Since the Crown Prince recently killed his own father and declared himself Emperor, if he dies when this war ends, the empire will fall into Callista's hands.

Though it's unknown what meaning the throne would hold for her, having already lost countless allies.

‘That would be for the best, wouldn't it?’

Because if anyone could rebuild the burned-down empire, it would probably be Callista.

Thwack—!

“Aargh!”

Finally, the soldier guarding the door collapsed, and the door opened.

I lifted my head to see a face, cold and beautiful as the ice of the North Sea, looking down at me.

I swallowed dryly and greeted her.

“It’s been a long time, sister.”

“…Harper.”

“Congratulations. If you’ve come all the way here yourself, Calein must already be dead.”

Her silver hair, shimmering like moonlight, was stained with the blood of the soldier she had just killed.

That vivid red made her appear even more beautiful.

Beneath it, her deep blue eyes, like the night sea, the very eyes I had tried to avoid my entire life, gleamed.

But today, I wasn't afraid.

Because I was going to die anyway.

“Go on, strike me down now.”

As I, unarmed, took a step closer, Callista’s eyes widened slightly.

In her hand was the letter I had secretly sent.

“…What were you thinking, helping me?”

Callista’s eyes flickered like small waves.

I simply shrugged.

“I should have done this long ago.”

I meant it. If only one person could emerge victorious between the Crown Prince and Callista, I would have chosen Callista a hundred times over.

That was why I had meticulously written down the Crown Prince’s strategies, his forces, and even the secret passage he might use to escape, and handed them over to her.

“You were right, sister. There was nowhere for me to go after leaving the Ducal Family.”

I said calmly.

Callista’s hand, holding the sword, seemed to tremble subtly, but it was probably my imagination.

“…Harper.”

“If you and I cannot coexist, then it’s only natural that I die by your hand. So,”

I pressed my neck against the blade of her sword, which pulsed with a vivid blue Aura.

“Hurry and kill me. This war will only truly end if you kill me.”

A fiercer wave stirred within Callista’s eyes.

She stood still, looking at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Why in the world are you…”

“Does it matter why I’m doing this?”

I asked Callista, who was hesitating uncharacteristically.

A hint of scorn was unavoidable.

To think Callista, who had gnashed her teeth her entire life, unable to plunge a sword into my neck, would hesitate now.

She slowly closed her eyes, then snapped them open again.

“…No.”

In a matter of seconds, the flickering blue light in her eyes had changed.

To that of the stern ruler I knew.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Her blade-like voice echoed through the room.

I closed my eyes, just as she had moments ago.

“Then…”

Before I could finish speaking, the sound of steel cutting through the air rang in my ears.

It was the sharp sound only Callista’s sword could make.

Whoosh—

A cold breeze seemed to pass my neck, and then my consciousness faded into a distant darkness.

Ah, that’s right.

This was Callista’s mercy.

In that fleeting moment as my consciousness vanished, I smiled bitterly.

A consideration that ended a life instantly, so the recipient wouldn’t fear for long, and the pain wouldn’t linger.

That was likely the first and last compassion Callista had ever shown me.

***

“…Miss.”

Oh, come on.

“Miss?”

Just let me stay dead.

“Miss.”

I need to rest, but there’s this persistent, noisy sound.

Is this how it usually is? Is the phrase ‘eternal slumber’ just for show?

“Miss! Harper! Miss Harper!”

“…Huh?”

Startled by the shout right next to my ear, I opened my eyes, and a strangely familiar face came into view.

“Good heavens, you’re finally awake! What in the world made you so tired that you slept so late?”

“Huh?”

I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up.

That familiar face tilted its head, looking at me.

“…Jena?”

She was clearly a maid who had married and left the Ducal Family five years ago, so why was she by my bed?

“Are you dead too?”

When I mumbled, she touched my forehead with a bewildered expression.

“No fever… but you’re saying strange things.”

Even after rubbing my eyes, it was strange.

Her face was younger than I remembered.

But what was even stranger…

“Oh?”

As I finally managed to clear my vision, a mirror hanging on the opposite wall caught my eye.

“…What?”

The blonde girl in the mirror was certainly me, but she looked strangely small.

Her face was round, her features buried in chubby cheeks, and her limbs were stubby…

“How… how old am I?”

“You turned eight three days ago.”

Jena smiled gently and stroked my head.

My hair swayed wildly with the motion.

My curly blonde hair was still fine and abundant.

It was clearly how I looked before I met the Crown Prince and learned what real suffering was.

“Ah, eight years old…”

I repeated Jena’s words to myself.

The moment I realized their meaning, the room spun.

“Miss!”

As I flopped back onto the bed, I had no choice but to accept reality.

In other words, it seemed I had regressed ten years into the past at the moment of my death.