"Haaa!"
The strong smell of sweat and the sound of heavy breathing came from inside a training hall. Unlike the large areas where the knights trained as a group, Derek, her older brother and the next heir to the Count, preferred this quiet, cozy place. He was absorbed in practicing his forms and was unaware of Elena's approach. She observed him quietly without saying anything for a moment.

"...My brother."
For a long time when she had to survive alone, she had held a grudge against Derek in a corner of her heart. Not only did he forcibly prevent her from trying to save Mirabelle, but...

He died to save her.

Elena had been dragged out of the castle, leaving Mirabelle in jeopardy, and Elena was so dazed out of her mind she couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality. The cries of the servants filled the air, and the smell of blood stung her nose. There were the footsteps of the knights and the sounds of yelling.

Until then, Elena was only the ordinary daughter of a count and found herself helpless to this nightmare. Derek finally raised his hand and slapped her. Her head jerked to the side with a loud smack. Her cheeks, which had never been hit before, quickly turned red, but her eyes widened into awareness. Derek spoke seriously, holding her face squarely in both hands and staring straight into her eyes.

— Elena, I can buy you some time so you can escape. Don't look back and go to Arden. Our family's safe house is there, so you must hide until you know what's happening.
She didn't fully understand what Derek was saying, but she nodded at his fearsome eyes. There was the sound of approaching voices and Derek pulled out his sword. He turned back to her and spoke again.

— Go. Go and survive, sister.
That was the last time she saw him. She watched her brother's back gradually get farther away, then she turned and began to run in the opposite direction. She didn't do it to live. She was too terrified and simply followed her brother's commands. Through her haze of terror she didn't realize until her dress her torn and her bare feet were covered with blood that Derek, her dear brother, sacrificed himself. She kept running through the pitch-black forest even though she could hardly see anything. That dark night was the most terrible night in all of Elena's memory.

Only later did she identify the mangled bodies of her father and brother hanging on the wall like a spectacle for all to see. When she saw them she felt her blood drained out of her body. Not even a scream came out of her mouth. There was only the sky and earth were collapsing in on her. She wanted to follow her family, but she was so angry and bitter that she couldn't even kill herself. Her brother had wanted her to survive.

Surviving was hell. It had been heavy and stifling to carry her family's deaths with her and she became resentful at her brother for saving her and sacrificing his life. As a matter of fact, Derek had always been scary and hard to deal with, and growing up as the heir of a Count he was as blunt as his father. He rarely said thank you or sorry during Elena's childhood she wondered if all knights were like this.

And in the end, he had sacrificed himself without any special hero's death. Elena was unable to express either her gratitude and resentment towards him, and what she wanted to say to him built up to a mountain of words in her heart. Funnily enough, she didn't realized how much she loved him until he died. She blamed him for leaving her alone...

She had missed him as bitterly as she was angry at him.

"How long have you been there?"
Derek belatedly noticed Elena's presence and interrupted her thoughts in a low voice. She had to clear her throat before she answered.

"Just a moment ago."

"What is it?"
Elena's heart warmed at his straightforward style of speaking, unlike in the past when she found it difficult to communicate with him.

"I'm going to be gone for a few days to help Glenn prepare for her wedding. I just stopped by to say goodbye to my brother."

"Yes. Be careful."
Derek had an uninterested look in his face and he started to clean his sword. Elena turned around, took a few steps, then stopped and and looked at him again. She saw the both the present Derek and the one from her previous life overlapped in her eyes.

"Brother."

"...?"
He looked at Elena with surprise, as if the conversation already been over for him. Then, under the bright sunlight, Elena came into view with her wavy blonde hair and scarlet eyes that shone like jewels.

"...I really wanted to say thank you."

"What?"
Derek asked dumbfoundedly, but Elena only went on her way with a mysterious look on her face. He tilted his head. Elena seemed different from yesterday. She was his precious sister, but they hadn't been very close. As he watched the growing distance between them he mumbled in a worried voice,

"By the way, she's probably not taking enough guards."