Ellowyn Vestein must have been around the age of eight–or was it nine?–when she was brought to the duchy by her adopted parents. It took more than a year to settle down in her new home back then. Thanks to Florencia’s clinginess and Duchess Helda’s ceaseless affections, the walls to her heart slowly wore down to what it was today.

So when the duke asked her this out of the blue, she found herself answering with the utmost willingness.

“Do you love the Vestein name?”

“Of course, Father. It’s the name I was born with.”

“Only because you’re my brother’s daughter.”

It was something she only realized about herself then and there, but somewhere along the line, she had stopped associating her biological father with the Vestein name. Luckily back then, no one else heard the two’s conversation, but it had remained with her ever since. The duke certainly realized the attachment she was growing towards this family, which must have been why he asked her that. Back then, the moment she registered her feelings, she had requested to take up the sword which the duchess readily agreed to. She declared to everyone with determination, “To protect my sister and her family, I must fight!”

It was rather embarrassing to look back on, now that she thought about it. Although the Vestein name was once the subject of her trauma, it was now the name full of people she wanted to look after for the rest of her life. To her, she couldn’t imagine herself being more happy doing anything else in the future.

“My Lady, the mail came in.” The butler greeted her with a tray covered in a pile of letters. Ellowyn had just entered the manor’s foyer. “Do you want me to sort it now?”

She shook her head. “You already have lots to do, Jorge. You can leave them in my room since I’m free for the rest of the day.”

He nodded and proceeded to climb up the stairwell to her chambers.

Suddenly, there was the pitter-patter of heels thumping against the thinly carpeted floor.

“Jorge!” Florencia called out. “Has the prince sent any gifts or more letters?”

“Lady Florencia.” Jorge cleared his throat. “From what I see so far, not today. But the newspapers you like to read from the capital have arrived.”

‘Not this month, either?’ Prince Calypse used to send her slews of presents when they were younger. Fortunately, her sister’s eyes remained bright and carefree. Ellowyn didn’t dare sour her mood by asking her any questions about it.

“Oh, Ellowyn, you’re here too.” Their eyes met from where she stood at the bottom of the staircase.

She hoped her expression didn’t betray her thoughts. “I was about to sort through the mail. If you want, you can follow me and retrieve the ones addressed to you first.”

Florencia beamed. “That sounds great!”

And so the two left the foyer, with Ellowyn letting the butler hand over the tray instead so that they could spend time together privately.

Once they were in her bedchambers, her sister made herself comfortable on her couch as she set the tray down on her working desk.She immediately began taking out anything with Florencia’s name on it as she seemed eager to see whatever mail she received today.

“Here.” She spun and dumped what she could find where her sister sat. “Shall I summon some tea for you?”

“Mmm.” She was already beginning to rummage through the pile. Ellowyn decided it was best to leave her to it. It was not uncommon at all for them to spend time together without saying a single word to each other for hours at a time.

She rang the bell to summon a maid. After asking for whatever tea her sister liked, she went back to her desk and began sorting the letters in earnest. There were several business correspondences for her father that she set aside first. The nobles of the east province also liked to invite the duchess and younger daughter of the Vesteins to their tea parties or anything of the like. Her mother used to say that although a lot of them were genuine, most of these people simply wanted to get closer to the ruling family of the province. Ellowyn herself was not a socializer even though she had personally interacted with these people enough times. She knew that the invitations addressed to her were only formalities and nothing else. One letter, however, caught her eye.

“Look, Florencia. Marilie Zorga’s birthday is coming up and she’s invited us both.” Lady Zorga was one of her sister’s closest considered friends and was exceptionally kind to she herself. “I had no idea.”

“Mm. Is that so?”

Ellowyn glanced at her. That was when she realized that her sister was being truly unlike herself, paying hardly any attention to anything but the pile of paper before her. Birthdays have always been her favorite events to attend, especially those of friends. “Florencia?”

“...”

A seed of uneasiness began to sprout in her heart. The chair creaked loudly against the ground as she stood and went over to the couch. Even then, her sister wasn’t meeting her eyes. She knelt down by her and tilted her head up. “Florencia, is something the matter?”

She noticed the folded piece of paper in her hands. ‘Wait, that’s–’ It was the gossip tabloid she saw her and a few other noble ladies reading sometimes!

“Elle…” She nearly jumped when her eyes flitted back to her sister. A thin stream of tears were suddenly rolling down her face, beads splashing down onto the newspaper. Ink began to smear, but not before Ellowyn made out a few sentences.

Luvaird Press.

Hear, hear! The handsome Prince Calypse has been spotted in the bountiful Sapphrite shopping district. It seems he was in his own world, so he didn’t even notice one of our own nearby!

But what’s so surprising, you say?

Well, he was spotted giving a hawk fledgling to a young lady wearing a cloak! My, my. For us common folk, let me tell you, it’s tradition for the royal family to give a bird they’ve trained to their most beloved!

Now I must ask, who is that lady? Is it the famed beauty Florencia Vestein in disguise? Or is it, dare I say, a different woman?

Will this become a scandal greater than that manhunt for the court painter a few years back? Tune in with us next time, ladies and gents!

It was dated the beginning of this month. Ellowyn began to tremble as she slowly stood, still staring fixedly at the newspaper. Without saying anything, she snatched the tabloid from her sister’s hands and began to tore it into several pieces. She made sure not a single word was coherent. When her fingers held only the last few pieces of paper, she slammed them down on the table.

“E-Elle?” Florencia carefully asked, still croaking on a few sobs.

She gnawed on her lower lip. “I’ll find whoever wrote this crap and kill them, don’t worry.” Her voice was low as she began thinking up ways to hunt the author of this newspaper down.

“I’m-I’m okay now. Truly.”

“I must go ask Father to give me permission to travel to the capital.” In her red haze, she stood and made her way to leave her chambers. Even if the duke did not give her permission, she could simply run away on a stolen horse to the capital tomorrow. It would take two months to get there, but if she rested less, she could arrive more quickly. Once there, all she had to do was find the printing press and raise havoc until she found the author. She would have to do it quickly before the royal knights come to arrest her, because surely she wouldn’t be calm enough to hold back–

“Ellowyn!” She came to a halt abruptly when she felt slender arms circle around her waist. “Father is busy, and mother is sick. I don’t want to cause any trouble when I’m about to go to the academy,” pleaded Florencia, who then leaned her head against her back. “I’m sure the tabloids are all wrong about what the prince was doing–he’s too sweet for that. So please, just stay with me. I need you.”

She bristled down as the tension left her body. Her mind became clearer, and she became guilty for showing such a temper right in front of her delicate sister. “I’m sorry,” she apologized sincerely. She turned around and pulled Florencia more tightly to her chest this time. “Don’t worry about it anymore. It’s trashy gossip, so forget what that person wrote. Prince Calypse loves you dearly, just as I do.”

Florencia’s eyes were clamped shut as she sniffled against her clothes. “Yes, you’re absolutely right.”