The thundering sound of metal clanging against metal echoed within the walls of the training hall. As her sparring partner was sent skidding back, she lurched forward and swung her sword upwards without hesitation. With that motion alone, her opponent lost hold of his own sword. He could only watch in dismay as it flipped multiple times into the air, until it finally fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“Who’s next?” She called out, brandishing her sword again.

“My Lady…” One of the knights approached her warily. “How about you get some rest? If not for your sake, for ours.” He grinned nervously. It wasn’t everyday that Ellowyn Vestein personally came to overlook the knight’s training grounds. The last few times she did, she wasn’t able to properly center her aura energy into her sword and accidentally injured several people. Therefore, she resorted to training only with Oren until she was sure she got a hold of it.

Ellowyn looked around. Every single knight there was either sitting down or leaning against the wall, some bandaging themselves up whilst the rest took time to catch their breaths. Finally, she lowered her sword. Without another word, she strided towards one of the benches and picked up her canteen of water. Several of the knights sighed audibly in relief. She couldn’t bring herself to mind as thoughts of her sister flitted through her mind. It was getting dark, so she should wash up for dinner, but she could only remain frozen in place after letting herself rest.

It was simply unlike Florencia to assume the worst over a single picture. The same sentence echoed in her mind over and over again:

‘What if the second prince is really having an affair?’ Was that why he had stopped sending her gifts? Her fingers gripped the canteen with stronger ferocity. A part of her did not want to think of her childhood friend that way, but she scowled nonetheless. ‘Is this how the prince pays back our family’s support?’ If the emperor were to die and he declared war against his brother, the Vesteins would undoubtedly back him up. If only to ensure Florencia’s safety and ascension as the next empress. They were the rulers of the coast and the seas. Their military prowess may not be the strongest, but their wealth was second to none since they controlled nearly all import routes from other countries. Who would dare go against the second prince if that were to happen, especially when Hyasar had already lost the support of the Mir Roysas–the only ones who could stand against the Vestein duchy?

She leaned to the side against the cool surface of a stone column. She couldn’t think of a way to alleviate her sister’s fears except reassuring her with more words. That couldn’t nearly be enough. There had to be some way to make sure that the prince wasn’t up to no good, but he was in the Luvaird capital, and she was a month's horse ride away in the city of Whydstell.

‘Perhaps if I went alone…’

“All the knights have already left the training grounds, Ellowyn.”

She shot up at the sound of the voice. “Your Gra–Father!” The training grounds were now empty except for the two, as the knights had scurried off quickly at the sight of their boss.

“Why do you have that forlorn look on your face?”

“I’m… thinking about Florencia leaving soon,” she said the first thing she thought. “I’ll miss her greatly.” It wasn’t entirely untrue.

“Then you should have come to the dining hall earlier. Your mother was asking where you were.”

“Oh.” She shifted on her feet once and looked at the ground. “I apologize. I’ll go change first and head there straight afterwards.”

The duke looked at her for what felt like long seconds of silence. “No need. I’ve been meaning to ask you something personally, anyways.”

Her head tilted up in surprise. It was usually her going to him for private conversations, not the other way around.

But he only spun on his heels and said, “Follow me,” instead of saying what he wanted to immediately. Puzzled, she could only walk after him obediently. Just when she thought they were heading in the direction of the dining hall, the duke suddenly switched directions, leading her to a deeper part of the manor she realized as the east annex. Her eyes widened, but she continued following him.

Perhaps her silence wasn’t something the duke expected, as he slowed down and glanced back at her. “You recognize where we’re going, don’t you? If you want to, we’ll turn around and go back to the dining hall right now.”

Ellowyn gulped. Was this a test? Another lesson? She didn’t take lessons from Duke Vestein himself anymore, but thinking back to those days alone made her tense up. “It’s fine. I’m not afraid of my birth father anymore.” He nodded, and off they went.

Unlike the rest of the manor, the east annex was dark and empty. It was lacking all the furniture as no one lived there anymore. Not since Alor Vestein, the younger brother of the current duke, left. Ellowyn felt nothing at all as she went deeper down the corridor. There was nothing that clued in on its previous inhabitants, and with the past few years, she learned to become content with the distant feeling that grew in her heart whenever she thought of him. Even if her birth father was still alive somewhere, he would never have a place in the main Vestein household ever again. Not as long as she herself was here, who will do anything to protect her mother and sister from the likes of him.

When the duke stopped walking, she nearly bumped into his shoulder. He didn’t seem to notice, however, as he gazed intently at the wall before him. She followed to where his eyes were laid on, and couldn’t stop herself from gaping.

It looked like something was left in the east annex, after all.

Hung in the center of the foyer, the first thing anyone would see was the portrait of the Duke and Duchess Vestein, with a younger Florencia sitting in between them. It was regularly dusted, the paints still freshly vibrant as if it had been painted yesterday.

Yet here was a family portrait of another man and woman, clutching on to the shoulders of what she could only assume as their two sons. One was slightly taller than the other. The painting had obvious wear and tears, and it wasn’t even properly intact in its frame, with one corner of the canvas peeled over. It cast a gloomy shadow over the entire painting. “Father, is that–?”

“Indeed,” the duke answered without hesitation. “This is the only memory I’ve kept from my past, when I, Solon, was merely a duke’s heir who wanted to take care of his younger brother.”

“Then, this is Alor Vestein standing next to you with the late duke and duchess.” She peered apathetically at the shorter boy in the portrait. His eyes were youthful and bright, staring at a distance away from the painter’s view. He felt nothing like the man she spent her early childhood with, whose eyes were full of madness as he scribbled frenziedly whilst hunched over his desk. “You must have adored him greatly, Father.”

She wondered if she’d said the wrong thing when she heard him chuckle out of nowhere. “You’re right. Our relationship was once not unlike yours and Florencia’s.”

Truthfully, she had no desire to hear this about her late birth father. She was already well aware of the reason why the duke decided to take her in as his own all those years ago. Still, she didn’t want to ruin the duke’s seemingly sentimental moment either. “Alor is already resting peacefully in the afterlife, Father.”

The duke’s expression was utterly incomprehensible. “Is that so? Do you not think he is suffering punishment in the afterlife? Don’t worry, I also believe it’s more than what he deserves.”

“I–” She swallowed heavily. “It’s all in the past. I am happy with where I am now, and it more than makes up for my sorrows.”

“You’re right. The past will stay in the past, but this is now.” A beat of silence. Then, “The butler informed me that he heard Florencia crying several times in her own bedroom. She did not even allow maids to enter during that time.”

Ellowyn gaped again. Even she was not aware of that! She could only ask, “Do you know why she is miserable, Father?”

“No. But knowing you, I can only imagine how much you want to relieve her sadness just so she can go back to her normal self.”

“...Of course I do.” ‘How could I not? The thought of her sobbing face alone shatters my heart.’

“Yes, that’s right. Still, this will never be the only time she will cry. Will you run to reassure her every time for the rest of your life? She will be either the next head of the duchy or a princess of this empire. You will forever be below her, master and slave. Is this how you want to live? Ellowyn Vestein.”

“Your Grace!” She exclaimed. To hide the displeasure that helplessly twisted her expression, she dropped to the ground before him on her knee. “This is your own daughter you’re talking about!”

“Your father certainly did not. Yet he hid his true feelings for my sake, and ran off to commit heinous acts that destroyed his life in the end.”

“Please!” She pleaded deep within her heart for the duke to stop talking. Her trembling hands balled into fists, nails digging deep into her palm. “Your Grace! I was a servant the moment I took the knight’s oath, remember? Before you ever allowed me to pick up the sword, I swore to become a vassal of the duchy for the rest of my life!” It was usually the other way around, but for reasons unknown to anyone, the duke made her kneel just like this to knight her before allowing her to begin training.

“That’s right. You swore an honorable knight’s oath. To protect not only our family, but all the people who reside in the East.” The duke towered over her as he uttered those words. “It’s as you said–before you are our daughter, before you are Florencia’s elder sister, you are a servant of the Vesteins first and foremost.”

Ellowyn’s lower lip quivered. Her anger quickly melted away into anxiousness. She hung her head down and brought a fist up to her chest. “I will continue to uphold my duties faithfully for the rest of my life,” she swore in front of the worn portrait of her birth father. The same man who had betrayed this family so long ago.

‘I… will never become like Alor Vestein.’