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Episode 2
But five years later…
“Uwaaaah! Mamaaaa!”
“Tani, what’s wrong, hmm?”
It was a bright noon. Since morning, my little sister Tani hadn’t stopped crying. I entered her room, sighing.
“She said… she had a scary dream last night,” answered Viti, the maid who took care of us. She gave me a helpless smile.
I let out a deep sigh.
It had already been five years since I promised to do everything I could for baby Tani. Yet my little sister was far more timid than I had imagined. She was slower to speak than children her age, smaller in frame, and startled at even the smallest things.
But just comforting her isn’t enough.
I grasped her small arm firmly.
“Tani. Attention.”
“…!”
Her sobs stopped instantly, her shoulders stiffening.
“When you want to cry, what did I tell you to do?”
“T-Tani’s… not a crybaby… so she shouts really loud…”
“And what do you do now?”
Her lips trembled, pressed tightly together. Her little face, blotched with tears, was full of embarrassment and hesitation. I gave her three seconds, then began counting out loud.
“One… two…!”
“Att-… attention…!”
Her chubby little body straightened up. Eyes shut tight, tiny fists clenched.
“Tani is… Tani is not a crybaby!!!”
She shouted at the top of her lungs—far louder than she had been crying. I immediately pulled her into my arms.
“Good job, good job. Feel better now?”
“Uu… sniff… I’m okay…”
“What kind of dream scared you so much?”
“It was… my body got all hot… and it hurt…”
“But it was just a dream, right? You’re okay now?”
She nodded hard as I stroked her chubby cheek, her breathing easing little by little.
“All done crying, yes?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Ah, Lady Edel! Thank you so much.”
“We’re so sorry to trouble you every time…”
The maids, who had been drained from trying to comfort Tani all morning, looked at me with gratitude.
“It’s fine. She was just scared.”
I shook my head firmly. It wasn’t their fault. They had endured years of this too.
By this age, I thought her temperament would’ve improved… but maybe it’ll take longer.
Tani was now five—the very age she would be cursed in the original story. I had sworn to rewrite her fate, but so far, nothing had really changed. That terrifying ending still loomed over her.
At least… I have one safeguard.
Still holding her, I looked around the room.
Squares. Sharp corners. Triangles. More sharp edges. Not a single curve in sight.
Everywhere in this mansion, I had gotten rid of anything round.
“I hate circles! I don’t ever want to see them again!”
That was the battle cry of my seven-year-old self. I had raised such a fuss that every rounded decoration, every curved ornament, every single circular object in the house had been thrown out. Even visiting guests learned to be careful.
I had a reason: in the original novel, Tani’s curse had been triggered by a beautiful, glimmering orb.
Sorry, Mother, Father… but my sister’s life is on the line.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was fully reassured. If curses could be avoided this easily, then no princess would ever prick her finger on a spindle and fall asleep for a hundred years.
Still… with all this, we should last at least another year, right?
“Eh? Sister, what’d you say?”
“Nothing, Tani.”
I brushed off her question and smiled. Until her birthday in a few days, I would personally watch over her like a hawk.
“Now, let’s get dressed. Guests are coming soon.”
Father had invited several families for Tani’s upcoming birthday banquet, and today was their first visit.
“Ah…”
Tani hesitated, shrinking back timidly.
I released her and stepped back.
“I need to get ready too. That way, on your birthday, you and I can sit side by side in beautiful dresses.”
“B-beautiful dresses…?”
“Yes, beautiful dresses.”
Her tearstained face lit up for the first time that day, breaking into a radiant smile.
It was so endearing, so precious.
“Okay then… see you later, Sister!”
As I left her room, I clenched my fists.
She was such a good child. Just a little tearful, that’s all.
If anyone dares make her cry today, I won’t let them off lightly…!
“Welcome, welcome!”
“Ah, Count! And Whitten, you’re here too!”
Hours later, guests streamed through the front doors of the mansion. I descended the stairs holding Tani’s hand.
She clutched her beloved stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest. Nobody had the heart to take it away.
Leaving our parents to their greetings, I led her out into the back garden.
The recently restored grounds were a mix of small garden and open space. A great old tree stood at the center, with a broad pond nearby.
With the maids posted at a distance, Tani and I settled down.
“Tani, want to play with Tosoon?”
“Mm! Let’s play house!”
We gathered pebbles, and I moved Tosoon’s stuffed paws to pretend it was cooking.
“Welcome, Miss Titania, to Tosoon’s restaurant. What would you like to eat?”
We often played like this in the nursery or garden. But just then—
“My, still playing like little children?”
A sharp, mocking voice froze Tani in place.
“Hello, Edelweiss. And Titania.”
I turned reluctantly. Approaching with a crooked smile was Julia Ward, the only daughter of Count Ward.
She had soft brown hair and green eyes that gave her an angelic look—but I knew better. She was venomous.
And behind her came more faces I didn’t want to see.
“Hah, are you a baby? Still bringing toys outside?”
“Ha ha! You’re gonna cry again, aren’t you?”
Ilran Neneri and Jeremy Chanston.
I scowled. These brats were the very ones who bullied Tani in the original novel. Julia pulled their strings, and they happily obeyed.
The worst part? They always tormented her in ways too subtle to tattle on.
Thunk.
“Hey, is this supposed to be fun?”
“…!”
Ilran kicked over the pebble pile I had made. Dirt scattered across Tosoon. The maids couldn’t see from this angle.
Tani’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“T-Tosoon…”
“Ilran! Don’t kick other people’s things!”
“Hmph, whiner.”
“Ilran, don’t waste time. Here—catch!”
Julia snatched up Tosoon and tossed it to him.
Tani and I scrambled desperately after it, but the children only laughed, tossing it from one to another.
“Uwaaaah!”
At last, Tani broke into sobs. Fury burned in my chest. I lunged at Jeremy, who held the rabbit.
“You—!”
“Wah!”
Startled, he let it slip. Tosoon fell to the ground—at someone else’s feet.
“…!”
Everyone froze. A boy none of us had ever seen before bent down and picked it up.
“Ah…!”
Julia gasped.
Wow…
I too was struck speechless.
Long legs in tailored trousers. Black hair falling neatly over a sharp, defined face. And eyes—deep red, glowing faintly as they flickered in the light.
“So… you were already playing?”
The mysterious boy’s voice carried easily over the garden, smooth and calm.
