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Chapter 10
Parakel Solalune returned to the mansion the very day the Academy term ended.
Normally, he would linger after classes, enjoying leisurely rounds of society before coming home. His early return was nothing short of unusual.
When the news reached her, Eila hurried to the entrance, nerves fluttering in her chest.
Never before had she greeted her brother at the front door. No one had ever suggested she should.
But Helen doesn’t really know Parakel. And neither do I. If I don’t confront him, how else will I find out?
The carriage stopped, and Parakel stepped down. Before Eila could even bow in greeting, he blurted out:
“Wow, you really did cut your hair?”
“Y-yes…”
“What happened? Why would you cut it? Did you actually go out and meet nobles looking like that?”
The barrage of questions struck like an interrogation. Eila clenched her fists.
“Well, that is…”
“Do you know how many letters Mother sent me because of you? She’s been in hysterics. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even enjoy my friends and had to come rushing back—”
“Parakel Solalune.”
A firm voice cut him short. Helen stood in the doorway.
Eila turned instinctively toward her sister. Helen frowned, her tone clipped.
“Think before you speak. Step aside with me, now.”
“But, sis, I was just—”
“No buts. Understood?”
Parakel flinched, his shoulders drawing up. Against his elder sister, two years senior, he had no defense.
“…Fine.”
He slouched and went inside. Helen gently brushed Eila’s cropped hair.
“It’s alright, Eila. I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“Yes.”
Her meek reply only made Helen’s chest ache.
That idiot, Parakel…
She left Eila in Madam Poppy’s care and stormed down the hall to Parakel’s room. She burst in without knocking.
“Ah, sis! Knock first!”
“Knock my foot. If you’re so worried, lock the door.”
“Why would I? What am I, some sulky teenager hiding in his room?”
Helen’s eyes narrowed.
“And watch your mouth. Since when do you talk to me like that?”
“I’m just asking you to show a little respect.”
“Respect? You should be showing her respect. Your little sister went out of her way to greet you at the door, and the first thing you did was hurl insults?”
Parakel froze. She was right. He had no excuse. His mouth opened, but all he could do was sigh.
“I just thought… well, she—”
“Parakel Solalune.”
His full name snapped the air taut. He looked up at his sister. She stood with arms folded.
“Do you honestly think Eila is some bloodless mutt? That she ruins the image of Solalune?”
“What? Hold on—”
“Is that why you’ve never taken her to family gatherings? Why you think she’ll never marry, and it’d be better to pawn her off as damaged goods?”
Parakel sank into a chair, running a hand through his golden hair.
Despite their bickering, he and Helen were close. Siblings of careless parents often bound themselves tightly together. And Helen, the flawless eldest, was someone he rarely opposed. But Mother’s constant lamentations weighed on him—it was natural, as a son, to care.
Still…
“Mother says she’s gone completely wild, that you’re blinded and only ever take her side.”
Helen gave a bitter laugh.
“Wild? For what—cutting her hair?”
“Well, that’s hardly normal behavior.”
Helen’s face darkened.
“I’m angry at myself. Angry that I ignored her, that I never cared about her life. She looked up at me with shining eyes, and I gave her nothing.”
“Sis…”
“Do you remember, Parakel? The time we left her at the lake?”
“We didn’t leave her—”
“Of course we did. You remember.”
She crossed her arms.
“It was winter. We went skating, but we excluded her on purpose. When we finished, everyone climbed into the sleigh. Mother sent her back across the lake to fetch something. And then she laughed and told Father to drive off.”
“…It was a joke.”
Helen’s eyes narrowed further.
“Do you remember how she ran, desperate, unable even to cry out? And what did Mother say when she saw her? ‘Who are you? You’re not our child.’”
Parakel said nothing.
Helen exhaled sharply.
“And when she didn’t cry, Mother called her creepy and urged Father to go faster. He laughed and whipped the reins. Only later, Madam Poppy, horrified, went back for her.”
Helen pressed her hand to her brow.
“I thought it cruel, but I still didn’t care enough. And then, recently, Eila asked me if she really belonged to the Solalunes.”
Her voice cracked.
“It hurts, Parakel. It hurts because she never once blamed me. She never got angry. Do you know what she told me instead? That she wanted to be like me.”
Parakel lifted a hand.
“Alright. I understand.”
“Good. Then you understand why cutting her hair is nothing. Compared to what we’ve done to her, it’s nothing.”
“…Yes.”
He groaned. He had never truly thought deeply about his youngest sister.
Helen’s voice sharpened.
“What angers me most, Parakel, is that I assumed she’d be fine. That she couldn’t possibly suffer more than I did. We’re all children of the same mother.”
Helen Solalune had been told from birth she was perfect.
“You must become the flawless heir of Solalune. I bore you for this. You are beautiful, you are clever.”
“So never disappoint us.”
Perfect. Perfect. Always perfect.
Helen often wondered if such a thing even existed. Every success felt inadequate, gnawing her with anxiety. In contrast, she sometimes thought Eila, burdened with no expectations, must be free.
Parakel sighed.
“I get it. Truly. And yes, Mother’s endless letters didn’t help. Every day, pages of them. Shall I read them to you? No—what’s the point? Always the same: Helen scorns me, she’s trying to cast me out, she’s ruining her sister’s future, she’s dragging the family into the mud, your sister’s hair is hacked like a madwoman’s—”
“I can imagine.”
“So when I rushed home and saw Eila standing there with her hair cropped, I… reacted. That’s all.”
He shrugged.
“My fault.”
Helen smirked and pointed.
“Your sister is adorable.”
“…Is she?”
Parakel scratched his chin. All he’d noticed was the hair. Maybe next time he should actually look at her.
“I’ll apologize properly later. Anyway, what’s this about you putting her into the Sage’s lessons?”
“Oh, that. Naturally, when lessons with the Forest Sage are announced, the Solalunes should be invited. But no word came.”
“Well…”
Everyone knew Eila Solalune was too frail for society. To invite her to study in the woods would seem mockery.
“She said she wanted friends. What better place? So I asked the palace for a seat and pressed until they agreed.”
Parakel snorted. Only Solalune would dare demand entry where none was offered. But as a Solalune himself, he couldn’t find it strange.
“Then Mother exaggerated again. As usual.”
He nodded, just as a knock sounded at the door.
“Um, it’s Eila. I brought drinks.”
Brother and sister exchanged glances, straightening their expressions.
“Come in, Eila,” Parakel called, his voice suddenly light and warm.
