Eris' day started well before first light.

Her lame leg slowed her down in ways she had never imagined. Just getting out of bed became a choreographed affair, unless she wanted to crumple up in pain. For this reason, she trained herself to wake earlier, buying herself more time to prepare for her duties.

The first thing she reached for was her cane, the same one they had brought back from Dellwick. She knew not whence it came and felt rather uneasy taking it outside; as though she were anticipating, any day now, to run into its owner and would have to explain herself for having it. By this point, she had realized that her affliction would likely be permanent and half-rationalized having it as the physical manifestation of karma. Alas, she made a mental note to dispose of the stolen item and buy her own in the near future.

Hers was a small room, tucked away in the servants' quarters within the castle walls. It had a single bed and just enough space for a desk, which doubled as a dresser in the morning. It was not located far from the keep, where her Lady was lodged, but travelling by foot now proved more difficult.

By the time the sun peeked over the horizon, her preparations were finally complete.

Last to come on were her glasses, just before stepping out of the room.

Then, as she quietly closed the door behind her, she snuck a glance through the waning crack.

On her bed slept her dear little sister, with the most peaceful expression she had ever seen. It would have been her first time doing so on such a soft mattress.

A tiny smile fell upon her lips as she whispered, "Sleep tight, Emi."

It was time for work.

Mornings were the busiest in Aubury castle. The maids cleaned the palace's many halls. The guards rotated shifts. The Royal Knights were in the middle of their morning routine. And a certain secretary was knocking on the heroine's door.

"My Lady," the woman said, "it is time for your duties."

But she would receive no answer.

With a sigh, Eris pushed the door open and entered the room, anyway. As expected, she found Sylphia, still in bed, snoring quietly under her blanket.

What he didn't expect, however, was the metal cart parked beside her bed. Curious, she approached it and inspected the trays arrayed on top of it. Pulling the rounded cover off one of them revealed that the food inside had already been finished.

Who has their breakfast and then goes right back to sleep?

She shook her head, before pushing the cart out to the hallway.

What a spoiled child.

Eris looked down upon her peaceful face, smiling subtly as though she were seeing a pleasing dream.

Hmph. She clicked her tongue internally. As if.

Without mercy, she pulled the girl's blanket away.

"Nnnngh...!" the girl moaned in discomfort. She squirmed and tumbled, desperate in her insistence of being asleep.

But her secretary was having none of it. "My Lady," she said while folding the sheet in her hands, "I know that you are already awake. Please get up and return to your duties."

"Gnnn..." She groaned, rubbing her eyes as she grudgingly accepted her fate, "where do all these documents come from, anyway...?"

"Apart from your own request to compile this report on any information I have regarding Dellwick, the province of Northmarch, and the Capitol?" She then pulled two envelopes from the top of the stack. "These letters also arrived for you while we were away."

"Aaaargh!" the cranky little girl grumbled as she sat up, hair spread wildly across her face, "You're so noisy! Can't you see I'm still asleep!?"

"Who falls right back to sleep after having breakfast? If you are not careful, you will grow up with a rounded belly, like Mr. Dante's."

"Da-!?" The girl's eyes flew wide open. "O-on me!? No way!" She then flipped her nighties and grabbed hold onto both sides of her belly. "I'm not getting fat, am I!?"

"I wonder." She turned away, leaving a smirk just barely visible from the corner of her face. "Becoming fat is not something one realizes before it is too late."

The girl held her soft cheeks and shrieked, "Hyaaaaa!"

"Now, my Lady," she said as she placed a pile of items onto Sylphia's desk, "I suggest you start burning your breakfast right away by reading through these."

"Uuuuu..." The young girl pouted. "You're evil! Taking advantage of a cute little girl's anxiety like this!"

Eris snickered. "And that's exactly why I am in your employ, is it not? Now, let us begin, my Lady. I still have to meet with some new contacts after this."

"Gnnn..." she grumbled as she rubbed her eyes, "sounds like you've been busy."

"Indeed. I shall explain in detail later, but for now, I believe you should read this letter first."

"Hnn?" The girl took the letter as she sat down on her desk. "Who is it from?"

"Her Royal Highness."

"...her?" She cocked her head, before then reading the back of the envelope. "Oh, the Princess! ...why would the Princess send me a letter?"

Eris, too, was curious of the same question, but aside from lightly slanting her posture a bit closer, she dared not do anything untoward to her new mistress.

The girl thus broke the wax seal, upon which the emblem of the Royal Court was emblazoned. Giving it a quick scan, she then muttered under her breath. "Huh... a tea party?"

"Oh? A personal invitation from Her Highness? How rare."

"I've never been in one before. Sounds nice."

"If my Lady weren't the Legendary Heroine, then you would certainly attract the jealousy of many a noble lady of this realm."

"Haha, don't be silly, it's just a tea party."

"Is it, though?" Eris' eyes shifted to the corner as she pressed joint of her index finger over her lower lip. "Is my Lady, perchance, a close friend of Her Highness?"

"Uh..." The girl tilted her head to the side. "No?"

"So isn't it strange to ask you to attend a tea party all of a sudden?"

"Err... is it? So you're saying she has an ulterior motive or something?"

She sighed. "Perhaps it's nothing. My Lady is no mere noblewoman, after all... but I've listened to enough nobles grumbling to themselves to know that these 'tea parties' can be quite politically charged, right down to who gets invited."

"Eeeeh... really? But I just want to eat snacks and sip tea in a cool garden and going 'ufufu' with other young ladies like myself!"

Eris raised an eyebrow.

What in the world is this girl talking about? And why would children be invited to an adult's gathering, apart from yourself?

Nonethless, she replied, "I did not mean to discourage you, my Lady. But it would be wise to maintain caution. The realm is teetering on a fragile balance-"

"Ah!" The girl suddenly cut her off. "Wait a minute... if I go to that tea party... and other noblewomen are attending..."

That sudden outburst derailed her train of thought, leaving her guessing as to what her Lady was murmuring to herself about.

"That's right!" she then exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air, "I'm a genius!"

"What is it now?"

"This is it! I've found a way to advertise my clothing business!"

"Huh...?"

"Hihihihi!" She rubbed her hands gleefully. "This tea party thing could be a godsend!"

I don't think I could ever grasp how this girl thinks...

Eris cleared her throat. "In any case, you have a second letter, my Lady," she then said, passing another sealed envelope to the still excited little girl.

"Hm? What's this?" She wasted no time opening it and reading the contents. "Oh? It's from Charlotte!"

"...Charlotte?" Her brows furled.

"Uhh... Charlotte! You know?" The girl then peeked at the back of the envelope. "Ah, right! The Countess of Windham!"

"Yes, I know of her but you seem... rather close? I mean, referring to her with her given name."

"Well, not really, but I met her at the congress too! She was really nice to me! I'd love to see her again!"

All this time she had been fighting off a foreboding sensation deep in her stomach.

Lady Adventine... I've only seen her a few times, but I've always felt unnerved by her presence.

Her gaze unconsciously sharpened.

Without a doubt, that person is dangerous.

Reading on, the girl's eyes popped wide open. "Ueh!? She's also inviting me to a tea party? And on the same day! What the heck? I guess I might have to pass on the Princess' invitation after all."

Eris wasted no time and interjected, "I'm afraid that will not do, my Lady,"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Aside from my opinion of that woman..." she murmured at first, making sure it was inaudible to anyone else, before then raising her voice, "...please consider how it would be taken, if word got out that the Heroine turned down the Crown Princess' invitation, only to then accept that of a mere Countess. Do you wish to be mired in scandal?"

"Ehh?" The girl frowned. "So you're telling me I can't even choose which party I can attend?"

She bit her lips. "I am merely cautioning you of the consequences. After all, my Lady can't be in two places at once."

Right as she said that, the girl looked as if an idea just struck her. Next, she frantically went through both letters once more, before exclaiming, "That's it!"

"What is?"

"I can attend both parties at once! See?" She flashed the contents of each letter to her secretary. "One's going to be in the morning and the other's at night!"

But immediately, a look of crushing disappointment fell upon Eris' face. "Surely, my Lady realizes that Windham and Brimmingham is about a half day's journey apart? What do you plan to do, show up to the Princess' party for a few minutes and then leave?"

"Look, it'll be fine, trust me!" the little girl said, beaming a sparkling grin her way.

To which she simply rubbed her temple and shook her head. "Why go to this length...?"

"I mean, think about it like this - in one day, I get to showcase Cecil's fine dress in two venues!" Her eyes sparkled like freshly minted gold coins. "It's precisely the break I- err, we've been looking for! I'll be counting on you to get the carriage schedule planned!"

She felt uncomfortable about it at first, but slowly her resistance crumbled, as though some mysterious force were tearing away at her very reasoning. Until finally, she gave up. "If that is what you wish."

"Yay!" The girl then leapt onto her, arms wide open. "Thank you, Eris!"

A terribly exhausted sigh slipped out of her lips.

What an unreasonable young lady...

She then snickered.

...but I can admire that ambition.

Once the letters had been put away, Eris finally delivered her report.

The briefing took all morning. In that time, she revealed everything - from her connections to the Merchant's Guild, the relations of noble families, to the details of her collapsed deal with Count Rosteforough, where she promised to supply him with free food in exchange for a future position as his retainer. She even went through some dirt of various people and organizations, such as the aforementioned Merchant Guild, dealing with crime syndicates in various cities.

And in finality, Eris asked, "...any questions?"

"Err... yeah. how about this? How come such a beautiful city like this has this many lowlives?"

Immediately, her eyes fell halfway. "Beautiful? Perhaps behind the glistening walls of Aubury." She shook her head. "But the Capitol is much larger than that. Wyllset isn't quite as pristine, with its weathered walls and shabby houses. But outside even that, lies an unnamed suburban sprawl. A slum, really."

"Outside... you mean those houses aren't part of Wyllset? They don't look that bad. I wouldn't call them slums..."

"Perhaps the ones along paved the roads connecting to other cities." She limped over to the window and gazed outside. "But there, sandwiched between the base of Auburn Rock and the Oglen Mountain Ridge in the east, is what people call 'Outer Wyllset'."

"Outer... Wyllset?"

"It's just a moniker. As I said, it is unnamed. But there, poor, the lazy, the wicked all congregate in their run-down shacks, tucked far away from the uncaring eyes of the nobility."

"Huh... But you live there, don't you? Or... did."

"Mm. We are forced to live in poverty. Many turn to crime just to scrape by. Of course, I became acquainted with many of them. You could say that, at least in part, I owe what I've achieved to the connections I fostered from that world. Though I honestly would not want to relive those days..."

"Heeeh? So you were from a poor family..."

She then averted her eyes and said, dismissively, "...simply put, yes."

The girl rested her cheek upon her palm. "Hmm so there are places like slums too... well, I guess when you compare it to something like this, even Dellwick looks absolutely, dirt poor."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Perhaps. But Dellwick is no comparison at all. Rural villages are simply not the same as the cities. You don't see this sort of poverty in even the most remote of provinces."

"Heeh? Makes you wonder why these people don't just pack their bags and return to their villages."

Eris closed her eyes. "Many people are blinded by the glow of wealth exuded by the royal palace, or even just the residents living within the inner walls, demi-nobles in their own right. They believe - as I once did - that if they chase after this wealth, then they too can live a comfortable life someday." She clenched her fist. "But this is just an illusion. In truth, what awaits most folk - after they sell off their land to make the journey to the capitol and afford a much smaller home than they had before - is crushing poverty, the menace of crime, and the indifference of the world around them."

The corner of Sylphia's mouth twitched. "You... sound pretty resentful of rich people."

Eris turned a look of disgust down on her.

"Geh!?" Sylphia jolted back.

But it quickly vanished as the woman adjusted her glasses. "Perhaps," she then said, "but that resentment has only ever served to fuel my ambitions even further."

"W-well, let's leave that aside for now." The little girl cleared her throat. "One other thing stood out for me during your report. Can you give me more details about it?"

"Of course. What did you wish to know?"

"You said there was a smuggling ring active in this city?"

"Yes. It seems their primary operation is bringing foreign goods past the gatehouses of Aubury to escape the tax burden placed on them by the King and then selling them at a competitive price to the wealthy."

"Yeah. And you said you knew the name of the ringleader. Duke of Blackwater, was it?"

Eris looked glum. "...yes."

"So, you basically know who it is. That means, if we want to, we could just report him to the King and have him stamp it out?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Huh."

"The Duke of Blackwater. That name kept recurring whenever I heard a new rumor about the smuggling ring, but there is no city nor village named 'Blackwater' in the Kingdom, and, in any case, there are only a handful of Dukes under the King's peerage. There is no such person."

"Oh..." Sylphia rubbed her chin. "So it's a pseudonym?"

"I believe so. And I'm afraid it goes further than that. I only noted the name for the smuggling ring, as it was the only concrete organization that I have discovered, but it has also popped up in ones concerning some more severe crimes - assassination, grand theft.

"That... sounds really dangerous." The little girl anxiously clutched her arm. "It feels like getting tossed from a pond straight into an ocean. Do you think you can handle it?"

For a moment, Eris' shoulders tensed up. Her grasp on her cane tightened. And with her gaze locked into Sylphia's amber tinted eyes, she adjusted her glasses once more and said, with a subtle grin, "Of course."

Eris returned to her room around noon, to her sister dabbing away her ink-smothered fingers on a pad paper she left for her on the desk.

Emi did not know how to write. Though Eris had always planned to teach her 'soon', up to now, that had always translated to 'never'. Alas, the young girl contented herself with ink drawings of surprising quality. Though entirely finger-painted, the images she produced had a certain vividness in depicting the scenes she saw around her. In the past, that included their house, their neighborhood and their friends. Those drawings were stashed away in their home by her doting sister, but alas they were now no more than ash. And now, her latest work featured the crenellated walls of Aubury castle, as seen by an eight-year-old girl.

Eris smile as she said, "Good morning. I'm back."

"Ah, Elin!" Immediately, the girl stood from her seat and leapt into her sister's welcoming arms. "Good morning!"

Though it hurt having to put weight on her bum leg to receive her little sister, she didn't mind. Her face just twitched a bit, after which she was all smiles.

"Are you hungry, Emi?" she then asked.

"Hmm..." the girl pressed her finger into her chin and hummed for a few seconds, before answering, "I'm bored."

That response disheartened her. "Sorry, Emi. I can't let you roam around the castle."

"Mm..." The child whimpered.

Eris then crouched down, placing her hand on the girl's head and giving it a gentle rub. "Was there anywhere you wanted to go?"

She seemed apprehensive at first, but the girl soon said, "Can I play with big sister Rika while Elin is gone?"

"Umm, she might be busy with her job..."

Emi deflated upon hearing this.

I certainly can't take her around with me or I could never focus on my work... Hmm... Miss Evrika, huh? She seemed to get along well enough with Emi...

"Tell you what", she then added, "how about I ask if she is free tomorrow morning?"

Emi cheered right back up, nodding. "Mm!"

"Alright, let's go have lunch. And then we could play afterwards."

The girl lit up like the morning sun, her twin pigtails bobbing in the air as she hopped in place. "Really? Elin is finished with work?"

"Mm!"

In an instant, the child latched onto her arm and swung herself around with her in tow. "Hee hee hee hee!"

Eris smiled.

And so, the two left the room, hand in hand, amidst the sprite-like humming of a happy young girl.

The pair arrived at the servant's dining quarters to the tearful sobs of one of the maids. She seemed to have been on the receiving end of a stern lecture by her senior.

"...this makes the third time!" the fuming older maid yelled, "When are you going to shape up!? Make sure this doesn't happen again, understood!?"

The younger maid sniffled. "Y-yes, ma'am..."

Shaking her head, she released a sigh, before giving the young woman a rather harsh rub on the head, wobbling it back and forth. "Stop crying, already. It's fine. It'll turn up later. It always does. You just need to keep a keener eye on these things. You're in charge of tableware for goodness’ sake!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Now, get out of here." She then gave her a slap on the back and sent her on her way.

As soon as she disappeared one of the spectating maids chimed in, "Uwah, you really made her cry! You went pretty hard on her don't you think?"

"Better me than one of the nobles. They could even suspect her of stealing, that poor girl." She shook her head. "How did a ditz like that become a maid, I wonder?"

The woman then grinned, "It's because she's got a cute face, isn't it?"

"Shut up and get back to work."

"Yes ma'aaaam." She answered whimsically as she went off to her own duties.

By this time, the two sisters had sat down to join some maids and other castle guests for some leek and potato gruel. It was a humble meal for one served at the royal castle, but it struck just right with their commoner palate.

Eris had not really conversed much with the maids despite joining them for a few meals before, but this time, the women all fawned over her sister, some even mistaking her to be her daughter instead. The next thing she knew, she was having an open conversation with the young maid beside her.

It was a lively meal - a rarity which she hadn't experienced in many years.

The sun was setting.

The sisters had finally spent their first day together in a long time. They ate together, laughed together and played together. In these precious moments, neither seemed to have a care in the world.

But now it was time to sleep.

Eris felt more exhausted today than at any point in her entire life. Ant yet, at the same time, she felt light. An overwhelming sense of satisfaction enveloped her body, and she couldn't be more excited for the coming day, wishing nothing more than for it to be the same thing all over again.

So there she was, spread out over her bed, arm tucked beneath the head of her little sister. And as she slowly fell to sleep herself, her remaining thoughts tumbled idly in her mind.

One day, my Lady may send me away on my own. If that happens, I wonder if there is anyone I can leave her with while I'm gone...

Though they seemed to like her well enough, I'm not well acquainted with any of the other servants.

I also get the feeling that my Lady's procrastination would only get worse if I introduce her to a playmate.

That leaves just Miss Evrika... who I'm not really well-acquainted with, either. But she was the one who brought Emi here, wasn't she?

She turned towards her sister.

How did she get Emi to come with her, in the first place? She didn't seem to have forced her or anything, or she'd terrify her. I was sure to always remind Emi never to talk to strangers...

She sighed.

I'll scold her about that some other time.

Beside her, the young girl yawned.

Right now...

"Good night, Emi," she whispered.

Rubbing her eyes, the child simply nodded.

Thus, Eris pulled her blazer up, using it as a makeshift bedsheet for both of them. Throughout all this, a warm sensation spread out from her chest, something she hadn't really felt in a long time, but rang somewhat nostalgic, of days gone by.

...this is all that's important.

She was just about to fall asleep too, when a thought flashed by her mind that almost woke her right back up.

Ah. I forgot to meet with my contact.

She snickered.

I'm really hopeless with Emi around me. I hope Miss Evrika says yes.

But mere moments after she closed her eyes once more, she heard a light murmur just beside her ear.

"Elin..." her sister said, "are you going to disappear again tomorrow?"

Those words tightened around her heart like a thorny vine.

Ever since mom and dad passed away, I had no choice but to leave home for work. I convinced myself that she wouldn't be alone, because we had friends in the neighborhood...

Her eyes began to water.

I thought that if it was just me, then I could bear the loneliness... So long as I could come home every once in a while to see her smiling face.

Memories flashed by in her mind - the image of that little girl playing alone with her rag doll. And she soon came to a realization.

Ah... I see. After all this time, it turns out, I wasn't the only one who was lonely...

Wrapping her arms around her sister, she whispered, "No. I won't ever leave you again."

A wispy voice seeped from Emi's lips, "...really?"

"Really."

With a bright smile, the child said, "I love you, Elin."

Eris' lips stretched gently outward and formed the sweetest smile. She then kissed her sister on the cheek, and whispered, "I love you too, Emi."

The girl softly chuckled as she took Eris' hand into her own.

Their fingers intertwined.

The warmth, shared between them, seemed to melt all anxiety. And soon, the young girl fell softly asleep.

I'm not dreaming this, am I? That we could sleep peacefully, without a worry in my head, or a knife in my pocket.

Her consciousness soon faded.

But if this was a dream...

She gave her sister's hand one last squeeze.

...then I never want to wake up again.

In the dead of night a little child opened her eyes.

They flickered as she looked around her, noticing her sister rolled up against the wall, seemingly to give her space to sleep.

Elin...?

She stared at the solid walls surrounding them, as she slowly recalled what had happened so far.

And then, she sighed.

So the lady with the cherry hair wasn't lying after all.

She sat up and wiggled her arm inside her dress. There, she slipped her hand into a tiny pocket and produced a silver dining knife.

I didn't know what to think when I saw the uniform of the Royal Knights outside our house... I thought they came to arrest Elin. But in came this big, annoying girl, saying random garbage like my sister was getting a promotion or something, and I was invited by the heroine to the Royal Castle.

She twirled the knife in her delicate little fingers, entranced by the flickering moonlight reflected off its polished surface.

I thought it had to be a dumb newbie from the trafficking ring in our district. It didn't matter if it wasn't the Royal Castle, but if they were dressed up as a Royal Knight, I thought the client might have been from a noble house at least.

A vile smirk then formed on her lips.

Even if it meant being some shitty old man's toy for a night or two, I knew I could make a pretty penny from whatever I could steal from their house...

The sound of Eris tumbling in bed made her hide the knife back in her dress, on reflex.

But to think all of that nonsense turned out to be true...

Stretching her arms out, she then laid her head back onto the soft bed and tucked herself back in, under her sister's blazer.

Elin... you've been working hard, haven't you?

She soon turned around and faced the back of her sister's head.

Your cute, innocent little sister, is so, so proud of you.

She lips then spread widely into a grim smile.

I'll do my best, too, and live up to your expectations.

I love you, Elin.

More than anything in the world.