Welcome back! Did you miss me? Not me, I'm just talking to myself in my mind after all. And it's not like my imaginary audience has gone anywhere, right? Although for some reason, I feel like I haven't seen you guys in a long time. What a strange feeling.

Anyway.

Today is the day of the White Lady Festival. But what is this festival? Excellent question little Timmy. I don't know much myself, only the tale Sarka told me just this morning. So let me become the storyteller and tell you this beautiful story.

"Once upon a time, in forgotten times, the figure known as the White Lady wandered through the paths of the world, searching for a purpose that might redeem the sadness that weighed upon her shoulders. Her followers, tiny beings of nature, watched with concern the worried countenance of their beloved lady and decided to act on her behalf.

So it was that the little followers of the White Lady, in a gesture of devotion and love, implored the trees to donate their leaves and flowers to make a cloak that would shelter the weary body of their beloved lady. Many trees, with joy and generosity, offered each one of their leaves, hoping that a garment worthy of the beauty of the Lady would be woven from them. However, some trees refused, fearing that their leaves might hurt her delicate figure. Instead, they promised to remain green all year round, guiding the Lady's path through her travels.

For six long months, the Lady's followers worked painstakingly to weave the garment they would offer to their mistress. When they finally completed their task, the cloak glowed with vivid colors, tinged with the hope and affection of those who had created it. With joy in their hearts, the followers ran to their beloved lady and presented her with the fruit of their labor. The Lady, with eyes full of wonder and gratitude, accepted the gift with humility and tears as warm as summer and pure as the stars. The Lady thanked each of her devotees for their generosity and devotion and showered them with blessings.

Thus, dressed in her beautiful new cloak, the White Lady set out on her journey with renewed determination and joy, carrying the warmth of love and hope wherever she went. As time passed, the cape that had once glowed with bright colors slowly transformed until it became completely white, a symbol of the purity and peace that the White Lady carried to every corner of the world."

Yeah, the story doesn't make too much sense to me either. A nice story, but just like many of those on Earth, it sounds like a nice allegory of how the seasons pass from autumn to winter. This "White Lady" is Obana, Pillar of the seasons and origin of the winds.

…

According to Sarka, the story is "real" from the times when the Pillars walked the world to make plants, animals and intelligent races grow.

Yeah... don't ask me, I don't believe it was real either. I wouldn't be surprised if that story was heavily embellished and Obana was just casually wandering the world and was somehow misinterpreted.

I just hope there are no stories that are too... exaggerated. I would not like to realize that there were situations similar to Quetzalcoatl's drunkenness in which he slept with his sister, or those of Zeus sleeping with anything that produced a shadow ...

...

I hope that didn't raise any flags...

The point is, that's all I know about the festival. It's not much, but it's something.

As agreed, Sarka would stay at home to look after me, while the rest of the family attended the festival. So today it was just the two of us. Well... there were also Tina and Neth with us, but they were always so quiet that I never noticed their presence until Sarka spoke to them.

After breakfast, we were in my usual playroom, where she told me that story and we played for quite a while. I found it quite fun to play with her, even though I had to endure her constant "attacks" and hungry looks of sisterly love (?). I knew my big sister was a real danger.

Well, while my cheeks were being cruelly pinched, a little before lunch, a maid knocked on the door, interrupting (saving me) from my time with my older sister.

"Young Lady Sarka, a guest has arrived."

"A guest? Today of all days?" asked Sarka, her expression confused as she glanced sideways at Neth and Tina, who seemed unmoved to the side.

Sarka allowed the maid to enter. A girl with brown hair and extravagant horns on her head. I had never seen her at the mansion, but that was to be expected, there were too many servants on the family grounds that I had never seen. There really are too many.

"Coda? I thought Makila assigned you to the west building."

"Yes, young lady, but today I was tasked with keeping an eye on the main mansion." Replied the maid, Coda, in a formal, dry voice. Not too respectful of her, but some are like that. If I had to guess, I'd say she's in the neutral faction; being here just for the money.

"I see. So, who is this unknown visitor?" my sister asked, letting the girl's strange attitude pass.

"..." Coda was silent, giving Sarka a rather strange look, accusatory or fishy, if I had to guess. That attitude didn't please me at all, but I couldn't judge for now. There had to be some reason for it.

"What's wrong?" asked Sarka sternly, surely noticing the strange look on the maid's face.

Coda did not answer immediately but remained silent for a few moments staring at Sarka intently, as if trying to analyze her. After a while, she seemed to conclude, as she changed to a calmer expression.

"She said her name was Nisire Burmont."

"Nisire is here?!" cried Sarka, jumping up from the floor. Her face was full of surprise and disbelief. Someone who could surprise her like that could only be her rumored lover. Although I say rumored, technically only Sarka and Zenya have mentioned her. But it still counts!

"Yes. What should I do young lady?"

Sarka was thinking for quite a while, with a nervous and somewhat desperate expression. The sudden visit had put her in a bad situation. It hadn't even been a week since she had been grounded, and her girlfriend showing up like this could well make her punishment worse. And if we take into account how Makila warned her before she left not to do anything she shouldn't... I don't want to know what she'll do to her if she finds out.

Finally, my sister seemed to come to a decision, changing to a serious expression. She picked me up off the floor and began giving immediate orders.

"Coda, go find Kine, send her to find my parents, and have her inform them of what just happened. Make sure they know that this was equally unexpected for me. Then go and attend to whatever Nisire needs."

"Right away." The maid said, giving a bow and heading out the door immediately. Sarka turned to Tina and handed me to her.

"Go and put something comfortable on her. Preferably something not too flashy, but nice. I want her to look cute when I introduce her to Nisire." Tina nodded and took me in her arms and then walked out of the place, leaving my sister and her maid behind.

As we were leaving, I barely managed to hear Sarka say a few words to her maid. She asked something about whether it was a good idea to "leave it out in the open", but I couldn't hear anything beyond that.

Back in my "room" Tina immediately got to work and for quite some time, she was going through several of the outfits I had, choosing a simple aqua-green one. Unlike the others I normally wore, this one did have sleeves, although the fabric on these was sheer. It had a big white bow at the back, and to match that I wore some nice white shoes.

After making sure that nothing else was missing, we left immediately.

We walked through the long and labyrinthine corridors, finally reaching the waiting room area, where we received the guests. Standing in front of the door was Coda, who nodded and opened the door for us immediately.

The first thing I saw when I entered was my sister sitting next to a pretty brown-skinned girl. A tan tomboy with blue eyes, of which her pupil was an X giving them a very exotic appearance, added to her beautiful blue hair.

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Wait, was that really hair?

I froze as I realized that what I thought was hair was moving gently, twisting slightly from side to side as if it were alive. It was strange but somehow fascinating. They looked like... tentacles...

What the heck is that? It looks so cool!

Tina pulled me towards them, and noticing my intense stare, the girl looked uncomfortable. She gave my sister several looks as if asking for help.

"Hahaha, what's wrong?"

"I... uh... I'm not very good with babies." Said the brown-skinned girl. Her smile was stiff and her voice uncomfortable, as if my presence was something she couldn't deal with.

"You don't like them?" my sister asked, surprised by her girlfriend's statement.

"N-no, it's not that. I... I don't know what to do with them, okay? I feel like... they expect something from me, and I don't know what to do with that."

Sarka started laughing at those words as she stood up and took me in her arms, then pulled me close to her girlfriend, offering to hold me. She seemed hesitant, but my sister's calm, amused smile seemed to be enough of a deterrent to accept.

I could sense her discomfort, seeing how badly she looked as if she was having a hard time. Her expression seemed to represent how her mind was working tirelessly to find a way to deal with me.

"H-hello baby... uhm... hello..." She stammered as she gave me a very strange smile. Internally I was laughing out loud at such a funny face. Behind me, I could hear Sarka trying to hold back her laughter.

I felt a little bad for her, so I decided to do something.

I pointed to her hair, intending to ask her to let me touch it. I don't know if that was disrespectful or offensive, but whatever, right? I was a baby so those things could be forgiven.

The girl managed to understand my intentions quite easily, although she hesitated for a moment whether she should let me get close to her head. She looked at Sarka for help again, and my sister seemed to give her the go-ahead because she immediately pulled me close to her head.

Very carefully; somewhat frightened I must admit, I touched her hair. At first, I thought it would feel, somehow, like touching a squid, wet and slippery, but actually, it was similar to touching slime. Well, not so much. The texture was similar, but unlike the slime of my previous world, it didn't give a cold and somewhat icky feeling. It was warm and pleasant. Very.

The girl still seemed a little nervous about having a baby touching her head, probably worried that I would grab her hair/tentacles and pull them hard, but, I am a polite and kind girl. I would never do something like that...unless provoked. Zenya taught me an important lesson that time in the bathroom. To be careful and mindful of what I do.

I ran my hand gently over her head and it was a very pleasant experience. It was so much fun to feel those tentacles touch my hands and get tangled in my fingers. Their touch, like mine, was quite gentle and careful, which made me laugh happily.

That sound made the girl visibly relax, to the point that she began to smile at my actions.

Having satiated my curiosity and amusement, I babbled towards her, hoping she would understand that I had had enough. Luckily, she was a girl who understood my intentions quite well. She lowered me onto her lap immediately. She was now looking at me with a much more relaxed and cheerful expression.

One of her hands landed on my legs, so I took the opportunity to grab it and play with it. A sudden feeling of wanting to compare them to my father's rose inside me.

Dad had huge, hard, calloused hands, derived from a lifetime of training with the sword and different types of weapons and fighting styles. They were warm hands that I enjoyed having caress my head.

This girl's hands were much smaller and softer too, but I also noticed those marks of hard work. Or at least that's what I like to call it. The beginnings of callus formation, small scars in different places on her palm and fingers. The hand of someone who had to do many types of manual labor and most likely a lot of weapons training as well. From the looks of her, was she some kind of swordswoman? Perhaps she was still in an apprentice stage.

While I was happily playing with her hand, the girl was chatting with Sarka, equally happy.

"It's... surprising how calm your sister is. And quite adorable I might add." Said the tan-skinned girl with a soft giggle.

"Right? Orinthya is an amazing little sister. She's kind and knows how to behave very well. Did you know she hardly ever cries? I've only seen her do it a couple of times, and although it worries me a little, she's so cheerful that I'd rather she never has to cry if it means I can keep seeing that cute smile on her little face." Declared my sister proudly. I used her girlfriend's hand to cover my face, pretending to play with it, though I was hiding my face that I felt it was blushing.

I didn't know babies were capable of blushing with embarrassment at such a young age, but I was doing it at that instant. My heart leaped with joy to hear my sister's praise.

To think that she had worried about me not crying was a surprise, but to know that she thought that way about keeping my smile...I have been blessed with a loving family, haven't I?

...

Was this real? It may not seem so, but I sometimes worry that all this "love" I have been receiving from my family, is nothing more than an illusion, or even something temporary.

Sometimes it terrifies me to think that once I grow up, this animosity will simply change and I will be treated indifferently, or worse, treated just as I was in my previous life.

Am I perhaps overthinking this? I feel like I'm being a bitch for thinking that way, but can you blame me? No matter how receptive I am to their feelings, there's always that sense of distrust, born out of all those years of indifference and resentment.

Suddenly I felt some gentle pats on my head that brought me out of my negative thoughts immediately. My sister's girlfriend used her other hand to caress me while she had a small smile on her face.

Yes, she certainly is a good girl. Well, I'll allow you to be with my sister.

I thought, enjoying the feel of her hand in my hair.

After a while of being patted on the head, the girl stopped, changing to a more serious, but relaxed expression.

"Sarka, I think it's best if I tell you my reason for coming, especially since this is extremely important."

Sarka nodded silently, changing to her more serious expression, but looking nervous at her girlfriend's words.

The girl sighed wearily, as if just thinking about the situation had exhausted her completely.

There was a strange tension in the atmosphere as Nisire looked at my sister, with a worried face.

"Sarka. There was a... problem, and I don't know what to do."

"What kind of problem, is it something serious?"

The girl lowered her head, looking defeated. Her shoulders slumped and her voice changed to a sad tone.

"It could be if I don't find a solution." She replied, taking her head in her hands and taking deep breaths, trying to calm what seemed like a severe headache.

Sarka for her part looked even more worried by the girl's words. It seemed that there was something bad in how she was acting.

"Nisire first explain to me what happened. We won't solve anything if I don't know anything." Sarka said, bringing her hand to her girl's back, hoping to comfort her.

She seemed to relax with my sister's actions, improving her mood a bit.

Nisire began to slowly recount the events of the past few days.

After she had returned to her residence on Zenya's birthday, her father called her into his office. Count Burmont had discovered the relationship between the two and had begun to interrogate her, extracting every little scrap of information he could.

While Nisire tried to hide and deny many things, her father was easily able to unravel most of them, thanks to the fact that some of the escorts accompanying the girl had spilled the beans about her relationship with my sister.

Worried, and with no escape, Nisire had no choice but to speak.

You may ask, and what's the problem with all this? This world doesn't seem to have a problem with this kind of relationship, does it? That is correct. And they are confirming that fact to me. But no, that's not the problem.

According to Nisire, her father had tasked her to fit in with the noble society of the capital, to learn and join the important social circles to form a base on which he could enter the central politics of the empire. Her options were for her to make influential friends in society, or to find a potential partner close to her rank of earl.

Of course, the girl had no intention of marrying just any stranger, just like that, let alone for mere political reasons. But she had the good, or bad luck, to meet my sister. The heiress of the Baelian house, a Ducal house.

Our rank, while only two rungs above that of an earl, was more than enough to make the head of the Burmonts nervous, especially given the history and power our house possessed.

Count Burmont looked worried, not because he had made connections with a ducal house; which should rather have made him happy. No, it was the fact that it was his sixth daughter who got it. That was his real concern.

His plan was for his daughter Nisire, who had entered the capital as a knight's apprentice, to make connections with the sons of other counts' houses, if she was lucky. He hoped that she would make good relations among the families of the other knight's apprentices, perhaps some Barons or a viscount. He did not expect his daughter to befriend the heiress of a ducal house... let alone to propose marriage to such a girl. He expected that his second daughter, who had arrived along with them, would be the one who would have marriage proposals from the important families.

Count Burmont pressed Nisire until he discovered that the relationship between the two of them had barely formed and that our parents were still unaware of it. With a relieved smile, the count ordered Nisire to end the relationship with my sister and to immediately introduce her older sister to Sarka, who would now be the one to marry my sister.

Needless to say, this infuriated Nisire, provoking a verbal fight between the two of them. The girl had flatly refused to follow his orders, and the Count, furious, had her locked in her room until she "came to her senses" and fulfilled her duty to her family.

And, lo and behold, having escaped from her residence thanks to her maid who could not accept the count's attitude towards the situation.

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere had turned gloomy the instant the tan-skinned girl finished explaining her situation. Sadness reflected on her face, with slumped shoulders and head down. I could only see her bitter and angry expression, thanks to the fact that I was still on her lap.

Sarka, on the other hand, was visibly angry. Her hands that were resting in her lap were clenched tightly into a fist. It was a silent anger. Not because she didn't have something to say - HA! Not at all, I was sure she had plenty to say, but because she was forcing herself not to say anything. I could feel it. She bit her lip in frustration.

*Knock knock*

The sudden banging on the door brought them back from their inner musings.

Neth immediately moved to answer the door and, after a quick conversation with someone outside, closed the door as she made her way to Sarka.

The two had a conversation in whispers, one that I couldn't hear anything of, but which, from Sarka's expression, I could tell was something she didn't like to know.

My older sister exhaled sadly before getting up and taking me from her girlfriend's lap.

The girl looked at her confused by the act, but before I could even ask her what was going on, my sister spoke to her.

"The maid I sent to warn my parents just returned. Only one of them was free so she could return immediately..."

"Only one? Who?"

"...Makila."

Oh... they're screwed.