Sara Astalle (Point Of View)

I grew up being compared a lot to my big sister Hazel.

"Hello Sara, you look so beautiful today just like your sister Hazel."

"Sara, are you gonna be a maid too like your sister Hazel?"

"Wow, Sara, you have good skill, did you manage to learn that from your sister Hazel?"

"You should be a good girl like Hazel, okay?"

"Look, Sara, your big sister Hazel already learned this when she was your age, so you should learn this too."

My big sister is nice, skillful, and beautiful. I always follow her around because she plays with me often. I admire her. People always praise her for being good at her job, such as being promoted as the head maid at a young age. Boys are in awe of her presence, especially combined with our family's gorgeous blue eyes.

I was always been compared to her, but I didn't really care. Rather than being upset, I was genuinely happy. She was my role model. She was my big sister.

One time when our parents and I visit her at work, I learned something. When I saw my sister, my eyes glittered. My sister who was feminine and gentle to me, became somewhat fierce and commanding, ordering the maids around with preciseness and demeanor. "Wow," I said astonished. "My sister is so cool."

My big sister, Hazel, who was in her work mode, unintentionally moved her head to the direction where I was standing and saw me. "Mom? S-S-Sara?!" she exclaimed. "W-What are you doing here?"

I blinked a few times. A fresh sight came before me. The sister who I know seems to have a different personality. When I focused my sight on her, I saw her flustered and shocked. She doesn't want to be seen like this? But she was so cool, I said, "Big sister! I want to be a maid!"

"W-What?" she asked.

"I want to be a maid!" I responded eagerly.

"Why?"

"Because it's cool!"

Her eyes went widely circle. "I-I see," she said relieved. Is she that afraid of me hating her? I would never hate her though. But some good news is that after this encounter, she never held herself in front of me again. She stopped pretending and even started to scold me. Which I think I might have regretted. "Then from now on, I'll train you hard until you would never mention wanting to be a maid again."

I did regret it.

***

Scrub... Scrub... Scrub...

I pushed the wet rags from side to side as I clean the floor of our house.

It was already 3 years since I started training on becoming a maid. Now, alone with my parents since my sister married the guard commander of the city last year.

"I miss my big sister," I mumbled, wondering if she even remembers me. She hasn't visited after getting married. I felt extremely lonely.

I kept nagging my parents to let me visit them. But they scolded me. Is it that bad to miss my big sister? "She already has her own life," they said.

Then one day, we heard about the news of Hazel being pregnant. I thought of it as a good opportunity. "Is my sister pregnant? Then, can I be the nanny?" I quickly asked my parents. Luckily, they seem to not think badly of the idea.

I was 10 years old when I became the nanny of my nephew. When I saw him, I had this weird feeling. Not just because he got black hair which is uncommon but not actually rare. He also inherited the gorgeous blue eyes of our family.

Time went by, and the weird feeling just got deeper. Whenever I see my big sister focusing more on the new kid rather than me. I hated it.

When I first came to their house, my big sister has changed so much that she doesn't even hug me anymore. Well, maybe once or twice, but not that often as it used to be.

When I took care of my nephew, Ryu Xanastre, I found out that this child is too intelligent. There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood, but I can say he is not like the others. He is too quick-witted that I always find him sneaking to read books at his parent's small library. Books that even I wouldn't be able to comprehend. "This kid is weird," I thought, shifting my focus on him.

There was a time where he began producing fireball magic with his hands. I remember screaming for hours, seeing as it almost accidentally burns one of my favorite dresses. I even told my sister about it, but she didn't believe me. It was frustrating.

From that moment, I gave up. I stayed silent and just went with the flow. I already knew that my sister doesn't care for me anymore. The kid that was the product of their love couldn't compare to someone like me.

Around 2 years passed when I became a nanny, the kid can already talk and walk without a problem. A genius indeed, they say. I noticed he began to do more studying than before. It seems he was in a kind of rush. I wonder if he has some kind of problem? But what would a baby like him have for a problem?

We talked, played, and made me cooperate with his experiments. I learned new things that the common sense of this world can't understand. But the fact that I didn't hate the idea is what alarmed me the most. Am I enjoying this?

I became an adventurer. I who doesn't even know how to kill a living chicken just had her first mock battle and knocked someone unconscious with my nephew's magic. When this happened, all the stress I was accumulating for years was released. It felt my body became lighter. I was astonished.

When my big sister learned about this, I was scared at first. But when I thought about everything, and how I feel about it. I decided to tell her. I realize how much pleasure being with Ryu. I told my sister that I want to become an adventurer. To my surprise, she accepted and even asked his husband to teach me his swordsmanship.

All the things I did with Ryu, and all the things we will do in the future. I can't imagine how excited I am just waiting for it.

This is where I decided to improve myself for every opportunity that will be given.

So that I can always fly wherever I want.

"I am free."