It was a bright and sunny day, suitable for going out.

The children of the Rosenbell household, save for the eldest, were prepared to go out and enjoy the beautiful day at the mountainside ways away from home.

Such an occurrence were rare, as the twins were too young, and the eldest daughter was usually not in the condition to leave the house.

For the sake of keeping the trip under wraps, the entourage was small, with only the three children, two maids, and a guard.

Viscount Rosenbell had reluctantly agreed to the trip, due to the incessant pestering of his youngest children. After making them agree to a bunch of conditions that they half-heartedly agreed upon, he finally allowed them to go for the trip.

For the three children, it would be the first time they venture outside of the mansion. Since it was such a great opportunity, they were extremely excited, to the point where even the viscount felt like dropping work to follow them. But alas, he was very busy, thus he could only let them have their fun without his surveillance.

“”Wooooow!””

The twins looked at the scenery with wonder.

They rode a carriage that slowly ascended to the top of the mountain. The ride would take approximately four hours, so they took the time to admire the scenery in full detail.

The reason why they had chosen this particular mountain was because although the path to the top was slightly steep, it was fit for a carriage to pass through, thus becoming a popular route.

It was also a good place to harvest herbs. Along their path, the children, who had recently learnt about herbs from their tutor, could identify many herbs that they have studied before.

Listening to the chatters of the young children, even the servants felt content and happy.

“Young master, young ladies, we’re here,” announced the guard. His expression was light, basking in the good mood.

“Wooow!” The children exclaimed. The scenery was simply beautiful. Green, as far as the eyes can see. Since they were at a high place, the sea of trees was clearly visible. The blue sky greeted them from above, white clouds floating peacefully.

“How beautiful,” Leila remarked.

“Young master, young lady, would you like to gather some flowers and herbs to bring home?” One of the maids, Gemma, called out, holding a small wicker basket. The two frolicking children perked up at her voice.

“”Un!”” Happily, they took the basket and went off to search for the plants that they had never seen on the mansion grounds, hoping to show them to their tutor.

“Milady, would you like to rest for a bit?” The other maid, Christy, asked Leila. She held a blanket in her arms, ready to spread it on the ground.

“Sure~”

While the twins animatedly picked some flowers and herbs as they liked, Leila was leisurely enjoying tea while overlooking the scenery.

“Ah!” Gemma exclaimed. The wind was picking up and she had almost dropped the plate of sweets she had been holding.

“Gemma, be more careful!” Chastised Christy. The sweets had almost fell on top of their most cherished young mistress, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“Apologies, young lady,” Gemma quickly took out a napkin, gently wiping the hem of Leila’s skirt that was stained with a little bit of the fallen crumbs.

“It’s fine,” Leila lightly giggled in response.

“Really, I’m sorry, milady. The wind was just too strong just now…”

Christy sighed, looking at the sorry figure. Since it was just a small accident, she did not think to put it against the younger maid. She immediately forgave Gemma with a small, ‘loving’ lecture on carefulness.

While their attention was diverted from the two children, Julius and Friar had taken notice of a pure-white lone flower sitting atop the highest point of the mountain.

“So beautiful…” Julius muttered. The sight of the lone flower against the blue sky was simply breath-taking.

“Doesn’t it remind you of older sister?” Friar eagerly remarked. The colour of the flower greatly resembled their elder sister’s hair, and the blue of the sky resembled her eyes.

“Mn!” Julius nodded in agreement, his gaze star-stricken. “I wonder if sister will be happy if I gift it to her…” Julius continued to mutter, thinking of how happy Leila would be if he presented the gorgeous flower to her.

‘Waaa~ how beautiful! Julie, thank you!’ says the Leila in his imagination. The bright smile on her imaginary face further burned his desire to pluck the flower.

As if a light bulb was switched on in his mind, Julius passed the basket full of plants towards his twin sister. “Here, hold this! I’ll go pick that flower.”

“Are you sure?” Friar eyed the spot where the flower sat uneasily. They were right on top of the mountain, and the flower rested at the edge of a steep cliff. Just one glance at the bottom of the cliff was enough to make even a grown man shiver.

“Be careful, okay?” Seeing the enthusiastic look of her twin, Friar was unable to stop the boy.

“Don’t worry; I’ll be careful.” Julius slowly tiptoed his way to the flower, his eyes bright as if they contained stars.

Finally, the boy managed to reach the flower safely.

Friar heaved a sigh of relief. “Don’t look down, okay?” She reminded him loudly.

“I won’t!” Julius frowned. Wouldn’t one want to look down even more if one was told not to, he mused in his little head. Really, Friar doesn’t know how to comfort people at all!

Julius gently plucked the flower, making sure to uproot the whole plant. Their tutor had mentioned that keeping a flower along with its roots would ensure the flower a longer lifespan if they decided to keep it indoors.

Finally managing to uproot the whole thing, Julius stood up triumphantly. “Friar—I got it—“

“!!!”

“Julie, be careful!”

“Gyaaah—“

Suddenly, the wind picked up. Julius who stood at the tallest point of the place was hit by a large gust of wind, threatening to knock him down. He closed his eyes and screamed, fear running through his veins.

A single misstep would cause him to fall down the cliff.

“S-sister!” He called out loudly. His eyes teared up as his legs trembled.

“Julie!”

Noticing the dire situation, Leila immediately got up and ran. “Julie!”

“Christy, go call Max!” Max had been the guard that had followed them. He had been guarding their carriage since their arrival to the mountain top, making sure that no one could disturb the noble siblings. He had been oblivious to the current predicament.

“Sister!” Julie began to cry, his tone choked with fear.

“Hang on, Julie!”

Once again, the wind blew strongly. Julius was pushed back by the strong wind, unconsciously taking a step closer to the edge of the cliff. A small pebble from the cliff was chipped off under his heel then rolled down the cliff, as if reminding him of his impending doom.

“Hii—“ Julius shrieked.

“Julie, stay still, okay? There’s nothing to worry about. Sister is here—“ Sensing his fear, Leila gently comforted him.

“Young ladies, young master!” Finally, the guard arrived.

“Don’t panic, young master!” Max shouted. “Try to take a step forward—that’s right, slowly, slowly…”

“Uwaaa—“ Friar’s leg gave out due to the tensed atmosphere. Fortunately, the maid Gemma managed to catch her by her side, making sure she was safe.

“!!!”

“Young master—!”

“Julie—!”

A gust of wind, even stronger than the last, blew against the boy, finally pushing him off the cliff. Julius closed his eyes tightly, his body tensing, waiting for the brunt of the fall. In his tightly grasping hands was the white-coloured flower.

“Young lady!!!”

“Sister! No!!!”

However, before he could resign himself to his fate, a gentle and soft feeling enveloped his body. He could feel his body being thrusted before he felt the hard and jagged ground.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m right here,” as if it was an illusion, Julius could hear a familiar sweet, tinkling voice.