It had been a month since I began visiting Damian in his tower. I went there almost everyday, and we had grown much closer. However, all good things came to an end eventually, and he would soon leave for the academy.

“I don’t want you to leave!”

“Then I won’t.”

I blinked in surprise. It had been another fun afternoon, and I was only pretending to be the bratty little sister.

“No, actually, do go. I want you to become the best mage in the kingdom!”

Damian smiled and hugged me.

“Then I will. Whatever makes you happy, sweet Val.”

Why was he like this, when we had only just become close? If he were like this to me, then wouldn’t he be like this to the female lead as well? I knew things like this happened quickly in novels, especially for the female lead, but this wasn’t natural. Was it a sign his mana madness was getting worse?

“No. I want you to promise me that whatever happens, you’ll become the best mage in the kingdom. And stay with me forever.”

‘Only then can I guarantee that you’ll be useful to me and you won’t betray me. Only then can our family stand a chance, in the worst case scenario.’

“I swear, on our family’s honour.”

I smiled, satisfied. Darker thoughts occupied my mind.

‘And I promise that I’ll find a cure. I’ll definitely save you.’

“Let’s go on a picnic before I leave. Just you and me.”

Damian’s offer chased the unpleasant things from my head. For now, I just wanted to have fun with my brother.

“Yes, that sounds excellent!”

I had never gone on a picnic in my past life, but I did go on a few in this life with my family. However, this was the first time it would just be Damian and I, except for a few maids, obviously.

The next afternoon, we walked from the castle together. He led me past our garden, and into the forest behind it.

“Are we there yet?”

“Soon, Val.”

We stopped in front of an oddly thick tree. Damian held out a hand in front of him, his other hand holding mine. Slowly, the trunk parted into two and shifted into a small door. We went inside, and I gasped. He smiled proudly.

“It’s so beautiful!”

The place was a small clearing, surrounded by pretty flowers of all colours and a ring of large trees outside of them; so it was completely secluded from the rest of the world, except for the other side, which overlooked a flowing river. Sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves at the top, so it was bright but not too hot. The sweet scent of the flowers mixed with the delicious smell of the food, which sat on a large blanket in the center.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course! This is so amazing!”

I was thrilled for more reasons than one. Obviously, I loved that my brother prepared all this, and I was looking forward to a good time. But besides that, this was the secret place he liked to go to to clear his head, and in the novel, he told the female lead that she was the only one he had ever shown it to. It was a special moment and marked a development in their relationship.

The original Valentina must have never even tried to get close to her brother. She must’ve thought that she wouldn’t need his love or support, she wouldn’t have any use for it. It was such a pity, and I was so happy I was different. I was so happy he was my brother.

“Come on, let’s eat!”

We sat on the blanket and ate. He had prepared all our favorite snacks, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. The fact that he was here with me made them even sweeter.

“These flowers are so pretty! Did you grow them?”

“With magic, yes. I prepared them just for you.”

I giggled. I could see why he was going to be so popular with ladies when he grew up, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. It wouldn’t be too bad to keep him with me.

Suddenly, he froze.

“Don’t move, Val.”

“W-what is it?”

“There’s a caterpillar on your head.”

I screamed and flailed my arms. Damian bent over, laughing. I flushed bright pink.

“That’s not funny! I’ll put on you, for real!”

“But hey, look at this.”

I reluctantly leaned close, and he opened a hand. Red crystal butterflies fluttered out, their wings sparkling as if they were made of light. I stared in awe as some settled on my hair, like pretty jewels. Other ones fluttered around, like little fairies.

“They don’t last long, but it’s a new spell I’ve been working on.”

He looked at me with that confident smile that could charm the coldest of hearts.

“They’re lovely.”

I was still annoyed about the caterpillar thing, but this almost made up for it. The butterflies were mesmerizing, and I watched them fly about. Damian smiled again.

“You look like a fairy.”

“Of course. I always do.”

I smiled smugly as he giggled. He flicked my forehead and I stuck out my tongue at him, then we both laughed. I hit him on the arm, and he hit me back, and soon it was a full on game of tag. We were laughing and chasing each other until we couldn’t run anymore, and we laid on the blanket under the warm sunlight.

I had a very nice nap, but when I woke up again, Damian wasn’t beside me. The sun wasn’t as bright, so I must’ve slept for a while. I rubbed my eyes and saw Damian standing at the back of the clearing, looking at the river. He turned to me when he saw I was awake.

“Ha, you snored.”

“I did not! You probably did!”

He shrugged, smirking. I could again see the yandere in him.

“If you snore, you’ll never get married.”

“Then I guess you’ll die old and alone.”

Damian shook his head, laughing, and the light came back to his eyes. He was just a child right now, and my brother. He wasn’t a crazy kidnapper and murderer.

“Wanna try something fun?”

“All right.”

I was curious to see what could have been more fun than the afternoon we had. He gestured me to go closer to the water, and I did. We stood right on the edge, and he took my hand.

Then we were flying.

I screamed and almost let go of him, but he held onto me tightly. We soared above the trees, high above the ground. It was terrifying, but thrilling.

A moment later, I was laughing. The air rushed around me as we moved towards the castle. The view was amazing, and I could see a large part of our estate all at once. The sun set on the horizon, painting the sky shades of orange and pink. It struck me that Damian shouldn’t have this much magic yet, but the thought flew away as we did.

“This is incredible!”

I yelled loudly so that he could hear me. Damian laughed and ruffled my hair.

“I’ll learn loads at the academy, and I’ll show you even more fun things, all right?”

“Yes!”

This day was one of the best in my life. I was so tired that I didn’t even have the energy to be sad at night, but the next morning, I woke up early to see Damian off.

Our family gathered in the front of our estate. Though it was barely dawn, a carriage was already waiting. Once Damian said goodbye to Mother and Father, he came to me.

I kissed him on the cheek, and he hugged me close. I tried to stop the tears from welling into my eyes. It was odd, no one I loved this much had ever had to go away for such a long time.

“I’ll see you for the winter holidays,” he whispered. “And I’ll write tons.”

“I’ll still miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

When we broke apart, tears were streaming down my face, and his eyes were a little red too, but he smiled and patted my head.

He turned to board the carriage, but a voice stopped him.

“I apologize, am I too late?”

Two old men in white robes followed by younger ones dressed similarly were approaching. A golden symbol was on their robes, the sign of god.

The air tensed, as it did in the presence of unwelcome guests.

What were priests doing here?