My first encounter with Ronandt was a rather unusual one; not only did I show up uninvited to his birthday party, but I also somehow managed to punch him; I knew I was wrong, but I was a very obstinate child at the time.

My first impression of him was that he looked too much like Mael, and strangely, in some ways, I felt he also looked too much like me, which I believe led me, at the time, to believe that Mael was going to replace me with him.

After all, back then, Mael gave him the same gift he gave me when they'd only met three weeks prior. This book meant much more to me than just a gift from a friend.

That book was special to me because it was a gift I received from Mael when I was seven years old, a period of my life where, I bitterly realize, I was a very spoiled and incorrigible child.

A period of my life where I used to be very jealous of Elliel, my little brother, who, when he was only two years old, I felt was far more favoured than I was.

My father drilled into me throughout my childhood that, like him and my great-grandfather, I was born special, that I was one-of-a-kind. Whilst in that very same childhood, I recall only one thing from my mother's side: her desire for another child.

For us female nobles, especially in the Altaira kingdom, we were taught from a young age that our duty would be, no matter our position, to bear a child. It was a concept that was drilled into us from a young age, and we were taught about its consequences quite early on.

And for being a noble, I had two very good examples of these said consequences at the castle, one being my mother and the other being my Grandmother.

As far as I recall, Grandmother was always frail and weak; she was Grandfather Emilien's younger sister, who, despite being the older sibling, seemed to be full of life. It's a condition she’s been in since she gave birth to Father. Bearing a child can have quite disastrous consequences for a noble . My mother was well aware of that and was quite conscious that she could've ended up like Grandmother, yet she forced herself down that path.

I saw it happen four times, three times before Elliel was finally born. And I hated that.

I despised that even though she already had me, she wanted another child. Why risk your life for that? Why take the risk of becoming like Grandmother? Wasn't I enough?

Those were the questions I was despite being just a little girl already asking myself.

I believe the frustration I felt back then with the passage of time evolved into jealousy for Elliel years later, which later pushed me to adopt this tomboy attitude that is now an important part of my personality.

That day, when I heard that Elliel, who at the time was still a crawling toddler, received that sword from Great-Grandfather, I remember in reaction fussing about wanting one too.

My family flatly refused and would have continued to refuse if it hadn't been for the Edouards, who were like a second family to us.

On my eight birthday, Grandfather Emilien gave me my red rose sword, while Mael gave me a Reality Figer. Despite not being what I was looking for, the book Mael offered me held value on par with my sword for me. So I believe I felt more or less justified that I'd hate to see one similar to mine being offered as a gift to someone he'd only met three weeks before.

That being said, though there were some hostilities between him and I at first, they were soon resolved in our very own way. I assumed he was a bookworm like Mael, which he was, but he also seemed to be skilled at using aina and at wielding a sword, as I was.

As we got to know him better, we noticed strange aspects of his personality, like the one he had of giving names to inanimate objects, or the one of telling strange stories that make sense to him alone. In a way, he soon became, for both Mael and I, despite our rough start, like a strange youngest brother,

Since he arrived at Edouard Castle, the time I've spent there has been hundreds of times more enjoyable than it ever was, and I only wished it could’ve stayed that way forever, but no, that night everything was turned upside down.

***

That night, the night before my great-grandfather’s arrival in Beaufort, in a hurry, Grandfather Emilien and the woman I knew as Vicar Serana came to fetch him.

That night was the last time Mael and I ever saw Ronandt.

Not long after, Grandfather returned and begged us not to mention anything, no matter what the circumstances were, about Ronandt. We were both curious, confused, and concerned about whatever was happening, but nonetheless, we agreed not to talk about it. We both understood that something had happened, forcing them to evacuate him in such a dire situation.

Shortly after, we were all summoned to the castle's largest room, which housed not only all of our guests but also all of our family members. Since I was in Mael's company when we were summoned, I naturally went with him and Granpa.

By order of the local church, none of the castle's two hundred or so guests and hosts were allowed to leave the room.

They kept us waiting for hours before three men made their introduction: two old men, one dressed as a priest and the other as if he was ready to wage war on his own, and someone my father's age.

They went to the estrade of the room as if they were the hosts and were there to kick off the festivities. The old man dressed in white priest outfits gave a speech, and it was then that I noticed that he, along with the two other people with him, were pressing a bloody bandage onto their left hand, as if each of them had at least one finger severed.

"Fine Ladies and Gentlemen of Beaufort's and beyond, Greetings. Please allow this humble one to introduce himself. My name is Gregor Medvedick, faithful Archbishop of the Authority of Djeem the Accursed," he announced, before adding, "And that gentleman over there is my fellow Fourteen, the Holy Paladin Dominik Medvedick. He and I are very sorry to interrupt this celebration in honor of our colleague Armand Aubrecht, but the Church requires your full assistance for a very urgent matter. "

"Nine years ago, My colleagues and I were given an order of the highest order: to find a dangerous individual and dispose of him ourselves. The only lead we had to that individual was this."

He pulled out an object, before explaining, "This is a magical item that responds to the mana of the person we're looking for; it took us two years and a lot of work to mass-produce and distribute it across the continent. None of the magic items we'd dispersed across the continent had reacted in seven years, at least not until earlier this evening. A few hours earlier, while the local bishop was on his way to help this early party, his magic item reacted to that someone's presence. Meaning that he was here."

The man's creepy eyes swept across everyone in the room, "He or she was already gone by the time the local church disbanded a group to encircle the castle as if someone had informed him of their arrival. "

"So, here's what's bothering me: what could he or she possibly be doing here? Why would someone who had eluded us all this time suddenly appear here in this castle? The only theory I have is that he was here for my dear comrade, the Holy Paladin: Armand Aubrecht, and that he was hiding among the guests to strike him in the middle of his welcome party."

"This is why we've, I apologize, contained you all, not because we suspect one of you, but rather because we're convinced that at least one of you met him or her, and by determining who was a guest in this castle, who is missing among you, we'll eventually figure out who that person is. As such, we will be relying on your full cooperation. "

Honestly, at the time I didn’t care much about what that old man was blabbering about. I was more concerned about what happened to Ronandt. I had a great deal of admiration for the Holy Paladins, whose exploits had captivated me since I was a child, but none for an Archbishop, and even less for such an annoying old man.

Back then, I still didn't make the connection between the old man's speech about the fugitive they were looking for and Ronandt's abrupt departure at the time.

Following his speech, the old man instructed two of our butlers, who were in charge of greeting and recording the names of the guests, to enumerate all of the guests' names one by one, allowing only those whose names were mentioned and present to leave the room.

After a while, every name on the butlers' list was cleared, leaving only a small number of people unmentioned: members of the five great families, as well as a woman representing the conglomerate Douglas.

There was a reason why the names of the five great families did not appear on the list.

Though different from how connected the Edouards and Aubrechts are, the five great families have a very close relationship with each other. That and the fact that our castle also served as the duchy's command center, it is not uncommon to see a member of the great family wandering around unannounced. They had outgrown the status of mere visitors to our castle.

And as for the woman who was the representative of the conglomerate Douglas, I assumed she was unmentioned because she arrived at the castle well before the guest reception began.

"And may I ask who you are?"

We were arranged in the room so that one could tell how each member of the great family was. Everyone was gathered with their respective families. The Edouard family was the least crowded because there were only three of us in our corner, but among everyone in the room, there was someone who stood out even more because she stood all by herself in her corner.

That person was the Douglas conglomerate's representative.

She moved away from the crowd and into the center of the room, where she looked at the Archbishop.

"My name is Mathilda Douglas, first daughter and former heiress of the eleventh generation of the Conglomerate Douglas," she, with unyielding assurance, stated.

Despite how she introduced herself in front of the Archbishop, I knew from the day before that she was a commoner. She was the woman who raised my father, Uncle Damien, and Uncle Phillip in their mother's stead.

Though her voice sounded somewhat familiar, at the time, we didn't realize she was the woman always wearing a veil over her face, whom Ronandt referred to as Maa.

"Oh, my. I've heard of you, but didn't you just vanish from the spotlight thirty years ago? "

"As Your Grace the Archbishop stated, I renounced my family name for a time to attend to some personal matters, but, now, with these matters attended to, I am finally."

"I see… And may I ask, Lady Mathilda of the Douglas Family, why your name was not present in the list?"

"As strange as it may sound, when I was a nameless woman, there was a time in my life where I served as a governess for the Aubrecht family. It is understandable that my name does not appear on the list; for this visit was made both as a guest but also an old governess, paying a visit to the family she once served."

"You?! Serve as a governess? "

He then looked at each member of my family, and they all nodded in agreement.

"And, may I ask why?"

"I'm afraid this is too personal to share with your Grace, but I can assure you that there was no malice intended toward the church or humanity. I hope your grace will not hold me in contempt for failing to explain why."

"Of course, your family has done so much for the church that we won't call suspicion upon you for such a minor matter."

With that settled, the man still did not immediately let us go, as he did with the others; instead, he contented himself with slowly surveying and scrutinizing each of us from where he stood.

"Was everyone on your list present? Are you certain no one has gone missing?" He asked one of the two butlers.

"... Yes, there is no one missing."

"Are you sure?"

"...Yes."

"What a pity." Suddenly, he grabbed the man's head and pressed his thumb against the man's brow. "You see, my magic is, to put it mildly, one-of-a-kind. Lying to me is a very very bad idea."

Suddenly, the butler's veins began to glow a greenish color throughout his entire body, before he, from within, transformed into a grotesque-shaped tree.

Except for the men who arrived with him, everyone in the room was taken aback by what he did. Even for a self-proclaimed courageous tomboy like me, the scene was terrifying and intimidating to witness.

The old man turned to the second butler and, like the first, grabbed him by the head, causing the second butler to fall to the floor in fear, butt first.

"I don't like to repeat myself, but I'll ask again: is there anyone missing from this list or from the crowd who was there?"

"Someone... is... missing from the list, a young boy." The butler muttered in fear.

"A young boy?... a young boy? A child? ..."

"Whose child?"

"I don’t know, but he came with..."

Trembling, the butler looked toward us, toward Mael and Grandfather.

The moment the old man raised his eyes from the butler to us, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread run through my entire body

"A child, huh?" The Archbishop muttered, before asking, "How old exactly was that child? "

Even though I was never particularly bright, evidence was aplenty for me to understand which child they were referring to.

"Maybe nine or ten, I’m not sure. That’s all I know, I swear. "

The Archbishop finally let go of the butler and approached us.

There had never been a time in my life when I felt so terrified. Each of his steps felt like an eternity, yet he seemed to be moving too quickly toward us.

"You must be Emilien Edouard. And this has to be Phillip's child, right? My son-in-law over there is a close friend of your son Phillip," he casually explained, pointing to the youngest man who was accompanying them.

The youngest man saluted Mael and his grandfather with a respectful head nod.

Only then did the old man turn his attention to me.

"And, this is?"

"Ramia..." I am Ramia, daughter of Luke Aubrecht and great-granddaughter of Armand Aubrecht. " I only found myself able to mutter, quivering.

"No wonder those eyes felt so familiar." He said with a smile that tried to be warm.

"Now then, to get back to our matter at hand, Lord Emilien, I have a question for your Edouard family," he said cheerily, as if he hadn't just committed murder a few moments before. "Where is he, that child?"

"I don’t see what child you are talking about," Grandfather retorted.

The old man said nothing but smiled at Grandpa and slowly looked down at Mael, who was standing between me and Grandpa.

"You seem to be a smart boy, like your father. I believe you are different from your stubborn grandfather over there, so I'm going to ask you, where is the young boy who came with you?"

Just like his grandfather, Mael just remained silent.

But even I could tell how frightened he was.

"I see, just as stubborn as your grandfather then. It can’t be helped then. "

He turned around and slowly returned to where he came from, but then, something from beneath him emerged and snatched Mael away at breakneck speed, leaving him, bound by root-like appendages, hovering at the old man's level.

It took some time for me to process what exactly had happened, but the moment the old man did what he did, I saw my father and grandfather being knocked away in a corner of the room, while the blonde man who had come with the Archbishop and the Holy Paladin, was now lying on the ground, pressed down by the Holy Paladin, but not where he had a few breaths ago stood, but just next to the old man.

Mael, the old man, the armored man, and the blonde pinned to the ground were all encircled by a sandish, yet transparent barrier. While that barrier knocked both Grandpa and Father down.

My first instinct was to charge at the barrier, but I was stopped by Mathilda. Without her, I would most likely have met the same fate as my father and grandfather, who were tossed aside, across the room, by the barrier.

"Leave that child be! Please, father, " The blonde man pinned on the ground pleaded.

"I understand your frustration, Vicar Barbosse; believe me, I do, but they are the ones who brought this upon themselves."

The blonde man tried to talk back but was immediately silenced by the armored man.

The old man reached his hand out to Mael and put his hand against his face, as he did for the two butlers.

"I already said, I hate repeating myself, but I’ll ask once again, where is the child? " He asked Grandfather loudly and clearly, threatening to harm Mael.

"Harm a single one of his hair and I swear-"

"Swear to do what?! I was just asking where the child accompanying you was. It’s your fault for being stubborn. All I want to know is his location. WHERE IS HE?"

I saw all sorts of reactions to Grandfather Silence from across the room; some pleading with him to reveal the truth and others questioning whether what he was doing was really worth his grandchild's safety.

Grandfather tried everything he could to keep his whereabouts hidden, but the sight of the strange greenish light parkouring Mael's vein forced him to reveal the truth.

"The Rosetta manor,"... they are heading to the Rosetta manor right now."

The old man looked at a nearby priest, and the priest approached him while keeping a safe distance from the barrier.

"Where is that Rosetta Manor located?"

"It’s a manor owned by the ducal family situated in the southeast part of the duchy, it’s just at the border of the barrier."

"Who lives there?"

"No one, your grace, this place is not supposed to be inhabited by any noble."

"Who exactly is that child? What is he trying to do to your Aubrecht’s Rosetta manor? "

"I already answered your earlier question! Now let my grandchild go. "

"Not until you’ve answered my questions!"

Suddenly, the armored man, the blonde man, and the barrier vanished in a white pillar of light, leaving only the old man with Mael.

Father and Grandfather seized the opportunity presented by their sudden disappearance to retrieve Mael from the old man’s hand.

Surprised by the sudden disappearance of his allies, the old man took a step back from Mael, who was quickly retrieved by grandpa.

As earlier, the blonde man suddenly reappeared, immediately falling to his knees on the ground and puking his guts out.

The old man charged at the blonde, grabbing him by the collar. "Vicar Barbolse: What’s the meaning of this?! WHERE IS HE?! "

"That was enough, Archbishop; you already know where the child is. We still don't know if that child, and I doubt it is the case, is the one you're looking for. You'd be doing an injustice to a family that has been so faithful to the Church for generations. "

"WHERE IS HE?!"

And your cousin isn't far away, either. "

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open, revealing the armored man drenched in water.

"It's time for us to leave this place. Send a small group of men to see if that child is the one we're looking for or not. If this is the case, I'll teleport us there. There are still many leads about the faceless one that is to be explored here," the man suggested.

"Fine… I despise having to do this. "

The old man let go of his collar as the armored man approached him.

The blonde man slowly stood up, and once he did, they both took off their bandages, revealing beneath a missing phalange on their left hand, except for the blonde one, who already had two more missing.

The unfolding scene was grotesque, but the archbishop, the holy paladin, and the vicar Barbosse each ripped off one of their phalanges at the same time, to then entrust it to the blonde man, who, in a matter of seconds, turned their fingers into a blue crystal.

They then summoned one of the priests present, gave him a mission, and charged him with heading to the Rosetta Manor to apprehend the child.

"I will take leave, but no one from the Aubrechts or Edouards families is allowed to leave until this matter is resolved." He declared as he walked toward the exit.

***

After that incident, we never had any other news from Ronandt,

Grandfather Emilien, father, and even great-grandfather all told Mael and me not to mention his name ever again.

It was as if they wanted us to forget about that strange little brother we once had, but we will never forget.

A few months later, we held our coronation without him.

It was an untold one, but that day, Mael and I made a vow.

We remembered how helpless and weak we were, and we would never ever forget.

To that end, I left behind the youthful and stupid jealousy, I held against my own brother.

Mael began to show a keen interest in what Ronandt and I were both passionate about: sword and aina training.

We still hope to meet again someday, but we know it's unlikely, so we'll have to wait until then. We—I will keep his dear Cassandra, as he called it—until I return it to its rightful owner; until then, I hope he won't mind if I-We were to cut down with it some of the few who caused our separation: the Archbishop Gregor Medvedick, and the Holy Paladin, Dominik Medvedick.