Editor: bodyinthefreezer
Diana’s face had changed and she had lost her baby fat.
Her gentle eyes had become a little sharper, and she was also taller.
She changed a lot, but I could still recognize my sister at a glance.
“Sister!”
Diana ran to me and gave me a big hug. I hugged my younger sister, whom I finally met after a long time. I was surprised by the force she put into the hug.
“Sister! Are you really sister? Are you really my older sister?”
“Yes, it's me. I'm back, Diana.”
“Uwaa! S-s-sister. Uwaaa! Sister!”
I could feel the sadness and loneliness she had experienced in her cries.
“I’m sorry, don’t cry. Don’t cry, Diana.”
“Yes, I won’t cry, Uwaa! Sister. Uwaa!”
But the more she tried to hold it in, the more she cried.
I gave her a big hug without saying anything.
***
Diana barely managed to calm down after crying for a long time.
I told her about what happened in those 7 years, like I did with Tenstheon.
I spoke about my time inside the door of darkness brightly and said that it wasn't too hard. I didn't know how much time had passed. Diana quietly nodded her head.
I didn't think she believed me completely, but she didn't ask me to explain more.
I appreciated her consideration even though she must’ve been very curious.
My Diana, she really has grown up.
I held her hand tightly as I looked at the grown up Diana.
“Sister, why do you look so thin? Look at your slender wrists.”
I did look thinner than before but it was not that serious.
The Imperial doctor examined me just in case, and he said I was healthy.
Also, I had even more power of light than before, so I felt quite healthy.
“Your cheeks are chubby, but your fingers are all bones.”
Diana began to cry again. Physically, she had grown up, but she looked exactly the same as when she was a kid when she cried.
“I'm fine. I heard it's exam season. How did you do on your test? Aren't we going to see each other tomorrow?”
The test was important for her graduation score.
So I begged everyone to not let her know that I was back until the test was over, but it seems that she still found out.
“Jayden told me. Brother-in-law also called me. They said I should pay attention in my studies and told me to come after the test. But that didn't make sense! My sister is here, and I would get distracted from my test instead!”
She raised her voice. I guess she was still getting along well with Jayden. I was worried that she would lose all of her friends after taking two years off from the academy, but I was mistaken.
“The test is important too. It’s the result of all your hard work.”
“I’m sorry…”
Tears streamed down Diana’s face. I held her in my arms and asked, “What would you be sorry for?”
“I gave up on you before…I was going to search for you again after I graduated, but I thought there was very little chance of finding you. I shouldn’t have given up, I should’ve kept looking for you…I’m terribly sorry.”
“How can you say that? I'm glad you're doing so well. If you had been looking for me all this time, I would be guilty instead.”
I was glad that Diana kept going to the academy. It was absurd for her to apologize.
“Still…”
I wiped Diana's tears and grinned.
“Diana, how’s your academy life? Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Uncomfortable? Like what?”
“I heard you took a two-year leave of absence.”
I spoke out carefully.
Diana said she didn’t want to call younger children her senior, so she studied hard to get into the academy a year earlier.
But since she took a two-year leave of absence, she must’ve been one of the older students.
“What's the big deal about taking a leave of absence? There are so many people older than me.”
She noticed what I was worried about and said brightly.
“Did you make a lot of friends?”
“Yes, of course. Also, in the last exam, I was at the top of the class.”
“Good job. I'm so proud of you, my younger sister.”
In my previous life, I would run to my grandmother with excitement when I got good grades. I liked my grandmother's praise more than the grades themselves.
But Diana was alone, and praises from friends were different from that from family.
“I heard about our father.”
Shortly after I disappeared, Gilbert Bellacian died in exile.
“Did you have a hard time preparing the funeral alone?”
I was gone and Gilbert was dead. In addition, Diana's biological mother did not attend the funeral because she had already remarried.
Diana endured a situation that would have been difficult even for an adult.
“No, His Majesty helped me. I didn't do much. Besides, he deserved to die.”
There was no sorrow or longing in her face for the loss of our father.
On the contrary, I could see a feeling of regret.
“In fact, I'm not in a position to speak ill of him.”
“Huh?”
“I'm the only one who had a good room, wore good clothes, ate good food, and got a good education. Honestly, I don't have the right to call you my sister. I’m too shameless.”
“It's okay. It wasn't your fault.”
When Diana tried to side with me or give me her stuff, Gilbert would get angry and beat me up instead.
There was nothing a young Diana could do in that situation.
“No, it's my fault. Why couldn’t I do anything back then?”
“It's natural to be scared. We were young back then.”
“Just because I was young, it doesn't change anything. I was so mean back then. So bad and mean.”
Diana bit her lips so hard that it started bleeding. She kept blaming herself for seven years. No, even back then, she had felt guilty towards me.
I took Diana's hand.
I know that she had always felt guilty, but I didn’t know how to comfort her.
Back then, I didn’t realize that I was Ancia, so I didn’t know what to say.
“…Ancia Bellacian doesn’t hate you.”
That's all I could say to the young Diana when she cried back then.
But now I knew what to say, because I was Ancia. So I was able to convey my thoughts.
“Diana, I don't hate you.”
“……”
“I’ve never blamed you. You're my only sister. I’ve always liked you.”
“Sister…”
Diana burst into tears again. I hugged my lovely sister tightly.
***
“Are you leaving?”
When Diana left the Forens Palace, she heard Blake’s voice.
“Yes, I have one last exam left.”
“Good luck on your exam.”
“I'll definitely graduate at the top of my class and become Ancia’s knight with confidence.”
Diana's eyes were swollen because she cried so much, but her expression was full of joy because her sister had returned.
“I can't wait. I don't want to leave her to anyone else.”
Diana looked at Blake. His expression was brighter than before. The dark atmosphere that surrounded him had disappeared, and he was a lot like he was in his younger days.
“Your Highness, do you remember what you said before? When I graduate at the top of my class, you agreed that we’d compete again on who likes her the most.”
“I did.”
“I'll admit it now. You win. I couldn't protect her until the end.”
Diana thought that only a family would remember Ancia. She was so out of it and said hurtful things to Blake back then.
But in the end, it was Blake who never gave up and found Ancia.
“You only say that now? I thought I was always the winner seven years ago.”
Blake responded playfully.
“No, I never thought so before.”
Diana replied lightly.
“You know how much your sister cared for me. That means you’ve admitted it for the second time.”
“Yes, but you’ll see. I will be the first in her heart someday.”
“You have an impossible dream.”
Diana laughed. If she had heard that as a child, she would’ve fought with him.
However, she was grateful to Blake for telling her that he loved Ancia more than anyone else.
“You’re blessed to be married to my sister.”
“I'm always grateful for it.”
Blake had never regretted a single moment after meeting Ancia.
If he hadn't met her, he would’ve been in despair all his life. He would’ve lived a meaningless life.
“And my sister got married to a great person too.”
Diana smiled sweetly. But Blake shook his head with a sad face
“No, she's been through a lot because of me.”
Blake recalled the image of Ancia as she was walking endlessly in the darkness. Blake was silent because he knew that was what Ancia wanted, but he felt pained when he thought about her efforts.
Diana encouraged Blake warmly when she saw him blaming himself.
“She wouldn't think so, and you can just be a good husband for her in return.”
“Of course I should.”
He’d protect her smile and only happy days would be ahead of them from now on.
“There’s something I really want to say to you.”
Diana hesitated to open her mouth.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“It's late, but I sincerely congratulate you for breaking the curse.”
When Blake's curse was lifted, she was shocked by Ancia’s disappearance and couldn't celebrate it.
Of course, she later apologized for it, but time went by without celebrating it.
“Thank you.”
Blake smiled.
As Ancia returned, all the scars and sadness left between the two disappeared.
“I'll be on my way.”
“Yes, be careful.”
“I'll take the exam tomorrow and come back!”
“Of course. Otherwise Ancia will be upset.”
“Don't worry.”
Diana answered him while smiling brightly.
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