By Zephyria 
A week before the end of the year.
Numerous carriages lined up and poured into the Duke Valentia Family’s estate. The mansion’s rooms, too many to count, were all filled, accommodating guests.
People adorned in dazzling clothes and sparkling shone like fruits packed into a cake.
My mother, Seiren, was sensitive to the cold and preferred dresses that covered her neck and shoulders, often shielding herself from the sun. Even when dressed up, the children from the Academy never exposed their shoulders.
However, at the Duke Valentia Family’s estate, located far south of Ernhardt, many guests wore dresses that revealed their shoulders and upper chests, making it difficult to know where to look.
Because of this, I found myself frequently looking below people’s waists when walking in the garden or entering a banquet hall lately.
This was all thanks to the magic that warmly heated the indoor air. I felt a sense of resentment for no apparent reason.
As the number of guests increased, it became difficult to see my maternal grandfather and my uncle and his wife.
Not only them, but my blood relatives and Ernhardt’s were also busy receiving dozens of guests every day.
Most of these were my mother’s acquaintances from before her marriage. Therefore, I also maintained a polite demeanor and made appearances here and there.
“Seiren unnie! No, you’re Countess Ernhardt now, aren’t you! My goodness, it’s been so long!”
“I’ve missed you, Baroness Brown. How many years has it been?”
“Exactly. I should have visited you, but life is… Oh, and this must be?”
“Yes, that’s right. Our eldest son, Michael Ernhardt.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam.”
“I’ve heard so much about you, Young Master Ernhardt. Seeing you now, you truly resemble Seiren when she was young!”
The woman, who burst into laughter, introduced herself as a collateral relative of the same generation as my mother.
Beside the well-built woman stood a young man, even more robust, who stared intently at me. As I looked up at his thick facial features and surprisingly youthful cheeks, he quickly greeted me.
“Hello! My name is Bill Brown, Young Master Ernhardt.”
“Young Master Brown. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Our Bill will be entering the Academy next year. He’s decided to apply to the Swordsmanship Department. Since you’re a year ahead, Young Master Ernhardt, please take good care of him.”
“…Hmm.”
I examined him again.
His dark purple hair strongly resembled my maternal uncle’s.
He was much taller than me, with thick, broad shoulders and hands, leading me to believe he was much older. Yet, he was told to be a child who had just reached the age of Geomancy.
I wondered if it was common for maternal relatives to have faces that appeared more mature than their age.
As I observed him closely, he kept giving me a familiar feeling, and I tilted my head.
“…Have we met somewhere before?”
“I’ve been so eager to meet you! I respect you, hyungnim!”
“…Pardon?”
My question was whether he had visited on my birthday, but an unexpected answer came back. Well, it was impossible to forget a boy with such an impression.
Although Bill Brown was older than me now, my mother was from a higher generation than his mother, so by seniority, he was indeed my younger relative.
I came from a world where it was natural to call elders ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aunt’ regardless of age if their seniority was higher, so I felt no hesitation. However, those around me were in an uproar, finding his behavior incredibly amusing.
Watching him grab my hand with his sturdy face and shake it up and down, I belatedly realized why he felt familiar.
For a moment, I pondered whether this was acceptable, then I opened my mouth.
“…Are you from the Peng family?”
“Huh? Peng family? What’s that?”
“No, it’s not. It’s not. I was mistaken for a moment.”
Sometime ago, I had a dream of a man swimming across a black river.
Given that my birth in this land was surprising and driven by an incomprehensible fate, I had considered the possibility that others might have been reborn into this land like me.
It was absurd. Not even funny. Even as I thought that, I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter.
The five great clans, including the Namgung Family, were called the Five Great Clans, wielding significant influence through their bloodlines.
The Namgung Family, Moyong Sega, Sacheon Danga, Jegal Family, and Habuk Peng Family controlled the security and finances of their respective regions.
Among them, the Habuk Peng Family was renowned for their exceptional physique and immense strength.
However, they used their strength even for tasks requiring intellect, and used it where it shouldn’t be used, making them a constant headache when we were together.
They always carried a polearm larger than their own bodies, and without considering its size, they would sling it over their shoulders and look around here and there, causing a commotion. How many times had Hwangbo, standing behind him, been hit by that polearm and started a fight?
They would roll boulders down a mountain to clear out bandits, or overturn fleeing boats to catch enemies. Just being near them meant troublesome incidents would cling to you like moss.
They were chivalrous and naive, but not easy to get along with.
Bill’s facial features and build were strikingly similar to the man from the Peng family in the Central Plains.
Internally, I had hoped for someone like Jegal or Moyong to come if I were to summon someone I knew from Seiren’s land, so I felt displeased.
Looking up at Bill, who was repeatedly pounding his broad chest, saying he would become a Peng today if his hyungnim wanted him to be, without even knowing what it meant.
The laughter around me grew louder. I was speechless.
Baroness Brown quickly took his side.
“It’s customary to participate in the capital’s ball for a Debutante, but Bill here insisted so much on seeing Young Master Ernhardt that we came to the Valentia ball. Oh my, he’s all grown up now, I can’t refuse him.”
“Oh, really? What kind of stories did he hear?”
“Just similar to the rumors circulating in the upper districts. That Young Master Ernhardt trained in the martial arts training ground since he was five, that he has a good personality and strong chivalry, and that his hair and eyelashes are Valentia pink. He’s rumored to be an incredible beauty, a hero of the century.”
“Valentia pink…”
“Ahaha! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you blush, unnie!”
Even though I had heard that my mother was famous in her time, I was stunned by the unfamiliar words.
I realized anew that I had lived like a frog in a well until last year.
Beside her, Bill, laughing heartily with his Adam’s apple visible, I wondered which of those stories he had heard that made him anticipate meeting me, but I didn’t ask.
Since the elders of our families wanted Bill and me to spend time together, I included Bill among the children I looked after while waiting for the new year.
Michael, who had been displeased with Bill calling him ‘hyungnim’ and bowing repeatedly, was easily won over with a few rides on his shoulders.
I didn’t like how he took my younger brother and swung him around as if he were his own.
When I asked if I also gave good rides on my shoulders, the child hesitated for a long time before admitting that Bill’s shoulders were wider and higher than his brother’s, making it more fun.
I felt a pang of disappointment but didn’t show it.
Michael and Asdel, exhausted from playing, were asleep. Bill’s loud, booming laughter kept threatening to wake the children, so I took him outside.
Maelo Sanson was also well-built, but his serious demeanor and wise attitude exuded a refined presence. Bill possessed a similar robustness, but he laughed and moved with his entire being.
Standing next to him, even Benjamin might seem small.
As I was thinking this, a hand like a cauldron lid landed heavily on my shoulder.
“Hyungnim, I heard everything.”
“Yes? What?”
“I heard you’re already aiming for the highest realm of Sword Expert.”
“…Hmm.”
“I will serve you as my hyungnim for life.”
“…What is your realm?”
“Ah, please speak casually! Yes? Are we strangers?”
We were strangers.
Even though we were related by blood, we were more than distant cousins. We were people who had never met until this day, yet after spending one lively day together, he acted familiar and bumped shoulders with me, which felt incredibly awkward.
The only reason I didn’t push him away immediately was that his behavior felt familiar. Perhaps it was because he was younger than the Peng family member, or perhaps he was well-groomed and clean, but it was fortunate that his scent wasn’t strong.
Every time he spoke loudly in my ear, his voice echoing, my head would ring.
He said he was currently an intermediate Sword Expert. He boasted that it was only a matter of time before he awakened his aura, even though his body hadn’t yet.
Indeed, it would be ridiculous for someone with his physique to act so immaturely. I indulged his clinginess, like a friendly dog.
I pacified him by agreeing to his pleas to spar later and hang out together at the Academy.
❖ ❖ ❖
New Year’s Day.
A gentle breeze blew through the grand hall, which glittered with gold and silver in every direction. The melodies carried on the warm wind were cheerful.
Young men and women, who had danced continuously from noon until dawn, leaned on the terrace, exchanging tender glances and whispering sweet words.
I, too, came out onto the terrace with my family and relatives, waiting for the new year to dawn.
Thanks to a long nap, the children’s eyes were bright as they gathered amongst themselves, looking at the sky and counting the time.
They all hid their working watches and waited for the sun to rise among the stars in the black sky.
I recalled that this year had been busier and happier than any year I had experienced since coming to Seiren.
I wished that the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, would be just as overwhelming and happy.
Michael and Asdel, who were holding my fingers tightly, opened their small mouths wide.
“Hic!” The children gasped, and I pulled them closer with my arms around their shoulders, finding them so endearing.
Far away, on a gentle hill, the red sun revealed itself.
Joyful murmurs and small yawns rippled through the crowd.
And so, I turned fourteen.