— In your position, you should be begging for mercy, not putting on an act of pride.
Behind the iron bars, Nora clung to the last remnants of her dignity as she stared at Crown Prince Elass. Her once long crimson hair had been cut short and now resembled a filthy mop, matted with the grime of the dungeon.
— Are you ready to confess your guilt?
Elass asked, but Nora's piercing gaze, filled with fury, gave him his answer. Even if she had wished to speak, she could not. During the torture, in their attempt to force a confession from her, her mouth had been burned with red-hot metal. Now, whenever she tried to utter a sound, she could only choke on her own blood.
Once, she had captivated the men of high society.
Now she resembled a mangy alley cat.
Nora had been the victim of deception — a carefully orchestrated trap. Yet even after countless attempts to prove her innocence, nothing remained for her but to await her own demise.
— Elass, may I ask you to leave me alone with Sister Nora for a few minutes?
The innocent and pure young lady, who had supposedly suffered greatly from her sister's countless crimes, slowly lowered herself into a crouch before the bars.
Mira smiled gently, assuring the prince there was nothing to fear and that he could step away. The guards observing the scene left the corridor convinced that the younger sister merely wished to bid farewell to her elder and forgive her wicked deeds. Nora had allegedly pushed her down the stairs and even attempted to attack her with a knife. To everyone, that was how it appeared.
— Call for me if you need anything, — Elass said before leaving.
— Of course, — she replied softly, smiling at his retreating figure.
How could two completely different sisters be born into the same noble family? Everyone who had ever met them had asked that very question.
Mira slowly approached Nora.
— Poor sister… You didn't even notice when you walked straight into my trap.
Nora's eyes widened in shock. She could not believe that the person standing before her was her own sister. It was her face — those sweet cheeks, that gentle smile — yet there was nothing familiar or dear within them.
— You truly exhausted my patience all this time, — Mira exhaled lightly. — You could have continued living peacefully. But no… you had to start suspecting things and meddling in matters that did not concern you.
Unable to conceal her bewilderment, Nora stared at the sister she had loved so dearly, unable to understand when everything had gone so terribly wrong.
— I'm sure you don't understand what happened, — she mocked.
Nora grasped the iron bars, struggling to remain on her feet.
— You still can't accept the reality you're in. Then try accepting this one: yesterday the Duke and Duchess were caught attempting a coup, and this morning, by the King's order, they were executed.
Unable to hold herself upright any longer, Nora collapsed onto the dungeon floor. Images of her parents flashed through her mind — her father's scent… her mother's voice… Her eyes, dried and irritated by dirt and sand, filled with tears.
— Mira… — Nora managed to gasp, choking on blood.
With pleading eyes, she clutched at the hem of the expensive dress, searching for an explanation.
— You still haven't understood? — A shrill laugh echoed through the dungeon, shrinking the space until it felt no larger than a grain of sand. — Mira has been gone for many years now~.
In an instant, Nora froze. A chill ran down her spine. Her sister's body transformed before her eyes into that of a stranger. The light hair darkened into pitch black, like hardened resin. In those eyes, Nora no longer saw her gentle younger sister. The woman before her resembled no one from this kingdom.
— I am not your sister. But I could have continued being her… if you had not interfered.
— Who… are you?.. Kh—!
Blood sprayed from her lips as she coughed violently.
— You cannot even imagine what the people of this kingdom did to mine. And now that the greatest obstacle is gone, I can finally carry out my revenge and destroy this empire. Well then… I suppose this is farewell, sister.
The foreign woman's appearance shifted back to its previous guise, and she left the dungeon, abandoning Nora to complete solitude.
At dawn the next morning, Nora was led to the public square.
Nothing remained of the noble lady she once was.
Amid the roar of the crowd, she walked toward her death. Someone from the mob hurled a stone at her.
— Kh!
Blood gushed forth, blinding one of her eyes and forcing her to stumble up the scaffold.
Nora did not resist when they dragged her up the steps.
She did not resist when her head was placed into the lunette of the guillotine.
…
A moment.
The blade fell.
And the pain vanished.
Silence followed.
…
A warm light began to envelop Nora's soul. In the emptiness of her consciousness, she felt a long-forgotten warmth and tenderness.
— Forgive us, Nora… — the painfully familiar voices of her parents reached her. — We could not protect our little Mira, but we can save you.
The voices faded. All of space compressed into a single point.
A sharp clap.
…
— Nora!
Drops of ink fell from her quill onto the sheet of equations on her desk. The teacher immediately replaced the ruined pages with fresh ones.
Finally coming to her senses, Nora turned toward the voice that had called her name. In another corner of the room sat Mira, gazing at her with wide eyes filled with admiration.
Mira…!
Nora could not believe what she was seeing. The last time she had seen her, Mira had been around twenty years old. Now, before her stood a girl barely older than ten.
Nora rubbed her eyes, trying to comprehend what was happening, when the teacher's voice drew her back.
— Lady Eleonora, please refrain from distracting yourself during the lesson.
— Teacher?..
The instructor stood firmly before her.
After that incident of cruelty toward Mira, he was dismissed… and I never heard of him again.
Despite his stern appearance, there was a paternal gentleness about him. He had taught Nora and Mira since they were seven. After Mira's disappearance at the age of nine, only Nora continued her studies. When Mira was eventually found, she resumed her lessons from where she had stopped.
— That will be all for today, — the teacher adjusted his glasses. — You are dismissed, Lady Eleonora.
…
— Sister Nora, I loved watching you study!~ — little Mira ran toward her and hugged her tightly.
Could it be…
Realization struck her.
Not only Mira — she herself had become younger.
The teacher who had been dismissed.
The estate exactly as she remembered it.
— Sister?..
Nora came back to her senses just in time. Gently stroking the girl's head, she offered a tender smile.
— It's all right. I enjoyed having you beside me during the lesson as well.
If the impostor appeared after Mira's disappearance, then she has not arrived yet. I can prevent Mira's disappearance… and the destruction of our family.
— Haha, stop patting my head. I'm not five — I'm ten.
The girl's words echoed in Nora's mind.
Ten years old… Which means the real Mira has already disappeared.
Nora's gaze turned cold.
Her beloved sister was no longer here.
And that meant the events that would lead to her family's ruin had already begun.