The Handler Family Manor, the Capital.
Irritation had taken full hold of Charlotte's thoughts.
Ian had left the estate without a single word to her. Yet what wounded her most was not the departure itself, but the audacity of leaving a clone in his place, as though his presence could be adequately represented by a lifeless copy.
Leaving without farewell was bad enough.
Substituting himself with a replica felt like a different kind of dismissal entirely, one far more difficult to forgive.
He did it often, and never offered any clear explanation upon returning.
Not long ago, Charlotte had destroyed that false form without hesitation, just before the midday meal was to begin. Ironically, within moments, a new copy had appeared in the very same spot. What vexed her further was that the replica had even had the nerve to remind her not to destroy it again.
Where in the world had he gone? The clock had already passed two in the afternoon.
He had still not returned.
A gentle tug at the hem of her gown broke Charlotte's thoughts apart. Beside her, Dorothea was watching with hopeful eyes, waiting for attention that had not come.
The little girl had apparently been feeling overlooked for some time.
"Sister."
"What is it, Dorothea?"
"I have been calling for a while, but Sister did not answer."
Dorothea lowered her head slightly, her voice growing small.
"Is something troubling you?"
"Ah, you are right. I was thinking about something."
"Might Dorothea know what it is?"
"Confections."
Charlotte paused briefly.
"Sweets."
The little girl's eyes went wide.
"That is what Sister was thinking about?"
"Of course. I promised we would go shopping together today."
Charlotte glanced at her briefly.
"Do not tell me you have forgotten."
Dorothea's face lit up at once.
How could she possibly forget? She had been anticipating it since morning, had even composed a mental list of the sweets she wished to buy. Her worry over her mother's possible scolding had receded for the time being. So long as Adela remained unaware of the plan, Dorothea chose not to think about whatever consequences might await her.
"How could I ever forget, Sister!"
"Good."
"When shall we go?"
"Shortly."
Charlotte fell quiet for a moment. Her thoughts drifted back to Ian's copy. That matter needed to be seen to first.
"Dorothea, go find your mother first. Tell her we are going out for a walk."
Charlotte rose, smoothing her skirts with a brief motion.
"I will follow shortly. There is a small matter I must settle with Ian."
"Very well, Sister."
***
"I dislike this."
Ian's copy climbed down from the bed.
He paced the room, moving from the bedside to the balcony, then back again. His thoughts were a tangle of loose threads that refused to unravel. Without any meaningful occupation, restlessness had begun to gnaw steadily at his patience from within.
What am I to do? Follow Charlotte?
No. That is the same as handing myself over to be destroyed by her.
Waiting here with no word from the original is truly insufferable. What if I simply went out?
The copy shook his head, dismissing the thought at once.
That was out of the question.
His gaze wandered around the room before settling on a large gold-framed mirror standing not far from the wooden wardrobe.
He walked toward it and stopped directly before his own reflection.
"How much longer must I wait here?"
His voice was low, closer to a complaint than a question.
"On top of everything, I must contend with an exasperating elder sister, while he gets to spend his time alone with Grace."
He was speaking to the mirror, as though the identical figure before him might offer the answer he was looking for.
The creak of the door cut short his grumbling.
The sound of footsteps echoed into the room even before the figure crossing the threshold had fully entered.
The copy turned at once.
Sister? Why has she come back?
"What are you doing standing there staring into a mirror like that? You look utterly foolish."
Knowing full well that the young man before her was nothing but a Kage Bunshin, Charlotte no longer held her words in check. Whatever irritation remained found its outlet at once.
"Sister is being quite unreasonable. Could you not speak with a little more civility?"
"I will oblige that request when you are willing to be honest with me."
"I have already told you. I do not know."
"Liar. Just like the original."
"That insult belongs to him, not to me."
"Look at you now. You have even taken to defying him."
"I am merely stating the truth."
Charlotte clicked her tongue.
She stepped forward until only two paces separated her from Ian's copy.
She had asked about the whereabouts of the original any number of times, and the answer was always the same: I do not know. Whether he truly did not know, or was simply pretending, Charlotte had no way of being certain.
She did not have much time to press the matter further.
There was still a promise to keep today.
Besides, nothing in the room appeared out of the ordinary.
Since the first Kage Bunshin had been destroyed, every item in the chamber remained exactly where it had been.
This second copy had clearly done nothing but idle about, lying on the bed or admiring his own reflection.
"Stay at the estate. I am going out with Dorothea."
"Out? Might I come along?"
"You wish to come?"
"Is that a problem, Sister? I am beginning to tire of this room."
"I am going shopping with Dorothea, and as it happens we are short of hands. You may come along to carry the parcels."
Charlotte waited a moment.
"Well?"
The copy raised a hand at once in flat refusal. Without a second thought, he turned and strolled back toward the bed.
A porter?
He refused outright.
Had the one standing before her been the real Ian, that young man would have agreed without hesitation.
But a Kage Bunshin sometimes manifested a disposition that strayed quite considerably from its creator.
This was not Charlotte's first encounter with such a thing.
Her own ninjutsu copies occasionally displayed habits that ran contrary to her true nature.
"Forget it, Sister. I wish to enjoy some peace without anyone bothering me."
"That is called idling, not peace."
"No matter. The original is not here, after all."
"You insufferable thing. I truly wish to strike you."
The copy glanced over briefly. A smirk curled at the corner of his mouth, deliberately provoking.
"Go ahead then."
"You..."
Charlotte's jaw tightened.
I truly want to thrash him. He has been testing my patience this entire time. This disposition is remarkably similar to Ryan's. Is this the true nature of what Ian keeps buried inside, a desire to defy me?
She had never encountered a copy of Ian this infuriating before.
"There is no point speaking with you. I am going."
"Take care on the road, Sister."
Charlotte did not look back.
She seized the door handle and slammed it shut.
The wall trembled faintly.
Inside the room, Ian's copy startled briefly at the impact.
Only briefly.
Before long, his composure returned to what it had been.
"It seems Sister is genuinely furious."
And why should that concern him? There was nothing wrong with provoking an elder sister from time to time.
He lay back, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.
"Let her be. She can take it out on the original later."
He chuckled quietly.
"Serves him right."
***
I made my way along the quiet corridor on the second floor toward my Aunt's study.
The image of that Kage Bunshin continued to nag at my thoughts. That provocative smirk in particular remained vivid in my mind. This was the first time I had ever received such impudent treatment from an Ian.
It is only a copy. Even so, could a disposition like that manifest without some foundation?
It was merely a Ninjutsu. So why did I feel so thoroughly insulted? What if Ian truly harboured such inclinations? Had my younger brother been feigning all this time, playing the part of someone cold, composed, and obedient? Was there, beneath that calm exterior, a rebellion just like that one simmering all along?
I exhaled slowly, making an effort to set the suspicion aside. Dwelling on that insolent Kage Bunshin would only exhaust me without yielding any answers.
My steps came to a halt before my Aunt's study. Just as my knuckles were about to meet the door, it swung open from within. My Aunt's graceful figure appeared and we came face to face at once. Dorothea followed a few steps behind her.
"Aunt."
"Ah, Charlotte!"
She looked briefly startled to find me standing at her door. A natural enough reaction, since I had made very little sound approaching. I stepped back two paces at once to give them room to pass through fully.
My Aunt glanced down and offered her daughter a gentle smile before turning her attention to me.
"Dottie has told me everything. The two of you are planning to go shopping together."
"That is..."
Dorothea... Did I not say only that we were going for a walk? Why did you go and tell your mother everything?
Those questions remained held at the tip of my tongue. Standing beside her mother, the little girl seemed to sense my eyes on her. She quickly bowed her head and avoided my gaze, whether out of embarrassment or guilt I could not tell, even though I had no intention of blaming her at all.
This was meant to be our secret. Now the whole plan has been laid bare.
I grumbled inwardly. Having learned our true destination, my Aunt might well withdraw her permission.
Seeing me standing in silence with my eyes on Dorothea, my Aunt gave a quiet laugh instead. Her fingers stroked her daughter's blue-tinged hair softly.
"It is quite all right, Charlotte. Make my daughter happy while she is in the capital. Only please ensure she does not overindulge, particularly in confections and sweets. Choose those made from natural ingredients. You understand?"
"...Yes, Aunt."
That agreement came as a small surprise. She had once caught me sharing sweet treats with her daughter, and since that day I had been reprimanded more than once for bringing confections with too much sugar. In this matter, she and my own mother were remarkably alike. Neither of them tolerated lollipops in the slightest.
"And purchase a few other varieties of sweets to bring back. Natural ingredients, of course."
"For whom?"
"You are forgetting your own Aunt."
An awkward laugh escaped my lips.
"Forgive me, Aunt. I will remember your order."
"See that you do."
I gave a nod. A quiet embarrassment crept in. I had been so unobservant that I had entirely failed to realise the reprimand had also contained a gentle request for herself.
"When you set out, bring one of the attendants along. The two of you will surely struggle carrying everything on your own."
My Aunt paused briefly, then continued.
"Ah, you might also bring Ian along. Would that not make things considerably easier?"
"Ian is resting in his room. I did invite him, but he was too tired."
It was impossible for me to admit that the figure in that room was nothing but a copy. Even if my Aunt already knew of that ability from her own son, saying so felt discourteous regardless. Learning that the nephew under her care had quietly slipped away from the estate without a word would certainly leave a poor impression.
Were I in my Aunt's position, I too would feel hurt to have my authority as guardian so casually disregarded.
Ian, you truly are a great deal of trouble.
"Is that so. Perhaps the effects of using the teleportation gate are still taking their toll on his body. And what of you, Charlotte? Are you no longer feeling unwell or dizzy?"
"I am quite all right now, Aunt."
The nausea brought on by the spatial transfer magic had faded entirely after I had rested for a time with Dorothea.
"I am glad to hear it. Off you go, then. The confectionery displays will be picked clean if you arrive too late in the afternoon."
"Yes, Aunt."
Dorothea took her leave of her mother. Shortly after, the two of us departed and walked side by side along the corridor together.