****

“What?”

Surprised, Hazel grabbed the covers and looked at Mary.

“Lorette? Why?”

“She says she wants to see princess.”

“Please tell her to leave.”

Hazel waved her hand with a grumpy face.

“She has been coming here wanting to see you many times. If we kick her out again this time…”

The maids were well aware of how bad Hazel’s reputation had become since Princess Lorette’s arrival at the palace. Even the king often criticized Hazel terribly.

As if he wanted to give her all the love he had not been able to give her before, the king gave Lorette all the good things and made sure that all things proceeded with Lorette as the priority.

“She had struggled all her life outside the palace, so we should make it up to her. Understand that she’s your sister.”

Hazel had no choice in the matter. It was a system where everything was decided and then notified. Every time she reacted by saying she didn’t like it, her father’s cold treatment that came back only fueled her feelings of hatred for Lorette even more.

“Please see her for a moment…”

Finally Hazel sighed and nodded.

“Greetings, Princess Hazel.”

Lorette came in as soon as the door opened and greeted Hazel.

“…….”

Hazel sat up, watching as her half-sister bowed and greeted her gracefully.

“What’s going on?”

“I was told you weren’t feeling well.”

“That’s why you came to visit me?”

“Yes.”

“You know I can’t attend, don’t you?”

“…I just heard about it.”

Lorette stared at Hazel the whole time, listening to her pale face.

“What else do you want?”

“No, I don’t.”

Not being able to say she couldn’t bear it, Lorette bit her lips.

“Did you finish writing your welcome speech?”

“…….”

“What words do you use to say welcome?”

“It’s…”

“It’s what you have to do. It’s what father wants.”

“But I’m not used to this kind of thing.”

“You’ll have to get used to it. It’s your job.”

Lorette’s eyes pooled with tears as she looked at Hazel, who calmly threw her words at her.

“I’m afraid… I’m afraid I won’t live up to your expectations.”

The words flowed out of Lorette’s mouth without a moment’s hesitation, and for a moment Hazel’s head throbbed.

“Princess Hazel.”

Tears were hanging from Lorette’s eyes as she looked at Hazel. Every time she blinked hastily, the tears dropped incessantly.

It was a familiar scene. It was a scene Hazel had seen many times in her previous life.

Lorette was able to get what she wanted just by looking frail and shedding tears.

The story of the poor maid’s daughter who had to flee from the royal palace to become an imperial princess spread from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Land to the capital city and throughout the slum alleys, touching people’s hearts.The hidden princess soon monopolized the attention and love of the entire kingdom of Land.

Because of her mother’s lowly background, the princess, who had no background of her own, naturally had a new following. Lorette’s mother, with her social skills and prowess, quickly won over the favor of the nobility.

The fact that the princess had lived in the slum before joining the royal court was also a source of sympathy, and the other noble families that had been at odds with Hazel and her mother Queen’s family used this popularity to further strengthen their support for Princess Lorette.

“I’m so happy I have a father.”

Lorette said with a tone full of joy. The fact that the poor girl had a father was something to celebrate. But the king’s having a new daughter meant that there was a different wind blowing in the court than before.

“I’m very happy to have a sister too.”

Hazel silently pushed her half sister’s hand away with trembling eyes.

‘Sister?’

Hazel had never been upset at the word ‘sister’ before.

“Why did you come to visit me?”

Hazel was just amazed that Lorette could come to her with such eyes and such impunity. Despite her obvious expression of dislike every time because of Lorette’s periodic visits, the king, seeing this, began to believe that Hazel was persecuting Lorette.

‘I just didn’t like you, that’s all.’

Hazel never tried to bully Lorette vulgarly or said anything bad about her. She just didn’t like her half-sister who dared to get close to her, and Hazel just expressed it the best she could.

Hazel was fifteen and Lorette was thirteen years old at the time. Indeed, Lorette was young, but so was Hazel. To a girl who had lived her life alone as a flower in the royal palace, the king’s words to her to understand and accept the existence of her half-sister who suddenly appeared one day seemed like violence.

“That’s… that’s ….”

Hazel changed her posture while Lorette was trying to say something. But Hazel spoke as if she wanted to finish the conversation.

“I’m not well. It’s hard to talk for long. I need to rest.”

Hazel brushed her hair back and sighed. Lorette hurriedly spoke.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Lorette unfolded the bundle of papers she held tightly in her hands.

“What is this?”

Hazel had an idea what it was, but she pretended not to know.

“Uhm, my welcome speech.”

Lorette held out a sheet of paper with a few poorly written lines on it. Looking over it quickly, Hazel stared at Lorette.

“Did you come here to show me your welcome speech ?”

“Yes, father told me to write and recite the speech because his oldest daughter Hazel is ill.”

“Is that so?”

Hazel ran her sharp gaze over the paper. One by one, incorrect grammar, expressions that didn’t fit the tone, etc., caught her gaze.

“There are misspelled words…”

“What?”

“Here, and here. Here, too.”

“…Oh, I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“Still…”

Hazel’s voice slowly faded.

“Did I make you feel bad?”

Lorette startled and stepped back.

“I’m sorry. I tried very hard to learn it, but ….”

“The sentences are a mess and the expressions are wrong. There are words that should not be used in a formal setting. Are you going to read that in front of foreign guests?”

“That’s because…I thought sister Hazel was going to read the welcome speech today, so I didn’t….”

“You’re not even prepared?”

Hazel sighed as she rested her chin on her palm.

“What should I do?”

Lorette continued to fiddle with the paper in her hands.

“You should have prepared. If you’re going to take my seat, don’t you think you should at least practice something better?”

Hazel continued, “How dare you look down on me. I don’t think that….”

At Hazel’s words, Lorette shook her head like crazy. Every time she shook her head, tears streamed down her face.

“I never did. It’s not true. How dare I….?”

“Yes, how dare you.”

Hazel looked at Lorette with a cold stare, and Lorette shivered. The eyes looking up at her were filled with sincere fear.

Seeing the tears welling up in Lorette’s eyes, Hazel snatched the papers from Lorette’s hand. She then smiled at Lorette, who was staring at her with an uncomfortable expression.

“You wrote all this by yourself? Without anyone’s help?”

“…Yes.”

“Why? You can get help from your writing teacher. Don’t come to me.”

Lorette said, freaked out by Hazel’s sharp point.

“I’ve heard that the congratulatory speeches have been written directly by Princess Hazel. It’s far better than my composition teacher.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“How dare I compliment Princess Hazel?”

Lorette’s hands were shaking as she said this. If she was so scared of her half-sister, why did she come here in the first place? Hazel found it hard to understand.

“Hmmm……”

Hazel pretended not to see her and concentrated on reading the message. Lorette stood looking at her, surprised to see her reading so methodically, because she thought Hazel would throw the paper at her at any moment.

Lorette, who eventually failed to overcome curiosity, asked.

“It’s not good, is it?”

“No.”

When Hazel nodded, and Lorette’s red-hot face plopped down.

Hazel finished reading and flipping through the papers one by one, looking at her half-sister again.

“Not good, in many ways.”

“…I know.”

Lorette dropped her thin shoulders and replied in a muffled voice.

“I tried to be like Hazel, but I couldn’t help it. I’m not talented enough to learn.”

“…….”

“I’m not as good as sister Hazel in many ways. I grew up outside the castle. I didn’t learn anything. So it can’t be helped if I get ignored. Don’t be too hard on sister Hazel, father.”

The image of Lorette appealing to the king with tears on her face suddenly popped in Hazel’s head. Lorette seemed so pretentious at the time, but Hazel felt terribly bad because she didn’t know any better. Hazel had to write it off as a play performed in front of her father.

But now that she went back to the past and faced the Lorette of this time, she came to know.

“You really mean it, don’t you?”

Lorette was so pure, without a trace of malice in front of people.

At one point, Hazel used to think that Lorette was a demoness, winning everything with her crying face and angelic smile.

Everything Hazel had accomplished in her life as a perfect princess was taken away by her by her half-sister who suddenly appeared.

The love of her father, the attention and support of the people.

And even her first love.

***