Falsina opened her mouth and, to my surprise, spoke in the language of our previous world:
"This is impossible... are you my sister?"
Maybe I spoke too soon, thinking that the girl before me couldn't possibly be the same sister I lost… and that calling her by my old sister's name would lead nowhere.
But suddenly, a flood of emotions overwhelmed me, and I couldn't hold back my tears... She, too, began crying.
Maybe it was because the life we had worked so hard to reach had taken our past lives in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the servants and Prince Rafael stood frozen, shocked.
To them, it probably looked like we were speaking in a strange language—like children babbling—and then bursting into tears for no reason.
They rushed to comfort us.
Before long, we fell into a deep sleep.
I don't know how, but the servants' hands were almost magical… They held us so gently that my sister and I dozed off as if they were used to calming troubled souls.
***
Let's go back a little...
And see things from Falsina's perspective.
When I opened my eyes... I saw a little girl beside me.
What?
Was I reborn... as a twin?!
Suddenly, the door opened.
A maid? A palace? What's going on?
They began changing our clothes. Then one of the maids said that our father, the Emperor, was coming to visit us.
They added that he was a fierce man, a war hero... and that the Empress, our mother, had died.
Moments later, the Emperor arrived.
His appearance was strange... and his gaze even stranger.
Wait... Did our eyes just meet?!
Why am I in his arms?
I don't want to be with him… It seems my sister doesn't want to either.
I tried to stay calm and told myself: I won't cry… I won't cry.
***
After what happened in the garden, I woke up as usual and looked at my sister. She was already awake.
I asked her, confused:
"Why did you speak in our world's language?"
Valencia answered:
"I don't know... but I thought maybe shared actions weren't just a twin thing. We're both calm at this age, even though children usually need their mothers..."
"But I'm an adult... I don't need things the way children do. And when I saw the same behavior from you, I felt there was a small chance you might be my sister from our previous life."
Falsina smiled thoughtfully and said:
"Hmm… Thinking about it now, it's comforting that you're here with me in this life too. We're not just any pair of twins… Things are going to be different from now on, aren't they?"
Valencia nodded gently:
"Of course. How the Emperor treats us will determine everything."
She continued:
"Let's recap what we know so far. We're part of the imperial family. Our father is the current Emperor. Our mother, the Empress, has passed away. There are three children: Prince Rafael, the eldest and crown prince, and us—the twin princesses. People say our birth caused the Empress's death."
Falsina asked quietly:
"Do you think the Emperor hates us because of that?"
Valencia replied firmly:
"I don't know, but we didn't ask to be born. No one chooses to be born. I think it would be childish and shallow of the Emperor to hate us for that."
***
Knock knock knock...
There was a knock at the door, and Rafael burst in, panting.
"Hah... Oh! How are you two? Umm, why were you crying? We were having such a nice outing, and suddenly everything changed...
Anyway, I guess it's normal for kids to cry. I just wasn't used to hearing you two cry."
*Mwah mwah* — he kissed us playfully.
"My gosh! You really do look like one person! I wouldn't be able to tell you apart if it weren't for those bracelets on your tiny wrists."
He grabbed one hand from each of us and kissed them.
"This small size is just adorable. You both look so much like Mom... Blue eyes, blond hair, pale skin… even the beauty mark under your right eye. This resemblance is incredible."
***
The head butler, Mr. Devand, entered and said:
"Your Highness, it's now one o'clock. Time for your succession lessons."
Rafael let go of our hands and said:
"See you later! I won't be long."
After he left, we returned to our conversation.
Falsina asked with concern:
"What should we do? We can't even sit on our own or care for ourselves."
Valencia replied with calm determination:
"Let's grow up properly first... and quietly learn about this new world. For now, there's no danger, and everything seems good. Look at the bracelets with our names—they're in a different language."
Falsina said:
"You're right... We'll need to learn this language. But we already speak more than five languages from our previous life, so it won't be hard."
***
The peaceful, luxurious days continued.
Having a kind older brother like Rafael made everything easier.
During that time, we learned a lot.
We found out our father, the Emperor, rules over the East, West, North, and South. He unified all lands into one continent called the "Great Continent"—the Empire of Dekarmon Sina.
He is also a Sword Master, and this world heavily relies on **magic** and **holy power**.
***
Then, three years later...