The two sisters sat beneath the tree and chatted casually for a while, watching the koi swim beneath the surface.
Eventually, Aria's gaze drifted toward the mansion.
The large estate stretched behind them, surrounded by high wooden walls.
Guards stood near the gates while servants moved quietly between the buildings.
Beyond the garden, the sounds of sword practice occasionally carried over from the training grounds.
Aria had spent her entire life here.
She knew every corridor, every garden path, and every room she was allowed to enter.
Yet there was one thing she didn't know.
What lay beyond those walls.
"Sister."
"Hm?"
"Do you ever wonder what's outside?"
Her sister looked at her.
"Outside?"
"The world." Aria pointed toward the walls surrounding the estate. "There's a whole world out there, but we've never seen any of it."
Her sister smiled.
"You've been thinking about this again?"
She leaned back against the tree.
"And where would you go if you could leave?"
