Hua Yan's steps finally came to a halt.
Before her stood a modest house, nothing like the one she once called home, yet not as hollow as the place she had just left behind. From within, something stirred her chest in a way she couldn't ignore.
Laughter.
Children's laughter.
Soft… hesitant… she moved closer.
Two small figures came into view in the yard, running in circles, chasing each other, laughing as if the world had never fallen apart.
Xiao Yan and Mei Yan.
Her body trembled.
Her lips parted, wanting to call out, but her voice refused to come, caught somewhere deep in her throat.
Mei Yan noticed first.
She stopped, turned toward Hua Yan, her brows knitting slightly.
"Xiao Yan…" she whispered, tugging at her sister's sleeve.
"Don't you think… she looks like big sister?"
Xiao Yan followed her gaze.
A few seconds passed.
Uncertain.
"…no way," she murmured. "Big sister should have—"
The sentence died unfinished.
Hua Yan couldn't hold it anymore.
Tears fell in silence.
With a broken breath, she whispered—
"Xiao Yan… Mei Yan… I'm home."
That voice—
far too familiar to ignore.
Both girls froze.
They looked at each other.
And in the same instant—
"BIG SISTER!!"
They ran.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
But—
before their small hands could reach her—
Hua Yan collapsed first.
"BIG SISTER!!"
Mei Yan shook her frantically.
"Don't sleep! Wake up! Big sister, wake up!!"
Tears flooded her face.
Xiao Yan dropped to her knees beside her, hands trembling, not knowing what to do except call out a name she thought she had already lost.
Their cries echoed.
And from inside the house—
footsteps rushed out.
Their mother's relatives appeared, their expressions shifting the moment they saw her.
"Hua Yan…?!"
Without wasting time, they carried her inside.
At the edge of her fading consciousness—
Hua Yan felt something strange.
Her body was weak.
Too weak.
As if something was slowly draining her from within.
Yet beneath it—
warmth.
She wasn't alone.
She still had them.
She… still had a home.
A faint smile formed before darkness swallowed everything.
Elsewhere.
The man who had driven her away—
jerked violently.
His body trembled.
"W-what… is this…?"
Blood began to seep from his eyes. From his nose. From his ears.
Pain spread from within. Not a wound. Not an illness.
Something… punishing.
He staggered, breath falling apart.
Panic set in.
He tried to remember—
and one image surfaced.
A ragged girl.
Eyes filled with something broken.
And those words—
"…a curse…?"
His voice shook.
But the world gave him no time to understand.
His body collapsed.
Convulsing.
Eyes wide in a fear that came too late.
Within seconds—
his breath stopped.
Silence.
The same morning.
The same sky.
Yet somewhere else—
a new life began in a way that was… far from heroic.
In the backyard of the Magnus estate—
White stood upright. Or at least, tried to look like it.
The morning breeze carried the scent of fresh grass. Birds chirped, as if celebrating something White believed should mark the beginning of… real power.
He clenched his fist.
"This is it…" he muttered, full of anticipation.
"My first training. Swordsmanship… or high-level magic…"
Beside him, Alyssa stood calmer, though tension lingered in her shoulders.
"I'm curious too…" she said softly.
"Though… I hope it's not too intense."
Footsteps approached.
Expectation met reality.
Aaron and O'drice arrived.
Serious expressions.
Measured steps.
And—
a stack of books.
"…no."
White stared at them like they were his natural enemy.
Aaron stopped in front of them, while O'drice quietly set the books down with deliberate care.
"Alright, Young Master White. Young Lady Alyssa," Aaron began formally.
"Your first lesson is… Noble Etiquette."
O'drice added calmly,
"Basic conduct, posture, speech, and presence. Without that, strength is wasted."
Silence.
"…what?"
"…huh?"
They spoke at the same time.
Aaron continued, unfazed.
"Before Master Magnus trains you, you must learn how to behave as true nobles. No student of his acts like common rabble."
O'drice folded his arms slightly.
"Power without refinement only draws the wrong kind of attention."
White glanced at Alyssa.
Blank stare.
Alyssa lowered her head slightly.
Accepting fate with forced grace.
"So…" White tried to reason.
"We're learning how to eat… bow… talk fancy?"
Aaron gave a faint smile.
O'drice answered instead,
"Walk with precision. Sit without carelessness. Speak with intent. And…"
he paused briefly,
"dance when required."
Alyssa immediately went pale.
"D-dance…?"
White raised a hand, halfway to despair.
"Wait. We're students of Magnus. Not some royal etiquette school! What's the point of dancing?!"
Aaron spun his cane lightly.
"If you cannot dance at a noble gathering, how do you plan to infiltrate one?"
O'drice added,
"Blending in is often more lethal than standing out."
White froze.
"…that's not fair."
"The world rarely is, Young Master," Aaron replied.
"Adapt, or be discarded," O'drice finished.
Game over.
Training began.
"One. Back straight."
White tried.
Two minutes later—
"This is torture."
"Patience."
"I'd rather fight."
"Nobles do not complain."
O'drice: "They just suffer quietly."
Alyssa held back a smile.
"Knife on the right. Fork on the left."
White nearly dropped the knife.
Alyssa sighed softly.
"White… that's not a digging tool."
"This is harder than a sword."
Aaron closed his eyes briefly. Maybe praying. Maybe restraining himself.
O'drice looked unimpressed.
"You're holding it like you intend to interrogate it."
"Walk."
White stepped forward.
Wrong.
"Don't drag your feet."
"Not too wide."
"Don't look like you're about to kill someone."
"I'm not trying to kill anyone!"
"Your face disagrees," O'drice said flatly.
"Bow."
White tried.
The result… looked like a salute before a duel.
Aaron rubbed his temple.
"…remarkable."
O'drice exhaled slowly.
"That's a threat, not a greeting."
Alyssa did better.
Still stiff.
But at least not dangerous.
A few hours later—
White collapsed into a chair.
"I… want my dangerous life back…"
Alyssa nodded quietly.
"This is more exhausting than magic…"
Aaron smiled, satisfied.
"Good. Tomorrow we move on to formal dining… and the basics of dance."
White shot upright.
"No. We are not actually dancing."
Aaron patted his shoulder.
"You will."
O'drice added calmly
"And you will survive it."
Alyssa let out a small laugh.
And for the first time that day—
the morning felt… a little lighter.
The sky remained the same.
Yet beneath it—
one child found her way home again.
One nearly lost it, yet still held onto what remained.
And two others…
were forced to learn how to hold a fork properly before they could touch their fate.