Chapter Four: The Brother with Crimson Red Eyes

Her heart pounded in her chest like a war drum.

“Did they see me?”

She curled deeper beneath the banquet table, frozen in place. Panic threatened to take over—until she noticed something strange.

No one was looking her way.

They were all staring… toward the entrance.

And the look on their faces wasn’t anger. It was shock.

“If someone had seen me, the Countess would’ve had me dragged out by now,” she whispered to herself. “But that’s not happening.”

She pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. “I need to calm down. Something else must be going on.”

Carefully, she lifted the edge of the heavy tablecloth, just enough to peek through. Her red eyes widened as she saw a tall figure standing at the grand entrance.

The man had striking blue hair, clear as polished crystal, and deep crimson eyes—just like hers. A small mole beneath his left eye stood out on his sharp, elegant face.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“That face…”

Memory rushed in like a flood. Long-forgotten feelings surged to the surface.

In her previous life, she had secretly written letters to her father and all four of her older brothers—begging for them to remember her, to come for her. Not a single reply had ever come.

And yet…

She had spent hours sneaking into the storage room just to catch glimpses of them in old newspapers and dusty magazines.

Aichi von Lanfard.

Third son of Grand Duke Lanfard. He was only twelve years old around this time, but already hailed as a magical genius. Even now, people whispered about his ability to control space and dimensional magic—something most mages could never even learn to use in their entire lives.

But in her past life, she had read much more than whispers.

He became known as “The Riftwalker,” the youngest ever to be acknowledged by the Archmage himself. By nineteen, he was being prepared as the next Archmage of the empire.

My brother, she thought.

Her eyes softened unconsciously. For a brief moment, the little girl inside her wanted to run out and shout his name.

But she stopped herself.

Her face darkened.

“No,” she whispered coldly. “Don’t waver. He might be my brother… but he never cared about me. He never came for me.”

Her voice trembled. “He must be here for Liliana. They all are. I’m not wanted. I was abandoned by everyone.”

But then—

Aichi took a step forward. His gaze landed on Liliana, who stood proudly at the center of the ballroom in her delicate pink gown.

He tilted his head slightly and frowned.

“That’s odd,” he said aloud. His voice was calm but carried across the ballroom with absolute clarity. “I was told my little sister had silver hair and crimson eyes like me. But you… don’t have either.”

Murmurs spread among the guests.

Liliana blinked, confused.

Countess kiran’s smile froze on her face.

“So why,” Aichi continued, lifting an eyebrow, “are you wearing the dress and jewelry I sent for my sister?”

The Countess immediately stepped in, her voice rushed and brittle. “Ah, Young master, there must be some misunderstanding—Liliana is—she’s always been—”

“Countess,” he said coolly, “don’t insult my intelligence.”

Under the table, the girl stared in shock.

“The dress… was for me?”

Her eyes dropped to the hem of Liliana’s gown—the exact one she’d seen in a magazine once, too expensive for a commoner to even dream of.

“But… I thought they hated me.”

“I thought they blamed me for mother’s death.”

“That dress… costs more than four workers earn in a month. And it was sent… to me?”

Her hands trembled slightly. Her heart ached in her chest—not from fear, but something else.

A crack.

A tiny, painful crack in the wall she’d built around her heart.

“How is this possible…?” she whispered.

Author's note: hey everyone, 👋 sorry for the late update. I was kinda busy with college.😅 Anyway I'll be uploading new chapters every Saturday and Thursday from now on 💖 hope you're enjoying the novel. Please write a review in the comments 🗣️

Question ❓

what do think our fl will do now. Would there be a tearful reunion, or would she run away on her own?

Answer in the comments 🤗

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