Chapter 0: Prologue

I was the type of person more suited to stormy weather.

Not the storm itself, but a person caught within its whirlwind.

Unlike the storm, which fiercely commands its presence outwards, striving towards the end of life, a person within the storm naturally tends towards sloth.

Yes, as a counterpoint to the advancing storm, I, steeped in indolence and leaning blankly against a chair, am a fitting subject.

Truthfully, this isn’t a situation where I should just be sitting like this.

I should be twisting and curling up, or at least pulling the duvet from that empty-looking bed over myself to block the encroaching cold.

The cold air bit into my skin, and the tips of my lungs tingled each time I inhaled.

The familiar fluorescent lights on the ceiling and the noisy car sounds were absent.

Instead, what I heard was the crackling sound of firewood burning in the fireplace, and the distant cry of the winter wind.

Before my eyes lay an unfamiliar scene.

Antique interior decorations, the texture of the duvet beneath my hand, the white forest and high castle walls visible outside the window.

Ignoring the survival instincts buzzing in my head due to the excessive cold, I simply turned my head to look out the window.

Snow was falling.

As I raised my hand and gently pressed it against the windowpane, what little warmth I had escaped, fogging the glass.

The hazy scene outside, with snow steadily accumulating, was as quiet and serene as an ink wash painting.

A foreign land, a remote home, a distant place… amidst such a landscape, truly fitting of those descriptions, I quietly removed my hand.

Perhaps because the light inside the room was brighter, my reflection appeared as I moved my face away from the window frame.

White hair, pale skin, and eyes—though different in color—that seemed to hold fractured pieces of the night sky’s hues.

It was a face different from my previous life in many ways, even down to the chromosomal makeup, it seemed.

The face of a girl, far superior in terms of facial proportions and the absence of skin troubles.

The heavily falling snow matched the white hair quite well, giving off an atmosphere as if I were born here… but my actual origins were the complete opposite.

In my past life, and similarly in this one, my place of origin was a land with four distinct seasons.

A place where green suited better than white, rain better than snow, warmth better than cold—such a place was named my home, then and now.

This cold space, where only snow pours down heavily, seems to suit this face, which was actually born in a foreign land, better though.

Actually, it wouldn’t be a foreign land anymore.

From now on, this place would be my—

Knock, knock—

…The sound of knocking breaks my thoughts.

Turning my head, I see the door beginning to open hastily, as if not expecting an answer.

It was probably a significant breach of etiquette in this world—but for the person behind the door, it likely wasn’t a crucial procedure.

“…Do you find the room to your liking?”

A man immense and imposing enough to remind me again that I was just a frail, small girl.

A man with distinct black hair in this cold, white land, revealing his authority through neat adornments—

“…It is a room given by Your Highness the Grand Duke, how could I possibly not like it? It’s just unfamiliar because it’s the first time; I will try to adapt quickly.”

—to my current father, I cast off the net of indolence, put on a smile, and bowed my head.

The title ‘Your Highness the Grand Duke’ isn’t typically used in a normal father-daughter relationship.

However, to quote a phrase from a common cliché story, ours was not a normal father-daughter relationship.

“Yes, you must. To receive treatment befitting your position from now on, you’ll need to get accustomed quickly. You were quite a clever child, so ensure I don’t need to worry further. Understand?”

Eleonora Schwartz.

As you might guess from my current life’s name, which has now become Eleonora Weiss, I am an adopted child.

It was the Grand Duke Weiss before me who brought me from the Schwartz County estate, where everyone who could protect me had died early, leaving no one behind.

“…Is there any room for doubt?”

In reality, it’s closer to a contractual relationship than one of fosterage.

I, typically a frail girl, receive food, clothing, shelter, and a new identity, while the Grand Duke, who has only one child, gains a convenient means for an alliance.

In a fantasy world where human rights are hardly universal, it’s a reasonably fair deal.

I am well aware of this fact, and I’m not the type to wish for anything more.

Given my situation—fated to live passively, steeped in indolence throughout my past life and for the rest of this one—thinking of anything more here was impossible.

Simply being swayed by someone, swept along by something, and continuing life—that was the determined course of my journey, and even now, I had no particular intention of adjusting my compass.

Therefore, whether it was a dry family relationship or a married life swayed by desire, I didn’t particularly care.

Sunk deep in the swamp of laziness, a foolish human holding no lingering attachments to anything—lost in such pathetic thoughts, I had lived my entire life.

This time is no different.

If the man before me wished it, even a dry relationship requiring obedience wouldn’t be a problem.

“And… still, family is family, so it would be good to at least familiarize yourselves with each other’s faces.”

Behind the Grand Duke, who had spoken suddenly, stood another person whose arrival time was unknown.

He resembled him.

He bore a striking resemblance to the Grand Duke standing before me.

However, unlike the Duke who stood like a great mountain, this person had a smaller body than mine.

The Grand Duke hadn’t introduced him yet, but I recognized his identity nonetheless.

In truth, the situation required no special explanation.

Because the Grand Duke surely had only one family member.

“Introduce yourselves to each other. This is your younger brother, Eleonora.”

Though resembling the Grand Duke, his two young, somewhat large and round eyes stared directly at me before quickly lowering along with his head.

They must share the same blood, yet his easily lowered head hinted that his personality, at least, was the complete opposite.

Younger brother… I wonder if that term truly fits.

That child and I share nothing, not a single drop of blood; how could we be said to have come from the same place?

Even in my past life, I didn’t really have anyone you could call a younger sibling.

Neither by blood nor by relationship.

So, I’m not exactly knowledgeable about how to handle a younger brother.

From what I’ve casually heard, the older one is supposed to take the initiative.

Of course, that probably only applies to normal relationships.

From the moment my relationship with my father deviated from the norm, treating my relationship with that child normally would also be difficult.

Maintaining the smile I hadn’t yet retracted, I gave a gentle wave, and the Grand Duke’s son quietly hid behind his father.

It’s a different kind of personality, stemming from timidity, unlike my own passive nature born from indolence.

For a future ruler who would eventually govern the Grand Duchy, he cut quite an unimpressive figure.

However, considering he inherited blood from the Grand Duke before me, it’s not something I need to think deeply about.

Expecting a gentle and delicate disposition to blossom in this cold land would surely be difficult.

It’s only natural, as there’s little the one being swayed can do for the one who will sway.

It’s a relationship where there’s no need to do anything for him, nor any need to be proactive.

Even if, formally, he is my younger brother.

With those thoughts, I quietly held my smile for the timid child who peeked out again.

***

Maintaining the smile plastered on my lips, I looked up at my formal younger brother, who was glaring down at me with a coercive gaze.

“…This, you brought it upon yourself. You f*cking btch.”

…Hmm.

Maybe I should have established the hierarchy after all?