Furniture and small items were left at home and only clothes, shoes, and important things were packed, but the travel bag was piled up like a tower.

“Oh, no! I have to bring this!”

When Eldest Sister pulled the toy blocks from the bag, I quickly grabbed them and put them back into the bag.

“You can buy these there.”

“But there won’t be a set of red flags to put on the tower, right? Plus, this is my most cherished item.”

“Lily, you already have three favorite toys.”

“I can’t help it. I love my toys equally.”

My hamster bag was stuffed with toys that my sisters couldn’t take.

When Eldest Sister tried to remove my toys from the bag, I hugged my hamster bag tightly.

“They need me, and I need them! We’re mega best friends!”

I stared down Eldest Sister with determination.

Finally, Eldest Sister gave up, shaking her head. I won! Hehe.

“Aren’t you packing Cookie and Jelly in the bag?”

“I’ll carry them myself.”

“Your sisters will be very busy tomorrow, so you need to take care of the dolls, too, Lily. Got it?”

“Yes! I’ll take care of my dolls!”

I promised, holding Cookie and Jelly by an ear in each hand.

Then, we heard a knocking sound at the door.

Older Sister went to greet the guest at the entrance and called my name.

“Little one! Antonio is here!”

“Antonio?”

I dropped my hamster bag and rushed to the entrance.

There, with swollen, teary eyes, Antonio stood.

I was so happy to see Antonio after such a long time that I hugged him tightly.

When Antonio saw me, he burst into tears once again.

“Antonio, why are you crying? Did you eat cake with mixed beans?”

“Liliana… why are you going far away…? huhu!”

“Yeah, I’m going far away.”

“But then we won’t see each other.”

“That’s true. But people have to do what they want in life.”

“But still, I don’t want to be apart from Liliana. Huhu!”

It hurt to see Antonio crying in response to me. I didn’t want to part ways either, but I had to hold back my tears.

I tried hard not to cry.

Then, I held Antonio’s hand tightly and looked back at Older Sister.

“Older Sister, I’ll play with Antonio in the garden and come back.”

So, I took Antonio to the lemon tree where we used to play like it was our secret hideout.

Then, I secretly took out the candies I had saved, planning to give them to Antonio to stop his tears.

“Don’t cry, Antonio. Even if we’re apart, we’ll always be friends.”

“But I want to play with Liliana every day.”

“I want to play with Antonio every day, too.”

“Sob! Sniff! Even if Liliana goes somewhere else, we’re still friends, right?”

“Of course! We’re mega best friends! We’ll definitely write letters to each other!”

In response to my assurance, Antonio extended his pinky finger.

I quickly hooked my pinky with Antonio’s.

We pressed our thumbs together as a seal and prayed to the lemon tree fairy.

“Lemon tree fairy, please make our friendship eternal!”

“Liliana, is that a promise? We’ll still be mega best friends even when we’re apart. Okay?”

“Yes, okay. And tell Francesca, Martina, and Vicky that I really want to see them, alright?”

“I will definitely tell them!”

“And make sure you write to me, too, okay?”

“Yes! I’ll write to you every day!”

“Good.”

After promising to stay in touch even after I left for the Empire, we picked leaves under the lemon tree and played for a while.

Eventually, it seemed like a lot of time had passed, and Antonio’s caretaker came to take him away.

Before parting, we hooked our pinky fingers again, and seeing Antonio walking farther away made my nose feel stuffy.

“Eldest Sister…”

When I returned home and saw the messy living room, the reality of parting from my friends sank in.

I sobbed and clung to Eldest Sister as she checked the luggage for the last time.

Without saying a word, Eldest Sister hugged me, and I eventually fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes, it was the morning of the day I was leaving for the Empire.

‘What’s going on? I planned to sleep with my sisters on the last day, but my plans have gone up in smoke!’

I was seven years old, but I still couldn’t defeat sleep. This was a disgrace to my seven-year-old self.

I hugged Jelly and Cookie tightly and held onto my hamster bag.

The pile of belongings that had been stacked like a mountain, with people coming and going, had been transferred to the ship just yesterday.

Clatter, clatter.

Not long after that, the sound of carriage wheels announced the arrival of Mister Marius and Leopold at our house.

Mister Marius, who used to laugh heartily every day and seemed ordinary, now looked serious with his attendants trailing behind him. It made me realize that he was indeed the male lead.

“Hello, Mister!”

“Hello, little one. Did you sleep well?”

“I’m not a sleepyhead, you know?”

“I never called you a sleepyhead, but are you a sleepyhead because you’re offended?”

“No! I’m not offended; you’re just saying strange things!”

“Call him ‘Your Majesty,’ not ‘mister.’ Show some respect.”

Max, the secretary, appeared and scolded me. Mister Marius, however, intervened.

“It’s alright. She’s still young.”

“But Sir—”

“This child is of the Trovanza lineage.”

After drawing a strict line with Max, Mister Marius chuckled and picked me up.

Mister Leopold had already crossed the threshold of our house and was helping Older Sister carry a separate bag of luggage.

“Did you say goodbye to your friends?”

“Yes, I said goodbye to Antonio, but it was so sad.”

“That must have been tough. Did you cry a lot?”

“I cried a little, but it’s okay. We’re mega best friends, so we’ll be friends forever even if we’re apart.”

“Can you make me your best friend, too?”

“No.”

When I shook my head, Mister Marius poked my cheek gently with his finger.

Since I found his touch annoying, I turned my head away. Mister Marius chuckled and pinched my cheek lightly.

At that moment, Eldest Sister had finished getting ready and came out of the house.

In contrast to the cheerful attire of Older Sister, Eldest Sister was dressed neatly and impeccably in a traditional Trovanza patterned outfit.

“Let’s go.”

“Can I leave without greeting Emilia?”

“…I guess there’s no choice.”

“She’s so cold.”

“She’ll understand us someday.”

With a somewhat chilly tone, Eldest Sister summarized the situation and got in the carriage first. Eventually, when Mister Marius carried me inside, the carriage door closed.

“What about Mister Marius and Mister Leo?”

“They’ll be riding in a different carriage.”

“I see.”

Soon, we departed. I hung by the window, trying to capture the swiftly passing Trovanza scenery.

In the distance, the shimmering blue sea and the horizon, lemon and olive trees that appeared frequently along the road, beautiful houses made of white bricks with intricate traditional patterns on their roofs. It was the sight of my beloved homeland, my country.

When would I be able to come back if I went now? I was seven years old, and I worried that I might forget this lovely scenery as I grew older. Such thoughts made my heart flutter.

“Goodbye, Trovanza.”

I continued to look out the window until we arrived at the harbor.

* * *

The ship that came from the Empire was large and magnificent. The Empire’s emblem, a lion hunting a serpent, was engraved on the large sails, and knights stood in a row as guards at the harbor.

“Eldest Sister, look at that. It’s a real knight. Aren’t those gentlemen impressive?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the knights and whispered to Eldest Sister, although my voice must have carried because one of them cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow.

Beside the ship, politicians from Trovanza were present. When they spotted Eldest Sister, they smiled and greeted her.

While Eldest Sister exchanged greetings with them, I held onto my sister’s hand and stared at the coastline.

‘I miss Youngest Sister.’

I didn’t expect to part without even saying farewell. Did Youngest Sister miss me, too? No matter how angry I was at Sister, I didn’t expect to be treated like this. Hmph.

After a brief conversation, Eldest Sister hugged me and boarded the ship. I was assigned to the same cabin as her.

Older Sister was in the room right next to ours, and everything was grand and luxurious.

“Lily, are you hungry?”

“Well, I’m a little hungry.”

“Just hold on for a bit longer; it’ll be lunchtime soon, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I understand. Can I go outside to see the ship?”

“Just stay nearby. Don’t go to strange places without permission.”

“Okay.”

I placed my hamster bag, Cookie, and Jelly on the bed and covered them with a blanket before leaving the room.

Even after the ship had set sail, the crew members were still busy. Looking at the harbor getting farther away from the ship felt strange.

I wished I had brought Cookie with me.

“Little one, are you sad about leaving home?”

“Yeah, I love my home… Huh? Youngest Sister?”

When I turned my head, Youngest Sister was standing next to me, gazing at the harbor.

When did Youngest Sister get on the ship?

“Youngest Sister!”

Thump!

I grabbed onto Youngest Sister’s waist and hugged her.

I missed you, Youngest Sister. Sob.

“Emilia?”

Eldest Sister saw Youngest Sister and looked surprised.

Even Older Sister, who followed behind her, couldn’t hide her surprise.

“How did you…?”

“I got special permission to board because I’m also going to the Empire.”

Youngest Sister said, tousling my hair.

“I’m going to work in the Empire from now on. I got a job as an advisor to the Tower Master.”

She added, sounding proud.

And I immediately sensed that the atmosphere was already ruined our first day on the ship.