Vol 1 Chapter 6: A Loving Older Sister Named Scarlett

A Warm House on the Outskirts of Burgh...

POV: Yuna

As morning stirred from its dark slumber, the world had not yet fully awakened.
A thin mist danced gently among the leaves still damp with the night's dew, and the morning sun crept in slowly like an intruder afraid to awaken the world's wounds.

Among the silent buildings that held secrets, stood a simple house, barely noticeable—except to those who knew it hid more than just familial love.

On the second floor, the white curtains were half-open...
Revealing the figure of a red-haired girl sleeping in restless dreams.
Her hair hung loose like a temporarily extinguished flame...
Her breathing was calm yet heavy...
As if each breath were a small battle against an invisible fatigue.
She was Scarlett.

And by the bedside, with a determination that only those who define love in small acts can understand, stood a small girl with long, flowing black hair and large, eager black eyes. It was Yuna—a little sister who didn't know what the dark world was... or perhaps she did, but chose to light a small candle in the centre.

"Big sis... wake up... It's morning already..." Yuna said softly, shaking her sister's shoulders like a leaf trying to wake the wind.

But Scarlett didn't budge. Her dream world—or some other, darker world—still held her captive.
Yuna pursed her lips, disappointed but not giving up.

"If you won't wake up... I'll use that trick...!"

And before Scarlett could maintain her apparent peace, a light thud shook the bed.
Yuna jumped and landed on top of her sister in the typical manner of a little hero storming an enemy base with a mischievous smile.

"Ouch!"

Scarlett screamed, waking up with a startled face and hair dishevelled like an unfinished battlefield

"Yay! Big sis is finally awake!"

Yuna exclaimed, laughing happily, as if this small victory could save the world.

Scarlett groaned:

"You... naughty little girl! Do you want to kill your sister in a freestyle?!"

Her fingers immediately slid to Yuna's cheek, pinching it lightly but with intent.

"Hehe... you're so hard to wake up,"
Yuna responded with an innocent smile.
"If I don't, breakfast will get cold!"

Scarlett sighed, her lips curling into a grimace, but she couldn't hide the small light now starting to appear in the corners of her eyes. "You are... annoying."

"Come on, let's have breakfast. I'll wash my face first, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'll be down in a minute."

Yuna descended the stairs with light steps.
And as those small footsteps faded, silence enveloped the room again.
But it wasn't a peaceful silence.

Behind her beautiful eyes and ordinary body, Scarlett was more than just an older sister.
She was the guardian of two worlds, two bodies, three identities—and one divided soul.

—

Three Identities, Two Bodies, One Soul, One Goal

POV: Scarlett

My sleep wasn't sleep.
It was just a silent transition, a gentle illusion trying to deceive this body into believing there was rest amidst the suffering. But no. Not for me. Not for a soul divided in two, disguised in a world that would never allow rest.

I stared into the mirror.
There was a young woman's face there.
Her hair was red, her eyes tired, and her lips held the remnants of a smile that had been embroidered too many times.
But it wasn't Scarlett.
It wasn't Sophie.
It was just... me.

A ghost in a human body.
The reflection didn't blink.
Neither did I.
Just last night I...

Carved a trail of blood through the halls of Baron Porco's hideous castle.
The blood still felt under my fingernails, even after I scrubbed them away.
In the darkness, I became the Iron Lady—a nameless executioner who toppled the corruption of nobility with the clink of iron boots. No mercy. No mercy.

And that night, I returned home.
After washing the filthy blood off my black robe.
Back to this small house.
To a dinner table filled with fake smiles.
To the arms of a little sister too pure for the world to touch.

Scarlett.
That's the name I use when I have to remember that I'm someone Yuna loves.
Someone who—even burning inside—still has to smile so her little sister believes this world is worth living in.

Then as the night deepens,
I hold little Yuna in my arms.
And I go back to sleep. But I don't sleep.

This soul drifts... moving into another body.
Sophie—a fragile beauty who plays with the world through gentleness and treachery.
In that body, I have to speak gently to Mikael, the boy who wants to set the world on fire...
But doesn't yet know how to light a fire without burning himself.
A silent dinner.
A gaze full of treachery.
Footsteps that feel like shadows in the moonlight.

Then I return.
To Scarlett's body.
Awakened by a cheerful Yuna, with her warm breath and a small voice that always says:
"Breakfast is ready, Sis!"

And I smile.
I smiled because it was what I had to do.
But... was I alive?
Or just spinning in a labyrinth of never-ending roles?

"I love Yuna..."
My voice felt foreign in this head.
"...but sometimes I want to scream and disappear."

The cold water from the sink washed over my face, not as relief, but as a gentle whip that reminded me that I was still here.
Still breathing. Still... being a protective wall for someone more fragile than me.

Because... if I collapsed,
who would take care of Yuna?
No other place would accept her.
No other love could embrace the wounds in her heart like mine.

I was the last home she had.
I took a deep breath, dried my face, and went downstairs.
The smell of breakfast greeted me like a ghost of childhood...
Warm, sweet, and full of the illusion of happiness.
At the table, Yuna sat with her legs swaying, humming a little song.
A song without lyrics. A song that sounded like the world before it all fell apart.
Her wounds never healed.
And maybe... they never will.

But this morning, seeing her smile...
For just a moment... the wound forgot how to bleed.
And I forgot that I was divided into two bodies, three names, and a thousand lies.
Because Scarlett could still reach out.
She could still warm this cold little world with a plate of breakfast and a hug.
For today, that's enough.
For today, I'm still the loving older sister named Scarlett.

—

It turns out Little Sister isn't Naive...

POV: Scarlett and Yuna

On the first floor of a small house at the edge of town, time rolled by slowly like a fog that refused to leave since morning. On the dining table, made of old, time-scarred wood, lay warm porridge, toast that was starting to cool, and milk that steamed faintly. The aroma was simple yet full of love—a little sister's cooking for her older sister.

But this morning, that warmth was mixed with something else... something that hung in the air like bad news that hadn't been said yet.

Scarlett sat down. Before her, Yuna had already sat, her small hands folded neatly. They prayed silently, as if by habit, protecting their souls from the harshness of the world outside.

But when their eyes opened, Yuna's warm gaze seemed clouded with a thin cloud of anxiety.

"Big Sister Scarlett?"

The voice was soft, like the clinking of glass in the silence.

"What's wrong, Yuna?" Scarlett asked, hiding her anxiety behind a soft voice.
"You don't look well... or is there something worrying you?"

Yuna looked down for a moment before answering.

“Big Sis, when Yuna went to the market earlier...
There was a big commotion.
The villagers found a blood letter on the information board.”

Scarlett stopped stirring her porridge. Her inner voice tightened. But her face remained calm as the sky before rain.

“A blood letter, huh?”

She asked flatly, even though she already knew the answer. “

What’s in it?”

“It’s... It’s about the Iron Lady, Sis. She confessed to killing Baron Porco.
Because the Baron apparently used orphans as sacrifices... for the evil goddess.”

The world seemed to stop for a second.
Scarlett stared at her porridge, but in her mind, she saw the innocent children’s eyes again—and the last nobleman’s wide-eyed eyes as death approached.

“So that’s it,” she said softly, barely audible. “The Iron Lady killed him...”

Yuna bit her lip. Then she asked:

“Big Sis... what kind of person do you think the Iron Lady is?”

Scarlett paused for a moment, weighing the truth and protection.

“The Iron Lady... is a dangerous person. She sheds blood for her ambition.”
Scarlett finally answered.
“Yuna, it’s best if you don’t get too involved in these kinds of things.
This world… isn’t as beautiful as fairy tales.
There are things that can burn anyone who gets too close.”

Yuna lowered her head. Then, her small voice shook Scarlett far more than she expected.

“But… Yuna doesn’t think the Iron Lady is completely evil.”

“Hmm?” Scarlett raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

“Yuna doesn’t condone murder.
But… maybe she had no choice.
She might have cried after killing.
Maybe she wanted to save the children.
Yuna felt… she was alone.”

Scarlett choked. Something was tight in her throat. Yuna, the little girl she had always considered innocent… suddenly spoke like someone who understood unspoken sorrow.

“Yuna… you…?” Scarlett murmured, staring into her sister’s clear eyes.

“I just feel… she can’t be called a hero or a villain.
Those are just labels, right, Sis?
Society may call her a villain, but to those children…
She might be a saviour.”

Scarlett looked at her sister with an inexplicable look.

In a world where love and blood often mix, where justice and curses coexist, a little girl speaks like a philosopher. And in Scarlett's presence, Yuna is no longer just a little sister who loves to cook and sing. She is someone who can see the world... even through the thickest fog.

Scarlett smiles faintly, filled with pride... and fear.

“Yuna, whatever you're thinking...
I just want you to be safe.
Don't ever get close to the Iron Lady.
Don't let that shadow touch you.”

Yuna smiles softly.

“I know, Sis.
I love myself very much.
And I love you very much too.
Don't worry.
Yuna really... 'understands you', Sis.”

Scarlett falls silent.
There's something in Yuna's tone that makes her heart beat faster.
But she doesn't dare ask.
She simply replies:

“Thank goodness you understand.

Now... let's finish breakfast.
It'll get cold soon.”

“Okay, Big Sis!”

And the world returns to normal—at least, on the surface.
A chuckle is heard. The bread is split in two. Drink the milk.
And the porridge is gone without any leftovers.
But between the grains of rice that stick to the spoon, and between the laughter that fills the room...
There's something hidden that they didn't say:
Someone knows more than they should.
And someone is trying to protect... even from herself.