The First Red Flower
The story was changing little by little. Unlike the wooden swords used by Arlan and the other knights, which had iron cores inserted to match the weight of real blades, this was a pure wooden sword carved from genuinely solid timber. On top of that, it had been shaped like a rapier, making it far lighter than ordinary practice swords. Training with it added an extra layer of difficulty, and I spent my days pushing through workouts that were easily twice as hard as before.
“Thank you for your hard work today, Miss René.”
“Haa… When exactly are you going to teach me real swordsmanship?”
“Real swordsmanship… Hehe, that won’t be for several more years.”
While I was seriously reflecting on the words my mother had once said after hearing that authentic sword training was still years away, Arlan and Irina returned from their villa. They had left at the tail end of the most grueling summer of this life, combining rest with their honeymoon.
“We’re back.”
“Come in, both of you.”
“Thank you for welcoming us.”
“I’m glad you both look so well.”
It seemed the two had enjoyed a pleasant time at the villa. They greeted everyone who had been waiting with faces that practically glowed, bright smiles blooming on their lips. Then they handed René and me snacks they had bought on the way back because they had thought of us. We accepted them with wide, beaming smiles.
“Thank you for thinking of us.”
“You stood as flower girls at our wedding. As your older brother, this much is only natural.”
When I bowed my head in thanks, Arlan laughed and said there was no need to be so formal within the family. He then studied my face from different angles and frowned, expressing concern that my complexion looked poor and asking if I was sick or if something had happened.
“Ah, this is just from training.”
“In that case, all I can say is keep up the good work.”
Assured there was nothing to worry about, he gave a bitter smile at my answer. After chatting with René in much the same way, Arlan looked at the drawings she had been working on and widened his eyes in genuine surprise.
“What’s with that reaction?”
“No, it’s just…”
René glared at him with narrowed eyes, clearly displeased, but the moment Irina said that level of skill meant she could seriously consider becoming a painter, René immediately broke into a silly grin.
After that, while the newly returned couple learned various things from Father and Mother, the days flowed busily onward. Summer passed, and the cool breath of autumn arrived.
“Miss René. That’s nine now. Just one more to go!”
“That’s the ninth time you’ve said that!”
As I continued my rigorous training, thinking this autumn would be just as brutal as the summer had been, the territory celebrated a bountiful harvest—twice the yield of the previous year. Everyone was overjoyed.
“Since we couldn’t hold a festival last year, let’s make this one even more magnificent.”
“Yes, Marquis. I’ll make sure the preparations are handled with extra care.”
Thanks to the abundant workload, Arlan—who had been learning by Father’s side—found himself quite busy as well. But like father, like son. Far from complaining, he threw himself into the work with genuine delight at being able to help, learning diligently and lending a hand wherever needed.
“Goodness gracious…”
While the rest of us were used to such scenes, Irina was stunned, clicking her tongue at how much he was capable of handling. Still, with Father and the others looking out for Arlan in many ways, the couple managed to spend at least a little time together each day.
“Huu… Those two really do look wonderful together.”
“Yeah. I think Big Brother really likes his new sister-in-law.”
“They really like each other, you mean.”
So as not to disturb their private moments, René and I would slip away with the servants. We’d watch the happy couple strolling through the garden beyond the window, their laughter never fading, and giggle between ourselves.
During the festival period, a small number of monsters appeared in the southern forest of the territory. But thanks to the knights and soldiers already stationed there as a precaution, they were dealt with swiftly and without incident. The festival ended peacefully, and winter arrived.
“Why does it always snow like this every year?”
[Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand….]
“Yeah. I don’t think I’d get it even if you explained.”
From the moment the first snow fell, I spent my days much like always—teasing the perpetually droopy Alraune.
“Mmm, why does my stomach feel so…”
For some reason, a dull ache had started in my lower abdomen since evening, but I brushed it off as nothing and went to bed. Humans really do adapt to anything. I had grown somewhat used to the growing pains and muscle aches that had tormented me before. After tossing and turning a bit, I was sinking into deep sleep when a sharp slap landed on my cheek, followed by a stinging pain.
[R-René! Wake up! Wake up right now!]
“Ugh… I was sleeping so well…”
At Alraune’s urgent plea to wake up, I grumbled with a hint of annoyance at having my sweet dreams interrupted and forced my heavy eyelids open.
“What in the world…”
I started to ask why she had woken me, but the moment I saw her face—drained completely of color—I realized something was truly wrong. I sat up in a hurry.
“Ouch…”
A strange pain and sensation I had never experienced in either life bloomed in my lower abdomen. I frowned, then felt a damp, uncomfortable wetness below. A terrible suspicion rose, and I shoved the blanket aside.
“Ah…”
The sight of the pure white sheets soaked in blood and the crotch of my nightgown stained crimson turned my mind completely blank. After staring blankly for a moment, I remembered that I had been wearing women’s underwear and had known this day would come eventually.
“…Still, now that it’s actually happening, it’s pretty shocking.”
This wasn’t something you could simply prepare your heart for. Only after experiencing it firsthand did I truly understand. I looked around at the mess, then let out a long sigh. I should have taken that earlier cramping more seriously. As I swallowed my belated regret, Alraune—who was making a huge fuss despite being a winter spirit with little strength—wore a worried expression. I pulled her into my arms and calmed her down.
“There’s no need to be so startled. This is a natural thing.”
[A natural thing?]
“Yes. It’s something every girl… every woman experiences.”
It was the sign that I had truly become a woman. Even as I spoke, a swirl of complicated thoughts and emotions rose inside me, and I could only smile bitterly. I stroked Alraune’s head as she gradually calmed down from my calm explanation and apologized for worrying her.
[René. Does it hurt?]
“Saying it doesn’t hurt would be a lie.”
I told her I was fine, answering the worried spirit, then glanced down at the ruined crotch of my nightgown before quickly looking away. I took a moment to calmly organize the current situation.
I thought my first period wouldn’t come until at least next year, no matter how early it started.
Even though I had grown quite a bit in height and my chest had developed, I had naively assumed it was still too early for secondary sexual characteristics. I clicked my tongue at my own carelessness. As I firmly engraved in my mind that this was another world where my previous knowledge didn’t always apply, the horrifying sensation of something flowing out of me uncontrollably raced down my spine, and a shrill sound escaped my lips.
“Having to go through this every single month… This is seriously the worst.”
Unlike underwear, I doubted I would ever get used to this. I shuddered, but staying like this wouldn’t improve anything. I set Alraune down, then carefully climbed out of bed. I walked slowly toward the bathroom, but when I felt it trickling down my thighs, I changed my mind and hurried as fast as I could. Once inside, I stripped off the ruined underwear and nightgown.
“Ugh…”
I grimaced at the mess between my legs, then carefully secured my hair so it wouldn’t get wet—it took too much time and effort to dry—and washed myself with lukewarm water. My condition was poor for reasons different from muscle pain, so I took longer than usual. As I was pulling out fresh underwear and a nightgown to change into by myself, René’s thin scream reached my ears from down the hallway.
“Looks like René started today too.”
It wasn’t hard to guess the reason for the scream. I wondered if twins really shared even this, letting out a small chuckle. Then I heard hurried footsteps rushing toward my room and opened the door first to greet those coming to check on me.
“Miss René?”
“Please come in. I’ve been waiting.”
The servants, who had been startled to see me calmly welcoming them, soon noticed the ruined bed and the lit bathroom. Their faces flickered with a mix of emotions and thoughts. While they quickly gathered the blood-stained sheets, blanket, and discarded clothes into the basket they had brought, Mother—having heard the sudden midnight commotion—hurried to my room with a blanket thrown over her nightgown. She hugged me without a word as I offered her a faint smile.
“René. You must have been very startled, weren’t you?”
“No, I’m fine. I already knew about it from studying.”
I continued in a detached tone, saying it was nothing and that René had probably been more surprised than I was. For some reason I couldn’t understand myself, my voice grew thick with emotion. Before long, the surging feelings turned into sobs. Mother wrapped the blanket around me to shield me from the others’ gazes.
Inside the blanket where no one else could see, held in Mother’s warm embrace, I felt her gentle heat and burst into tears like a child for the first time in years.
“Are you feeling a little better now?”
“Yes…”
“That’s good, then.”
Mother held me as I finally stopped crying after a long while. She told the sniffling me that I wouldn’t become a pretty young lady if I kept crying like that. Then she beckoned René—who had finished bathing and arrived with the servants—over and hugged her the same way, comforting her gently.
After roughly an hour had passed and we had finally calmed down, the two of us headed to the room we used to share. Both of our beds were in no condition to sleep in.
“René. Your face is a mess.”
“Hmph, you’re not one to talk.”
“‘You’? Even if we were born on the same day, I’m still your older sister, you know?”
Fortunately the bed was still usable. As we lay down together for the first time in a while, we exchanged words with soft giggles. Once the tension had completely melted away, sleepiness washed over us. We held each other just like we used to and fell into a peaceful, comfortable slumber.
“Wait, this position makes them touch… it’s uncomfortable…”
“If we just shift a little…”
But we had both grown in various ways since then, so hugging each other to sleep like before was a bit difficult. After some careful adjusting of positions, we finally drifted off to sleep.