The Lake Spirit's Blessing
The butler, who normally projected the image of a quiet gentleman who spoke only when necessary, recounted the Lorelei family’s history from its very beginnings with such flushed excitement that his usual composure completely unraveled. He gestured animatedly as he spoke. Even though he skipped over the complex web of relationships with neighboring lords—details that required basic background knowledge to truly grasp—I focused intently on the parts that had puzzled me in the original story, the sections the author had glossed over without proper explanation.
“…Before the two of you were born, the great fire that swept through the north was contained in just four days, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the family head who had formed a contract with a spirit.”
Among the vast tapestry of tales, I finally caught clues to two questions that had lingered since my previous life: why the northern nobles showed such goodwill toward the Lorelei family, and how Rene had managed to interact with spirits in the original work—entities that, in most fantasy worlds, could only be reached by a select few like elves.
“Um, could you tell me a little more about that part?”
When I cautiously raised my hand and asked for details, the butler’s eyes sparkled with delight. He asked precisely which section had caught my interest. Setting aside the northern nobles, I requested that he explain how the family head of that era had been able to command spirits.
“Oho, spirits…”
Even Rene, who had been blankly tracing the wallpaper patterns during the drier parts of the lecture, perked up the moment the word spirits—straight out of a fairy tale—was mentioned. Her eyes gleamed.
Watching the two of us, the butler chuckled and remarked that siblings truly were siblings. He added that Arlan and Aran had shown the same fascination with this topic when they were young.
“Never mind the brothers—hurry up and tell us about the spirits!”
I turned my gaze to follow Rene, who was impatiently urging him to focus on the spirit lore rather than their older siblings’ childhood. The butler smiled warmly and began the tale we both wanted to hear.
“Do you remember what the Lorelei family’s ancestor received after helping the lake spirit?”
“Yes. They helped a spirit in distress and received its blessing and protection, right?”
I confirmed that I remembered clearly: it was that very blessing and protection that had given the Lorelei bloodline its signature light-green hair and refined features. The butler let out a pleased “huhu” and nodded with an expression of deep approval. He then explained that the blessing and protection passed down through the bloodline also served as a bridge, allowing contact with spirits.
“However, this remains only a hypothesis.”
He added that throughout the family’s long history, very few had ever successfully formed a contract with a spirit, making proper verification difficult.
“What does that mean?”
“It means it’s incredibly hard.”
“Ugh, that’s it…?”
When Rene’s interest visibly waned upon learning how difficult spirit contracts were, I patted her shoulder and told her not to be too disappointed. We might just be the ones to achieve the impossible. These weren’t empty words of comfort; they carried the quiet confidence of someone who knew the original story. Rene’s face brightened into a full smile almost instantly.
“Huhu, I really hope that’s true.”
The butler beamed, clearly delighted by the warm sisterly bond before him. He fished out his pocket watch, checked the time, and declared that this was a good place to conclude today’s lesson.
“Yay! It’s over!”
Rene sprang up from her seat in celebration, only to slump her shoulders when the butler informed her that this rigorous study schedule would continue every single day from now on. I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze at the adorable reaction, assuring her she would get used to it and offering words of encouragement. Since the weather was lovely, I suggested we head out to the garden to play.
After returning to our room, changing into outdoor clothes, and stepping into the garden, Rene dashed about with pure joy, treating the simple act of running as the greatest entertainment. The garden was at the height of spring, bursting with fresh green life.
“Wow, our physical stats should be identical…”
I couldn’t keep up with her and ended up catching my breath first near the pond. While watching the fish swimming lazily in the clear water, I scanned for species I recognized. That was when a particularly strange-looking one caught my eye.
“It’s incredibly beautiful.”
I followed the carp-like fish with its shimmering, bright-green scales as it glided through the water. Before long, Rene came running up, panting heavily.
“René. What are you doing?”
“I was watching the fish. There was this really strange-looking one right here… Huh? Where did it go?”
When she asked what I had been doing alone, I pointed to where the fish had been, only to realize it had vanished. I couldn’t hide my disappointment. I told her it had been so pretty that I really wanted to show it to her. Rene thought for a moment, then patted her flat little chest with a small hand.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry. I can help.”
“How exactly?”
“You’ll see in a second!”
Beaming with pride, she told me to leave it to her and dashed off. She soon returned with a large leaf carrying a bright-yellow caterpillar about the size of an adult’s thumb.
“Eww…”
The wriggling creature triggered every instinctive alarm in my body. I shuddered violently. When a mischievous grin spread across Rene’s face, I bolted in the opposite direction with everything I had.
“H-help!”
After running until my lungs burned, I spotted a servant watching with an amused smile and begged for rescue. He confidently declared that he would handle the “pretty young lady” and strode toward the approaching Rene—only to catch sight of the caterpillar and retreat with a face as pale as a ghost.
“It just wriggles. It’s harmless.”
“That wriggling is exactly what I hate…”
In the end, cornered and unable to flee any farther, I had to let the caterpillar rest on my hand before the long chase finally ended.
“My lady. A proper lady should be more modest and refined.”
“But sitting like this is more comfortable…”
“When interacting with others, one must set aside personal comfort for a moment and show consideration by enduring inconvenience with proper etiquette.”
After that, in addition to family history, Rene and I spent our days receiving a broad education that included the etiquette expected of a respectable young lady.
“Lady René, your learning speed is truly remarkable.”
“Y-you’re too kind.”
“Not at all. Whoever wins you as a partner in the future will be an exceptionally fortunate man.”
“Ahaha…”
During etiquette lessons, the instructor’s surprised praise for my quick progress led to talk of one day marrying a man. I carefully masked the wave of revulsion that rose inside me and smoothed it over with an awkward laugh.
“Ugh, René is my sister. I’m not giving her to anyone else.”
Watching me, Rene puffed out her cheeks in clear frustration at not receiving the same praise and began to complain. Both the instructor and I couldn’t help smiling at the utterly adorable display. I stroked her hair and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.
The busy, fulfilling days flowed on. The flower-scented breeze that slipped through the open windows and tickled our hair gradually lost its sweetness. The wind now carried the promise of summer, and the cool rain that followed washed away every last stubborn spring blossom, sending them tumbling to the earth.
Aran looked up from his book, the sound of rain drumming against the window like splendid music. He turned reflexively at the click of the study door opening. Seeing his much younger twin sisters enter wearing identical dresses, he let out a quiet sigh, already wondering what trouble they—especially Rene—were about to cause.
“Ah, Brother Aran!”
“Yes. What brings you two to the study?”
“We were bored so we came to play!”
Since they hadn’t tried to hide, Aran quickly spotted them when Rene called out. He nodded and asked their business. Hearing the completely unhesitating answer that they had simply come to play, he narrowed his eyes.
While René grew quiet under his gaze, Rene continued smiling brightly and begging him to play with them. He beckoned her closer, then ruffled her light-green hair until it was a complete mess.
“Ack! What are you doing?!”
“This is a place for reading books quietly.”
Aran chuckled at the way the little girl raised her voice the moment her hair was ruined. He told her that if she wanted to play, she should go somewhere else. Rene puffed her cheeks, spun on her heel, and marched off while trying to fix her hair with both hands.
Though they were receiving etiquette lessons, it was clear they still had a long way to go before becoming proper young ladies. Aran smiled wryly at the thought as he followed his older sister out. Just before closing the door, he returned René’s polite bow when their eyes met.
“…No matter how I look at it, René really seems more like the older sister.”
Once the twin sisters had left and the study door clicked shut, Aran remained alone. He murmured to himself about his youngest sister, who was far quieter and more mature than his twin older sister.
Back when they were even smaller, when he and his brother had hesitated to approach the fragile little girl whose body seemed like it might break with a single touch—especially with their age gap of more than ten years—René had been the one to reach out first without hesitation. Thanks to her, they had the warm sibling relationship they enjoyed today. Aran let out a long breath filled with many emotions.
He returned to his book, but soon the distant crash of something falling, Rene’s urgent voice, and the sound of hurried footsteps made him chuckle.
“Already causing trouble again.”
His younger sisters brought noise and chaos every single day, yet they also filled the mansion and the entire family with vitality. Smiling at the thought, he quickly slipped back inside the study, closed the door, and met the eyes of the twin sisters who were now staring straight at him.
When he saw the small hand raised to her lips with a finger over them—silently pleading for quiet—Aran grinned.
“Rene! René! What are you doing in the study?!”
“Aaaack! I hate you, Brother!”
He shouted loud enough for the servants searching for the two troublemakers outside to hear. Soon the head butler and head maid arrived, caught the girls, and began escorting them back to their room. Aran waved at them as they were led away.
He laughed at the contrasting sight: Rene struggling wildly while René calmly accepted her fate. Both sisters shot him identical looks of betrayal. That evening, he visited their room carrying small gifts.
“Got a moment?”
“Who is it?”
“Who else? It’s your brother Aran…”
“Who is it?”
“Tsk. You’re really upset, huh.”
The twins kept repeating the same indifferent question, clearly still mad about earlier. Aran shook the small glass jar he had brought from his room; it was filled with sweet candies. Their expressions changed instantly at the sight of the treats. He apologized for what had happened and asked them to forgive him with this.
“Yes! If you give us that, we’ll forgive you!”
“That could work!”
Seeing how simple his younger sisters were—both worrying and endearing—he handed over the jar without hesitation.