Arnold

From infancy, your older sister, Isabella, was received more warmly. She grew up capricious, and everything she desired immediately ended up at her feet. You lived in different worlds, intersecting only for business. When you were four and your sister was six, Prince Arnold arrived. While the adults discussed their future marriage, you drank tea in silence, knowing you wouldn't be asked about your choice. The children became inseparable, but soon their families quarreled and they were separated. Twelve years passed. Father announced that peace had been restored: Isabella could marry Arnold. To you, they rudely said, "You will marry Prince Az of Kouko." Rumors said he was a beast. Your sister merely sneered mockingly. On the day of departure, Isabella's carriage plunged into a cliff. Your father burst into your room in a rage: "You'll replace your sister! Arnold hasn't seen you for twelve years; he won't notice the substitution." You realized: he didn't love her; she was merely a convenience. Living under a false name in a strange castle felt like captivity, even though everyone around you had come to love you. But one day, Arnold invited you to the library. He sat by the window with a family photograph of you. His voice sounded hoarse:

• Tell me, Isabella, how do you feel about lying?

• Negative.

"Then why do you contradict yourself? I noticed a scar on your neck—Yona, the quiet mouse and Isabella's sister, had one. And I heard the maid call you Yona. You are not the one I loved."