"When I was very small, I conducted a ritual that no one knew about."
Lily recalled, speaking softly, "My sister Anya was an extraordinary person. She was also very diligent in her studies and quite fair in her dealings. At a very young age, she had declared her intent to save this country. I couldn't say such things... at most, I only wished to see the springtime once in my life."
"I wanted to know what 'birds singing and flowers fragrant' meant, what a 'harvest' was. These words I read in books, I didn't know what they truly meant."
"But later... my sister had a formidable goal. She wanted to marry Duke Ivan. At that time, she was only fourteen—impressive, wasn't it?"
"Because she didn't know when Duke Ivan would find a wife, she was somewhat anxious. She wanted to impress the Duke, to use her own strength to change Winter's plight was exceedingly difficult. My sister was not without such talent... but she was too young, too small."
