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Indeed, this is a different world. Not only does my room look weird but even the outside interior of this house is different from the usual.

At first, I thought it was just small things but then there are things here that they call gadgets and electronics. I don't quite understand everything but Rizza's been explaining everything to me.

"Yo! Little Kim! I was planning to visit you in your room but I heard you went outside. Thankfully, I found you. Here! I prepared a gift for you," the boy from before says while jogging towards my direction.

Uncomfortable, I hug myself. I am still not used to showing too much skin especially with the opposite gender. I feel like I'm wearing nothing. Ugh!

He said he's my brother but still...

Swiftly, he reaches for my hand and puts something on top of it. The thing feels cold and heavy. It's grey in color and theres a lacy ribbon surrounding it to look like a present.

"Sir?" Rizza starts as if to refuse his gift for me. "Miss is just eight years old and she is still adjusting. I don't think it's right to gift her a gun."

A gun? What is this? Is this a toy?

The boy rolls his eyes. "Relax, I had my first gun when I was seven. She's old enough and she needs it to protect herself."

I can use this to protect myself? What is this thing even? What can it do?

Curiously, I scan the item and realize that there's a hole at the end. I take a peek at it and the boy swiftly snatches it away from me. Rizza even tried to cover my eyes with her hands.

"Oh God! Why the hell would you point it at yourself?!"

"Huh?" I ask, confused.

"Sir, I told you it's dangerous for the young miss. She still doesn't know much about this household," Rizza says in a nagging way.

But why? It's not sharp like a sword so why are they saying that it's dangerous. It doesn't even look like a bow or something weapon-like. If anything, it looks like a hammer.

He sighs before hiding away the gun behind him. "Fine. Ugh! This won't do. It looks like you still have to study some things in this house first. I will be confiscating this and I will entrust your maid to protect you in the mean time. Can I have your word for that?" he says, pertaining to my maid.

Rizza bows while holding her chest with her hand.

The boy sighs in contentment. "Then I will ask father to add more shadows with you for now, my sister," he says before leaving. "Tsk! Father will surely punish me for this..." he whispers.

Shadows? What did he mean by adding shadows with me? Err...is that possible? Magic? Curse? But wait...

"Rizza, what was that thing that he almost gave me? He said it could protect me but then he confiscated it when I took a peek at the hole..."

Rizza seemed perplex that she even looked away.

"Miss, you will be having your lessons sooner or later. You will learn of it then."

"Then...what are shadows? It's this, right?" I ask while pointing beneath me. "How will my father add shadows?"

I notice how she carefully watches me as if she's trying to know if I'm old enough to understand. I crane my neck in curiosity and she ends up sighing.

"They are people who will protect you."

"You mean...a knight? So I will have a lot of knights?"

With a brow raised, she slowly nods.

I see. So they have knights here too but they're called shadows. That's nice. I kinda feel...at ease.

"Alright! Where do we go now?" I ask, now more curious about this world.

There are just so many things to learn! It scares me but excites me at the same time. It's weird but I like this feeling.

Rizza led me through most of the places in the house but since it's too big, it took us half the day to reach the most important rooms. It was a really refreshing experience but since we had no time, I was forced to head back to my room and eat my dinner.

"Rizza, why am I eating here when there's a dining hall downstairs?" I ask out of curiosity.

If it was in my past life, I would only be allowed to eat in my room if I was sick. On other normal days, I should eat with the royal family for it is disrespectful not to do so.

Rizza stops midway while fixing my utensils in front of me.

"You can eat there tomorrow if you'd like but the masters of this house doesn't really eat together so the dining hall is used less. They all prefer to eat inside their own studies or their rooms."

"Masters of this house?"

"Oh right. You're probably unaware yet but including you now, there are five masters in this house. First is your father, the head of this house. Mr. Kim Do Hyun. The other three are your brothers and then there's the miss."

"I have...three brothers?"

Okay. This is the first time I've heard of this. I thought I only have one and that is that boy from earlier. So, there are two more...

"Yes, you have three brothers. Your eldest brother is Sir Kim Jin Woo. He's a master when it comes to martial arts and other physical activities. The boy earlier is the second eldest among them. Sir Kim Samsik. He's known as a genius when it comes to any weapons there are. Then the last one is Sir Kim Yona. He's the most intelligent Kim and known to manage all papers of the house even though he's still young. All your brothers excel in their own talents."

Wow... They're all well-acknowleged!

I look down on my small hands. What about Serra Kim then? What is she capable of? It must run in the blood if her brothers are all this well-accomplished.

"So...they are all my brothers..."

"Actually, step-brothers, miss. You all have different mothers but your father love your brothers all the same."

Ack! What gibberish? Even in this world, there are still concubines? Tsk!

"The... Are their mothers here? Do...they live here too? In this house?" I carefully ask.

I can't help it. I feel anxious since I was also mistreated by my father's concubine before...

Mistress Shiara Cornell Larisha, that witch from another fallen kingdom. After successfully seducing my father, the former emperor, she had so much power as our acting mother. My brother was still unmarried at that time so she took the chance to be the most influential woman in our empire. She obviously thought of me, the princess, as a hindrance so she made sure that I fail on every given task. Thus, I ended up being the failure princess.

I don't realize that I'm trembling just from remembering those memories until Rizza holds my hand.

"I apologize to say this but all the madams of the house are dead. You are the only lady of the house now."

Oh.

They're all...dead? What? Is there some kind of curse in this house?

Suddenly, I feel a chill on my spine. It feels kinda eerie. Rizza then hands me my utensils.

"I can't tell you all the details that doesn't fall under my jurisdiction but you may ask the other masters of the family if you want to know something, miss."

"Oh... Alright. Thank you, Rizza..." I say and she bows before leaving my room.

If they died...then what about my—Serra's mother? They said that they found me in an orphanage and there were no clues about my mother.

Unfortunately, they claimed I was found near a trash can inside an abandoned building. That was before I was taken to the orphanage where my father took me from years later.

I sigh. Maybe...she's also dead.

~*~