As soon as I woke up, I found Eric by my bedside. The kid didn't look like he had slept a wink, and with the questions running through his mind I deem it understandable. To my knowledge he'd been looking down on Lily, so the reversal of positions with regard to power was understandable.

Well, the secret was already out, so I answered his questions... or rather... well... mixing two minds is a mess, and since I decided to be Rei in Lily, I'll stick to calling it that 'The original Lily answered' to the best of her ability while sorting away what Rei would have thought.

Well... while the original Lily did have some spite at him wishing her dead, I don't really expect anything of him. The original Lily was a burden to him, and had risked his life. I didn't expect him not to hate her... so when Eric asked for forgiveness with teary eyes, I gave in quickly.

So, after we finished that he threw the following words at me. "You cannot leave the rest to me. I will not take credit for what you did," with an all determined voice.

"Even if you say that it's not like there is a choice. I am a girl." I proceeded to remind him of the current situation, since he seemed to have forgotten.

"Even so, I won't claim it." He went into stubborn mode. I clicked my tongue annoyed.

"It's not like I don't want to take credit for it, but women cannot claim it. You know that Our family will be in trouble politically and you will be deemed incompetent forever with the words 'you are worse than a girl'" I tried using logic with him again... but he just turned his head to the side and crossed his arms.

"I won't do it. There's no way I can take the honor for this. They'll find out." He retorted.

"It's fine, you just have to reach the same level by the time you go to war the first time. I'll help teach you as well," I replied to erase his worry.

"And the mass healing?"

An awkward silence spread at his words. Ara. He had a point... I clicked my tongue again, and in return he sighed.

"Well, I guess we could always go back to dressing you up as a girl and me as a boy forever," I replied to tease him a bit while I remade my plans.

"Augustus... don't tease Eric too much. Your brother is very tired..."

Mother's voice appeared from the slightly open door.

She's been eavesdropping.

"...Augustus?" Eric seemed confused at her words, but I understood them just fine.

"Are you really fine with this, mother. It might turn out a scandal..." I warned her, but she smiled.

"Of course. If they found out I'd sent such a cute twin brother to study overseas the other ladies of court would be quite furious."

She even gave the cover story in her answer... she was cunning. Eric, you should take a fragment of a leaf out of her book.

Eric finally seemed to understand and headed out the door in a hurry.

I nodded and then took a soft breath before chanting a healing prayer towards myself. The first spell of the day was used.

I got up as mother walked in. She was alone. Her escort was probably standing outside the door to allow us privacy to change. Ameline wasn't here either, she was probably helping out with the civilians.

I removed the bandages and took a look over my body. I'd gotten a few scars here and there, but interestingly, it seemed like the fairy light magic didn't leave scars when it healed wounds. The huge gash on my chest from the bandit Captain was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, those that I had healed myself had cleaned up quite well. The skin was smooth with only a little bump of a white line where I'd been cut. Some of these would fade entirely with time, but most would stay.

I wasn't sure how it would work with light magic, but the magic I cast couldn't fix something that had already healed wrong. Another small restriction, but important none the less. Also, it couldn't regrow things. If you lost a limb, that was it. No putting it up against each other and thinking it could be put together again. People are not plush toys.

Well, that aside. It didn't seem like any of the scars would actually be visible due to my covering dresses, so things were fine.

Eric returned with a fresh set of boy clothes for me, as with the guard he waited outside for me to get dressed... but the mood was somber. Though mother understood that I had to go, she didn't know about Rei. To her I was still her little girl, which should never see anything as grim as war up close... but she knew Father wasn't nearby. She had heard the reports, seen Eric's depression as well as my battle scars. She knows that this is one where the best she can do is to support us from the shadow.

As I finished, mother undid the ribbon in her hair and took my hand gently, as if I were to break. She tied her ribbon around my wrist and then kissed my forehead. We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment as she took the courage she needed to let me go.

"Eric."

Mother called my brother in a low voice. He walked in cautiously and looked as if he was expecting her to say something, but she only motioned him closer with a single gesture of he gaze.

As he stood next to me she took her handkerchief from her pocket and... with the same gentleness tied it to Eric's wrist.

The two of them had never been close, I couldn't even remember a time where the two of them had ever talked, so the scene in front of me was likely the first time she had shown Eric this kind of affectionate treatment.

Eric's eyes rounded as he realized the gentle meaning of her action. Mother's favor. A hope that we return in victory.

With this we really did look like brothers.

I knelt down in front of Mother's worried figure and looked to her with determined eyes.

"I will bring us victory."

Eric was still at a loss for words, so he simply joined me on his knee.

It was a vow I intended to keep, and if the knights were going to get in the way, they'd regret it.

—-*—-

When I woke up there had hardly been any light outside, so we still had about half an hour or so until armies would fully consider it a good time to do anything other than eat breakfast. I of courses headed to the war room with Eric, while eating on the way.

We opened the door to the war room, and though we were both children it must have been an impressive entrance, for all of the knights turned towards us. It was truly an impressive sight, seeing them pouring over the maps of the castle and arguing over the best positioning, and then... their silence as we entered.

My arrival at the city yesterday must have given a bigger effect than I thought.

"What is the situation. I would like a report."

I'd been out cold ever since I returned, so I had no idea how things were outside.

They all went quiet and looked... uncomfortable...

"The enemy troops arrived just before dusk and made camps all around our outer walls. We estimate that they have around 2500 troops. We are able to put around 500 to use on the walls, civilians included..."

In other words, untrained men.

"Weren't there just 2000 last night?"

The knights nodded slowly.

"It appears they gathered shortly after our last count and came sneaking in the night."

More like they'd been hiding in the northern forest.

Though, this wasn't too bad. Celeste castle was a well built castle and had multiple towers as well. It wouldn't fall easily. The enemy would need at least 5 times as many soldier as us to gain a 50/50 chance of winning an assault on the castle. Well, since at least 150 of the men on our walls wouldn't have combat experience their probability of victory was quite high. In fact, if we hadn't won the battles yesterday we would have been dangerously outnumbered...

The 19 guards from yesterday, and all the civilians, would boost our numbers just enough to withstand the assault.

"We've made preparations for the guard placement and focused soldiers near the stocks to prevent the civilians from plundering it in a panic. As long as we hold out until the messenger reaches the lord we will be fine."

I stare up at them with a blank look.

"The messenger is dead."

They all stare at me as if I said out a curse. I nearly sigh.

"The enemy commander put not one, but two carefully planned smaller ambushes, the surprise siege aside. There's no way he'd forget about a messenger, since they put so much effort into tricking father to go north with the rest of the army. They're likely going to assault the castle today as soon as they finish breakfast."

Their faces grimaced with hints of anger. Surely, if I hadn't been the daughter of their Lord they would have yelled at me for suggesting they were wrong.

"There is no way they'd attempt something that-"

DUN~!

The doors slammed open as a soldier walked in with fear in his eyes.

"They're closing in!"