The Central District stood in stark contrast to the Gryphon District, each embodying a different essence. While Gryphon was alive with noise and chaos, Central was a realm of tranquility.

Where Gryphon thrived on sweat and toil, Central enveloped itself in fragrant airs. The former boasted crowded streets of stone and iron, while the latter unfolded wide avenues adorned with pale marble, grand archways etched with ancient crests, serene fountains beneath manicured trees, and sprawling estates that felt less like homes and more like isolated cities.

At the center of this grandeur lay the Stonehelm Estate. It sprawled across hills like a miniature kingdom, its white-veined walls fortified with steel lattice and warded stone.

Inside were not just mansions but numerous manor houses, guest halls, and ancestral towers rising from meticulously designed landscapes, each featuring its own gardens, training courts, and reflecting pools.

Servants glided through shaded pathways like flowing fabric while guards stood at attention so precisely they appeared ornamental until one noticed the subtle mana signatures woven into their armor.

This was where House Stonehelm originated.

And it was here that Boren found himself wandering.

He strolled along a gently winding path lined with flowering hedges and sculpted stone lanterns, skipping in an exuberance that seemed out of place for such an elegant setting.

His hefty frame bounced with each step as his sandals slapped against the pale stones. In one hand, he held a half-eaten chicken drumstick glistening with oil; in the other was a small paper pouch filled with sugared nuts he had picked up from the outer district.

His cheeks were rosy and round; his eyes sparkled with joy; his grin stretched wide as he hummed an off-key tune only he could hear.

The Central District might have been beautiful.

But Gryphon had been vibrant. And Boren had never felt more alive than now.

For once, servants didn't look past him. For once, people spoke to him without hushed tones or sidelong glances.

For once, he didn't carry the invisible burden of embarrassment for others' sake. In the Guild Hall, he wasn't "Young Master Stonehelm." He wasn't "the motherless child." He wasn't "that one."

He was simply Boren, the receptionist who handed out passes, processed commissions, joked with Adventurers, debated with Sages and somehow mattered.

The thought made his smile widen even further as he took another noisy bite of his drumstick, grease smearing across his fingers without concern.

Just as he rounded a bend toward one of the inner pavilions, someone stepped into his path, a maid who bowed gracefully before him. Her motion was precise; her angle perfect; her hands folded neatly at her waist.

But her eyes told another story.

"The young miss requests your presence," she said respectfully.

Her voice was respectful, and her words were proper. Yet, her gaze flicked over him with a hint of distaste, lingering on the grease smudged on his fingers, the casual way he stood, the crumbs dotting his robes, and the way he occupied space as if it were his right.

"Please follow me."

Boren's step slowed, then halted. The joy that had lit up his face dimmed as if someone had gently turned down a flame inside him.

"…My sister?" he asked quietly.

The maid inclined her head in acknowledgment.

Boren swallowed hard. For a brief moment, he stood there with a chicken drumstick halfway to his mouth, the enticing smells of spice and roasted meat suddenly turning nauseating.

He lowered his hand, wiped his fingers clumsily against his robe, and exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Lead the way," he said.

They walked together over arched bridges and along winding paths embedded with luminous stones. They passed through gardens that shifted purposefully, from wildflower expanses alive with buzzing insects to meticulously arranged blooms pruned to mathematical precision.

Servants and guards parted for them without so much as a glance. Butterflies danced between sunlit hedges while the air filled with scents of fresh water and faint incense.

Finally, they arrived at a secluded inner garden surrounded by towering flowering walls. At its center lay a small pond so clear that smooth white stones at the bottom appeared visible through glass.

A narrow pavilion extended over the water, supported by intricately carved pillars and shaded by silk drapes that fluttered gently in the breeze. Wind chimes whispered softly overhead.

And beneath the pavilion swung a swing, on it sat a young woman.

Her sky-blue hair cascaded in soft layers down her back, catching light like strands of pale silk. Her dress was simple by noble standards, pale and flowing but each thread shimmered faintly with enchantment.

She sat relaxed, one bare foot brushing against the pond's surface as she swayed gently, sending ripples across the water while butterflies flitted near her shoulders before lifting off again.

She was beautiful, not in an aloof or distant manner but in a way that seemed to belong intrinsically to this garden itself.

Yet something about her features stirred an uncomfortable recognition deep within Boren's chest, the same curve of cheekbone, slope of nose, and eyes… different only in every other aspect.

The maid paused at the entrance, bowed once more, then withdrew silently.

Boren stood at the edge of the pavilion suddenly aware of how large and heavy he felt amid all this quiet elegance. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and forced out a grin that felt brittle around its edges.

"Big sister," he said softly.

The swing slowed to stillness.

For several long heartbeats, she remained still, her gaze fixed ahead. Then she turned to face him. Her eyes were a pale, clear blue, beautiful and calm, as they studied him. There was no hatred there, nor warmth; only assessment.

"I heard," she said at last, her voice gentle yet cool, "that you're working at the Adventurer Guild."

Boren nodded eagerly, a spark igniting within him. "Yes! I am. I work at the front desk, registering Adventurers, processing documents, selling passes... sometimes I even..."

"I want you to stop," she interrupted.

Her words were neither raised nor sharp but carried an undeniable finality. Boren's mouth snapped shut, his unfinished sentence hanging in the air.

For a moment, he stood there staring at her as the world around them faded into a dull blur, the birds fell silent and the wind stilled. Slowly, he swallowed hard.

"…Why?" he asked.

She seemed taken aback by his question. A faint furrow appeared on her brow as if she had expected compliance rather than inquiry. After a brief pause, she shook her head lightly.

"It's not appropriate," she stated firmly. "Someone of Stonehelm blood shouldn't be serving behind a counter in a district like Gryphon. You're drawing unnecessary attention, our house doesn't benefit from this."

Boren felt his fingers curl into fists and heat rise to his cheeks. He lowered his gaze as silence stretched between them, a heavy weight that suffocated him. He focused on the white stones beneath the water, their shapes wavering uncertainly.

Then he lifted his head slowly.

"No," he said quietly.

The word dropped like a stone into still water; it shifted the air around them. The birds fell silent again and even the swing came to an abrupt stop. His sister's expression hardened.

"What did you say?" she asked softly.

Boren's breath grew uneven; his hands trembled slightly at his sides but he held her gaze steady.

"I said… no."

Her eyes sharpened with disbelief threading through them. "You will not disobey me," she warned.

Boren clenched his jaw tightly. "I already am."

For several tense seconds, nothing moved between them until finally she rose from the swing and stepped closer without making a sound on the stone beneath her bare feet.

Though shorter and lighter than him, something about her presence loomed large, a pressure born of upbringing and authority that had never been challenged before.

"You forget your place," she said coldly.

Boren let out a laugh not loud or mocking but raw and ugly, as if torn free from deep within him.

"My place?" he echoed hoarsely. "What place? The one you decided for me when I was born? The one everyone talks about? The one people look at when they think I'm not watching?"

He clenched his fists tighter.

"Ever since I was a child, you've all treated me like a mistake. Like something that went wrong. Like I'm… a stain you can't wash off." His voice trembled, but he fought to keep it steady.

"Do you know what it's like," he continued, "to grow up in a house where no one looks at you without remembering a funeral? Where every corridor feels like an accusation? Where even the silence blames you?"

Her lips parted slightly, but he pressed on.

"You all say my mother died giving birth to me," he said. "And somehow, that means I owe the world something. That I should shrink away. Apologize. Disappear."

He swallowed hard.

"Did any of you ever ask me," his voice quivered now, "if I wanted to be born this way? Did any of you ever consider that maybe… maybe I hate myself more than you ever could?"

His eyes burned with unshed tears.

"I didn't ask for her to die," he said fiercely. "I didn't choose to carry the weight of her death in your eyes every day. I didn't want to be the reason your voices turn cold when I walk into a room."

For a moment, his gaze flickered before it steadied.

"But I did choose," he said quietly, "to work at the Guild."

Her expression tightened as she listened.

"And for the first time," he continued, "people don't see me as a coffin; they see a man. A man who can do something meaningful. Someone who belongs somewhere."

His chest rose and fell with determination.

"I'm done," he declared firmly. "I'm done being the one everyone is ashamed of. I'm done pretending it doesn't hurt. I refuse to live out the life you all wrote for me without ever asking what I wanted."

Silence enveloped the garden as butterflies drifted uncertainly between them.

When she spoke again, her voice was icy.

"You are Stonehelm," she stated flatly. "You do not belong among adventurers and beggars and mercenaries. You belong here."

"No," Boren replied, his voice steady despite his trembling body. "I belong where I choose to stand."

She stared at him intently, and in her gaze, he saw not cruelty but something closer to unease.

"From now on," he asserted as he straightened himself, "I will live my life on my own terms, not yours, not this house's, not anyone's."

He took a step back.

"I finally found something worthwhile," he said softly. "Something that makes me feel like more than just… taking up space. And yet you want to take that from me."

His voice dropped lower.

"I thought… even if everyone else hated me," he admitted quietly, "my sister wouldn't."

Her breath caught just slightly in surprise.

"But you do," he said quietly, finishing his thought. "So much for being a sister."

Then he turned away.

He didn't bow or glance back. He simply walked out of the garden, each step heavy with unspoken words. His shoulders trembled, and his eyes burned with unshed tears.

But he didn't stop.

Behind him, in a garden so beautiful it seemed to mock its own silence, the young mistress of House Stonehelm stood frozen in place.

She stared at the spot where her brother had just been, her reflection rippling across the pond's surface as if even the water couldn't decide which of them was truly breaking apart.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.