In a quiet house on the outskirts of Lucien City, warm lamplight flickered through the windows, casting a gentle glow across the room.
Two girls, about seventeen or eighteen years old, stood in the living room, their faces full of disbelief.
The knights who had brought them here had told them that this place was now their home, a house personally arranged by His Highness Lucien. Everyone who came to this new territory would be given a place to live.
Not only that, but the two had been served a generous dinner, a basket of soft white bread, two grilled fish glazed with honey and roasted to a golden brown, and a tray of fresh vegetables, fruits, and drinks.
Celina and Lena Joy, long branded as cursed and unlucky, could hardly believe what they were seeing.
Could there really be someone in this world kind enough to treat them this way?
Even their own father had despised them. The villagers, fearful of their identical faces, had called them omens and cast them out.
Lena's small voice trembled. "Sister, can we really eat this?"
Celina said nothing at first. Her thoughts were tangled, uncertain.
She recalled the words of the knight who had escorted them here:
"Don't worry, there are no slaves in this land."
"From now on, this house is your home. Prince Lucien ordered that everyone will receive their own house, live here in peace."
"You don't need to thank me, thank Prince Lucien. This was all his doing."
Even now, Celina still found it hard to believe.
She looked at the warm bread and steaming fish before her, her heart aching as if the scene might vanish any second.
'Who exactly is Prince Lucien?' she wondered. 'Why would someone like him show such kindness to people like us?'
But before she could think any further, her empty stomach growled.
She closed her eyes briefly, murmuring a small prayer. 'Even if this is a dream, please, let us wake up a little later.'
"Eat slowly, Lena," she said softly.
"Yes, Sister!" Lena replied, clutching her bread. As soon as she took the first bite, the sweetness spread across her tongue. Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn't stop eating.
After dinner, the sisters cleaned up, then crawled into bed together as they always had. The beds were soft and warm, far more comfortable than the cold ground or straw huts they'd slept in for years.
Lena curled up in her sister's arms. "Sister, are we dreaming?"
To be sure, she pinched her own thigh.
"Ow! That hurt!"
Celina smiled faintly. "Then it's not a dream."
Lena hesitated for a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why is Prince Lucien being so kind to us?"
"I don't know," Celina admitted quietly. "But no matter what happens, things won't be worse than before."
The two sisters had been wandering for so long. At last, with full stomachs and soft blankets, they drifted into the deepest, most peaceful sleep they'd known in years.
Early the next morning, a knock came at their door.
When they opened it, a knight in armor stood waiting.
"His Highness Lucien requests your presence," he said respectfully.
At once, the two girls tensed up.
"Sister," Lena whispered nervously, clutching Celina's hand.
Celina gave it a reassuring squeeze, though she felt anxious herself. "It's all right. Let's go."
Following the knight, they passed through the bright morning streets of Lucien City. The air was filled with the sounds of life, merchants setting up stalls, Pokémon chirping in the distance, and the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the cobblestone road.
After several turns, they arrived before a grand building they had glimpsed the day before, the town's City Hall.
Soon, they were led into a lavishly decorated room on the top floor of City Hall.
Their eyes instinctively lifted to the figure standing by the tall window. The man turned as they entered, his calm gaze meeting theirs.
Lucien's expression softened slightly. The moment he saw their faces, two identical young women with gentle eyes and nervous hands clasped together, he felt a quiet warmth stir within him.
'Yes, they really are the Joys.'
Celina and Lena Joy hesitated near the doorway, stealing anxious glances at the nobleman before them. They couldn't guess why the prince wanted to see them, and their hearts beat faster with unease.
Lucien noticed their tension and smiled reassuringly. "There's no need to be nervous. I only wanted to speak with you, to learn about your situation."
The sisters froze, startled by his gentle tone.
"I heard you came from a small village," Lucien continued. "And that you were imprisoned in the capital for stealing bread. Is that true?"
Lena bit her lip and nodded timidly. "We didn't mean to. We were just so hungry, Your Highness. We tried to find work, but everyone was afraid of us. No one would even come near..."
"Lena." Celina stopped her softly and bowed her head. "Forgive us, Your Highness. We've already caused you trouble. It was our fault, and we will accept any punishment."
Lucien raised an eyebrow, half amused, half sympathetic. "Punishment? Why would I punish you?"
Celina looked confused. "Then, why did Your Highness summon us?"
Lucien chuckled quietly. "You've already suffered enough. I called you here not to punish you, but to tell you something important."
He looked at them with steady eyes. "From this day forward, you are no longer slaves. Whatever happened before doesn't matter anymore. You're free now. Live well here."
For a moment, the sisters could only stare at him, speechless.
Finally, Celina whispered, almost afraid to believe it. "Your Highness, you're not afraid of us?"
Lucien tilted his head. "Afraid? Why would I be?"
Even witches who could command magic served openly under him; he had never feared anyone because of their nature.
"Because…" Celina hesitated, her voice trembling. "We're cursed. Everyone says that those who have children with us will bear daughters who look exactly like us."
She lowered her gaze. "People believe that anyone close to us will be struck by misfortune."
Lena nodded tearfully. "They say our faces bring bad luck. That's why no one ever wanted to hire us or speak to us."
Lucien was silent for a few seconds, then smiled faintly. "I have a different way of seeing it."
He leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, have you ever observed magical beasts?"
The sisters blinked in confusion. "Magical beasts?" Celina asked.
Lucien nodded. "Children born to the same species of magical beast all share the same appearance, the same traits, the same patterns. Don't you think that sounds familiar?"
The sisters exchanged stunned looks. They had never thought of it that way.
"So," Lena stammered, "you mean my sister and I…we're like magical beasts?"
Lucien smiled faintly and continued, "Not only you. I've heard some scholars studying human origins suggest that humans themselves may once have been a kind of magical beast. Some even believe that humans evolved from them. Perhaps what you've experienced is a kind of atavism, an echo of the past that shows through your bloodline."
Celina and Lena's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Then, that means we're not cursed at all?" Celina asked hesitantly.
"Of course not," Lucien replied without hesitation. "There's no curse here, only misunderstanding."
For a moment, silence filled the room. Then Celina stepped forward and bowed deeply, her voice trembling. "I understand now. Thank you very much, Your Highness."
As she spoke, Lucien noticed the faint golden shimmer on the system panel before him, their loyalty had risen sharply, from zero to eighty.
He smiled. "Tell me, do you have any particular skills? Farming, carpentry, smithing, fishing, construction, anything of that sort?"
The two sisters exchanged uneasy glances.
"No, Your Highness," Lena admitted softly. "We come from a small village. We never learned any trade skills. We just, did what we could to survive."
Celina lowered her head in shame. "Stealing bread hardly counts as a skill."
Lucien chuckled quietly.
He took a piece of parchment from his desk, quickly wrote a few lines, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Celina.
"Take this letter," he said. "Find a woman named Lila. She's skilled in medicine and healing. She'll teach you what you need to know."
Celina carefully accepted the letter as if it were something sacred. "Yes, Your Highness!" she said, her voice steady but full of emotion.
As the sisters bowed and turned to leave, Lucien watched them go, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
Good.
Now, his territory had its Joy sisters.
...
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