Tristan was the son of impoverished estate owners; her mother occasionally traded with Tristan's parents.

  However, his parents had disappeared months ago—he had stayed behind. Why, she didn't know. It wasn't important.

  In the morning, Marielle stared out of her house at the vast meadows. Her mother and sisters sat beside her in the kitchen. Yuna and Suri were playing magic ball, trying to steal the ball from each other using their abilities. However, the two were equally skilled, so Marielle quickly grew bored of watching.

  Her mother stroked her head. "Elle, can you water the vegetables and fertilize them, please? Also, I've been thinking—we need a horse. I managed to scrape together a few coins. Maybe you could check in the village to see if we can buy one somewhere?"

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  She and her family had once owned an entire stable full of horses, but by order of the king, they had been taken away to serve the army. Suri and Yuna had protested the loudest, but it had been pointless. In war, everyone had to make sacrifices. She only wished they had left her Jeremiaz.

  Her sister Velarae had followed her fiancé, Andaril, to the north. Like her brother, Andaril also served in the royal guard. And she told herself she was happy for Velarae, that it didn't matter to her, that she didn't care that her sister had chosen her fiancé over her and her family.

  Before Velarae left, she had wanted to confront her, to accuse her of abandoning them. But when she saw her sister clinging to Andaril's arm at their farewell, as if she feared that if she let go, she would be torn away from him—Marielle realized there was no point. No matter what she said, Velarae had already made her decision long ago.