Due to the strained relationship between our families, our interaction had been limited to what was absolutely necessary to pass as polite pleasantries. Although she had answered with an affirmative ‘yes’, I wasn’t sure just how much Diana actually remembered of him.
“Perfect. He really is a charming little gentleman even at his age. Also, he’s the only heir to the Vulkan family and we think that he is the perfect person for you to marry,” father explained with a satisfied smile.
My eyes widened before I turned to stare at my sister to see her reaction to the news that father had just broken to us. I’ve heard of arranged marriages before and some of our friends already had fiancés of their own which their parents have told them about; however, I never thought that a day would come when my sister would have one too.
“I have to marry him?” Diana asked.
“Yes. I am sure that he is the perfect one for you. You will see for yourself when you meet him tomorrow,” mother chimed in followed by a high-pitch laugh.
“I will meet him tomorrow?” Diana asked monotonously.
“Yes, we have arranged for it to happen. You will meet him tomorrow and when you grow up, you two will get married. Isn’t that lovely?” my mother replied with a bright smile.
I didn’t remember enough of Anthony to judge if he was the perfect match for my sister or not. Then again, we were too young to even think of getting married. Anthony’s face felt foggy in my memory as I tried to remember it.
“Will it help our family?” Diana asked after a pause of silence.
Her question surprised me just as much as it surprised our parents. That was the moment that I found out that I was quite wrong about my sister. In fact, Diana understood everything. Her question reminded me of the fight between our parents that we had just witnessed not too long ago, and I also began to see why this was happening.
“Yes, dear. It would help our family and our family would also help the Vulkan family. Isn’t that great? We’ll just help each other out,” my mother replied convincingly.
“Sure,” Diana replied immediately as if she didn’t even need to think about it.
I was stunned into silence. My parents acted like I wasn’t there, and it was clear that they were not looking for my inputs regarding the decision. I thought that it would be fine as long as Diana was fine with it just like she had just said.
“Great then. Let’s enjoy dinner together. Tomorrow, we’ll take you to meet Anthony. I’ll make sure to dress you up real pretty!” our mother said excitedly as she clapped her hands together.
“This is great news to all of us. You’re such a good girl, Diana. I’ll take you shopping for new clothes too and also some new bags that you can take to school,” father quickly added.
Our parents’ joyous mood improved even further after they had gotten what they wanted. I ate dinner without saying a word as I tossed the notion of my sister getting engaged to Anthony in my mind. From the argument between our parents that we had witnessed and the things that the maid had been whispering to each other while walking the hallways of the house, I already figured out that we had very little money left or that money was running out and without money, we cannot buy anything. That was a big problem.
Later that night, I heard soft knocking sounds on my bedroom door. I was already in bed and feeling sleepy.
“Dahlia...”
I heard Diana’s voice calling my name and my eyes widened. Quickly, I jumped out of bed and headed to the door. It wasn’t unusual for my sister to come to my bedroom, but that day just felt different than all the times before.
“Dina...” I murmured her name when I opened the door.
Diana was standing in front of my door dressed in her favorite pink-flower pattern pajamas. Although it was past our regular bedtime, she looked wide awake. I stepped aside to let her into my room before closing the door behind us. To my surprise, Diana turned toward the door before pushing on the doorknob to lock it.
“What is it?” I asked as I reached up a hand to rub my eyes.
“It’s about tomorrow...” Dina began before she averted her eyes from me and hesitated.
“What is it about tomorrow?” I asked.
“Can you take my place tomorrow?” Dina asked with pleading eyes.
I raised my eyebrows at her and her abrupt request. At first, I didn’t quite fully understand her request until I was reminded that tomorrow was supposed to be an extremely important day for her and our family because she was supposed to meet Anthony properly for the first time. From tomorrow onwards, my sister will have a fiancé whom she would end up marrying in the future.
“You mean, you want me to meet your fiancé in your place?” I asked to make sure that I understood her absurd request.
“Yes. Please do this for me, Dahlia...” she begged as she pressed her hand together.
Overall, I thought that the fact that we could swap places and take each other’s place without anyone noticing was something extremely cool. When we first accidentally found out about it, it was Diana who came up with the idea of testing it out. Apart from the fact that we looked so much and sounded alike, it soon became clear to our parents and everyone that Diana was gifted in everything desirable in a perfect lady. Diana was better than me at virtually everything. She could dance, sing, and paint better than I ever could. She was also better at sports. Most important of all, she was more obedient.
At least, that was what I had always been told. I had no idea when it started but for the longest time, I always felt like I was living in my sister’s shadow.
--To be continued...