The first to open their eyes was Kyren. When he suddenly sat up, Kyst was nowhere to be seen. And lying next to him—was himself.
Kyren blinked. He was Kyren. So how was he seeing himself still asleep?
A sense of tightness crept into him, and Kyren squirmed uncomfortably. His arms and legs felt shorter than usual. And then he realized—
Short arms and legs. Pink hair. A billowing skirt.
“Aaaagh!”
He had become Bella.
In a panic, Kyren shook his own sleeping body awake. The first thing the boy noticed was just how fragile his little sister Bella’s body really was. No matter how hard he shook, his own body didn’t seem like it was about to wake up. In the end, Kyren slapped his own cheek. But all that ended up hurting was his palm. Not even a scratch showed on his face.
Still, it must have worked—his eyebrows twitched in his sleep. Forcing his eyes open, he gasped, then screamed as his dry eyes stung.
“What the heck!”
The boy stomped as he shouted, then froze mid-motion. Kyren understood instantly. His bratty little sister, who had taken over his body, was now grasping the situation.
Just as he had been shocked by the skirt and stubby limbs, Bella was now processing the reality.
“We really…”
It was a strange feeling, hearing his voice spoken from someone else’s mouth.
“Did we really switch? Really?”
“Ugh. Don’t do stuff like that with my body.”
Kyren, in Bella’s body, mimicked what his sister had just done—a nauseating act of clutching her cheeks in both hands like she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“I don’t do stuff like that. If you pulled that in front of Father, he’d notice instantly,” Kyren sneered at his sister.
Bella, scowling with narrowed eyes, shot back a glare. “Then maybe you should sit properly? I don’t sit like some ill-mannered brute.”
Not only had he spread his legs, but he was also bouncing one knee—it was an utterly disgraceful pose in Bella’s view. She smacked her thigh, telling him to sit nicely, and a sudden shriek rang out.
“Ow! That hurt!”
Startled, Bella blinked in place. She had instinctively reached out the way she always did when scolding her brother—only to forget they had switched bodies. A bright red handprint marked her thigh.
“S-sorry…”
Kyren and she had always bickered the moment their eyes met. But even so, it had never really hurt when Kyren hit her.
‘What was that?’
Bella drew back hesitantly, confused. Seeing her avoid eye contact while rubbing her leg, Kyren lowered his hand too, a strange feeling creeping over him.
***
No doubt about it—Kyst had granted their wish. It was already nearing two in the afternoon. Lunchtime had passed, and soon enough, people in the mansion would be searching for them.
“Listen closely. At two o’clock, I practice the lute. After that is penmanship. Then social dance. You better take it seriously.”
Pointing a finger sternly, Bella warned him not to ruin her reputation.
“You call that practice? It’s playing with instruments, scribbling letters, and dancing for fun.”
Kyren, in Bella’s form, stuck out his tongue in a mean-spirited tease. Bella clenched her fist, but now that she knew how strong Kyren’s body really was, she didn’t dare lash out.
“You better not ruin my reputation either. At two, I train with Father in swordsmanship, and then it’s horseback riding.”
“Swordsmanship? Seriously? And I get to ride a horse?!”
Bella clapped and jumped in place—though it was Kyren’s big body doing the hopping. Kyren looked on in disgust.
“I’m warning you—that’s banned too. Don’t do weird stuff like that. It’s disgusting.”
“Same goes for you. Can you please stand with your legs together? That posture is disgraceful. So uncultured.”
The twins turned away from each other at the same time. As if they couldn’t get away fast enough, they walked off without so much as a backward glance—each heading straight toward their swapped roles.
***
“Miss! Miss Bella!”
The first person Kyren encountered was the head maid, Sarah. Always kind to him, Kyren smiled brightly at her.
“Sarah!”
“This is no time to be smiling. Miss Bella, your lute teacher is waiting for you right now.”
With a serious look on her face, Sarah scooped Kyren up and began to hurry down the hall.
“It’s bad manners to be late, you know that. And you’ll be entering the palace soon as the Crown Princess’s playmate—this won’t do at all.”
“But being a playmate just means playing together.”
Kyren pouted and mumbled to himself. But Sarah gasped, set Kyren down, and scolded him sharply.
“Goodness, my lady! As Madam has said, becoming the Crown Princess’s playmate is an incredibly serious political matter. Every action you take will reflect on the family.”
Forgetting entirely that the lute teacher was waiting, Sarah went on with a stern expression.
“It’s not too late. You should tell Madam that you want to withdraw from the playmate position. I’ve been uneasy about it from the start. For you, who have lived like a princess in the North, to go to the capital and take on such a grueling role…”
She grasped the young lady’s shoulders and began trying to persuade her, full of concern.
“You know how much Madam worries about this too. I’m sure she would agree right away. You’re still just a child—you should be free to play and enjoy yourself. There’s no need to be burdened with the family’s status already.”
Kyren blinked dumbly in silence. “I… did that?”
“Yes, you did! That’s why you’ve been taking all these lessons so fiercely! Do you realize how crazy this schedule is? Lute, penmanship, social dance, painting, etiquette, walking posture—heavens! Not even Madam studied this hard when she was a duke’s daughter. At least not when she was your age!”
He hadn’t known.
He really hadn’t known.
Kyren had just assumed Bella was always doted on by adults, and the revelation left him stunned.
“I, um… that is…”
Kyren looked around. He thought of his sister, who had scolded him for his sloppy posture. His lips sealed shut like they’d been sewn together, and no words came out.
Sarah misunderstood Kyren’s reaction. “Anyway, just attend the lesson for now. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind. After working so hard, of course it’d be hard to just give it all up. But if it becomes too much, please say something. Understood? If you collapse again from holding it in, I’ll really be upset.”
At that, Kyren shouted in surprise. “I collapsed…?”
“Yes, yes. We agreed to keep it a secret. But no one’s around now. You mustn’t push yourself too hard. Didn’t the doctor also warn you? That’s why you mustn’t endure it in silence. If it happens again, no matter how much you beg me not to, I’ll have to report it to His Grace.”
Kyren was speechless.
‘Is this… really the Bella I know?’
To Kyren, Bella had always been an annoying little sister. Though they were born together, she seemed to push all the burdens onto him while taking only the sweet, easy parts for herself.
He’d never known anything about serving the family or political responsibilities tied to being the Crown Princess’s playmate. He just thought Bella was being smug about it again, like always.
Sarah picked up the silent ‘Bella’ once more and resumed her brisk pace down the corridor. Kyren had always thought Sarah doted on Bella simply because she was cute—but now he realized it was because she worried Bella might collapse.
The truth struck deep in Kyren’s heart���and didn’t let go.