Sandra mulled over the story again, unease gnawing at her. The story was all good, except there was no goodness for her little sister.
"Why is Sierra the villainess?" she wondered aloud. It didn't make sense. She couldn't accept it.
My sister is beautiful. Just how pretty is the female lead, then?
Sierra's voice was calm, almost detached. "She fell in love with the male lead. That's the stereotypical setup. In the end, she goes berserk and is killed by the man she loves."
Sandra frowned. "Then… just don't fall in love with him." Her tone was firm. "You're not the same Sierra. You know the future. You can avoid that fate."
Sierra blinked, her expression unreadable. "You think so?"
Sandra hesitated, then spoke with certainty. "I think I know why the Sierra in that novel became a villainess."
"Why?"
"Because she had no family." Sandra's gaze softened. "She must have been completely alone. But it's different now. I'm here. And you have two nephews—my sons."
Sierra's lips parted slightly. "I have nephews?"
Sandra chuckled. "You do. They're adorable, but we had too many name ideas and couldn't decide." A playful smirk tugged at her lips. "How about you name them?"
Sierra's tired eyes brightened. "What's the older one like?"
Sandra leaned back slightly, thinking. "He's quiet. A daydreamer. He listens to his little brother babbling all day—sometimes, I swear he's only pretending. He just zones out, lost in his own world."
Sierra chuckled. "And the younger one?"
Sandra sighed with a fond smile. "Oh, he's full of energy. He loves attention. If he thinks people are paying more attention to his big brother, he'll even fake-cry." She shook her head. "They must take after my husband."
"Who knows? You couldn't possibly remember what kind of baby you were," Sierra teased with a weak giggle.
"I was definitely the shy type. I'm sure of it." Sandra laughed.
Sierra thought seriously, pressing her lips into a line. "How about… Cloud? The big brother sounds soft and dreamy, like a drifting cloud. He must be the 'my pace' type when he grows up."
Sandra's smile bloomed as she imagined it. "Wah… I can already picture it. Then, what about the little one?"
Sierra didn't hesitate. "Sunny. The name itself describes him so well—cheerful, always laughing, making people happy just by being there. He'll be the kind of boy who gathers friends wherever he goes."
"Sunny days with Cloud—the perfect weather." Sandra nodded in satisfaction.
She repeated the names, testing them. "Cloud… Sunny. Hmm, I like it." Her expression softened as she looked at Sierra. "Thank you, little Auntie, for naming your dear nephews. I'm sure they'll love their names."
Reaching into her magic pouch, she pulled out a book and pen, carefully writing the names across three lines.
Sierra frowned. "What are you writing?" She hadn't learned to read, so she asked out of curiosity.
Sandra smiled as she wrote. "This is your name: Sierra Broissco." She then added two more names beneath it. "And these… Cloud Drasil and Sunny Drasil."
Sierra's eyes widened. "Drasil?"
Sandra raised a brow. "You know my husband from the story?"
"Herigal Drasil… General Drasil. Father of Damian and Sandy Drasil. And their mother…" Sierra hesitated. "'The Rose of the Battlefield.' That's you, right?"
Sandra rolled her eyes. "What kind of nonsense title is that? I don't even like roses. If anything, I prefer sunflowers."
Sierra let out a small laugh, but Sandra smirked and continued. "Anyway, Damian and Sandy are nice names, but Cloud and Sunny are cuter. See? The story's already changing because of you. You're not Sierra the villainess anymore—you're just Sierra."
Sierra hesitated, her smile fading. "I… I really hope so. But you should be careful. The fairy didn't lie—you'll die. What if you quit being a soldier and became a full-time mother instead? Then you wouldn't die on the battlefield. The General wouldn't fall for the princess. And your kids wouldn't have a reason to hate her."
Sandra stilled.
She had already retired when she got pregnant. After her twins were born, her only goal was to be a good mother. So… what would happen to make her return to the battlefield? What could possibly make her leave her two-year-old children behind?
A chilling thought crossed her mind. "…Wait. Don't tell me my husband is the male lead?"
Sierra blinked. "Huh?"
Sandra scowled at the glowing communication stone on the table. "I mean, sure, he's good-looking, but not that good-looking. What if God killed me off just to make him single?"
Sierra's lips twitched. "I don't know… The book never mentioned Sierra having a brother-in-law. The General never hurt Sierra, but he never helped her either. He's not the male lead. He's more like… a guardian-angel-type figure for the female lead. Maybe it's because Sierra never hid her villainous heart, so he didn't like her."
Sandra's stomach twisted. "Would something bad happen to my children? Opposing the lead characters is always dangerous, isn't it?"
Sierra hesitated before whispering, "Damian will lose his eyes. And Sunny will lose his girlfriend."
Sandra's breath caught. "What? Why would Uno let that happen?" She couldn't believe her twin brother would just stand by and do nothing.
"He's the second male lead—the princess's godbrother," Sierra explained. "The plot made him lose his childhood memories. To him, they were just people trying to hurt his dear little sister."
Memory loss… Of course. That was why he never came back.
If he ever recovered his memories—if he realized he had helped destroy their little sister… And if he ever found out the twins were his nephews…
Sandra took a slow breath, her chest tightening. "Yeah, I remembered. He was a good brother to me, too. But… it's just good to know he's alive."
A wave of dizziness hit her. Transferring mana while her body was already weak was pushing her to the limit. But she had to keep going. She had just learned that Uno was still alive, yet their fates had long since diverged. He would never return to them—not as the brother she had known. The thought left a hollow ache in her heart.
But looking at Sierra's slowly improving complexion, she made a silent vow: I won't let the novel's ending happen.
It was supposed to be a happy ending, yet her family was the only one destined for tragedy.
Sandra forced a smile. "Now, Sierra… how about we change this bad destiny?"
Sierra hesitated. "If you don't die, at least your family will be safe. Without the villainess, the world would have one less worry for peace. If I become a bad person in the future, then I deserve a bad ending."
Before Sandra could reply, the voice returned in her mind.
[Second Sister… I have a deal for you…]
Sandra kept her expression neutral, still channeling her mana into Sierra. She listened, wary but curious.
She had once wanted to be a healer, back when Uno had dreamed of becoming a general like their father. After he disappeared, she took up his dream in his place. Rising through the ranks had been difficult—the royals had seen her as a nuisance, scheming to push her away.
But in the end, their plans had backfired. Their interference had led her to Herigal Drasil, to a marriage she was grateful for.
Yes, she had been happy. And she wouldn't let this so-called fate take it all away.
"My husband, Cloud, and Sunny will be okay. Now, it's your turn," Sandra said firmly. "You're also my family."
Sierra hesitated. "But how? Our opponent is the author—possibly the god of this world."
"Then we change the story." Sandra's gaze was steady. "What if Cassandra Broissco doesn't die two years later on the battlefield? What if, instead, she helps her little sister? That little sister grows into a good person and becomes a good aunt to the twins. Maybe she even finds Uno Broissco before he becomes a threat and turns him into an ally. Then our family would have two potential heirs. You could even try befriending that princess."
Sierra looked at her, searching for doubt. "Did the fairy tell you that?"
Sandra's lips curled into a knowing smile. "The fairy said it would let me stay with my children until they turn ten. I'm satisfied with that."
She listened to the fairy's presence in her mind.
It had been some time since Sandra first realized that Sierra's body was… unusual.
Sandra herself wasn't the strongest in the family—her father had long overshadowed her in raw power—but when it came to mana capacity, she surpassed most people.
Even so, sustaining this level of mana control for so long should have drained her completely. Yet, she was still standing.
The fairy had brought her here. Had guided her steps to Sierra, as if it had all been predetermined. Sandra knew, with a quiet certainty settling in her chest, that the price for saving this child had already been decided since the fairy coming to her.
There was only one chance to do.
Saving a life with a life.