3. Why is the mirror covered?

Warm rays of sunlight tickled my face, coaxing me out of a deep sleep. I slowly opened my eyes, a strange feeling of belonging washing over me, like I was finally home. Yet, my memories were hazy, like trying to grasp a fleeting dream that was slipping away too quickly.

I blinked a few times, taking in my surroundings. The room was old, broken-down, and ancient, with cracks running along the walls and the faint smell of dust in the air. Despite its worn condition, it radiated a comforting warmth, as if it had been lived in and cherished for a long time.

As I turned my head, I noticed a little boy sitting beside me. He couldn't have been more than twelve years old, with reddish-black hair that fell softly over his forehead. His face was strikingly beautiful, the kind that would grow into a captivating charm as he grew older, like a character straight out of a painting.

'How can someone be so cute?' I thought, feeling an odd urge to reach out. Unable to resist, I gently poked his cheek, watching as his eyelids fluttered open like a butterfly's wings. His deep, innocent eyes met mine, and my heart swelled with a strange mix of affection and confusion.

"Sister... you woke up!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with relief. Before I could react, he threw his arms around me, burying his face into my chest. "I missed you so much..."

The warmth of his embrace caught me off guard, filling me with an inexplicable comfort. But confusion twisted in my mind, tightening like a knot. 'Sister? Who is this boy?' My heart raced as I tried to make sense of the situation.

I gently placed my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back just enough to look into his eyes. "Who are you? Who am I?" My voice wavered with uncertainty, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. I desperately searched for something familiar, but my mind was a blank slate.

The boy's smile faltered, his wide, innocent eyes flickering with confusion and hurt. "It's me, Alaric Evan Hart, and you are my elder sister, Ariana Rain Hart. Can you really not remember?" His voice was soft, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, as if the very idea was too painful to accept.

'Alaric? Ariana?' I repeated the names in my head, searching my hazy memories, but nothing clicked. The names, the faces, everything was a void, except for a faint recollection of reading a comic… 'The Protector of the Crown.'

A chill ran down my spine as the realization hit me. Ariana Rain Hart... the sister of Alaric Evan Hart, the master of Dark Flame. The villain became consumed by darkness after losing his only family—his sister—because of the female lead, Liliana Vera Angelo. 'I've transmigrated into The Protector of the Crown,' I thought, my mind spinning with the impossibility of it all.

But something felt wrong, a nagging emptiness where Ariana's memories should have been. 'Why didn't I get her memories?' The question gnawed at me, leaving me feeling lost and adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

"Sister… are you feeling okay?" Alaric's concerned voice broke through my thoughts, his small hand gently touching my forehead. His touch was warm, but it did little to soothe the storm inside me. "No need to force yourself to remember. I'm already happy that I didn't lose you like our parents."

His words pierced my heart, the pain in his voice making my chest tighten. 'I can't break his heart… I can't let him down.' The resolve hardened within me as I remembered his tragic backstory, the loss, the loneliness that had driven him to darkness. I couldn't let that happen, not if I could help it.

"Sorry, Alaric. I... I don't remember," I admitted softly, my voice laced with regret. I watched as the light in his eyes dimmed with worry, and it felt like my heart was being sliced by a thousand knives. "But don't worry. We can make new memories together, and with you by my side, you can always tell me about my past self, can't you?"

Alaric's eyes lit up with renewed hope, a smile spreading across his face like the sun breaking through the clouds. "Yes, sister! Can you call me Evan? You know, only those close to us and our family use our middle names."

"Okay, Evan," I replied with a gentle smile, feeling a warmth spread through me despite the uncertainty. But just as I was about to say more, my stomach growled loudly, and I flushed red with embarrassment, breaking the moment's seriousness.

"Sister Rain, freshen up. I'll go and bring something to eat!" Evan's voice was filled with excitement as he dashed out of the room with lightning speed. I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, even as my thoughts remained tangled in confusion.

Once alone, I looked around the room and noticed a mirror covered with a white cloth. I walked toward it, steadying myself after getting down from the bed, my legs still weak from the unfamiliarity of it all. 'Why is the mirror covered?'