It was m. The eborate arm clo the desk started pying a tuo wake up the sleepy. It was just loud enough to wake somebody up, but not loud to the point of startling a sleeping person. Apparently, lots of professional fiuni into achieving this, or something.

  Anyway, Karen jumped up and tur off almost immediately. Then, she quickly g her older sister, who was still lying oher side of the giant bed.

  "Okay, safe!" Karen pumped a fist and smiled suspiciously. Don't worry, I'll wake you up, Sis~

  Kareoward the unsuspeg older sister who was still fast asleep. Unlike Karen, who always woke up at the fai sound of the arm, Fiona needed more time to return from slumbernd.

  Well, she worked hard until te yesterday, so she has the right to rest a little. Karen nodded in uanding.

  After they returned home from Proter, Karen was free to do as she pleased afterward. But, not Fiona. The ever-hardw older sister had many more scheduled activities she had to participate in.

  Piano, swimming, te-night jogging, and then some Cssmaraining before bed. Really, sometimes it felt like the renowned La Princess didn’t even know the meaning of the word “rest”.

  Karen did join her sister in some of these activities whenever she felt like it, especially Cssmancers, but otherwise, she had been dodging that stress whenever she could. That kind of schedule ractically inhuman.

  Like for example, who'd even have the energy to jog after going through a bunch of swimming? Sure, Karen sometimes joined her sister for either swimming ging, but never both of them in a row. That was just overkill. Like, for real.

  Yet somehow, Fiona had no trouble keeping up with all of this on a regur basis. Or at least, that's what she cimed.

  But really, Fiona had always been carrying herself galntly, radiating full fidend sistency. Even as she went from swimming to jogging with barely a iween, there was not a hint of weariness on her face.

  heless, as amazing as everybody sidered the La Prio be, Fiona was ultimately a human. Though her fatigue wasn't immediately apparent, it slowly built up over time aually made her colpse on the bed like a puppet whose strings were cut.

  She’s practically putting herself through torture. Karen thought as she gently caressed her sister's golden hair. How you do this to yourself, day in and day out?

  This was a routine Fiona had been maintaining for years now. In the process, she seemed to develop incredible resilieo all of the stress and fatigue, but seriously, this schedule shouldn’t be feasible for a human being to maintain on a regur basis.

  Back when Karen came to live in this mansion, she was shocked to learn about this hellish routi was inceivable that some "rich dy" would subject herself to such pressure.

  Yet, Fiona always carried herself so fidently as she rotated through multiple harsh activities in a single day. She made everything look so easy, almost as if any kid should be able to do that much.

  Seeing Fiona's hard work motivated Karen to practice more as well. Of course, half of her motivation came from the fact she’d be able to spend more time with her sister like this, but the other half was genuine admiration toward Fiona’s ability to push herself to the limit and beyond.

  Basically, this made Karen curious about her own limits. And to her surprise, once she started trying out some things, she discovered that she was able to achieve much more than she inally thought.

  No matter how tough the practice was at first, over time Karen somehow mao normalize it into a "daily activity" like any other. It became fually no different from the effort required to gh lessons at school.

  And so, by stig tur schedule, Karen was able to keep up with her sister to a certaient. But, her schedule was like 50% less packed than Fiona’s.

  Chess and piano aren't my kind of thing. Karen thought. Swimming and jogging are nice, but doing them oer another in one day is way too harsh. But, you do anything, right, Sis? Because you're that amazing~

  Karen rubbed her face against Fiona's arm and snuggled up to the sleepiy. Even as she was doing all of this, Fiona remaiill as a log.

  Ever the heavy sleeper, aren't you? Karen giggled. That's o only I know~

  For most people, the La Princess appeared as this invincible figure who could do anything fwlessly. However, underh all that impressive stuff was still a human being made of flesh and bones. And, it just so happehat waking up in the m was oe weakness she had~

  Like, real talk, even the arm clock usually failed to wake Fiona up on the first try. It had to repeat itself multiple times until the sleeping princess finally decided to leave slumbernd.

  Things were especially rough on days that came after hard physical training, like the one from yesterday. Even though Fiona aced the hellish routine of swimming and jogging, it clearly took a toll on her body.

  Since Karen was the type to wake up immediately, it was annoying to let the arm to keep pying. So instead, it was always her job to wake up her dear sister~

  "Meow~" Karen rubbed herself against Fiona. Sis is so defenseless. I have to protect her~

  Though arguably, the most dangerous individual in the room at the moment was her than Karen herself. Right now, she could do anything she wanted with this beautiful doll~

  Truly, the ms were such precious times of the day. Karen could never get enough of them~

  As, all good thiually had to e to an end and this was no exception.

  "Ahem." Someone cleared their throat. Karen was caught i, same as always.

  A woman in a maid's uniform towered the bed. She was the head maid, Lydia. A very nian in general, but a big throne in the ass in the ms.

  "I uand that you love your sister very much," Lydia said. "But, I would appreciate it if you actually tried to wake her up at some point instead of just expressing your affe all day. It's already been five minutes sihe arm rang."

  "Wait, seriously!? That long!?" Karen jumped and turned around. The wooden clo the desk agreed with Lydia on this one.

  Well, this wasn’t the first time this happened. Oftentimes, Kare like he had just started snuggling up to her sister, and then BAM! Five minutes gone! Just like that.

  Maybe I should start waking up earlier. Karen sometimes eaihe thought but she never went through with it. Nah, we're already waking up hel early. Like, it's still before 6 o'clock. I'm pretty sure nobody else in our school wakes up this early.

  Yet, Fiona had no choice but to get up early if she wao squeeze her absurd schedule into a single day. As a result, Karen had to wake up this early as well.

  Of course, with the mansion being so big, Karen could easily request a separate room all for herself and divorce herself from all of this. But, that would mean giving up on these delicious daily routines, so no thanks.

  "Would you mind hurrying up, please?" Lydia requested again. "You're already beyond schedule by over a minute."

  "Meh. We already wake up earlier than necessary to have some leeway, right? So, no biggie."

  "With that attitude, no amount of spare time would ever suffice."

  "Haha, maybe." Karen ughed dryly and sighed. Seriously, we’ve got more than enough time, but Lydia be Lydia.

  The head maid was nid g but also strid punctual. She looked rather young for a position like this, probably still in her 30s, yet she had this “professional aura” arouhat made it difficult tue back against her.

  "Alright, alright." Karen gave in. "I'm waking her up now."

  "Please do."

  "Sis, wakey-wakey~" Karen softly whispered into Fiona's ear while gently nudging the sleepiy.

  At first, there wasn't much rea. Fiona remaiill like a statue. Only her faint breathing reassured her that she was, in fact, alive.

  "Sis~" Karen rubbed her nose against her sister's arm while shaking the girl's shoulder.

  Slowly but surely, Fiona started waking up. She zily opened her eyes and bli her surroundings.

  "Good m, sis!"

  "Good m, Karen... Zzz..." Fiona's head raised for a moment but then dropped again.

  "Whoa!? For real?" Karen excimed. ", Sis! We'll be te at this rate."

  "Late...?" Fiona perked up again. It was like an instinctive rea to something she deemed uable. "Are we te?"

  "Nah, not yet,” Karen whispered. “But, Lydia is giving us the evil eye.”

  "I hear you, Karen," Lydia said.

  "Ehe." Karen stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, Sis. Time to wake up."

  "Right..." Fiona's eyes were still half-closed but at least she finally developed the determination to rise from bed.

  … however, she did it slowly, so very slowly. She pushed her hands against the fluffy bed but struggled to stand up. It was as if her arms were too frail to support her.

  I know that's horseshit, tho. Karen ented. Sis do more push-ups and pull-ups than me. She be lifting.

  A, right now, there was no sign of Fiona's usual strength anywhere here. She looked like a toddler who was trying to get on its feet for the first time.

  "You do it, Sis." Karen gave her sister a little push from behiually, after a few long seds, Fiona finally mao leave the bed.

  Lydia bowed. "Good m, midy.”

  "Good m, Lydia..." Fiona somehow mao respoe obviously being out of it.

  "Your breakfast is ready, so please head to the dining room."

  "Yes..." Fiona answered vaguely as she wobbled toward the door. She looked like a child taking its first steps.

  Everything about this was a far cry from the usual galnt image associated with “La Princess”. If the media were to see Fiona like this, they'd surely jump on the opportunity to write dozens of articles about this tidbit.

  Hopefully, they’d at least spin all of this in a positive light and call it "cute". heless, for Fiona, it’ll still t as a disgrace. She cared dearly about the “strong and fident” persona she built.

  As such, the La Princess definitely didn’t have any such cute weaknesses. Karen and Lydia swore to take this secret to the grave.

  "The dining room is that way." Karely pointed her sleepy sister in the right dire.

  "Of course... I know..." Fiona cimed so but she almost went in the opposite dire just now.

  Along the way, they stopped at the restroom first. There, Fiona washed away her cute drowsiness with cold water.

  Thanks to this orick, Fiona once again regained her noble aura. She was now walking falntly. "Let us go, Karen."

  "Yes, Sis."

  Now, Fiona was the one leading the way. The cute sleepy girl from earlier was gohout a trace.

  It’s a shame. Karen shook her head. But of course, I love the usual strong Sis all the same~

  They had their brief but luxurious breakfast. After that, they ged into school uniforms, took their bags, and headed outside.

  "Good m, midies." Sebastian bowed as he opehe door of the jet-bck limousine.

  "Good m, Sebastian." On that note, Fiona and Karen boarded the expensive vehicle.

  Fiona's bodyguards were already waiting in the car, in a separate to not interfere with the girls' private matters.

  "Let's see. Today's schedule is..." Fiona checked the dar on her smartphone. Karen drew closer to also see the details.

  acked as always... Karen sighed deeply. Well, at least in volleyball and Cssmancers we're together. As for chess… I could join too, but meh. The’s see, other than that...

  Karehodically calcuted how much time she’d be able to spend with her dear sister today within this packed schedule. As far as she was ed, this was the most important question every day.

  Okay, I think I’ve got it. Karen nodded in satisfa. But still, volleyball practice first thing in the m? That means we gonna run into HER, right? Good lordy. I wish these bodyguards did their job better ahat nuisance away from Sis.

  Unfortunately, there was no stopping the iable from happening. The limousine arrived at the school and the sisters headed in.

  And so, an hour after the awkward wake-up procedure, Fiona La’s busy day had begun…

  DarkestCymore