I wondered what my family thought when they learned I was dead.
I wondered if they mourned me.
If they did, then I felt as though I could finally find peace and pass on.
But I hadn't simply died; I had become the plant monster Alraune.
If the daughter of a ducal house went from being a Saint to a monster—what would her family think then?
Just thinking about it filled me with anxiety.
Perhaps they would understand that I was still Iris.
But what if they didn't?
What if they cast me out because I was a monster?
What if they realized I was Iris, yet treated me like a complete stranger?
Every time those thoughts crossed my mind, the courage to face my family withered a little more.
Back when I had first become an Alraune—when I was living a solitary survival life in the forest—I used to think about these things all the time.
Every night, I thought of them.
I couldn't count the number of times I had quietly shed tears alone in the pitch-black woods.
Even so, I forced myself to act cheerfully.
I accepted this body that had become a plant monster and I survived.
That was how I reached the present.
The "me" of today was not the fragile girl I had been back then.
My heart and body had grown, and I had even gained a new family in Rufe.
That was why I wouldn't run away anymore.
I would face my sister of my own accord and tell her the truth myself.
I spoke these words to my sister—Tulpe.
"That earring—"
Tulpe looked up.
She moved her right hand, which had been wiping away her tears, directly to her ear.
She was still wearing the tulip earring.
"You're still wearing it. I was so happy when we saw each other again."
"……Eh?"
Tulpe looked bewildered.
It would have been simple enough to just reveal my identity right then and there, but I struggled to find the words.
'I am your younger sister, Iris!'
I wanted to shout it at the top of my lungs, but I lacked just a bit of courage.
If this had been the moment immediately after reuniting with her, I might have been able to say it without a second thought.
However, because we had already met and spoken while I was an Alraune, I didn't know how to reveal the truth after all this time.
So, I decided to take a bit of a detour while telling her everything.
"That earring... it was a gift from your younger sister, Iris, wasn't it?"
"…Y-yes, it is. But, why do you know that? Did you hear it from someone in the house?"
"N-no, that's not it."
I might have been more nervous in that moment than at any other time since becoming an Alraune.
My heart felt like it was thumping with a rhythm that couldn't compare to when I revealed my identity to Nina or Vol-nii.
Well, as a plant, I didn't actually have a heart anymore.
Still, I was so nervous I suffered the illusion that my non-existent heart was about to explode.
Even so, since I had come this far, I had to see it through.
I felt that if I turned back now, we would never truly be reunited as sisters again.
"The reason… I know this… is…"
There was a reason Tulpe wore that tulip earring.
The catalyst for everything was my name, Iris.
"Your younger sister… Iris……"
The name Iris carried the meaning of the flower.
Because of that, there were always many iris-themed decorations around me.
The dress the Little Witch had been wearing earlier had iris embroidery on it, and the villagers had even offered me bread shaped like an iris.
And my sister’s name, Tulpe, carried the meaning of the tulip.
Tulpe had come to the House of Duke Edelweiss when she was twelve years old.
At that time, I was eleven.
Even though we were half-sisters, a complete stranger had suddenly become part of the family.
Even being told "you two are sisters starting today," it wasn't something a child could accept easily.
That was exactly why I had given Tulpe the tulip earring as a present.
I had been so happy to receive things bearing my own name from my family and the people of the town. It made me feel recognized.
That was why I wanted to give her an accessory that symbolized her name.
That was the spark that brought us closer.
From that day on, we became true sisters.
"Iris… um……"
"…Yes."
Before I knew it, Tulpe was staring intently at my face.
She straightened her posture and waited quietly for my next words.
She looked just like the dependable older sister who used to indulge all my selfish whims.
Tulpe was trying to listen.
She had likely already realized most of what I was trying to tell her.
As soon as I realized that, my heart grew even lighter.
"…It's, well."
"Yes."
"I am... Iris."
I said it.
I finally said it!
There was no taking it back now.
If I said that much, even my sister would understand.
However, I didn't know if I was managed to give her a proper smile.
Since this was a long-awaited reunion, I wanted to face her with a smile.
Despite that, my cheeks twitched involuntarily.
I was still worried about whether she would truly accept me.
Keeping my mouth shut, I looked up at Tulpe again.
My sister’s eyes were wide, and she was covering her mouth with her hands.
"Are you truly… Iris-chan?"
"I ended up... with a body like this, but... I am Iris. Iris Edelweiss…… It's hard to believe, isn't it?"
"…No, no!"
Tulpe was shedding tears again.
Even though she had just been crying, she seemed to have become quite sentimental.
"My race changed, and my hair color changed too. But my face and eye color... they're the same as before."
"…I had been wondering the entire time why Miss Alraune had the same face as Iris-chan. But meeting you directly like this, I found myself thinking something strange——that somehow, your presence felt just like her."
I knew Tulpe had been suspicious.
I suppose it was because we were family.
Even though I tried to hide it, she had seen right through me.
"But, are you truly Iris-chan? I did wonder if that might be the case, but now that I know for certain, it is hard to believe……"
"Then, if I say this, will you believe me?"
As for the tulip earring, anyone could have gathered information about it from the maids.
However, this next part was something only I and Tulpe knew.
"I gave you the tulip earring. But after that, you gave me another earring in return as a thank-you, didn't you?"
I touched my ear.
There was nothing there now, but the memory of receiving it from my sister remained vivid.
"Before I went on the journey to defeat the Demon King, I entrusted that earring to you. It was precious to me, so I left it at home so I wouldn't lose it."
"Of course I know that. But let me ask one question about it——do you remember where you were when you received it from me?"
"In this room."
Tulpe lowered her gaze and reached for the desk.
Then she took something out of a drawer and held it out so I could see it.
"This is the iris earring I took charge of at that time. I have kept it safely as a memento of Iris-chan."
The name Iris carried the meaning of the flower.
Because of that, I often received things shaped like irises—bread, dresses, and various other things.
Even so, this was the gift that had made me the happiest.
"I thought I would never be able to return this. But, at last, I can……"
Tulpe stood up from her chair and approached me.
Then, she gently handed me the iris earring.
"Do you... accept that I am Iris?"
"Of course I do! Because we are… family!"
Tulpe's arms wrapped around me.
I wondered how many years it had been since we last hugged like this.
"Is it okay... even if I'm not human anymore?"
"That does not matter at all! Because Iris-chan is my precious younger sister!!"
I felt saved by those words alone.
A warm sensation spread deep within my chest. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this much happiness.
Suddenly, I noticed that nectar was flowing from my eyes.
If I shed tears while being hugged by Tulpe, the nectar would get on her dress and stain it.
While wiping away the nectar with my vines to prevent that, I looked up.
My gaze drifted to the ceiling, where more paintings were displayed.
Of course, Saint Iris was depicted in those paintings spread out above my head as well.
"You even decorated the ceiling with paintings of me."
"That is why I realized so quickly even when you became an Alraune!"
Well, let's just go with that.
For today only, I decided to turn a blind eye to the obsessive paintings of myself.
"Even so, Tulpe really... hasn't changed at all."
"And neither has Iris-chan."
Reunited as sisters for the first time in six years, we continued our embrace.
I decided to be grateful for my eccentric sister who loved me so much, at least for now.
"Welcome home, Iris-chan."
"Yeah…… I'm home."