Afterword

To all readers who have followed this story to its conclusion—thank you sincerely.

I am pleased if this tale brought you enjoyment.

For me, this work marks my first long-form serial publication and my first completed serial novel.

It became a cherished memory, a story that once showed me the dream of reaching first place in monthly rankings.

As an author, I believe I have granted Spica the greatest happiness I could.

The theme of this work was love and the idea that sin must be atoned for—this is what I wrote with intention.

If even a small part of this message reached you, the author would be at peace.

Now, permit me a brief personal note.

I belong to the generation that, during my student years, saw romance-centered web novels flourish. Though I wrote a little back then, I was quite unskilled in romance and mostly published fantasy works.

Yet translating daydreams into words proved too steep a hurdle for my younger self, leaving countless ideas—namesake dreams—piled high without ever reaching completion.

A common enough trait, one might call it obsession with worldbuilding…

Even as I tried to become a novelist, this tendency refused to fade. I’d write a single chapter, only to have the plot swell beyond control, lost in uncertainty over how to proceed, abandoning it time and again… It was shameful…

Each time, shame would burn within me, and I’d change my pen name without pause…

This work, I’ve explained to several users, began as a story I once copied from a doujinshi I’d written with a friend during my student years.

A true black history notebook, one might say… (laugh)

So when someone called it plagiarism or an homage, all I felt was indignation…

My own thoughts and cultural values have evolved since those days. It was only through a reunion with my former friend last year that I began expanding the idea—and finally began writing.

I had always liked stories of little princesses, The Tale of Genji, and Yamanokami, so I found it easy to empathize with the protagonist—my pen moved more swiftly than with any other tale.

I had never heard of terms like "doormat heroine" before; I only learned of them through comment sections and searched them out myself, a complete novice. I never imagined a work like this would reach so many people.

Now, let me explain briefly why I assigned this role to these characters.

First, why brothers?

Simply put, I believed brothers of the opposite sex would spoil the protagonist more than same-sex siblings.

And since I judged that a younger brother would not allow the story’s progression to unfold smoothly if he were indulged with the protagonist’s affection, they became elder brothers.

At first, I had planned for two elder brothers.

Alex, who was blind from the start.

I believe his presence may have been the primary reason this story was suspected of plagiarism.

He was originally conceived as a brother figure of the sort one might call "Spadari"—a distant, almost mythical presence. The condition of blindness was not part of his original design.

It was years ago, when members of our own family faced a situation requiring organ transplantation, that I added this element to him.

I remember the small booklet left in the waiting room during the time of those surgeries—a compilation of stories from donors’ relatives and transplant recipients themselves. Among them was a tale of organs retaining memory after transplantation.

The passage moved me deeply.

I was inspired by it. I thought: what if a story could be told in which the mind itself shifts, shaped by the organ received? That is why I have brought him into this tale.

Yet to speak of internal organs, they would be either grave illness or teetering on the edge of death… I had never heard of a eardrum transplant… nor could the story progress if we were to transplant cerebrospinal fluid… and so, in the midst of such thoughts, we arrived at the eyes—visually intuitive, easily explained, and unaffected by the other’s life or death.

I found it personally intriguing that a visual memory, merely from having seen something, could stir guilt—so I adopted it as such.

And so I assigned him the role of facing his sin directly, bearing the burden of atonement.

To fulfill this, I gave him a mind capable of flexible thought—slightly cunning, with an artistic temperament.

Beyond that, there was also influence from the novel *Silver Sea, Golden Earth* by my admired author, Saya Koori.

Next, Fret.

From the beginning, he was set as a weak, indulgent elder brother. Given that nature, I assumed he would surely be a brute—so I settled on a simple-minded, carefree younger sibling disposition.

And she was burdened with the role of one who would not acknowledge his sins.

He was also, from the very beginning of the writing, a child I never particularly cared for, despite having predetermined his fate.

In truth, I once hesitated between making him the product of my mother’s infidelity—without blood ties to Emmental—but ultimately discarded the idea, as it would have made my mother far too contemptible… and so it was abandoned.

The origin of his peculiar desire to incorporate part of the one he loves lies in an essay I once wrote—those interested may wish to read it.

Thus arose the eldest son, Cain, a steadfast heir without illness, destined to inherit the family estate.

I wished for him to aid Spica in her final moments, so I shaped him as a scholar, driven by research.

Given that those I have encountered in my own work are predominantly in research roles, it naturally shaped him into a figure of the mad scientist archetype.

I didn’t realize it until someone pointed it out—there are so many people around me who think like Cain naturally…

I assigned him the role of harming his wife, a stranger within the family, and his义妹, the indirect burden of atonement, and ultimately the choice to protect the family he was meant to safeguard.

The emphasis on hurting his wife was deliberate, though not necessarily proportionally so.

His father, though misguided by thought manipulation, was not fundamentally evil—he was written as an ordinary man, not particularly wicked.

I believe the most decent person among them was the one seeking atonement.

His mother was written as a woman on the verge of breaking, someone consumed by the need to protect herself.

To her, forgetting Spica was both the greatest salvation and the deepest sin.

Her grandparents were given the weight of guilt for failing to guide their flawed children, yet also served as mentors and understood Spica as kin—presented not just as ancestors, but as family.

They were envisioned as a lighthouse amid the storm of turbulent emotions within the family.

Though I cannot clearly see or understand my family from afar, I wrote this with the hope that I might be someone who watches over them, who stands as a steady light, a guide in their hearts.

Spica’s gentle cruelty, her satire of thought control—this was the intention behind her unwavering self-sacrifice.

Even without noble blood, I believe parental imprinting remains.

At first, I considered names drawn from flowers, gems, or colors, but since those names were already tied to other imagined worlds, I decided on a constellation instead—seemed poetic enough. The setting came first, so I chose the name of a first-magnitude star in Virgo, the Virgin, to match the title Virgin of the Barrier.

Once Spica was set, Stella’s name came naturally. I gave her the general name for a star unnamed by any other.

Her age was set in that delicate, indeterminate phase between girlhood and womanhood—classic, and fitting.

Stella was... a child forged in the mind of one who saw herself as a pitiable soul, doomed by her circumstances. I had wished to write even her final confession and redemption.

Forced service was Jill's sole decision. The church's high officials may have known, but...

There is an underlying premise that her sins were compounded by acts of lust,加重ing her guilt.

As noted in her commentary, Jill was modeled after Bluebeard, Jean de Laire.

In my own mind, she was inspired by the character from a certain social game—“Joan! Joan! Joan~!!!”

I drew her name from a game I hold dear, when I struggled to find a fitting one.

They are historical figures, after all...

She bore the role of a political villain, her personal benevolence sometimes twisting into malice.

Arthur was not originally intended to be such a determined character.

The truth has become clear this time—that I am incapable of writing convincingly about romance, a result of having rarely experienced it myself…

Even so, I believe he managed to persevere until the very end.

I would also wish for him to find happiness, along with the protagonist.

His happiness will surely be hers, after all (smiling).

The original backstory reveals that the ring's base, used during the final proposal, was crafted from the horn of Spica's beloved steed, a unicorn.

As these matters were not addressed in the main narrative, I take this opportunity to provide clarification.

And so, I have laid bare the setting within my own mind.

I watched the drama you mentioned only after completing its final episode.

I would like to include these thoughts and my own reflections in the activity report.

Those interested may please verify that matter.

The deletion of this post is not currently under consideration.

I would comply, should there be word from the management.

I am grateful that I was able to complete this work—it has taught me much.

I now hold confidence in myself, in the version of me who once could not finish anything.

The joy I felt when my struggles to express what I wished to write, the very tensions and hesitations in my words, were understood by others—words cannot convey it.

To all who reported typos and errors, thank you.

Your precise feedback, drawn from your own knowledge and expression, was deeply instructive.

I am Japanese, yet Japanese is difficult, isn’t it? (laugh)

As someone who has always struggled with language—scoring a mere three in Japanese class—I may well make mistakes again. Should I do so, I would be grateful if you would kindly let me know once more.

To all who shared their thoughts—each message has been read.

Your words have been a great encouragement. I deeply regret that I have yet to reply to many of you, and it pains me. But please know that my gratitude will reach you in time. I ask only that you wait with patience.

In the story, I believe the main points have been conveyed, yet I remain uncertain whether I have fully succeeded in bringing this tale to a proper close—my experience and inner strength have proved insufficient.

There are countless episodes and settings I had wished to depict, yet left unfinished.

Thus, while the main narrative has concluded, I am considering a few side stories of a supplementary nature.

Should you have any requests, I would be honored to fulfill them.

I shall post them only when the mood strikes—perhaps not until long after you have forgotten them—but I would be delighted to meet you again.

For my next work, I intend to set aside the current title and write only the first chapter for now.

Since I found writing female characters so enjoyable, I plan to create something akin to a female-led, moralistic tale reminiscent of *Mito Kōmon*.

I shall strive to meet you once more.

Thank you sincerely for enduring my humble, wandering thoughts until the end.

Mashiro Sato