The welcome banquet ended with Kael rolling up his sleeves and saving the day.
After eating their fill (specifically, the part made by Kael), Cecilia and Siegfried looked at their daughter, who was clinging to Kael and refused to come down, and then at Theresa, who was glaring nearby, her jealousy almost solidified. They "unfortunaely" used "performing a mission" as an excuse.
They fully "entrusted" little Kiana to Kael, and conveniently bundled Theresa along with her.
Thus, Kael's day off turned into a disaster scene of "one person taking care of two children" — if Theresa could be counted as a "child"...
Early the next morning, Kiana's knocking on Kael's dorm room door was banging loudly.
Opening the door, the little one was wearing a crooked "cape" made from a bedsheet, holding a folded long-handled umbrella, and looking at him with a serious little face: "Uncle Kael! The world needs saving! Knight Kiana Kaslana, requests to go forth!"
Kael: "..."
He glanced at Theresa, who had also been woken up, her hair messy, and looking annoyed. He sighed resignedly, "...Permission granted to go forth. Target, living room playground."
So, the living room became Kiana's fantasy battlefield. She used the umbrella as the "weapon", making grunting and shouting sounds at the air, and from time to time she would also make Kael play the "evil Honkai Beast" to be "defeated" by her.
Kael good-naturedly cooperated, pretending to fall to the ground when she lightly poked him with the umbrella, making the little one giggle and play happily.
Theresa sat cross-legged on the sofa, hugging a Haxxor Bunny pillow. Watching Kael so patiently and gently play such a childish game with Kiana, her heart felt sour and bubbly. She wanted to play with Kael too! She didn't want to be a spectator!
Perhaps she was playing too intensely, Kiana accidentally poked the "weapon" (umbrella) into the sofa leg, and the tip of the umbrella became slightly bent.
She froze for a moment, her little face immediately fell, and she raised her "divine artifact", shouting in a tragic yet serious tone, with a childish voice.
"My weapon has been dulled by the heavy rain! My cape is also rusty!" She took a deep breath, raised her little fist, and her eyes became "resolute", "But my charge is a kaslana-style charge!"
After saying that, she yelled and "charged" towards Theresa, who was eating snacks on the sofa!
Theresa was chewing bitter melon slices when she saw the little one charging towards her, and instinctively wanted to dodge.
But Kiana suddenly stopped in front of her, pointed the umbrella at her, and loudly declared: "The great windmill named Sister Theresa! I will battle you for three hundred rounds!"
"Great windmill?!" Theresa almost choked on the bitter melon slices. What kind of strange nickname was that?!
Kael couldn't help but laugh from the side. Theresa immediately became angry and embarrassed, threw her pillow, and jumped off the sofa: "Little brat! Who are you calling a great windmill! Take this!" She made a move to grab Kiana.
Kiana shrieked, laughing as she hid behind Kael, using him as a shield: "Uncle Kael protect me! The great windmill is coming!"
Theresa relentlessly chased around Kael, and Kiana flexibly dodged. Kael was dizzy and disoriented, being pulled and tugged by the two white-haired girls circling him.
"Stop! Ceasefire!" Kael finally couldn't take it anymore. He held down the two noisy "kittens" with one hand each, "If you keep making trouble, there will be no strawberry pudding or bitter melon pudding this afternoon!"
The threat of food temporarily quelled the "war."
Kiana blinked her big eyes and immediately hugged Kael's leg: "Kiana is good! Wants pudding!" Theresa also snorted, taking the opportunity to link her arm with Kael's other arm: "Mine needs extra bitter melon sauce!"
Kael: "..." He felt like a kidnapped hostage.
After playing all morning, Kiana finally ran out of energy and started rubbing her eyes and yawning.
Kael carried her to the bed and gently patted her to sleep. The little one held his finger and soon fell into a dream.
Just as Kael was about to pull his hand away and quietly leave, his other hand was pulled. He turned his head and saw Theresa standing by the bed, silently mouthing: "Me too!"
Kael was helpless, signaling with his eyes: The bed is only this big.
Theresa didn't care. She quietly climbed onto the bed, squeezing in on Kiana's other side, then contentedly hugged Kael's other arm, closed her eyes, with a triumphant smile on her lips.
Kael was sandwiched in the middle, unable to move. On his left was Kiana, sleeping sweetly, her little face rosy; on his right was Theresa, pretending to sleep, but her eyelashes constantly fluttering, secretly giggling.
He looked at the ceiling, feeling like an eucalyptus tree kidnapped by two white koalas.
Sunlight streamed through the curtain gap, and the room was quiet and warm.
Listening to the two steady breaths beside him, Kael's initial helplessness gradually softened.
He gently moved his embraced arm, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and also closed his eyes.
Taking care of children was tiring, but this feeling of being completely relied upon and trusted... seemed not bad at all.
After an unknown amount of time, Kael felt a tickle on his face.
He groggily opened his eyes and saw Kiana, who had woken up at some point, lying on his chest, rubbing her soft hair against his chin, giggling.
And Theresa on the other side seemed to have woken up too, looking at him with a resentful gaze, as if accusing him of why he noticed Kiana first.
Kael sighed, resignedly sitting up: "Alright, my two princesses, nap time is over. Get up for pudding."
...In the evening, Kael held Kiana, and together with Theresa, they watched the stars on the balcony.
Kiana seemed particularly interested in the starry sky, extending her small hand and pointing at the brightest star: "Uncle! Star!"
"Yes, that's Sirius, very bright, isn't it?" Kael patiently explained.
"Like Uncle's eyes!" Kiana suddenly turned her head, looked at Kael's eyes, which appeared exceptionally gentle under the starlight, and said seriously.
Kael was stunned, his heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by a feather, softening into a mush.
He couldn't help but lower his head and gently touched the little one's forehead with his own: "Kiana's eyes are also very bright, like sapphires."
Theresa watched from the side, feeling both sour and soft inside. She also leaned over, pointing at another star: "What about that one? Does it look like me?"
Kiana looked at it, and honestly shook her head: "No! Sister Theresa is like... like bitter melon!" She remembered Theresa always eating green things.
Theresa: "..." She was so angry she wanted to pinch Kiana's face.
Kael couldn't help but laugh, and quickly smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, all the stars are alike, all beautiful."
Kiana looked at Kael, then at the pouting Theresa, and suddenly stretched out her small hands, holding Kael's finger with one hand and Theresa's finger with the other, then stacked their hands together, covering them with her own chubby little hand, and in a childish voice, said something astonishing:
"Uncle! Sister! And Kiana! Together forever! Best!"
The air instantly fell silent.
Kael and Theresa were both stunned, looking at their hands, which Kiana had forcibly stacked together, feeling the warmth of each other's palms.
Theresa's heart was pounding as if it was about to burst. She secretly glanced at Kael, finding him looking at their intertwined hands with some bewilderment.
"Kiana..." Kael tried to say something.
"Pinky promise!" Kiana, however, didn't care, shaking their hands vigorously, her little face full of seriousness and anticipation.
Children's words are innocent, yet like a seed, they quietly fell into the deepest part of their hearts, sending out ripples of complex emotions.
He gently clasped Theresa's hand, which she was trying to pull away, and also held Kiana's small hand, his voice low and gentle:
"Okay, pinky promise."
Kiana smiled happily, hooking their fingers tightly: "Pinky promise, hang yourself if you break it, never change for a hundred years!"
Under the starlight, their three fingers were tightly hooked together. What the future held, no one knew.
But at least the warmth of this moment was real, wasn't it?
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