The journey back to the apartment wasn't long, but the atmosphere was strangely suffocating.
Kiana Kaslana, clutching her strawberry mousse cake, stomped ahead, her footsteps echoing as if the ground beneath her wasn't the floor, but the face of a certain purple-haired woman.
She walked, seething inwardly.
'Seriously! A sister suddenly appears! And he hugged her so tightly! Kael doesn't cook much to begin with, and now there's another person to share with… Hmph! She's definitely here to steal my food!'
She tried to convince herself that the inexplicable sourness and discontent were merely due to worrying about her "rations" being divided.
Meanwhile, Sirin, following beside Kael, was in a completely different state.
She clung to Kael almost step by step, one hand still tightly gripping the corner of his clothes, as if he were her only lifeline. She tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes, still tinged with red but considerably calmer, glanced faintly at the silver-haired figure ahead radiating an aura of "displeasure."
'Her intelligence doesn't seem to exceed that of a paramecium…'
Sirin calmly assessed in her mind, 'Her behavior patterns are simple and direct, her emotions are written all over her face, and she lacks basic awareness of danger and insight…'
On her list of potentially threatening rivals, Theresa was a "longtime opponent" to be wary of, the rising star named Bianca was also worth noting, and even Bishop Otto… that woman who hides the deepest, required utmost vigilance.
She recalled the loud, artless manner of the girl named Kiana Kaslana at the dessert shop earlier, and her childish, petulant behavior now.
A faint, almost imperceptible sense of relief flashed across Sirin's eyes.
Someone like this… a rival?
No, she didn't even qualify as a rival.
Sirin silently crossed out the name "Kiana Kaslana" from her "potential threats" list.
She even found it a little amusing; did this simple-celled creature really think she could steal her brother away from her?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Having experienced thirteen years of loss and despair, Kael, now regained, held a place in her heart that surpassed everything else in the world.
That once-fledgling dependence and affection had quietly transformed during the long and painful years of longing, becoming a more obsessive, more intense possessiveness that would not allow anyone to touch him.
Kael, with Sirin clinging tightly to him, could clearly feel the warmth of her body and her undisguised dependence.
He looked down at her, the tear tracks still visible on the delicate profile of the girl, tiny teardrops clinging to her long, purple eyelashes, but the look in her eyes was no longer as broken as before; instead, it held a somewhat familiar, focused daze as she stared unblinkingly at him.
It made him feel, in a daze, as if he were seeing a glimpse of her younger self, and his heart softened, but was immediately replaced by a greater sense of confusion.
He couldn't help but open his mouth, asking the question that had been swirling in his mind since the moment he saw her:
"Sirin… before…"
He carefully chose his words, "At the dessert shop just now, and… in the news photos, you seemed… a little… different?"
He tried to put it delicately, but the meaning was clear—why did you seem so cold and unapproachable before?
Sirin heard his question, her golden eyes blinked, and the focused, slightly naive expression on her face was instantly replaced by an obvious look of disgust and helplessness.
She pouted slightly, an expression that instantly stripped away all the glory of an S-Rank Valkyrie, making her look like a little girl complaining about too much homework.
"Isn't it all Bishop Otto's fault!"
Sirin's tone was filled with obvious dissatisfaction and complaint, "She set a bunch of weird rules!"
"Rules?" Kael was stunned.
"Yeah!" Sirin nodded vigorously and began to count on her fingers, "Saying things like 'An S-Rank Valkyrie represents the image of Schicksal, and must maintain dignity and distance in public and when performing official duties,' 'Emotional management is a basic skill, avoid excessive emotional expression,' 'When facing the media and the public, show a calm and reliable side,' and so on and so forth!"
She became more and more indignant as she spoke: "The most outrageous thing is, she also said something like 'You must learn to be independent and strong, and you can no longer rely on others like before; a cold facade is the best protection'… It sounds like it makes sense, but it's such a pain to put into practice! Keeping a straight face every day is so tiring!"
Kael: "…?"
He listened to Sirin's complaints, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Otto… what strange things have you been instilling in this child?!
Maintain dignity? Emotional management? A cold protective shell?
No wonder she seemed so… unapproachable before.
So it was all the result of Bishop Otto's "careful nurturing"?
But now it seemed that once Sirin confirmed his existence, that layer of icy shell that had been forcibly put on her instantly crumbled, revealing the Sirin inside who would cry, complain, and cling tightly to his clothes, afraid he would disappear—her essence didn't seem to have changed much.
Kael didn't know what expression to make for a moment.
Should he complain about Otto's education methods, or should he be relieved that Sirin seemed to still retain that pure dependence on him in her heart?
He looked at Sirin's slightly puffed-up cheeks from complaining, her golden eyes sparkling with vivid dissatisfaction, a stark contrast to her cold appearance in the previous photos.
He couldn't help but reach out, like he had done a long time ago, and gently rubbed the top of her head, chuckling, "So… all that was an act?"
Feeling the familiar, gentle touch on the top of her head, Sirin's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and then a huge, indescribable sense of satisfaction and bitterness welled up in her heart.
She hadn't felt such a caress in… thirteen years.
She squinted slightly, like a cat being petted, and gently "Mmm"ed, her voice a little nasal: "Most of the time it is… but sometimes when facing annoying people or troublesome tasks, keeping a straight face can save a lot of trouble."
She paused, looked up, and her eyes became focused and serious again, even with a hint of stubbornness, "But it's not needed for Brother! Never needed!"
Kiana Kaslana, who was eavesdropping with her ears perked up in front, couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard Sirin's "complaints," muttering softly: "Tch… show-off…"
The three finally returned to the apartment.
As soon as they entered, Kiana Kaslana rushed in first, plopping down on the sofa, placing the strawberry mousse cake on the coffee table, and crossing her arms, assuming a "this is my territory" posture.
Sirin, on the other hand, still followed Kael closely, ignoring Kiana Kaslana's show of defiance.
Her gaze quickly and carefully swept across the small apartment, as if scrutinizing something. When she saw the clutter that obviously belonged to Kiana Kaslana and the huge horm doll in the living room, her eyes darkened slightly, but she said nothing.
Kael looked at the two who were clearly at odds and felt a headache coming on.
He placed the broken paper bag in his hand on the dining table and said to Sirin, "Sit down for a moment, I'll get you a glass of water."
"I'll go with Brother."
Sirin said immediately, not leaving his side.
Helpless, Kael had no choice but to lead this little tagalong into the kitchen.
In the living room, Kiana Kaslana watched the two of them enter the kitchen together, angrily picking up the horm doll on the sofa and punching it a couple of times.
In the kitchen, Kael poured a glass of water for Sirin, watching her sip it, her golden eyes never leaving him.
He hesitated for a moment, but still asked the most crucial question: "Sirin… these thirteen years, how… how have you been?"
Sirin's hand gripping the glass tightened, her eyelids drooped, and long, purple eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes.
"…Not good."
Her voice was very soft, with obvious dejection, "Not good at all."
She looked up at Kael, her eyes filling with tears again: "Brother… back then, they all said you were dead… Bishop Otto announced it himself… I… I didn't believe it… but… I couldn't find you anywhere…"
Her voice choked up: "Sister Theresa cried for a long time… Bianca was still young at that time, she didn't quite understand, but she was also very sad… I… I didn't know what to do… I could only train desperately, to become stronger… because Brother said to protect the important people… but… the most important person… was gone…"
Listening to her tearful narration, looking at her struggling to suppress her tears but still constantly falling, Kael's heart ached as if it was being pricked by countless fine needles.
He seemed to see how, over the past thirteen years, this child had forced herself to become "strong" and "cold" under the shadow of "loss," but had always held onto that stubborn belief and a huge emptiness in her heart.
He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face, his voice low and full of guilt: "I'm sorry… Sirin… I made you sad for so long…"
Sirin shook her head vigorously, grabbed the hand he used to wipe her tears, and pressed it tightly against her cheek, feeling the warmth of his palm, as if only then could she confirm his real existence.
"It doesn't matter… as long as Brother is still alive… as long as I can still see Brother… it doesn't matter how…"
She looked up at him, her golden eyes shining with an almost pious light, "This time… I will never let Brother leave again… never…"
Her tone was gentle, but with an unquestionable firmness.
He looked at the girl in front of him, seemingly innocent, but in reality, having endured thirteen years of torment, she had become somewhat unfamiliar, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Otto… Sirin… Kiana Kaslana… He felt as if he was caught in an increasingly complex web.
At this moment, in the living room, Kiana Kaslana, watching the two of them "gazing deeply" at each other at the kitchen door, bit into the strawberry mousse cake she had just unwrapped in anger, complaining vaguely:
"Damn it… This Young Miss's cake isn't even sweet anymore!"