The one you like.

Frank woke up after a quick nap at the library. It was just the sudden decrease in mana surrounding him that him sleepy. Now that he was perfectly used to this low mana field, he set out to return to the Shuzar estate.

For some reason, today he had this weird hurry to rush back to Julia. He thought of how he would hug her the moment she saw him and how she would smile brightly at him returning. He touched the bite marks on his chest. He could easily heal them but he chose not to. They were too precious to be lost.

Before he knew it, Frank found himself filled with anticipation to see Julia. He rushed more and more, impatient to see her.

Reaching the estate, he darted to her room through the window. She wasn't there. She wasn't in the gardens. Nor she was in the side library. She was nowhere to be found. The more Frank looked for her, the more restless he grew.

Panting and running around the mansion's hallways, Frank rushed through all the rooms. But still, he couldn't find her.

And at the end of the hallway, he kicked open the door of the estate kitchen. Chef Higgins and Raymond were having tea together.

They stared at Frank, who was covered in sweat and had a frightened look on his face.

"Frank? What..." Before Raymond could complete his question, Frank held both his arms and looked at him desperately.

"I can't find her! Lia is... I can't find her, brother!" Frank yelled with teary eyes. "She's gone! I can't find her anywhere!"

Raymond's cup of tea fell from his hand and shattered. It had been roughly a month since Frank changed the way he was. Raymond never expected to hear Frank calling him 'brother' again.

"Are... Are we family now?"

Raymond could hear Frank's words asking if they were family now when they first met. Wiping his tears off, he patted Frank's head and said," What are you saying? Miss Julia is in the parlor in the outhouse having tea with a guest. You should go there."

Frank rushed out hearing those words. As Raymond stood there alone now, tears fell from his eyes and he was reduced to his knees. As he sobbed and Higgins patted his back, he truly felt relieved. His only family wasn't lost.

Frank had a very bad aftertaste in his mouth. The four-eyed man patting his head felt disgustingly nostalgic. He couldn't feel an ounce of affection towards him. Maybe that was why he was wondering why he called him 'brother'.

Sylvia's words from back then suddenly passed through his head.

"It would soon be the case for you too. You will show different expressions not by emotions but out of habit."

Yes, that was what it was. His habit of calling him brother previously just kicked in while he was in a hurry to find Julia. There was nothing more to it.

He ran to the outhouse as fast as he could.

Lucifer was standing in front of the door to Ignis' room. A strange excitement was bubbling inside him. Like when a child gets a new toy and the excitement to find out all about it was what it felt like.

He put on his necklace and opened the door.

A large boy with white hair and a bright smile came rushing toward him. It was as if a dog was coming to greet his master returning.

"Lucia!! Come here! Let me show you something!" Ignis shouted as he held Lucifer's thin wrist and dragged him along.

Compared to the very first day when Ignis came(kidnapped) there, he opened up a lot more than Lucifer had expected him to.

"Look! I saw a fish outside! It's like it's swimming in the sky!" Ignis pointed to the large sky whales that Lucifer had kept as pets when he stayed at the Whitlock Duchy before going over to Alkezar.

"They are sky whales. They fly in the sky after accumulating enough mana from the ocean," Lucifer said sitting in the window seat.

"That's so cool! I wish I could touch them," Ignis said as his eyes traced a sky whale floating around.

Lucifer looked at Ignis with his blood-red eyes. In some aspects, Ignis resembled Julia. They were both very... what he call it... they were both very... alive.

Lucifer raised his hand outside the window and a large sky whale came and rested just below it. Ignis looked at the whale and then at Lucifer in absolute amazement and excitement.

"Go ahead," Lucifer said looking at Ignis. "Touch it."

Ignis nodded nervously. As he raised his hand out to touch the whale, his foot slipped and he was now dangling between the window and the whale.

Lucifer found it very amusing. It was quite a sight to see if he was, to be honest. Ignis struggling and fretting over to jerk back into the window, it was quite entertaining to see.

Lucifer stood up and pulled Ignis back by pulling on his shirt's collar.

Panting and holding his heart, his face so red with shock.

"How was it?" Lucifer asked as he sat back in the window seat.

Ignis waited for a moment to catch his breath, then stood up and excitedly said, "It was so smooth! The whale's skin! Though it WAS a bit slimy. But it felt so good!"

Lucifer almost chuckled. He almost died by falling out of that window and that was the first thing he said. Talk about being absent-minded.

"so, tell me more about that girl you like," Lucifer asked as Ignis again sat in front of him on the window seat.

"Why are you asking about her?" Ignis said with a pout as previously he had denied saying anything about his beloved girl.

"I am just curious about what kind of girl would actually fall in love with you of all people," Lucifer said in a teasing way.

"What's wrong with me?!" Ignis shouted, but then crouched down further away in the window seat and mumbled," Well it isn't like she loves me back... yet."

"Yet?" Lucifer snickered at Ignis.

"And I'm not telling you her name ever!" (Ignis)

"I'm not asking for her name, though. I just want to know what she's like."

Ignis had a little red glow over his cheeks and his hair fluttered with the air from the window. He smiled gently and said," The girl I love is very pretty."

"Prettier than me?" Lucifer snapped in between.

"Well, we can't compare her to you. You don't count as human." (Ignis)

"Wow, I'm hurt."

"Hehe, I know you're not."(Ignis)

"Well, then tell me more about her."

"So, she has this little habit of grumbling to herself when she's working." (Ignis)

"That sounds like an old granny."

"She's not old! It's just that she doesn't like what she does. She's a librarian but she doesn't actually like reading books." (Ignis)

"I don't like books either."

"But you're always reading a book!" (Ignis)

"Well, sometimes you can't help it. You got to do it even if you hate it. So, tell me more."

"Well, she looks very happy when she's doing her bit. She's so pretty, that's why a lot of men come after her. Sometimes I just wanted to take her away with me. But I decided to protect her from afar." (Ignis)

"She must be missing you. Her remote bodyguard." (snicker)

"More like she didn't need one. Before coming here, I went to say goodbye to her. I told you she's quite happy while doing her bit. Well, this very large man was annoying her constantly while she was doing that BIT. She was going to kill that man. I managed to butt in on time and save that man." (Ignis)

"How did you know she was going to kill him? No normal librarian kills people."

"I just knew. Like I just knew you were stronger than me. It was the same." (Ignis)

'Ah, that monster instinct of his,' Lucifer thought.

Lucifer truly felt grateful that Ignis didn't tell him the girl's name. If he had, an innocent girl must've died that night. That was how much jealous Lucifer felt toward that girl.

The face Ignis had while talking about that girl. Lucifer wanted it. But it wasn't meant for him. It was a very displeasing feeling. Like a toy being snatched away by another person. Lucifer wanted it back.

He wanted it just for himself. That's why he was truly grateful.