Striking Two Deals

Lia's heart seemed to freeze at her brother's words. No one moved for a while, Lia seemed to be frozen in shock. No wonder he was able to find them. In fact, she couldn't even tell that the air around them had been smelling like her baked cookies, due to the fact that she spent half her day in the kitchen watching the bake and also swimming in the familiar scent. However to resolve this new issue, her brain came up with a plan on the spot. She grabbed the basket from Noah who looked at her like she was crazy. She motioned him to be quiet and to not make a single move, she made a neck slicing hand sign to which he replied by rolling his eyes.

"Yep, you caught me, brother." She said cheekily, although her hands were slightly shaken as she held the basket tightly.

"And who else is with you?" He asked. His hands were crossed and he really did have an angry look on his face which made Lia bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing. He bent to the side, to see if he could spot anyone else hiding behind her, now that the light has entered the dark room.

"No one but me, brother. I wasn't aware that I am not allowed to be here. After all, you did kick me out of your library, which in my opinion wasn't so nice. We are siblings after all..." She said, in fact she was saying anything to stop him from inspecting the room further. Coming closer to her brother and grabbing his hand to lead him away, she didn't know if she was walking right into her funeral. He could push her away, or worse use his magic to launch her into the sky, along with her cookies. Lucas's eyes never left the bookshelf despite the unfamiliar warmth that held his arm.

"I hope you are not hanging out with that hooligan," He said aloud in hopes of being heard by Prince Noah, which he did. He raised his eyebrows in the dark, and made a mocking expression.

"What hooligan?" She asked confused, although she knew exactly who he was talking about. In fact it was the perfect description of the Prince.

"That boy from the Luminian Empire."

"I don't think that's nice to say, he is a prince too after all." Lucas scoffed, seeing how Lia was quick to defend her new friend. It was true that both Lia and Noah started off on the wrong foot, but they seemed to naturally form a bond together in a small amount of time. Although he was too childish, it did somewhat remind her of the childhood that she never had when she lived as Susan Parks. The mischievous adventure that she just had, even thought it almost caused her heart to rip open, and even the insults and jokes that they threw at each other, it really meant something to her.

Prince Lucas's face was turning a light shade of pink after the realization that his little sister still held his hand despite her successfully dragging him out of the storage room and out of the library. He could feel her little hands wrapped in his bigger one. This kind of affection was unknown to the boy but he found himself cherishing every second of it.

"You know, I'll allow you to come to the library under three conditions." Lia immediately turned around to look at her brother, letting go of his hand in the process. Her eyes were shining with happiness as she clasped her two hands together, her basket on her forearm.

"Really? Anything, I'll do anything!" She squealed excitedly. Lucas found himself smiling at her childish behavior. It was no mystery that the princess was more mature for her age, even if Lia did try to hide it by being playful at times. However, everyone just brushed it off aside, saying that it was all because of her parents, known to be two of the most powerful figures in the history of their Empire. But the girl in front of him, was now being an excited child.

"One, you are not allowed to take any books out of the library. Two, you won't make a mess and will put every book back to where you found it. And three, once a week you will make me some of those c-cookies..." Lucas's face turned pink. Lia's mouth dropped open in surprise as she nodded her head. He didn't hate his sister, in fact he felt sorry for her. However, he did want to know what made her suddenly wake up and perhaps it was just an excuse to keep her around him more often.

"Wow, brother, I didn't know you had a cute side." She said in complete shock.

"Hey, if you don't like the rules then you can scram and go back to sneaking around." He said, turning his beet-red face away. The embarrassment he felt for turning red was unthinkable. This had never happened to him before, all these new feelings and expressions were unfamiliar.

"Yes yes, I will make you whatever you want and I accept your rules." She said with a smile. Lia wasn't aware of just how much her cookies influenced her brother until now. Maybe this was her chance, to win him over with food. Maybe a few more hours of quality time together and they could have a real sister-brother bond. Something that Lia only dared to dream of.

"Here brother, have some cookies," She quickly said, taking out a few and handing it to him. His eyes immediately lit up.

"T-Thank you," He stuttered in embarrassment. "I shall be on my way then."

"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, s-sister..." He turned around and quickly walked away, leaving Lia in shock once again. After a few seconds, the door to the grand library open and Noah poked his head out, looking in the direction her brother just walked away.

"Hey, those were my cookies!" He said sadly, noticing the half empty basket.

"There is more...in the b-basket." She said, her brain suddenly going on hiatus.

"Goodbye, sister. You've won him over pretty fast." He said, mimicking Lucas's voice. "Hey, wait. Are you crying? No way!"

"I'm not crying! There is dust in my eyes." Lia said covering her eyes. Noah tried to take another peek, trying to hold in his laughter.

"You know, I always tell my cousins that it's okay to cry-,"

"I'm not crying!" Lia said, wiping away her tears. "I was just a bit moved, I didn't expect that."

"Well if it meant that much to you, you could have asked me. I can help you get closer to Ethan," Lia paused for a moment, briefly thinking and analyzing this situation. Prince Noah stood there in all seriousness, in fact, he too did not like the way her brother treated her. He would give anything to converse with his sister, even if it is just for a brief minute.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked all of a sudden which took Noah by surprise.

"Well, you did save my life after all. And your baking skills aren't that bad. Now I will also be taking payment, cookies, cakes, even muffins are acceptable~" He said cheekily.

"You will eat what I give you, I am not a servant." She said, walking away, the offer still fresh on her mind.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. I will try whatever you make and in return, I shall help you get closer with your brother, deal?" He asked, reaching out for my hand. Without thinking, Lia reached out to shake his hand.

"Oh and don't smile like that, you look absolutely terrifying, my lady." He added, receiving a bump on the shoulder.

* * *

That night Lia sat on her bed, glancing at the incoming moonlighting peaking in through her curtains. He head rested on her knees as she curled up on her bed. She closed her eyes, sighing as she reflected back on her day which she always used to do. It gave her some clarity, and a plan for the new day tomorrow. However, today was different. It was a special day and night. For the first time in a while, Lia went to bed with her heart full of hope. Truth be told, the only thing on her mind was survival up until now, second to that was having a real family. But things seemed to be progressing better than she had originally expected. Lia finally had a chance to fix everything and she wasn't going to pass it by.