4 Years Later 2

Somewhere, inside the bathroom.

Taking a step forward to the shower and turning on the shower by halve, water soon dropping towards the young girl's body.

Shiii-!!

As the water drips down from the shower, the girl washed her hair and delicate body thoroughly without leaving any specs of dirt that she might have got after planting some flowers from the pot to design her room's window.

When she was done, she tied the towel onto her waist, droplets of water soon trickled down to her body.

Walking out of the bathroom, the girl truffled her hair and changed on comfortable clothes.

Fooo~

Using her wind magic, she dries her hair silently while looking outside the window. As soon as she was done, she walk towards the mirror to take a reflection of herself.

The young girl, at the tender age of 14, possessed an enchanting beauty that captivated those who beheld her. Her silver hair cascaded gracefully, with a subtle infusion of ethereal blue at its ends, resembling a wisp of a summer sky. Her delicate and pale frame bestowed an air of fragility, yet it carried a quiet strength that defied the surface.

What's noticable is her ocean blue eyes. Like a crystalline pools, it reflected depths of wisdom and curiosity, hinting at the vast world within her soul. She was a vision of otherworldly elegance and youthful wonder, a portrait of grace and mystery.

This young girl was none other than Chloe.

Click-!

After Chloe went out of her room, she noticed Arthur sleeping on the couch peacefully without bothering to cover himself in a blanket.

Since after the incident, Arthur has been tasked by Cossette to take care of Chloe and protect her from any harm. Because of the trauma Chloe got after seeing people die at the Lohengramm Household, she developed an Agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia- involves fearing and avoiding places or situations that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped, helpless or embarrassed. You may fear an actual or upcoming situation. For example, you may fear using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being in a crowd.

Cossette knew that Chloe trusted Arthur with the same level of trust she had with Athan, and plus, Arthur don't have the guts to make a move on her. Because of this, she had no problem with them being together in the same place with only two different room. That's why, she ordered her "twin" disciples to prepare a special place for the two of them.

Since there's still a chance that Chloe might recover from her phobia in the future, she had no choice but to do this.

Basically, Arthur's position can be described as a dropout student who suddenly became a "temporary therapist" as a part time job.

"Arthur...?" Chloe tries to call for his name to ask him to sleep in his room to avoid getting cold. "Arthur, you shouldn't sleep on the couch. You might catch a cold." She says only to be responded by silence. Seeing that it was no use, she shook his head and went back inside her room to take a blanket.

Without wasting a second, Chloe slowly walked forward in silence to not wake him up. After successfully covering him up with her blanket, she backed away before turning around.

"I'll... Ah!?"

Before she could even leave him alone, Arthur suddenly held her wrist and pulled her close into a hug.

"Hey, Arthur...!"

Chloe's face flushes with a pink hue as she feels his gentle embrace. "I...." she says, not being able to complete her sentence. A bit of resistance is still present as she shifts away slightly, not fully comfortable with the idea of serving as Arthur's body pillow. However, her resistance quickly melts away as she feels his warmth and calming presence.

Her body slouches in his embrace, and she lets out a faint sigh as she settles herself into him, burying her head into his chest to hide her face out of embarrassment. If Athan was here, he'll be having second thought about either let Chloe stay like this, or start murdering Arthur on spot.

She tries to glance up only to feel Arthur's warm breath touching her face.

"Arthur... Eh?"

Chloe's eyes widen and her cheeks turn a bright red, as she realizes that he was still asleep. She glances over at the clock on your bedside table and sees that it's only 8am in the morning.

She looks back at him again and feels her heart race, as a small smile crosses her lips.

She remains quiet for a bit as she rests her head comfortably at Arthur's chest, now listening to the steady beat of his heart. For some reason, his heartbeat makes her feel safe and comfortable as a faint blush still appears on her cheeks.

"Hmm~"

Arthur was humming comfortably without realizing what he was doing and continue to sleep like a child.

[Cheater...]

'I'll murder you if you ever touch my sister...'

The system's voice and what Athan said to him back when he was still with them overlaps each other, waking him from his slumber. Slowly, Arthur opened his eyes and caught Chloe laying on his chest.

"...."

"...."

Both of their eyes landed on each other as they went silent. After a quick second, ultimately, their heads let out a smoke, as if it was fried from being too embarrassed about what was happening.

"I-I-I-I.... Sorry!!!" He quickly released her from his embrace as the system let out a [Humph!] in his mind.

"Ye-Ye-Yeah...." Chloe promptly raised her body and looked away. It was then, the door opens as Lumine peeked her head inside.

"Arthur... Are you awa--Ah!!?"

When Lumine saw them in this "lewd" position, her jaw went wide open in shock.

Before Arthur could explain this was an "accident", the hand that Chloe was using as support suddenly slipped.

"I can expla-ack!?"

"Hiyaaa!"

Chloe shrieked cutely.

Chloe's head went back to the same position as earlier. Her vintage stitching long-sleeve dress slip slightly, showing a portion of her delicate skin inside.

"Chloe, your skin is showing!" Arthur tried to hide his face from looking by covering his eyes with using both hand, but ended up peeking anyway....

Chloe's eyes widen slightly at the mention of the word "skin", as her cheeks flare up with a dark red hue. She slowly looks up at him again, her eyes locked onto yours as a faint smile crosses her lips.

"Umm...."

Her voice remains soft and quiet, as a slight purr comes out of her throat. He notice that her tone seems much more soothing and relaxing than her typical cold and sharp like dagger.

"Yes...."

She looks down at his chest, now observing it intently like a child observing a toy.

'Ah... Why do I always get caught with the most precarious position...? Not like I hate it or anything...' Arthur thought deeply.

Seeing them in this position, Lumine gritted her teeth and screamed.

"Drop dead!"

***

Few moments later.

As the trio walk in silence, Arthur finally breaks the awkwardness by clearing his throat nervously.

"Um, Lumine, I really didn't mean for that to happen. It was just an accident, I promise," he says, trying to explain himself.

Lumine shoots him a cold glare but eventually softens her expression a bit. "Yeah, right. Chloe went on top of you by accident and you like it," she replies, still clearly annoyed.

Chloe, who has been quiet this whole time, decides to chime in, trying to lighten the mood. "Umm... The fault is mine for letting myself get pulled by Arthur while he was sleeping peacefully. No need to be so hard on Arthur," she says with a gentle smile.

Lumine glared at Arthur, but her anger seems to dissipate a bit as she looks at Chloe. "I know, I know. I just... I worry about you," she admits, her voice softening. "You're like family to me, and I don't want anything to happen to you... As for him, he can just drop dead!"

Arthur flinched when he heard this and exchange look with Chloe before heaving out a sigh. Though he appreciates Lumine's concern for Chloe, he was wishing that she was also concerned with him.

Showing a tired smile, Arthur said to Lumine, "I'm sorry... It was really an accident, I swear!" he says sincerely.

Chloe nods in agreement. "Yeah. So, can you please forgive us... Sister?" she adds, her voice warm and reassuring.

When Lumine heard Chloe called her sister, she smiled and finally gave. She was relieved to see that her "friend" understand and appreciate her feelings. "Thanks, Chloe. I guess I just overreacted a bit," she admits, her tone apologetic.

"It's okay. Emotions can be overwhelming sometimes," Arthur says understandingly.

"I'm not apologizing to you."

"...Sorry."

The trio continues their walk, the tension from earlier now lifted. As the two girls chat with each other, Arthur could only remain silent to repent from what he "did".

"Say..." After remembering something important, Lumine looks at Chloe worriedly and asked, "Are you sure that you want to leave your room? You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to."

To which Chloe response while making a cute hand gestures. Her right hand clutching onto Arthur's clothes tightly as she says, "N-No... Arthur is here to protect me. S-so... There's no need for me to fear anything!" She tries to assure them, but failed as soon as she saw few people that look the same as their age walk past in front of them.

Chloe bit her lower lips and hid behind Arthur as she held his clothes more tightly. "Sorry..." She quickly apologized after by also burying her face behind his back.

"It's fine." Arthur took a glance at her with an assuring smile on his face. Chloe also raised her head to look back, and both became stuck staring at each other.

"Kuemm... I understand that you had to deal with Chloe's agoraphobia, but can two not forget that I'm still here." Lumine broke the moment between the two by saying this with her arms crossed. Hearing this, they became embarrassed.

A little while later, while the two girls, that was sandwiching Arthur from his side with their C-cup assets hitting both of his arms, were busy talking with each other, Chloe noticed a familiar person walking from the distance.

"Big sister..." Chloe's voice quivered slightly as she addressed Cossette, her eyes unintentionally drawn to a certain area. And that certain area is her chest. She couldn't help but compare her and Cossette's, noticing the difference not just by in their appearances but also their assets even at their age.

"Cossette..." She addressed Cossette back to her name after winning the "invisible battle" between the them.

Cossette caught Chloe's gaze, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She felt a bit self-conscious about the comparison. "Mine still growing..." She mumbled, trying to play it off with a pouty expression, and then couldn't help but add, "But don't worry, I'll catch up eventually!"

Chloe's eyes widened in surprise at Cossette's remark. Trying to hold back a giggle, she replied with a mischievous grin, "Well, I guess we all have our own pace, right, Cossette?" She couldn't help but find the situation slightly funny, even though it was an unexpected topic of conversation.

"You are becoming more and more like your older brother... if he was still here, he would have been proud of you. And somehow, I don't like it."

Cossette huffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in, why don't you," she teased back, appreciating the lighthearted moment they were sharing.

After a few moments of this kind of conversation, Cossette lead the three of them to her office.

When she opened the door to enter inside, Arthur... Well, not only him, but with Lumine and Chloe, they were stunned to see a familiar face standing on front of the desk.

This energetic prince that they've known was gone, replaced by an enigmatic boy that possesses a striking appearance with a crown of auburn hair that cascades like flames, and his eyes seem to reflect the icy determination within him. Tall and lean, he exudes an aura of regal authority and distance.

His princely outfit, meticulously designed, reflects both elegance and a sense of detachment. He wears a flowing cloak made of deep midnight blue velvet, lined with a silver trim that glints subtly in the light, symbolizing his noble heritage. The cloak's design accentuates his tall stature, giving him a commanding presence.

Though he appears aloof and distant from the trio's eyes, the pink bandana wrapped around his wrist reveals a hidden vulnerability. It was once a cherished gift from his departed fiancée, Persia, and it serves as a constant reminder of the love he once held close.

"William... You look cool as heck with that clothes!" Lumine exclaimed, walking forward towards him to check him out.

"Thanks. I'm just trying a new style with my new outfit," Says William, heaving out a deep sigh before lifting up his right hand to touch the pink bandana that was tied in his neck.

Arthur didn't give any comment, instead his expression turned from warm to cold. He began to remember bad memories that the William from many of his previous regression had caused.

As for Chloe, she couldn't say anything. She just hid behind Arthur, while they watched Lumine make William feel uncomfortable from being too touchy.

To catch their full attention, Cossette slammed a folder to her desk as she sat down.

"Settle down everyone. I would like to announce the real reason I called you all out here."

Arthur, along with his companion, turned their attention back to Cossette, waiting for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, what Cossette said next made the whole atmosphere around the room tense.

"We've finally found evidence that could lead us to where Athan is."