Caught In His Arms

A change occurred in Ismael's behavior once he first saw his younger sister. Previously, he had a history of morning sickness. The day he first laid eyes on his sister as an infant and the day he saw her again as an adult were the two most powerful days of his life.

Ismael stared at the sleeping infant in her bed, and he could not help but turn up the corners of his mouth in a special way for her. If he was feeling low, all it took was a look from Herena to perk him right back up.

Really, who wouldn't want to gaze at her cuteness? In addition, she is the first being to provide peace to his otherwise frantic existence. She is the one who can alter his fate, and he had no doubt that she would.

There's a good reason he's still around and doing well. The Duke and Duchess must have thought he was only staying there to use him, so that's how he felt about his stay. But following the birth of his sister, he seemed to change his tune. For all intents and purposes, Herena is the reason he lives. He finally had hope for the future once she was born.

He went straight toward the infant in her crib. After a while, his grin became increasingly wide. His eyes lingered fixedly on his little sister till he burst out laughing at the sight of her.

"Sometimes I wish my little sister would stay this little so I could carry her about in my arms."

Shaking his head, he sat down next to Herena's cradle and stroked her cheeks softly. The irises of Herena's tiny closed eyes were moving, but she continued to sleep.

"She is a very nice person."

This is exactly what Ismael would think. Herena's previously smooth and pale cheeks became rosier as the morning sun flooded into her room and lit her whole being.

"Maybe it's because she's my younger sibling."

***

While Calus may not have been overly enthused about visiting the Ferrer home in the past, he recently found himself unable to evade doing so.

When Gavin, Victor, and Servous visited Calus in the palace, the young boys rubbed their foreheads. In other words, nobody made Calus change back to his old style of clothing.

When everyone else was raising their eyebrows, who wouldn't have questioned what Gavin had asked Calus earlier? And it's all due to their preconceived notions about Calus. Formerly, they would force him to come to the Ferrer household for a talk. Calus's attitude was a problem, but even lady Arianne was able to help.

Not this time though. Things were different. Is Calus in a good enough mood to visit the Ferrer household?

"Let me guess, wait, don't tell me it's about Lady Arianne and how you managed to get her to reply to you again?" Servous asked

"No way! A simple admission like that is ridiculous!" Gavin exclaimed

"You all knew who Lady Arianne is. She has been the Empire's guardian angel from the start." Victor said

Calus cut them off mid-sentence to make a few statements. They finally stopped talking when he started flailing his hands frantically.

"Yesterday, I must have forgotten to tell Ismael something about the small kitten."

After saying this, he burst out laughing at the memory of the infant he had seen staring at him. She shared Ismael's emerald eyes she even had Ismael's puffy pink cheeks.

In spite of this, when he actually did these things, the other three young men were amazed once more. One, they were mute the day before, and today they couldn't even move. They thought the crown prince had seen something that made him feel differently.

It was unsettling to see how the three young nobles observed the crown prince before them. Their irises enlarged dramatically. Their lips completely dropped open. They both had their hands in the air in front of them at the same time.

They couldn't tear their eyes away from Calus, who was still laughing.

"In that case, let's get down to business. To see Ismael's wildcat again."

"Wait, does Ismael have a pet?" Gavin unconsciously asked

All three of them pondered this as they shook their heads and realized that Calus had already left.

Calus has merely made a wild assumption that he is too adept at playing with the baby.

***

"Bwuahshur, d-deffffs."

To this end, Herena was pleading with her sibling to join them. Despite her tiny form, she is imparting knowledge to Ismael. How, at times, she would utter words in a babylike manner. When exactly will she become an adult? She wondered.

These ideas came from inside Herena's head. Already her gaze had shifted to the backyard, and she was directing her companion's attention to the towering tree. Since it was Ismael's preferred spot for napping, she felt compelled to visit.

Ismael's pupils widened for a split second as she explained the area, and then he burst out laughing.

"Exactly why is it that my younger sibling is so keen on visiting that place? Does it seem more stylish than this area?"

They were now among the vibrant blooms of the garden, but Herena appeared only interested in the massive tree that stood nearby. Ismael debated whether or not he should visit the location.

It's possible that doing so might endanger Herena. The future has no guarantees. She had no idea how to swim but insisted they go nonetheless. But for the first time in his life, he found himself unable to say no to his little sister.

As a result, he was first hesitant to let his tiny sister visit the area because of the small pond that was located near the enormous tree.

He took a deep breath as he stared at her tenderly while holding her tightly.

"I couldn't really refuse my baby sister, could I?"

"Yay!!!!"

Herena gave her brother a big grin and a kiss on the cheeks after that. She kissed him in such a way that he knew he was loved. Her brother had been her primary caretaker ever since she was a baby, and that hadn't changed much — until something tragic happened, and he had to be sacrificed so that she could become a Princess.

She could have prevented harm to her sibling if she'd understood the truth in time. As Crown Princess, she would have known that their father was already ordering her brother Ismael to carry out some hidden duties.

As she held her brother close, Herena had a thought. She may have been little, but her wits were anything but. The people she hoped to bring back with her into the afterlife were never to be taken for granted.

She can make a fresh start this time. She will be the driving force that refuses to serve as anybody else's puppet. She wasn't there since she was smart and knew Calus liked Lady Arianne. This time, she'd rather gamble on the ones who mean the most to her.

A sober look around the house was all it took to prompt such deep reflection.

"All right, here we go, baby sister."

The sound of her brother's voice was warm and comforting. She longed to do everything for him because of how much she missed him. She was aware of his past feelings for Lady Arianne, but he should not have revealed them now.

Upon learning the truth, in her previous life, she wished to apologize to Calus and inquire about her brother — the way he and Lady Arianne were involved in a love triangle. It appeared, however, that her curiosity was growing, and before she could respond to Calus' remarks, she was dead.

She has learned from her past mistakes and must not repeat them.

***

Once the four young guys had arrived at the Ferrer home, the household attendants greeted them with the utmost deference. Then, as usual, the servants guided them to their normal spot. However, Calus saw something about them when they entered the house. They were both recognizable faces from the enormous tree. He watched as he and his friends made their way toward the hallways adjacent to the garden.

He followed the two people constantly with his gaze. His mouth began to turn up at the corners at that point.

He was right in his assumption that Ismael places a high value on her younger sibling. Calus may move forward with confidence now.

For this reason, his eyes widened for a split second as he caught a glimpse of Herena laughing and beaming at her brother before he tore his gaze away.

Calus felt a tingle of heat at the sight and had trouble looking away for a time.

"Here, the young master Ismael has set aside seats for your highness and the other young masters."

Afterward, the old butler of the mansion bowed in respect and remarked. The old butler left once Gavin opened the door, having been greeted by a respectful bow from each of the four young boys.

"As is his custom, Ismael was outside keeping us waiting."

"That much is certain. There is a wealth of literature, so let's dive in."

As Calus entered the room, Victor made a suggestion, and the other two nodded.

"You three should stay put. Something had to be dealt with on my end."

Before they could argue, Calus shut the doors, prompting the three of them to raise their eyebrows in confusion at what they had just heard.

"Wait for a second, did you see any changes on Calus that day?"

"Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Calus's appearance has changed significantly."

"I'm curious whether anyone else than Lady Arianne has caught his eyes."

"Isn't he the one who mentioned that Ismael kept a little pet?"

"That's the first time I've heard him mention wild animals, and I'm surprised. He used to avoid eye contact with them altogether."

"To which, I do find it puzzling."

"Wait, I have an idea..."

After Gavin made the suggestion, everyone went over to talk to him.

***

"Hey, Herena, hold on a second, that spot isn't on my path. Please, come here."

Ismael and his younger sister were occupied in Ismael's play. He went there with an idea in mind and made Herena crawl on the grass to pick the flowers and present them to him, but she was actually heading back to the pond they had already abandoned.

Ismael tried to stop Herena from laughing, but he knew he couldn't save his little sister if she fell into the water. Ismael thinks his younger sister is setting herself up for failure if she tries to grab hold of the flowers that have bloomed next to the enormous tree.

Back then, Ismael was always right. Herena's other hand lost grip, and she would have fallen into the pond if Calus hadn't caught her with his free hand just in time.

"Listen to your brother the next time," he said.

The sound resonated in Herena's head. Her entire body trembled briefly. Her pupils widened as she recognized the man. Her intuition had been correct in recognizing the crown prince of the empire by his crimson hair and golden eyes. It was Calus, the young version of himself. Even though he was the one responsible for her death, he was the one who ended up saving her life this time.

"C-Calus?"

"Is this your little sister, Ismael? There's not much to her. She's as light as a feather."

"Well, hand her over here right this instant."

"Okay, you're too guarded with her," he said.

"Because I've come to the conclusion that she dislikes you."

Calus laughed as Herena looked at the crown prince.

"I've never seen a newborn baby look like this before. Never fear. In the long run, she'll come to adore me."

Just what does he mean by that? Herena thought

Herena tried to ignore the fact that her heart was still racing, but she knew it was there. She was aware that she would need some time to get over her feelings for Calus, but she was making an effort to do so.