Two of Us? #Happy50Chapter

"By the way... where's my pet wolf?" Wein asked, glancing left and right to make sure there were no blind spots in his view.

Chintya Badveil stood up after wiping her mouth with a napkin. She then opened her mouth. "The servants are taking care of them, Wein. Take Loraine for a walk outside. She must be very frustrated after being trapped in the mist."

Wein nodded. Elena immediately jumped from the chair she was sitting on and moved to the seat just vacated by Chintya Badveil, scooting closer to Wein to ask a question.

"Where did that wolf come from? You didn't have it when you were here," Elena whispered, though the volume of her voice betrayed her intention, and she leaned even closer to Wein's ear.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said dismissively, and then something unexpected came from the fourteen-year-old girl.

"I believe you! Come on, tell me." She raised her hands in a pleading gesture, her eyes begging for sympathy.

"Alright, if you insist." Wein sighed and pushed his plate toward the center before wiping his mouth with a cloth. "One night, I heard the howling of a pup. I followed the sound, then rushed downstairs, making my way through the dark forest shrouded in torturous mist."

Loraine curled her lips into a teasing smirk.

"Among dozens of trees, there was one that stood out strangely among the pines. I approached and saw two wolf pups, then took them immediately. But I wasn't the only one there." His pace quickened as he turned the tale into a horror story.

"Someone strong and bold appeared. They slashed their sword through the air, tearing the space between the mist, but their figure remained hidden until the blade pierced my neck." Loraine lowered her gaze in guilt.

"I wouldn't lose. I drew my revolver, ready to pull the trigger—then the moon rose, casting light on the figure. For a moment, I was stunned by the beautiful face revealed beneath it all. And it was... her." He pointed at Loraine with a grin and chuckled victoriously.

They kept chatting until eventually, Elena and Wein stepped out for a bit, waiting for Loraine before wandering around the Arcveil residence.

"I'm almost reaching low gold rank," she said proudly. "I've been training hard so I can beat you."

"You might surpass me, but there's someone even stronger than me. You probably don't know them yet." He ended the sentence while looking at Elena. "He's a Gladius."

Elena daydreamed, and Wein did the same, gazing at the softly snowing night sky. The heavens glowed faintly as green streaks—the aurora—were about to appear.

How could Elena and I not know I had a brother? Especially one with the rank of Gladius? Surely he could've helped me through the media or something... he grumbled in his mind.

Wein deepened his stare at the sky, briefly contemplating whether he could talk to Persephone tonight, but it seemed she was still busy.

He canceled the transmission and chose silence. Then some absurd thoughts crossed his mind—was Chintya Badveil deliberately hiding it? Or were they just unaware?

He hadn't had the chance to ask Elaina. There was something he had to do anyway, and the deadline was nearing. Elena then asked, "Who is he?"

"For now, you don't need to know unless you meet him yourself," Wein answered wisely, stepping away from the railing. They stood behind part of the house, gazing at flowers that had lost their color.

"You're always like this, always making me curious." Elena sighed—it sounded more like a soft exhale—before following her brother's movement.

They were caught in silence until the sound of a door opening shattered the stillness, and both turned toward it.

Loraine stepped out and closed the door behind her, confidently walking toward them while locking eyes with Elena.

She spoke up. "Elena, Madam Chintya asked me to call you. Sorry to disturb your time together." Her tone remained even and relaxed when speaking to Wein's younger sister.

Elena groaned but said nothing more than a brief "Alright" to Loraine before leaving Wein. She walked away with a somewhat uneasy posture.

"Does she have a nighttime habit that makes her like that?" Loraine grinned, but she was also genuinely curious.

"It's night, so kids have to sleep. I used to be the same. Once we hit fifteen, we get to choose our own bedtime," Wein explained.

"Incredible." That was all Loraine managed to say, stunned by the family's discipline. "Such a habit truly shapes good behavior—though Wein is always late waking up."

"Did you just call me out by name?" Wein laughed. The snow thickened, falling steadily, urging them to hurry.

They both looked up at the sky. "Come on, we'll miss the aurora if we keep talking here," Wein said gently. He stood up and pulled Loraine's cold hand into his own.

Loraine was a little surprised, but the warmth calmed her for a moment—until she realized they were still holding hands as they descended from the tall house to the first floor, making their way toward the flower-filled garden.

"Some flowers here don't close?" Loraine asked, genuinely curious about the blooms that remained open despite the cold.

"Some flowers bloom in winter and close in summer. If I'm not wrong, the one ahead is called Phregrin, and the neon blue one is Phlaux."

"Hard to remember. I've never seen these flowers before." Loraine tugged on Wein's hand, their hands still clasped without realizing it.

She approached a dark red flower with a unique shape, where a glowing orb hovered as if there were an object inside it.

Intrigued, she asked Wein, "This one's beautiful. I thought it was a firefly at first." She took a breath and continued. "Do you know the name of this flower?"

Wein looked at the Saprine Lily. "Oh, if I'm not mistaken, that's the Saprine Lily—Madam Chintya's favorite flower," he said proudly, remembering it.

"Such a beautiful name." She leaned closer to the glowing orb before Wein gently pulled her back.

Without realizing it, they had spent quite a long time wandering the beautiful garden. Loraine felt more at ease with the large, warm hand holding hers tightly.

"It's already late—maybe five more minutes until the aurora appears," Wein said, looking at Loraine and locking eyes. "Let's go somewhere nice to watch it," he added.

Slowly, hand in hand, they walked together through the cold night, accompanied by the beautifully blooming flowers.

Laughter filled the air…