Chapter 245: Ahead (two)

I got into the spring and waited.

With my body washed and mostly done, I was still waiting. 

But no matter how much I waited, no one was coming down here. 

Sigh. And I thought Marg would show up sooner or later. I mean, I made myself extra clear that I was going to take a bath. And wasn't she-sigh!

I guess I was wrong. 

I got out, dried myself, and headed up. I was in such a hurry that I hadn't even brought anything other than just my towels. 

I guess haste did make waste.

Once I got to the first floor though- I saw Marg, the bunny maid, Aria and Raea just chatting around and giggling amongst themselves. 'What the hell?'

I wanted to care and ask stuff but I was in a towel and I had to run up, so, up!

On the second floor, I met mom. I'd made extra effort to tiptoe past her but still got caught.

"What did I say about running around like that?" Mom had a ladle on her hand. A LADLE!

"Forgot to bring my clothes." I smiled nervously.

Mom rolled her eyes and went back to cooking. 

I guess she was in a good mood despite her appearance. 

'Oh, thank the chocolate god!'

Next, I ran inside my room and locked the door.

With a sigh of relief, I turned around and let out a small scream. "Ah!"

Apparently, my kid sister was in here. "H-hi." I held my towel tight so it didn't accidentally slip. 

"Hey." She was standing but seeing me, she sat down on the extra-large bed. 

"No idea why you're here but can you come back maybe in about half an hour or something? I need to change." And showing my body to my little sister wasn't part of the plan. 

"So what? I've seen you naked." She snorted. "Besides, this is important."

The nerve of her! And that was over three years ago!

Sigh. My face still heated up though.

"So, what's up?" I wore a t-shirt and went to the side, where it was harder for Elsa to see me change. I had a rather large wardrobe, so I used its doors to cover myself while I got changed. 

"You found out, right?"

"Found out what?"

Elsa wasn't being specific. I had a bad feeling about where this was going but I pretended to be ignorant. 'Is it possible-'

"Umm…" She breathed a bit restlessly.

I was done changing, so I went over to the bed and sat down. 

"Well?"

Elsa fiddled with her fingers and didn't look at me. Her vision was kind of down and she was oddly fidgety.  "How much do you know about me?"

Was it possible that she already knew? Cause no matter how I thought about it, that question was loaded. 

"Hmm?" I pretended to think. "That you're my little sister and constantly crave attention and kind of a nuisance?" Almost like a devil.

She puffed up her nose and cheeks. That wasn't the answer she was looking for. "No." She looked straight at the door. "I mean about my pa-"

'She knows…'

"Look!" I grabbed her head gently and made her look my way. Our eyes were locked on. "You're my sister and I love you. My love for you won't change. I don't care about anything else. You're my sister and you'll forever be my sister."

It was almost as though she was glad to hear that and sad at the same time. She smiled. "Okay." But something about that felt a little forced. 

Elsa left.

I lied down on the bed, stared at the ceiling. It was true I loved my sister. I kind of didn't care if we weren't blood-related or not. We'd been together long enough and at this point, blood didn't matter. She was my sister and that was it.

***

Dinner was ready and Raea was still here. Aria I understood, but Raea too?

"Well?" I stared at Marg for an explanation.

Dinner consisted of mostly shrimps and other kinds of fish.

"They'll contribute by providing us with fresh fish and a steady rent," Marg said. "And-" She paused. She cleared her throat. "I lost a bet."

Oh.

I just stared at her blankly. For the first time, she looked away in embarrassment. I was glad she was showing more emotion but seriously? Cause she lost a bet?

"I won because mine are bigger!" Raea proudly puffed her chest: actually, she had the perfect size, not too large, not too small. "It won't be long before I win over your heart too." She winked. 

"Yeah, I have my doubts." I started eating. 

Not bad, but I never really liked seafood all that much.

I did like shrimp though, so I didn't bother complaining. 

Mom and Elsa were eating in silence. Lately, Elsa acted rather mature. Or was she just sad? I couldn't tell. I'd been away from her for a while now and I guess that made things harder for me to understand. 

The kid sister I remembered was selfish and noisy and very cheerful. But this Elsa, she was different. I guess the recent shocks were just too great for her.

And with me moving out, she was forced to grow up.

"By the way mom, what about our house in London?" I'd been meaning to ask but the timing just wasn't right.

"Now that your father would be back, I guess we could afford to rent the place and-"

"Why don't you just stay here?" I said. I looked over at Marg and she had nothing to say about it. So, I continued. "We don't have much time with him, so I'd like to spend the rest of our time as a family. Besides, we have plenty of rooms."

It was kind of sad to think about the fact that father was going to die no matter what, but oddly I was more grateful for the fact that we'd at least get to spend some time with him. 

And since the third floor was kind of soundproof, it probably didn't matter even if all the rooms of this house were occupied or something- not that was possible. 

Mom was really surprised but she smiled. "You sure?"

Marg held my hand before I could say anything. She had a genuine smile. I was really glad she was okay with this. 

I actually found her to be more understanding than even mom at times. I guess she was trying really hard. 

"I'm sure."

Raea breathed audibly and grinned. "So, I get to meet my father-in-law too?"

I grabbed my head and sighed. 'Why did people have to fall for me? Seriously…'

Meanwhile, Aria just ate without a word: she couldn't understand us and our translator was pretty much not coming out of the saber. 

Ring!

The doorbell ringed. 

'At this hour?'

The bunny maid went for the door. We were definitely not expecting anyone today.