The Healer Of Light And The Prince Of Darkness

69. As Sharp As A Steel Trap

"I...I don't understand. Why are you h-helping me?"

"Should I not?"

"Don't answer me with another question, please." She said a little pissed off.

Sirius sighed and disheveled his curly dark brown hair as he replied, "I don't know. You are such a troublemaker these days that I even doubt you would have been more successful if you tried to make such a reputation for yourself on purpose...And yes, I really shouldn't be helping you, but..."

He looked at her in the eyes and exhaled deeply. His features softened as a small smile gradually overcame his restless face.

"I just want to know that despite every terrible thing that is about to happen after you enter the hall, you will make it to the other day..."

He disheveled her hair and grinned, "And of course, this will be some kind of a life-saving tip of mine. You should be ready to repay me with your life if necessary."

"...Tch. Always joking around."

But Rinea answered with a smile too. And patted the hand that was still on her head.

"Damn sure I will come back alive! Who are you taking me for?!"

Cassian had spent most of his life observing the sky. It all began with a simple game called 'Look at the stars and count'. Tasia and he always competed in everything and this was also another competition of theirs.

Tasia always won it, because unlike him, she was a light-sleeper. She had always had trouble falling asleep. You can't compete with someone who has a hard time falling asleep. Around this time Cassian first heard of the word 'insomnia'. Her disease, something a little girl shouldn't have, but still did. Their 'mommy' joked that Tasia was about to become the same workaholic as her mother.

...But it had been quite the time since Cassian had seen his sister work.

"And here I thought I was the only one from work-is-annoying type."

"Hmm? You are here, brother?"

Tasia was now leisurely drinking tea in the pavilion surrounded by yucca and white jasmines near the Silver Palace. Letting aside the clear irony in this pitiful scene, Cassian gazed at his sister patiently and lovingly.

She looked up as if trying to catch a glimpse of him. To see his face. Sadly, it was just a dreamy-like fantasy.

"Why haven't you announced your presence?"

"Well..."

When she called him 'brother', he found himself soften even more. So, the prince wasn't actually able to ask of her about those strange habits she had developed as of lately. And not to mention, he wasn't the least upset. In fact, the most he wanted was to see his sister finally rest. So, who would he remind her of those unpleasant old habits of hers?

Now her sweet tooth had disappeared as well as the main cause of her having a tooth decay, yes, but...

Seeing her like this should be wicking in some sense, wasn't it? Why was he so happy that she had come to resemble him so much in such a short time?

"I was just told that a meeting is about to start. Care to come and hear what's it about?"

"...A meeting?"

"About what we discussed one night. Remember?"

Cassian didn't know about her, but he surely remembered. Her determination and coldness that night were engraved on his mind and since then he couldn't really think of something else...