ᖴOᖇᘜᗴᖇ'Տ ᗴᒪᗪᗴՏT

.21.

ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵖⁱᶜᵗᵘʳᵉ ⁱˢ ʰᵘᵍᵉ| ʷᵗʰ!?

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Anya raised her head from her manga, meeting Loid's gaze.

"Mama's little brother still isn't here?" Loid glanced at her. "You mean your uncle."

"Unkie..."

Anya yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes slowly. Olivia switched her gaze to her sister, softly glancing at her.

"It's getting late. You should get some sleep." Anya swayed sluggishly as she attempted to stay awake. "Anya will greet Unkie, too..."

Olivia rose from her seat, taking care not to wake Snooze, and took Anya in her arms.

"There's always next time, Anie, so come now. You need sleep."

Anya tried to talk her way out of going to bed, but all she managed to utter was nonsense that Olivia couldn't understand.

Loid stood there watching them leave before neatly putting Anya's manga away. Yor cast a troubled glance out the window at the night sky.

"It appears as though he's still stuck at work." Loid stood motionless in thought as he set up while they waited for Yuri. 'Yuri Briar...the Forger's only blood relative. It's easy to slip up around someone you're emotionally close to. We must be careful. I cannot lose this family I've worked so hard to create.'

Olivia soon returned, only to pick up Snooze, who had passed out, and place him on her bed to sleep.

She quickly returned, still no sight of her new uncle. "This guy sure takes his time."

The doorbell rang just as she finished her sentence, causing all three Forgers to perk up. Olivia remained seated while Loid and Yor went to greet Yuri.

"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Yor's younger brother, Yuri!" From her vantage point, and with her parents blocking the door, the only thing she could make out of the man was that he resembled Yor.

A whole lot.

She sighed and leaned back, remaining silent as Loid and Yor spoke with him. "Welcome." Loid extended a hand to the man as he led him inside the house.

"Oh, let me take your coat and the things you're carrying." His politeness and smile was anything but genuine. Yuri waved his hand at the gesture. "Oh, no, there's no need. Thank you for offering."

Loid returned the smile before proceeding to the kitchen. "I can prepare something simple for us to eat pretty quickly. The two of you can go ahead and relax." 

Yuri smiled brightly and exuded a cheerful aura. "Oh, don't mind me." When he realized Loid was gone, his smile soon turned to a scowl, and a gloomy aura surrounded him. 'I would never eat something you've made.' 

Olivia was amused by the dialogue between her father and uncle. She got up from the couch and followed her father, making her presence known. "I'll go help in the kitchen. Uncle, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

Yuri nodded, his fake smile still glued on his face. He scowled as Olivia walked away. He wasn't sure what to make of her. 'But she is the offspring of the man who stole my sister. It's only natural that she inherited his evil ways.'

He kept his scowl as he looked at the father and daughter in the kitchen. "Oh, you look scary, Yuri. You must be nervous." Yor spoke up as she observed Yuri's expression. His cheeks brightened as he hastily refuted the assumption, flustered. 

"No, I- I'm not..." Yuri exhaled as Yor led him to the living room. 'Crap. My animosity must've been showing.' Yor cheerfully motioned for him to have a seat. "Please feel free to make yourself at home." Draping his coat on the couch, he slowly settled into his seat. 'I could still be worked up from that interrogation earlier.'

Yor set the massive bouquet down and made her way to join Yuri, her nerves slowly calmed. "Thank you for the flowers, Yuri." Yuri smiled quickly at her but stared at his sister with concern and frustration. 

"Sure... But, Sis, I haven't accepted your marriage yet." His gaze was drawn to hers, searching for any indication that she had been coerced into this marriage. "Why did you keep this a secret for a year? How am I supposed to accept it if you don't explain?" 

Two nosy Forgers eavesdropped on the conversation from the kitchen. Loid looked at Yuri, expecting him to ask something like that. 'A reasonable question.' Olivia was curious as to what Yor had came up with in such a short amount of time.

Olivia sipped some juice while waiting for Yor's response. Loid kept his ears alert while concentrating on the food. 'I'm counting on you, Yor.'

Yuri gazed at his sister with anticipation. "Well, Sis? Why didn't you tell me?" Yor stared at Yuri with nervousness, frantically racing her thoughts for an answer. "W-Well...B-Because...B-Because I completely forgot!" 

A glass shattered. 

Oliva choked on her drink. 

Yuri stared at his sister blankly. "Huh? Okay, uh, I..." She smiled cheerfully and looked Yuri in the eyes. "It completely slipped my mind!" Her brother nodded grudgingly. He has another frown on his face. 

"Actually, When I called you the other day, you mentioned that you had a partner. You could've at least told me back then!" Yor glanced in every direction she possibly could.

"W-Well...I forgot that I had forgotten to tell you about my marriage!" 

Another glass shattered. 

Olivia choked once again. 

Yuri gave his sister a sheepish smile. "Well, if you say so, it must be true! Sorry about that, Sis." Back in the kitchen, Loid and Olivia's jaws dropped to the floor in disbelief at the total gullibility of the man. 

'He accepted that?!' Olivia wiped the juice from her mouth, still stunned, as she gazed at her smiling uncle. 'My uncle is a moron.' Shaking the memories from her mind, she swiftly assisted Loid with the finishing touches to the dinner. 

She followed Loid to the two siblings, picking up the leftover dishes. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Yuri's laughter came to a halt as Loid and Olivia arrived with dinner.

Yuri sneered at Loid as he laid the food down. Olivia nodded slowly as she observed him. 'Yeah. This entire family is weird.'

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[EDITED]