Chapter 66 - Stepbrother (1/2)

Chapter 66: Stepbrother

When she left the guild building near the docks, the sun had long since set Walking through streets still slightly wet froht rain that eon, Nisha looked around as it was the first ti life There were very little people out, the weather and the ti a stroll

Conte any detours and directly returned to the noble district

Ignoring the reaction of the guard when he opened the ht of the mansion she now called home

Struck by an odd azed at the house, re about the events that had led up to her current life

So far, she had only called three places hoons had chosen the place on instinct After the ‘willingful’ departure of the previous inhabitants, they had acquired a living place, and expanded it over the turns to fit their needs She considered that all of the different beasts residing there were precious, and she would love to return to them

Not that I can, with this body of mine

Her second horounds Rather than the building itself, it had been Eldrin’s presence who had given her a strong sense of belonging to the house It didn’t matter where, a palace or a si as there had been Eldrin, she would have been ho with Annabelle and Lydia added to the fond e, but she didn’t really want to go back there Without her grandfather, the place had lost its soul

And now, her last home was this estate She didn’t exactly ask for luxury, but Nisha had to ad her own room, servants who executed her orders, and preparedher free at ti chores in the past

And she hadn’t co on her own abilities She was very thankful towards Luthais who had not only taken her and her two older sisters in, but also put his father’s reputation on the line to introduce her as his own relative; not to s thanks to hi the skills necessary to survive in court, allowing her to pursue her grandfather’s last wish For all that kindness she had been shown, it wouldn’t , she would find a way to repay him one day

With the hu on the old stones, the wall surrounding the mansion was supposedly ht as well have not been there Dodging the cautious gaze of the guard on watch, she swiftly slipped inside the s

Peeking through the kitchen’s keyhole, Nishain To her delight, there were some sweet breads innocently left to cool near the stove, allowing her to steal a handful to take with her to her roory, she had just been drawn to the luttony, there was no way she was still hungry after her hunting trip in the dungeon earlier

Nibbling on one of the pastries, the elven girl al on the upper floor Thankfully she noticed the light of the lantern he was carrying froh time to hide in the shadow of the first door she ca particular about an accumulation of shadows in front of the lord’s study and headed towards the stairs

If I was a thief, this would be a piece of cake I really should talk Luthais into briefing the servants regarding security

Taking another bite of the sweet bread, Nisha waited for the light to co to her own roo herself on the bed

Considering she had gone out to play in the faon to be dead tired Although there were few creatures in the first layer that could give her a hard tih had drained her energy

Laying on her bed, Nisha just wanted to sleep, but she took a moment to unequip her leather armor and slip into a set of comfortable sleepwear

Closing her eyes, the dragon was about to pray to Bael and Gabriel when a knock on her door prompted her eyes to fly open

Did Luthais find out I wasn’t here today? Is Galan gonna lecture me?

“Come in, please”

Albeit she was panicking internally, Nisha had no choice but to draw the bedsheets closer to her body to sit on her bed, and answered

The one who cairl was expecting It was neither the old servant, his wife, nor the head of the house Nisha’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Eldrin who had came back to life to scold her Aware that there was no way this would have happened, she recognized Henry – Luthais’ son – who unfortunately for Nisha had taken his face frorandfather

“Is it alright if I come in and chat a bit with you?”

Peering at the girl wrapped in her bedding, Henry hesitated

Revealing her sleepwear by putting her blanket down, Nisha nodded

“Yes, please come in What can I do for you?”

With a tinge of guilt, she noticed that the two of them had not interacted a lot after he had taken care of her on the day they , only his striking rese hihost of so

Aside from the occasional court session they both attended, Nisha did her best to stay out of Henry’s way, his acade in that state of things Most of the ti only to return in the afternoon or evening, further decreasing the chances of the

“It is nothing much, I just heard you were back and wanted to check if you were alright

The dungeon is a dangerous place, after all”

With his disar smile and calm attitude, she didn’t even notice the trap he had laid and answered carelessly

“Yes, thank you for the concern It wasn’t that dangerous … wait!!!”

Realizing that she had just fallen for his plot and adone to one of the most deadly location there was, Nisha immediately took a defensive stance

“How did you know?! And what do you want?!”

She didn’t understand why he would approach her in this way, especially since he already knehere she had been, and she grew even warier

“Relax, I’ to tell dad It’s only that I saw you near the dungeon entrance earlier The high-ranked people in neon to gain so in alone I’m here to make sure you came back safely”

Raising his hands in a gesture of peace, Henry had probably guessed that his stepsister had been alarmed by his words

“Ho to the Guild to learn ain, and o there, but you are too diligent and well behaved to just pursue fun; I am sure of that, you always do what you are asked and never complain”

How did he come to know that?

Scratching his brown hair with one hand, Henry remained in front of the closed door, visibly embarrassed by his own speech

“I’d just hate it if so happened to you, and dad would be devastated too It hasn’t been long, but we’re fa bothers you, you can tell me I’ll listen”

Having explained what he came for, Henry turned around and opened the door to leave At the sas and her two older sisters weren’t her only family anymore Even Bael and Gabriel could be counted as a sort of extended fanore Luthais and Henry, nor Galan and his wife, they were all always looking out for her

All in all, she was lucky to have soher the best

“Wait!”