CHAPTER 257: BIG SIS? LITTLE SIS?

Brandon was sitting on the couch in his room and the evening sunlight was slanting through the half-open curtains, casting a warm amber hue across the walls.

In his lap Yverine was sitting, leaning comfortably into him.

As he nuzzled his face against her neck, his hand slowly trailed down the curve of her waist and squeezed her ass playfully.

She let out a soft yelp and a blush crept up her face as she twisted a little in his lap "Stop groping my ass, dumbass..."

Grinning, he leaned forward and kissed her lips, gently sucking on her lower lip "How is it here? Do you like it?"

Yverine blinked slowly and her expression softened as her eyes shimmered in the low light.

She reached up and gently nibbled on his lower lip in return, a teasing gesture that made him chuckle.

"Hm... I like it here," she muttered in a breathy tone, curling into his chest. "Aunt Elize was very welcoming... Aunt Ravene too. And Eira."

Her voice grew quieter as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I lost my parents when I was young, so... it’s good to feel like I have a ’family’ again. I never thought I’d ever experience that warmth again."

Brandon’s smile faded into something gentler and he slowly raised his hand and began to stroke her head, his fingers threading through her soft strands.

"Sister Yve," he whispered, using the affectionate name he had come to call her, "you really can become a part of this family."

She lifted her head slightly in confusion. "Brandon?"

He hesitated and taking a breath, he clasped her hand in his, his thumb gently brushing over her knuckles.

"Sister Yve, listen to me... What do you think about-"

Ding-dong!

The sudden ring of the doorbell at the front of the house interrupted the moment.

Brandon closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh.

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips before pulling back with a wry smile. "Seems like Dhayun is here."

Yverine let out a small laugh before sliding off his lap.

Brandon rose to his feet and walked toward the door, glancing at the hallway.

At this time, he heard Elize’s voice from the kitchen "Kael, can you check who it is?"

"Yes, Aunt Elize."

He looked back at Yverine, who had plopped down on the couch and curled up with a pillow in her arms.

"We’ll continue that conversation later," he said with a hint of seriousness in his tone.

She nodded his head with a smile "Sure..."

---

Brandon made his way down the wide staircase and reached the front door and opened it.

Before he could even blink "Woonieee!"

Yelling his name, Dhayun jumped towards him.

Brandon caught her instinctively, stumbling back half a step and laughter bubbled from his chest. "Noona!" he greeted fondly, wrapping his arms around her in a firm, warm hug.

Han Dhayun clung to him tightly and curled her legs slightly as she lifted herself off the ground in his embrace.

She pulled back slightly to look around and then, seeing no one around, leaned forward and captured his lips in a soft kiss.

"Haa... I missed you." Her breath was warm against his lips as she whispered.

Brandon let out a low chuckle, his arms tightening around her body "I missed you too..."

Without putting her down, he nudged the door shut with his foot and shifted his posture, crouching a little to hook one arm under her thighs.

In one swift motion, he lifted her into his arms in a bridal-style.

She gave a quiet squeak of surprise but didn’t resist and her fingers fidgeted with the collar of his shirt

At this time, a familiar voice called out from inside "Oh, Dhayun..."

The two of them turned their heads and saw Elize standing near the archway of the living room, wearing a cozy cream-colored cardigan over a house dress, holding a towel in her hand.

"Eh?! A-Aunt Elize-!" Dhayun suddenly panicked, trying to scramble down from Brandon’s arms and kicked her legs slightly, but he didn’t let go, only chuckling under his breath.

"Relax," he muttered, carrying her to the nearby couch and setting her down with a bit of flair, making her bounce slightly on the cushion.

"You don’t need to be so flustered."

Blushing furiously, Dhayun smoothed down her skirt and bowed her head slightly toward Elize "Good evening, Aunt Elize. I... I didn’t expect you to be right there."

Elize smiled warmly "Good evening, dear. You came at the perfect time. I’ll prepare some coffee for you."

She reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of Dhayun’s hair behind her ear before turning and heading toward the kitchen with a hum.

Dhayun exhaled heavily, leaning back on the couch and covering her red cheeks with both hands. "That’s so embarrassing..."

Brandon sat beside her, one arm draping over the back of the couch.

"Ah, the dahlias look like they’ll bloom by the end of this week. We should move them to the new house."

Eira voice echoed from the garden in the back.

"They should. I pruned them yesterday," Ravene replied as she stepped inside with Eira.

As soon as Eira looked up and spotted the visitor, her expression brightened instantly. "Big Sister Dhayun!"

Dhayun quickly stood up, smoothing her clothes and walking over to her "Little Sister Eira!"

The two girls hugged tightly, rocking slightly on the spot as they laughed "You didn’t tell me you were visiting today."

Dhayun grinned "I wanted to surprise you. I brought you that candy from the market you asked for, by the way."

"Really? Thank you, Big Sis!"

Standing off to the side, Brandon was dumbfounded. What?

He blinked, staring at the two women embracing like siblings who had grown up together. ’Big Sister? Little Sister? Since when were they this close?’

He tilted his head toward Ravene, who had leaned her shoulder against the doorframe with an amused smile playing at her lips.

Noticing his expression, she giggled and walked over to his side.

"She started coming over pretty often," she explained softly, keeping her voice low so the other two wouldn’t hear.

"While you were away in that training mission, Dhayun visited a lot. At first, she’d just come to see Elize and get updates about you. But Eira was home most of the time too, so they started talking."

She glanced at them "They bonded pretty fast. Dhayun really opened up around Eira."

Brandon nodded slowly, still watching the pair with a strange sense of wonder in his eyes.

Dhayun now had Eira’s hands in hers, chattering about how her hair had grown longer and offering to braid it for her later.

’We really can be a great family...’

Ravene gently hugged his waist and murmured "I also like Dhayun... she is a good girl. But I am worried about you."

Leaning onto her, he raised an eyebrow "About me?"

With a nod, she replied "As Elize said, it will be a burden for you to maintain many women at once..."

He let out a deep sigh and she gently patted his head "I will also help you."

Glancing at her, he smiled fondly "Mhm."