CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 202: FIRE

Chapter 202 – Fire

"Kaden...I don’t want to lose you." Daela’s voice was like a broken whisper, as if ashamed to even say this aloud.

She was still in Kaden’s embrace, her head snuggled against his chest, while he caressed her back softly with a tenderness that could transform a devouring fire into one that healed.

But the moment Kaden heard those words, his hand froze for the split of a second — one that felt like eternity for Daela — before it resumed its work.

"Why...why do you say that?" he asked, his face bearing an expression of deep confusion.

He didn’t understand why his sister was saying this.

How could she lose him?

Daela didn’t respond directly. She fell silent, debating, weighing down, asking herself if she should tell Kaden about her insecurities.

About the fact that she was simply afraid of not being his center of attention once many women came into his life.

About the fact that she was afraid of losing his love.

She truly wanted to say it, to liberate herself from this suffocating feeling, this feeling of fear and helplessness that gripped her soul as tightly as thirst grips water.

It was...agonizing, to say the least.

But she also knew she didn’t have the right to impose her insecurities on him.

And what she was feeling right now was just egotistical.

She wanted her brother only for herself, even while knowing he had said that he loved other women.

She wanted to monopolize him, to take hold of everything he was, like how a fire embraces the world when it flares bright. All that just because he was the one who had turned her monochrome life into a cornucopia of colors.

She knew she was being unjust.

She knew she was being unfair.

She knew she was being pathetic.

But still...

"I don’t want you to be with other women. I’m afraid you would forget me, that you would discard me because of them." She whispered this while burrowing her head deeper into his chest, as if wanting to glue their bodies together so they would be inseparable.

Kaden was taken aback by these words. He had expected something far worse with all that had just happened. But all of this was just his sister being...insecure about being forgotten because of other women?

Was that all?

’No. Don’t belittle it,’ Kaden reminded himself sharply.

It might look like nothing to him, because for him it was evident that he would never forget Daela, never discard her, or anything of that sort.

For him, it was as certain as the fate of a plucked apple, destined always to fall to the earth and never to rise into the sky.

But Daela clearly didn’t share that same certainty, that same unshakable notion, and so...

...he had to show it to her. He had to prove it to her.

He thought before that he was doing that, but clearly he was doing it wrong...and he realized why.

He had been showing her love and affection in his own love language. He hadn’t tried to understand what it meant for her to be loved.

What actions, what words would make her feel truly loved, truly seen.

A soft, almost withered sigh escaped his lips.

"You are my sister," Kaden said. "How could I even forget you? It doesn’t make any sense, Daela."

"But..." Daela started to speak.

"Nevertheless, I can understand your worries," Kaden cut her off mid-pitch. His arms tightened around her waist, and she pressed closer, snuggling deeper, unconsciously purring in contentment.

"I might have overlooked how you felt about all this. I might have thought that I was showing you how irreplaceable you are to me."

"Clearly, I was wrong, and I intend to make amends for that."

"But first, let me start with a simple statement." The moment these words left the confines of his mouth, he took hold of Daela’s well-trained shoulders and pushed her gently away from his chest, as if holding a cup full of water, afraid to spill it.

Now they were looking at each other, eye to eye.

Even though Daela’s eyes darted all around, she suddenly felt shy under her brother’s bloody gaze. Her body trembled subtly, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, as if she wanted to speak but could not — whether from lack of courage or even...confidence.

Normal, she had just shown her vulnerabilities, after all.

She felt naked. She felt weak.

She felt...seen.

She no longer had her apathetic mask to protect her against this cursed reality.

"Look at me." Kaden’s voice was soft, as soft as molten ice. He stretched out his right hand, held Daela’s chin, and turned it toward his face, forcing her to meet his eyes.

He smiled faintly.

"Let me start with one little statement before we go further, Daela," he repeated, and Daela nodded weakly.

He continued.

"You are my sister. You are my blood. You are the one who took care of me the most. You are the one who truly looked at me, not as the child of blood, not as a member of the Warborns..." he trailed off, his lips curling into a faint appreciative smile.

"...you are the one who sees me as just...Kaden."

He let go of her chin. His hand slid down to hold her hand.

Daela’s eyes teared up, but she bit her lip tightly, unwilling to cry in front of Kaden.

She had done enough embarrassing things today for a whole year.

"So after all this, do you really think you can be forgotten? Do you really think that girls I meet outside can match your status in my heart?"

They weren’t questions.

"No, they cannot. After all..." here, he smirked and leaned close to Daela before whispering mischievously:

"I have only one sister...but will I have only one wife? That alone makes you unique to me."

Then he pulled back, looking at Daela’s stupefied expression as if she had just discovered a fundamental truth of the universe.

Her eyes widened in wonder, in understanding, before slowly a small smile spread across her lips.

"I am unique," she said, nodding to herself, as if affirming it aloud.

"I am unique," she repeated, as if savoring the taste of the words.

Her smile widened. She looked straight into Kaden’s eyes and...

"I am unique," she said again.

At that moment, Kaden had to fight the urge to stand up, spread his arms like wings, and hug Daela deeply, because she was just...

"Too cute. You are too cute, Daela." He said this before taking hold of her right cheek and stretching it gently.

Her face distorted, but her beauty and cuteness were undeniable. Her eyes began to lose their forlorn expression, and wings of joy fluttered inside them before her lips curled upward into a smile.

This gave Kaden a burst of confidence.

’Now or never. I don’t know when this opportunity will come again,’ he thought, his mind gripped by a behemoth of determination.

Then he immediately reached his other hand toward Daela’s left cheek and stretched it too.

Her skin was so smooth yet elastic. It stretched easily beneath his fingers.

Kaden continued to play with her cheeks, forgetting completely what he had meant to say.

Instead, a big smile — the kind you wear when you finally obtain what you’ve always dreamed about — spread across his face as he made ridiculous shapes with his sister’s cheeks.

Soon, small giggles began to echo through the room. They were so beautiful, so sweet, that they instantly brightened the archive’s gloom. It was like how a fire can illuminate a room full of tangible, fearful darkness with just a single spark.

And this giggle — this spark — came from Daela, who was living her dream.

Being pampered by her brother.

What else could she want more?

The previous tense and sorrowful atmosphere melted down like steel in a volcanic fire.

And by this time, Kaden finally understood what actions and words could make Daela feel loved.

She just needed to be pampered. To be given attention like a cute cat.

Pat her head, play with her, spend time with her, and say some adorable words...and that was enough.

Kaden couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

To think...it was so easy to make someone feel loved.

Yes...it’s simple.

Ask them for their love language, and love them in that language.

That’s what Kaden realized.

Loving someone isn’t about how you want to love, it’s about learning what makes them feel seen.

And most of the time — if not all the time — it’s completely different from how you want it to be.

So take a step back.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Ask what their love language is.

And love them in that way.

You might like it. You might not.

But it won’t matter.

Not if your love is real.

Just like Kaden.

And now that his sister had calmed down, her heart soothed, her mind cleared, and received her share of spoiling...

"Now tell me, what do you think about me changing this tradition?" Kaden asked shamelessly while patting Daela’s head, as if coaxing her.

The response was immediate.

"I don’t care."

—End of Chapter 202—