CHAPTER 236: CHANGE IN EIRA

Roman’s POV

The next morning when I woke up, I found she was still close to me, sleeping peacefully in my arms. When we started sleeping together, I never thought there would be a day like this—when she wouldn’t be reluctant to get close to me.

She still had her hand wrapped around me, her face snuggled against my chest, and I dared not move in fear of waking her up. I resigned and decided to stay still, waiting for her to wake up on her own.

It felt so good to see her so relaxed with me. Maybe now she knew I was no different from her—I had suffered like her in the hands of the traffickers. Pity. That shouldn’t be the reason for her to get close to me, but still, I would accept it as long as she was with me.

I was no different. I pitied her as well when we found her, and I knew she had suffered because of those traffickers. I could relate to her, and without realizing it, I already had sympathy for her.

I wished, just like how I was saved, protected, and taken care of, I could care for her as well. My brothers didn’t like it at that time, but I didn’t care.

All I knew was that I had to save her.

After half an hour, she finally stirred and snuggled against me like a child. She was indeed still a child in some corner of her heart.

"Good morning," I said, my hand gently caressing her head.

She looked up at me, her eyes still half-closed. I thought she would move away from me, but she didn’t. Instead, she silently rubbed her eyes and tried to shake off her sleep.

She looked around—the sunlight had filled the room. "Am I late to wake up?" she asked.

"No. If you want, you can sleep for a while more," I assured.

She nodded lightly. "Five minutes more."

"Sure. But I have to get up," I said.

She hummed and waited for me to move.

I smiled. "I can, only if you let me go."

She realized her hand was around me, and even one of her legs was resting on mine.

"Umm... sorry..." she tried to move, but I held her in place. "You don’t have to," I said, and pecked her lips. "You’re always welcome to sleep like this."

My peck startled her a little, but she didn’t look reluctant. I dared to peck her lips once more, and again, she said nothing.

’Don’t get too greedy,’ I warned myself, and finally moved away from her.

"I’ll freshen up. You can sleep till then," I said, and went to the bathroom.

----

Getting ready, when I went to the drawing room, as usual Lucian and Jason were working in the kitchen, and Rafe was idling around on the sofa, playing games on his mobile early in the morning like a spoiled child of the family.

Rafe used to be the child of the home; now Raven had taken his place—or rather, he had a companion now.

"How’s she?" Lucian asked when I approached the kitchen.

"Doing good. Nothing to worry about," I replied. "She’ll be out in a while. Just be normal with her."

The others agreed.

After a while, she did, in fact, come out. She looked at us and silently walked toward her pets. She busied herself checking the kittens.

"Today she’s not looking at the staircase impatiently," Jason said in a low voice.

I noticed it as well.

Just then Kael came downstairs alone and seemed like he had just woken up. Since the day she started sleeping with Raven, he had been waking up late. Was he enjoying his son without putting in any effort?

On his way to the kitchen, he looked at Eira. She looked at him, then toward the staircase, and resumed her work. In fact, she had put her pets in two baskets, picked up a small blanket, and walked out through the glass door to go outside, carrying her pets.

She didn’t seem to care if Raven wasn’t here yet. Neither was she angry at Kael, nor did she hurry to go to his room to see Raven.

Kael came to the kitchen, and all of us exchanged glances.

"Is she going to distance herself from Raven because of what Kael said to her?" Lucian asked.

"I don’t think so," I replied, not feeling worried about it. "She’s giving herself some time to think it through. Kael’s words affected her, but in a good way. She wants to work on herself. She wants to get better. So we should let her be."

"Did she talk to you about it last night?" Kael asked.

I hummed. "She took it positively. That’s why this change."

Finally, they looked relieved to hear it.

There was a guilt that we were telling her that Raven wasn’t her child and she should accept this fact. But the day we tell her otherwise, I hope she will understand it was for her own good, for Raven’s sake, and won’t get angry at us.

Even if she did, we will accept it silently.

"Now that she’s outside already, how about breakfast in the garden?" Jason asked, busy working like a skilled chef.

"Seems like a good idea," Lucian said.

After having some water, Kael returned to his room to get Raven, who was already awake. I helped Lucian and Jason arrange breakfast outside.

Eira watched us silently while sitting on the blanket she had spread on the lawn. She was busy grooming her hamster, brushing his fur softly, and keeping watch over the other pets in the basket, covered so the direct sunlight wouldn’t fall on the kittens. She was careful with them.

Fluffy was lazing around her, his fur still covered in colors from yesterday since no one had bothered to bathe him after we left for shopping.

She brushed the bangs away from her forehead—they had grown longer now and bothered her eyes. I went to the room and brought something with me.

I sat in front of her, and she looked at me to know what was going on.

I simply pulled out the two hairpins I had brought. Without saying a word, I parted her bangs in the middle and tucked each part to the side with those pins.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked, doubtful of what I had done to her hair.

I cupped her face in my hands and said, "Because you’re looking so cute." I didn’t lie—she looked like her old schoolgirl version. She was still the same, except her face had matured a little with age.

She didn’t know what to say.

"And your face is too small. Damn! Too cute."

"Your hands are just too big," she said. "My face is fine."

I let go of her face and looked at my hands. "Indeed, big hands—but your face is small as well." I lightly pinched her cheek. "And cute."

"Cute witch indeed," Rafe said as he came to us, having overheard me. "Perfectly scary, like wearing a Halloween look all year round."

She offered him a glare, and he returned it with a wicked smirk.

"Ignore him," I made her look at me, "You trust my words over his, don’t you."

She nodded.

I looked at Rafe and warned him to not tease her anymore.

The bastard shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t care and walked away.