CHAPTER 305: A RIOTOUS MORNING

"Brother, wake up. It’s morning! Don’t you want to watch Belfor’s trial this afternoon?"

In Nolan’s room, Elina shook her brother, who was still fast asleep.

"Ugh..." Nolan groaned softly as he opened his heavy eyes. He was greeted by his beautiful younger sister in a bluish-white dress.

A smile spread across his face. "Good morning, my dear sister. How are you this morning?"

He yawned, covering his mouth with his right hand.

Elina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Good morning to you too, brother. I’m fine. Now get up. The trial starts in two hours. We can’t be late."

Her voice was cheerful. She had long harbored hatred toward Zarak, especially since the fat man had sent two assassins after her and Nolan.

She wanted revenge but had never had the chance. Fortunately, the gods seemed to be on her side. Zarak would face a major setback once his grandfather was sentenced that afternoon.

Nolan sat up, stretching his stiff body. "By the way, my dear sister, I have something important to discuss with you."

Elina looked surprised and curious. "What is it, brother?"

"Come closer," Nolan said, waving his hand.

Without suspicion, Elina climbed onto the bed and moved closer.

Suddenly...

"Kyaa!"

Nolan hugged Elina, gently laying her back on the bed and resting his chin on her head.

"Hmmm... now that’s better," he said contentedly.

Elina froze for a moment before finally snapping out of it. Her face turned as red as an apple, and she struggled to free herself from his embrace.

"Let me go! Brother, you’re so stupid!" she snapped.

But no matter how hard she tried, Nolan’s grip was as strong as iron.

Suddenly, she felt his faint breathing and realized that her brother was fast asleep.

"You..." Elina’s lips twitched. She hadn’t expected to be tricked like this.

By now, escape was impossible, and a headache throbbed at her temples.

After a few moments, she calmed herself. Then, sleepiness washed over her, and Elina involuntarily closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

A few minutes later, the door opened. Rafine entered, carrying a tray of hot chocolates and cookies.

As soon as she saw them asleep in each other’s arms, her face hardened.

"You two..."

Her chest tightened, and her breath caught in her throat. But she quickly composed herself, set the tray on the table, and walked toward them with red cheeks.

"Nolan Lorian, what are you doing to your sister?" She pinched Nolan’s cheek, making him start awake.

"Ouch!" Nolan groaned in pain and immediately released Elina.

Elina woke too. Her face flushed red when she saw Rafine, and she quickly scrambled back two steps.

Still annoyed from the pinch, Nolan glared at Rafine with dissatisfaction.

"What are you doing, Rafine? Why are you disturbing my sleep?" Nolan complained.

Rafine’s anger flared. "Disturbing? It’s morning! And what are you doing to your sister? How could you hug her like that?"

Her face turned as red as a tomato. She knew Nolan and Elina were siblings, but what she had just seen was truly embarrassing—it made her upset, angry, and even a little jealous.

Nolan rolled his eyes. "So what if I hugged her? We’re siblings, so it’s fine, right? Besides, we’ve been doing this since we were kids. Right, Elina?"

He glanced at Elina and winked mischievously, prompting her to sigh helplessly.

"You..." Rafine started, annoyed, but couldn’t argue.

She knew from Isabella that the two had been very close since childhood, so their behavior was normal—just typical sibling interaction, nothing more.

Even so, Rafine wasn’t about to back down. She snorted. "Still, it’s not allowed. From now on, I’ll take care of all your needs and set some rules. You have to obey me."

Nolan’s eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you acting like my mother?"

"Hehehe..." Rafine smiled faintly. "Your mother gave me the authority to do this. If you want to protest, take it up with her. I’m just following orders."

She shrugged as if to say, "I don’t know anything about this."

But the smile on her face was hard to hide, leaving Nolan to wonder if she was really being honest—or just enjoying making things up.

"What Rafine said is true, brother," Elina chimed in with a small chuckle. "Mother did hand over your management to her. I can testify to that."

Nolan: "..."

He was completely speechless. He didn’t know how to react. If Rafine had claimed it on her own, he might still have been suspicious.

But since Elina herself said it, there was no room for protest. After all, it was impossible for his sister to be lying.

Watching him remain silent, Rafine felt a surge of happiness. In their past arguments, she was always the one who lost, which had made her angry yet powerless.

This was her first victory—and she had to admit, it felt really good.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat softly and turned around. "Let’s have breakfast first. I brought some cookies and three cups of hot chocolate."

Nolan and Elina nodded and immediately walked toward the sofa. After sitting down, they enjoyed their simple breakfast while chatting about casual things.

"By the way, brother," Elina said excitedly, looking at him. "Yesterday I went to the western region to meet with some Viscount and Count families. The results were quite satisfactory—I got their support."

"Oh?" Nolan sounded a little surprised. "That’s amazing. You did well."

He patted her head gently, making Elina beam with a smile she couldn’t hold back.

"And one more thing," Elina continued enthusiastically, "I went with Rafine to the Valcrest family mansion and received a warm welcome. Although they haven’t officially declared their support yet, I’m sure it won’t be long."

The Valcrest family was the true ruler of the western region. Elina wasn’t surprised by their warm reception. After all, the Singularity of Chaos had helped them in the past.

As someone who had received indirect support from the Singularity of Chaos, they were bound to be polite and respectful toward her.

"Good." Nolan nodded in satisfaction. "You can continue to persuade them, but don’t overdo it. Just maintain the dignity of a strong and resilient heir. Only then will they respect you and entrust their family’s future to you."

"I understand, brother!" Elina said, her expression serious.

Beside them, Rafine couldn’t help but smile. Although Nolan often seemed annoying, he was also caring and sharp. No wonder Elina had made it this far—surely thanks to his guidance.

"Oh, right, Rafine, I forgot to tell you something," Nolan said, turning to her. "I can see that you’re very talented, and it would be a waste if you only took care of me. So, I have a plan for you once this trial is over. I want to know if you’re interested."

A small smile spread across his face, and Rafine felt a chill run down her spine.

Is he thinking something... bad?