CHAPTER 486: 485. SOMEONE LIKE YOU (1)

Ocean ushered the puppies away and Sol just took one glance at Rune before he looked at Ocean.

"Do I also...?" He asked and Ocean glanced at Rune.

"It’s fine if you stay." Rune told Sol.

Sol nodded wordlessly before he walked towards the table where the book he had been reading earlier was and then walked over to the bed and sat there reading.

Rune faced Ocean who sighed and brushed his thumb over his earstud, the illusionary body shimmered before Ocean/Reina’s real form appeared.

The long white hair flowed down her waist and she ran a hand through them before she looked at Rune. Rune stared at her for a long moment making her tilt her head.

"Hm? What’s wrong, brother?" She asked.

"It just feels like I’m seeing you after a long time." He spoke and Reina laughed.

"We saw each other just a couple of days ago, brother." She said before she walked over and plopped down on the couch beside him.

"Did you have lunch?" She asked.

"I did," he answered while she started peeling a tangerine.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Reina asked as she carefully plucked out a slice and brought it over to Rune’s face.

"I just said I ate lunch, Reina." Rune said and she shrugged.

"You’re still growing, big brother. You should eat a lot and fruits are good for you. Eat up, eat up." Reina said before she brought it closer to his mouth.

Rune sighed, "Father has been wanting to see you,"

He opened his mouth letting Reina feed him.

Rune chewed as he spoke, "But since your three musketeers are always hanging around you, he can’t find a proper moment."

"All right, I’ll go and see him myself then."

"You should have done that the same day you arrived." Rune chided and Reina chuckled sheepishly before she fed him another slice.

"I’m sorry,"

Rune sighed, shaking his head, "Even Grandfather wants to see you,"

"All right, I’ll go see him too." Reina said before she fed him another slice.

Rune chewed while Reina kept peeling and feeding it to him.

"Why don’t you eat too?" Rune asked and Reina smiled.

"I just came home after having lunch at Marquis Lockwood’s place." She answered making him frown.

"And why would you for lunch there?"

"Well, we’re acquaintances from when I visited Denril the last time and also, it’s Asher’s sister’s house."

Rune frowned a bit, but then he nodded before starting a new topic, "Besides, about what you said during the last meeting regarding His Majesty’s request..."

Reina turned to look at him with a grape in her fingers, "Hm, what about it?"

"How are the preparations going? Have you already decided on what you will be doing? You said you had some ideas." Rune asked and then opened his mouth for the grape.

"I planned everything out and asked my vassals to take care of it before coming here." Reina said as she plucked some more grapes and started feeding them to Rune.

"So, you’re really going to take up the responsibility." He mused.

"I don’t really have a choice, brother. But don’t worry, I have thoroughly thought it out and now I even have an insurance." Reina beamed with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"What kind of insurance?"

Reina smirked, "You’ll see."

Rune was now used to his sister’s way of thinking, though he couldn’t figure it out but the kinds of feats that she had achieved so far he knew she was capable of practically anything. It was just at times when he was alone and her thoughts popped in his mind he would recall the quiet and sickly little girl who would sit in her bed all day and stare out of the window.

He had no idea what went through her head during the time she was young and bedridden because of her weak health. But she had started changing after one night when she was at the brink of death. At that time, he felt as if he lost his sister just like his mother but she woke up.

Though for more than one reason, he knew she was different than her usual self, he couldn’t make sense of her suddenly hot and cold attitudes. She was able to get out of bed, make plans and do things recklessly but he didn’t dare leave her alone. He didn’t want to sit back and lose someone close to him again.

"Let’s have dinner together tomorrow then with father and grandfather." Reina suggested feeding Rune another grape.

Rune nodded, pondering over it before he looked at Sol, Sol had his nose buried in his book for the whole conversation but it wasn’t like he couldn’t hear anything.

Sol looked up and cleared his throat, "D-Didn’t you promise others that you will go to night market with them tomorrow?"

Reina’s eyebrows jumped while Rune turned his stern parental gaze on her.

"Night market?"

Reina chuckled, "Well, Miri insisted so, she, I, Sol and Davian are going."

Rune stared at her face for a long moment before he sighed and ran a hand over his face. He was silent for a long moment before he looked at Sol who went back to reading.

"I didn’t expect for him to be here too." Rune admitted and Reina hummed.

"He said he wanted to go along so, I took him." Reina said and Sol flinched.

"Are you planning on adopting him yourself or will you hand him to another family like you did with Drac?" Rune asked.

"I’ll have to keep him close," Reina shrugged, "nobody else can handle his attitude."

Sol narrowed his eyes while keeping his stare on the words that didn’t even register in his head, he was on the same page on the same line ever since the conversation started. Although there was nothing too covert about their conversation and he had no use of the information but he still couldn’t help it.

Besides, he had already declared at he had been eavesdropping on them, wait, not that he had a choice. He was in the same room as them and his senses were too sharp to not listen when they weren’t even bothering to lower their voices.

"Don’t stay out too late tomorrow night," Rune said, "not that you’ll listen to me."

Reina frowned a bit before pouting, "Brother, trust me a little, it’s not like I’m going to cause any troubles. Besides, I’m just going as a responsible adult for the other two."

Rune looked at Reina for a bit before he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"I didn’t ask you to not have fun, I’m just worried." Rune said and Reina chuckled.

"I know, I know."

Sol couldn’t help but stare at the siblings, he had seen Ocean being an adult, a responsible yet cunning sort of person, a young Dragon who fought a demon, a liar. Yet, this was a different person altogether.

Reina and Ocean were the same person but two different personalities, two sides of the same coin. Sol didn’t know much about Reina because she was only around those who were extremely close to her. Reina probably only appeared around those where she could let her guard down.

Ocean wouldn’t do that, he would only show that he was approachable, but once you were close you’d realise that there was still no way you were anywhere close to him.

Just like how deep and dark the real ocean was, Ocean, himself was like that. He could appear dangerous yet, magnetic pulling one in by the calm waves but once you go in deeper, you’d realise that it’s not you who’s in control of yourself. It’s his powerful waves that pull you deeper and frown you deeper into the depths from where you might never resurface.

Coming back to Reina then, Sol could’ve believed that they were two different people as Reina seemed really like a gentle and frail young girl around her brother. Was this how family made others?

You wouldn’t be afraid to show just how vulnerable you are, you wouldn’t have to hide your fears, insecurities and pain in front of them. You could just be yourself and they would accept you.

Was there anyone like that for him?

Two faces popped up in his head simultaneously.

One was of Ocean and second was that of a person whom he had known long, long time ago.

Sol looked down, his mind reeling back to one of the memories that he shared with this particular person.

The air was thick with the scent of burning wood and the sky was slowly started to grow darker. Sol sat at a distance, he had been in his adult form during this time, his body was kind of buffy with broad shoulders and chest that tapered down to a thin waist. A lot of people often stared at him for a bit too long even if he was sitting silently.

He didn’t like it so, he would usually maintain his distance. After all, he was a Dragon and the others were humans, the fleeting beings whose lives were just as long as a bubble on the water.

Even now he sat by the edge of the stream hearing the sound of the cascading water while being lost in his thoughts when he heard a playful voice behind him.

"Should I kick you in the water so that you’d wash up?"