Chapter 6

***

"Lili, it’s time to wake up."

My day always started with Julianne waking me up, along with the sparrows chirping and the sun shining in the morning.

When I used to go to school, all of those things were signs that I was being late, but now, I just squinted and slowly opened my eyes in the warm sunlight.

‘It's another good morning, Lia. Your beauty shines brighter as the days go by... I bet you could even replace the sun…’

"Good morning, Lia…”

I greeted Julianne as always and she smiled brightly and pinched my cheek in response, as if she thought my croaky voice sounded cute.

‘She’s not pinching me that hard today. That’s a relief.’

"Are the old men not coming today?"

"Well, Allen might come later in the afternoon to give you a checkup."

"I don’t wanna…”

I really, really didn’t want to get a checkup.

Just as I was about to frown, I loosened up after I suddenly remembered something.

‘Oh right, didn't he say he was bringing me a whole cake next time? Is that today? Will I finally be able to eat a cake from outside these walls?’

Even though Allen was the most annoying, he did have excellent taste in desserts.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to let him get close to my sister.

"How should I do your hair today...?"

While I was full of anticipation for the cake, Julianne pursed her lips and muttered, sitting in front of her vanity.

Around this time every day, she would always put on a serious expression and ponder for a few minutes.

Of course, there wasn’t any vital reason for it.

She was simply thinking about how she should do my hair...

...Although she looked a bit too serious for that.

"Should I put it in pigtails? No, I did that yesterday… but I don’t want to just leave it down… maybe I should braid it and put it up?"

"I don't like braids! It hurts when you pull my hair to the back of my head."

I grumbled while rubbing my eyes, still sitting in the chair.

I hated it when someone pulled on my hair, just as much when I felt some strange magic running through my body.

…Personally, I would have just run away if it weren't for the cake.

"Then let’s do a half updo today."

Julianne soon made her decision, wearing a determined expression.

She didn’t need to look so battle-ready when she was just going to style my hair…

I shrugged my shoulders once, then sat up straight and held my breath. Nevertheless, if my big sister liked it, then I liked it too.

I felt sorry for her over a lot of things, after all.

I quietly closed my eyes and enjoyed the faint sunlight as it shined on my eyelids.

It was a peaceful morning.

***

"Hello, Lili."

It should… have been… a peaceful morning... but Michael just had to appear in front of me with a gentle smile.

‘Isn't it still before lunch?’

"You don’t like this old man coming here?"

He spoke as he sat down in front of me, wearing a pitiful expression.

I stared at the sunlight reflecting in his snowy-white hair and reluctantly spoke.

"Lia and I are going to have lunch together."

‘So why did you suddenly butt in?’

Michael looked even sadder as he heard me.

‘Even if you try to look sad, it's useless. I know you’re an intelligent, scheming character, after all.’

Everything he did had to be calculated. There was no way it wasn’t part of his plan.

"Can't this old man eat with you too? I came in such a hurry that I couldn’t even eat anything."

‘Damn it! How does this guy know that Koreans are weak when it comes to meal?!’

I gulped as I looked into Michael’s golden eyes – he was still staring at me with a pathetic look.

No matter what I thought about him, leaving someone to starve was a bit too much, but... if I kept letting him do what he wanted, Lia was going to fall for him someday!

I had to toughen up.

"Then you can eat in your room while me and Lia eat together, old man."

The old man’s room I referred to was the parlor where Julianne and Michael usually worked.

Whenever Michael visited, Julianne always asked "Should we go to the old man’s room?"

So, for convenience, we called it the ‘old man’s room.’

"The old man’s room isn’t somewhere to eat, Lili," Michael said in a gentle tone.

Of course, I already knew that… but he was going to flirt like crazy with Julianne the whole time if I just let him get near her.

I couldn’t turn our peaceful, comfortable mealtime table into a battlefield.

"Yes, but Lili eats cookies and cake in there too."

"Lili..."

Julianne suddenly knelt in front of me and asked, "Lili, is there a reason you don't want to eat with Michael?"

I wondered if I was being too stubborn, but I really did want to spend mealtime without any worries.

I stared silently at Julianne, lost in thought.

Hmm, she must have thought that making him eat in the parlor would be too much.

‘Was that too mean?’

"The old man can sit at the end of the dining table."

‘Well there, I was being generous.’

I raised my chin high up and glanced at Michael. In response, Michael made a subtle expression, then nodded with his usual gentle smile.

‘He's quick to catch on. He seems to know exactly when to step back.’

"Lili still doesn't seem to like me much."

He pursed his lips and spoke.

‘I still don't like you, and it’ll stay that way.’ I shrugged my shoulders.

‘You might end up knowing too much if I’m not careful, buddy.’

Of course, a normal person's brain wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion, ‘Could she be possessed?’

But if that were the case, they would be the real possessor…

"She calls Royston big bro, but..."

This time, he muttered with a sinister air.

‘Don't act like that in front of a kid, man! I know more than you think!’

Though of course, I was going to pretend I didn’t.

I blinked innocently, my gaze pure.

‘If you also become a bit nicer and gentler like Cedric, I could give you a teeny, tiny chance…’

Of course, I only thought that because there was a fat chance of it actually happening.

"Are the desserts I brought that bad, Lili?"

"No."

‘They're delicious, ridiculously delicious.’

I slowly shook my head, revealing the truth.

The snacks that Allen brought were impressive, but the ones Michael brought were truly heavenly.

I felt like I was squeezed between two jealous boys at a dessert fair, and Cedric was probably knitting casually somewhere in between them...

"Then I wonder what Lili doesn’t like about me..." Michael absentmindedly muttered as if trying to find his own answer.

I simply pretended not to know anything and hid behind Julianne's back.

‘I won't open up unless you reveal your true feelings!’

He was too suspicious. I felt like he was too full of tricks and schemes for me to entrust my sister to him.

"But don't hate me too much."

Michael smiled softly, his eyes forming perfect crescent shapes.

I felt like he’d left out the part where he probably was going to say that we’d keep seeing each other from now on, but there was no way…

I rolled my eyes and avoided his gaze.

Starting a war of nerves so early in the morning was exhausting.

***

With my rough defense, anxious gaze, and Julianne watching over me...

As soon as our mealtime was over, Michael left the mansion, saying he would buy dessert.

‘If that's the case, why did he come to our house so early in the morning? On top of that, he didn't even bring anything when he came!’

This guy, he was poking around, huh?

"Lili can’t keep eating so many desserts. What if she gets even pickier...?"

Julianne, who was sitting next to me, organizing documents, murmured with concern. I smiled mischievously, swinging my feet back and forth.

‘Don’t worry, Lia. I’m used to eating ready meals and fast food, so you could even consider the food I’m eating now to be healthy.’

"Lady Julianne, a guest has arrived."

After a while, a dignified voice was heard from outside the door. It was Mister Heinz, the butler.

I knew it was him because of his unique voice. He was one of the people who had been surrounding me when I first woke up.

"I told you there’s no need to inform me if it’s Michael. Is it someone else?”

Julianne held out her hand at me as she muttered. I naturally took her hand and got up from the chair.

As soon as we stepped outside into the garden, I saw a few familiar faces.

Michael had returned, but the only difference from the morning was that Cedric was with him.

The reason Heinz told us that a guest arrived was… I looked at the small boy standing next to him. He looked like Cedric, but he appeared to be around my age.

"Cedric?"

"Oh, Julianne."

When he locked eyes with Julianne, Cedric's cold gaze softened and he smiled gently.

‘So, this is what it meant when someone completely melts.’

"Who's the boy next to you?" Julianne asked, standing in front of him, and because of her, I also ended up in front of Michael, Cedric, and the unknown boy.

The tips of Cedric’s ears reddened as he spoke.

"I brought my nephew to play with Lili today. Say hello, Joshua."

But just after he affectionately spoke to the boy named Joshua…

"I don't play with uglies."

The boy in front of me muttered with a mad look on his face.

‘So, it comes to this, huh? I’ll show you who’s powerhouse in these parts.’

I tugged at my sister's dress and muttered.

"I don't like him. So, I don't like big bro for bringing him here."

In the same breath, Cedric's face went as white as someone who had just been pronounced dead.