The Little Sister

She's gone.

To be honest, in the beginning, I was unsure of how we would live alone.

I lied to him. I'm not a servant's daughter. I just wanted to get closer to him. Every day I would see him at school, closely guarded by those two...

It was with complete coincidence that I saw him leaving home with all his luggage.

Just like me.

I was scared. Scared that I'd be kidnapped, become homeless... I was naturally worried about what I was supposed to do. So when he allowed me to stay with him, I was really happy.

...It was fun being together, but sometimes I doubted my choice. Whether I should just return to the Capital.

Then she offered us food, shelter, warmth... she understood us. She accepted everyone.

But now she's gone.

I didn't know it would feel so lonely.

She was always there for us. From the moment she protected us, she made me feel that, even if we messed up somewhere, we'd still have a place to go.

Was it bad to hope to live like a happy family?

Mike and Lukas would be my older brothers, Yu Jing would be the youngest, and granny... she'd be our mother.

...My mother... She'd be disappointed right? I left without saying anything, without reconciling. I didn't even leave a note.

No, she must be worried.

Has she been searching for me?...

Is she still angry? Still disappointed?

What have I been doing?

Why did I follow him again?...

Ah-

I remember... the first day of school. Everyone brought their parents to wish them luck, but he stood alone in the middle of everything. The expression he made... I just wanted to hold him tightly, and tell him that it was alright.

I could tell. It was clear; he was suffering. He was fighting his pain off with that cold facade. But he was recovering. It was slow, but he no longer had that hard look in his eye. He no longer closed himself off from me. From all of us.

But now, will it all go back to the way it was before?

He's locked himself in his room for a week. How long do we need to wait for him? I don't know anymore.

I can't help but feel anxious.

I shouldn't be like this. I'm the cute sister after all.

That's right, he'll definitely recover. And when he does, I'll be right there.

I'll support him.

I'll give him a warm hug and smile brightly.

Everything will be fine.

Yeah, that's what I need to do.

For now, let's focus on keeping the others happy.

After all, they're my important family too.