Free Web NovelChapter 80: Chapter 80: Story time
"Welcome back, brother."
Dana smiled as Percy stepped through the door, already kneeling to arrange his shoes neatly before taking his coat.
Percy smiled and rested a hand on her head. "Thank you."
She caught the shift in his expression almost immediately.
"Did something happen at work?"
Percy looked at her for a long moment. The resemblance was there with Rebecca.He pulled her into a hug instead of answering.
Dana went still, caught off guard, then slowly raised her arms and hugged him back, one hand finding its way to stroke his hair. freewebnσvel.cѳm
"It’s okay, brother."
He held on a while longer before letting go.
"I’m sorry," he said.
Dana smiled, warm and unbothered. "You can tell me what’s worrying you. Or you can just let me comfort you without explaining anything at all. I’m your sister, after all. If not me, then who else?"
Percy smiled back.
"Thank you, Dana."
Dana shook her head. "No. I’m the one who’s thankful, brother. Thank you for being an amazing brother."
Percy smiled, warmth spreading through him. "How about I tell you some stories after dinner?"
Dana’s eyes brightened. "Really?!"
"Really." A pause. "Ahem , I mean, I would love that." She cleared her throat and composed herself. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"And I could tell you what happened today too."
Percy tilted his head, curious. "You went somewhere?"
Dana shook her head. "No. But someone came over."
"Oh? Who?"
Dana pushed him toward the stairs. "We’ll talk after dinner. Go wash up, I’ll be done cooking by then."
Percy sighed and decided to let it go.
-----
Percy sat at his chair, his room closed off, having made sure Dana was downstairs. He went to the drawer and took out the wooden box. The moment he did, a click sounded and Zara’s voice came through.
"Mr. Ronan."
Percy listened quietly as she went on, and on, and after a while it finally ended. He sighed.
"She’s definitely a teenager," he thought, smiling, his voice warmer than he’d ever used through the box before.
"Miss Zara." He chuckled. "No, I don’t mean Haunted are able to do magic the way magic tricks work. How about this , I’ll put it simply. There are different types of Haunted, you see, depending on the spirit. I’ll explain properly another time, but for now I’ll keep it brief."
He paused.
"Each type has a condition they have to fulfill. Think of it like a quest, of sorts, for being able to use the magic. As for what you asked , whether you’d have to do bad things to become one , the answer is no. You don’t need to do anything bad. But the quests themselves aren’t exactly good or bad. It depends on what kind of Haunted you end up becoming."
"Miss Zara." His tone settled. "You could become a Haunted too. But I’ll have you know , being one isn’t as wonderful as it sounds. You’d face things a normal person never has to."
A breath.
"As for the lemon your friend received , I’d stay away from it. A lemon is how one becomes a Haunted."
His tone shifted, more serious now.
"A person becomes a Haunted through the use of a lemon. But not just any lemon." He paused. "Keep it somewhere safe until I can confirm whether it’s the one. Please , stay safe and do not try to find out by yourself, Miss Zara."
He ended the message there and set the box back in the drawer.
"Brother, dinner is ready!"
"Coming!" he called back.
----
Percy ate his dinner, glancing at Dana, who seemed to be eating at a rather fast rate despite taking small bites.
"Trying hard to be a lady, but still too eager for the stories huh," he thought, smiling. He ate smirking inwardly amused by Dana’s actions.
After dinner ended Dana immediately took the plates and cutlery to wash them , quick enough that Percy found himself suspecting they hadn’t been cleaned properly at all.
She sat back down across from him almost as fast, her face expectant.
Percy decided to tease her a little. "Tell me your story first," he said, before she could get a word out. "Then I’ll tell mine."
Dana’s brows knitted, a protest half-forming, but she gave up on it almost immediately, too eager to wait any longer.
"Well. Miss Silia visited."
Percy raised a brow. "Oh? She did?"
"Yes." Dana nodded and told him everything, briefly .
Percy listened, and by the end of it he was confused.
"Agreeing ti hiring her is one thing," he thought, "but why add a condition like that? One that benefits Dana more than it benefits her at all."
He couldn’t work out the logic behind it.
"How much tea leaves do we have?" he asked, remembering. They hadn’t bought any during yesterday’s shopping.
Dana thought for a moment. "Enough for two days."
"Hmm. We should buy more tomorrow, if Silia’s going to keep coming over."
Dana nodded.
Still, he turned it over. "Why would she do this? Was this her way of giving farewell?"
His thoughts were cut off as Dana spoke again. "Now tell me the story. Quick now , quickkkk."
Percy chuckled. "Alright, alright." He thought for a moment. "What do you prefer?"
Dana tilted her head. "What do you mean by that?"
"I meant the genre. What kind of story would you like , romance, a fairy tale, war, and so on."
Dana raised a brow "How do you know so many?"
Percy shrugged "well i have vivid and creative imagination, also i hear stories from tavern time to time."
Dana was not convinced "Stories about fairy tail ? In taverns?"
Percy sweated a little "she is on to me "
"You want to hear the story or not? Just tell me what you want to hear quick "
Dana’s expression immediately turned thoughtful before she decided. "A fairy tale. Tell me a fairy tale about romance." She paused. "Is there one?"
Percy smiled. "Oh, I have many."
"The story I shall tell you is of a girl named Cinderella."
"Once upon a time ," he began, and Dana’s attention settled fully onto him, nodding her head to every sentence told .
