Free Web NovelChapter 44: Missing Out
Eren wiped off the tears from Liora’s eyes with his sleeves. The little princess sat there on the edge, letting out post-cry hiccups while trying to manage a running nose.
The device above her heart pulsed with a rhythmic crimson glow, perfectly maintaining her mana levels.
Up close, she was dangerously adorable—the kind of cute character that usually forced webnovel readers to throw all their money at the screen.
"Listen to me carefully, you little one," Eren said, his voice dropping into a smooth and comforting as he pointed toward the glowing crystal. "You need to pay attention to your surroundings. I haven’t entirely cured you; this device is just to stabilize your mana and prevent your consciousness from falling back into that deep sleep. So no more diving off the bed, got it?"
Liora blinked her watery eyes, looking down at the devoce before turning up to lock onto his blue eyes, her bottom lip trembling.
"Why... why did you go through all that trouble for me, brother? I was so terrified when I opened my eyes and they told me you were unresponsive. When mother passed away while I was trapped, my heart felt completely broken. I thought... I thought I had lost you too."
Eren’s chest tightened, but shook it off and gently patted her, giving her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about the past, Liora. Mother is undoubtedly resting easy up there, and she’d be incredibly happy to see you finally cured. After all, she was thinking about you right up until her very last breath."
Hearing those words, the last of Liora’s lingering anxiety seemed to melt away.
She leaned forward, happily using his chest as a pillow.
"Thank you, brother... thank you for giving me hope," she muttered, her voice filled with devotion.
"You know... even though my body couldn’t move, I could actually hear your voice down in the dark. I heard you promise that you would cure me. And I know you visited my room almost every single day, talking to me about everything that happened that day. Those words were my only light in that darkness."
"Honestly, I am so much happier right now than the moment I woke up. Because after all these years... I can finally see my big brother actually caring for me."
Emma just sat there quietly in a chair across the room, having no plans to disturb the beautiful moment unfolding before her. She leaned her chin in her hand, eyes locked onto Eren’s face. She was happy now because this house was finally at peace because of him. Yet she’s sad that he would have to leave for the Royal Academy in just a few days.
Liora, possessing the hyper-acute awareness, immediately noticed the tanned girl’s prolonged staring.
Her eyes shifted between the two of them before she looked up at her brother curiously. "Um, brother? I heard you said that Emma finally stopped hating you. Is... is that actually true?"
Both Eren and Emma went rigid, their shared secrets slamming on the brakes. Neither of them could dare to say out loud exactly how far they had traveled over the last twenty-four hours.
Eren was the first to back his persona. He looked over at Emma with a teasing grin. "Well, let’s just say we managed to reconcile our past two. The negotiations were... incredibly thorough."
Emma crossed her arms tightly, puffing out her chest as she shot him a sharp glare. "Of course I still hate him, Liora! In fact, looking at his face right now makes me want to beat him to a pulp. It’s just... not exactly the same kind of hatred as before."
Liora made a thoroughly confused, little face, her head tilting as she looked back and forth at their highly suspicious banter.
After a long, deeply comforting conversation that successfully made the little girl relieved entirely, Eren and Emma finally stepped out, walking side by side down the quiet corridor.
Emma glanced over at his happy face and nudged his shoulder with her own. "See? I told you everything would turn out entirely alright. Liora is finally happy now that she’s seen you."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah... you were right. Thanks for dragging me out here, Captain. I’m relieved just knowing she’s doing okay now. It’s just too bad I only have one week left to spend with her before I head back to the academy."
The tanned girl quieted down as she thought of something else. "Speaking of missing out... That library girl, Norelia, is going to resign from her job. She even flatly declined the massive financial bonus and the permanent research contract the Duke explicitly offered her as a reward for saving Liora."
Eren’s mind went completely on fire. "Why would she do that?" he demanded immediately, voice raising in panic. "Did someone threaten her? Is her family’s medical situation bad?"
Emma raised her hands, casually shrugging as she began to back away to the intersecting hallway. "Don’t look at me, I have absolutely zero details on her personal motives. If you want to know, you’ll have to go ask the girl yourself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with your father. Bye-bye, Young Master."
With a playful wave of her hand, the pink-haired captain strode away, leaving Eren standing entirely alone in the grand corridor.
And she finally stepped inside theDuke’s office, instantly locked her posture into the rigid, flawless stance of a high-ranking Captain, saluting the lord of the Volsver domain.
"Your Grace," Emma spoke, her voice crisp and devoid of the soft tones she had used only minutes prior. "You summoned me?"
Duke Alfric didn’t answer immediately. He sat idly, tapping his fingers on a stack of fresh documents.
Finally he looked up. "I have just finished reading the entirety of the confession report you extracted from the intruder yesterday."
The captain nodded, eager to discuss the attack.
The old man set the paper aside. But instead of diving into the intruder’s confession, he shifted the topic. "Tell me, Emma. Are you aware that my son asked me to revoke his suspension so he could return to the Royal Academy?"
Emma didn’t bat an eye, maintaining her professional facade. "I did happen to hear about it, Your Grace."
He leaned back in his leather chair, steepling his fingers.
"Good, You are going to the Royal Academy as well and will be joining the academy’s martial faculty as their newest advanced swordsmanship instructor. After all, the royal board was more than ready to accept the youngest Swordmaster in the kingdom."
Emma just stood there, her brain completely freezing mid-thought as the words sank in. And She stared at the Duke with a thoroughly blank, wide-eyed expression, feeling as though she had just been hit by something far more absurd than any of Eren’s wildest, most unhinged antics, suddenly realizing that the apple truly didn’t fall far from the tree.
