70 Taboo (3) - 65

A/N: The first like, 5 paragraphs are the same as the original, but the rest of the chapter has been completely changed to fit with the new arc.

Also, if you don't remember, at this point, the boy version of his step-sis just confessed to him, but he rejected her.

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"I'm sorry, but I'll have to refuse the offer."

Listing out a whole laundry of reasons, I comforted the crying Niki by doing the only thing I could do at the moment, as the big brother I was of course, which was to hug her against my side, letting her cry into my chest, as I patted her back.

'Damn, this really is a hassle. I'm already starting to rethink my idea of making them a bishop or a rook in my plans. To think I was also pondering whether or not to make them a queen...'

I mean, my judgement of people had been pretty spot on so far, but now...

Well, I didn't know what to think.

This entire being here was an anomaly that could either greatly help my plans or greatly ruin them, and so I could only continue to keep a closer eye on her.

Whether they would become an ally or an enemy was still anyone's guess, but for now, I could only treat them as they were in my mind.

As a new piece on my chessboard.

No, now that I thought about it, a chessboard wasn't exactly the right analogy anymore for my situation.

With more than two parties in the mix, and with many of the confrontations being not zero-sum, I could only restructure my understanding of the playing field.

Everything was more like... a stick of butter.

And no, I wasn't kidding.

With the many cultures in a stick of butter battling it out for supremacy...

"..."

You know what, that really isn't the right analogy.

I'll keep thinking about it. Right now, let's just refer to it as the "playing field".

Anyways, laying Niki down on the bed whilst carrying her in my arms, I continued to cradle her on my chest as her snot and tears started to stain my shirt.

"Don't cry, I'll still be here for you even if we're not in an intimate relationship."

Whispering sweet words into her ear, very similarly to the devil, I continued to try and rein in this extremely emotional version of my Third Sister.

Holding her gingerly, I gently shook her in my arms until she fell asleep.

'How cute.'

Of course, she wasn't as cute as my actual sister, but still, watching over the girl that had suddenly turned into a boy as they slept, their chest ebbing up and down, was hypnotizing to my eyes, which appreciated beauty no matter what the make of the person was.

As long as they were beautiful...

"Lysander."

Hearing my name being voiced out, I looked up to see my mom standing there, her arm propped out, as her body language told me all that I needed to know.

So, putting Niki down onto the bed, making sure to do it with care, I left her behind before placing my hand on my mom's outstretched one.

"Where are we going?" I inquired, sure that wherever we were about to go, it would be a dangerous place, again, all this from judging her body language and extrapolating as much information from it as I could scrounge up.

"The mountains behind the estate. My husband, no, that fool, is hosting a hunting tournament as a part of the wedding celebrations, and so I want you to be the top hunter during the tournament."

"For what reason?" After all, I thought that we had already planned everything out the other day, and this was definitely not in our original set of plans.

"It turns out that your father is going to grant whoever wins one wish, but he has forbidden anybody that has reached a level above 3 stars from competing, so I can only count on you to win."

"What about Eve?"

"She has already agreed to help you achieve victory in this tournament as we've both agreed that you would be able to make the smartest decision out of all of us with your wish if you win."

"And I assume that you've already gotten his permission for me to compete in this tournament."

"Yes, I had to beg him a little bit, but he has relented, believing you to have no chance of winning. He has also approved the little vermin too, so be careful."

By how she stole a glance at the person sleeping on the bed with narrowed eyes, it was obvious who the vermin was, but then again, she had all the right in the world to be horribly disgusted at everyone and everything in this family.

It was honestly not the worst case scenario that she only loved us two now, as, at the very least, she loved someone.

We were probably the only things anchoring her to this plane of existence after all.

"I take it the tournament has already started?"

Looking at me with a little bit of surprise, Mom immediately composed herself afterwards, once again reevaluating my socio-politcal prowess.

"Yes, it was deemed an appropriate detriment in return for suspending your punishment."

"Then let us make haste."

With that, no more words were needed to be said, as Mom quickly opened up a portal which we started walking through.

At the end of the spatial tunnel, I was met with the sight of a forest that had just experienced sunset, the cries of the cicadas piercing through the air as the summer heat started dissipating quickly under the newly born darkness of the night.

"Good luck, my son."

And with that, she disappeared, and I started walking a lonely path once again.

If only this had been my true path instead of a slight detour then maybe I could have been happier for longer.

If only...