12 years after (3)

"I've told His Majesty to bring Benjamin with me. Rejoice." She told Emily the same night while writing the reply letter from the queen. 

Due to her hectic schedule for travel arrangements, she hadn't had an opportunity to visit the queen quarter yet. The queen nagged her to visit her day by day and each time she had to decline. 

"Sir Benjamin? Is that okay?" Emily covered her mouth with her both palms, sniffling. 

"She's Elizebeth. Of course, she can." Indulf who laid his back on her bed while one leg dangled on top of another, spoke with a mocking tone to her. 

"Shut your mouth, brother." Elizebeth hissed, twisted her body to give 'the look' to him. 

As she has grown gloriously, her brothers did the same too. Puberty really hit them like a food truck.

Full course meal.

Finest quality, fresh from the oven.

They had no skin flaws and had become the finest specimens ever. Enough to give her a butterfly effect if any ask who her brothers were.

Demien and Alec were both 26-year-old gentlemen. Both in the line of succeeding their respected throne and the duke's house position.

Kyle was a 24-year-old politician from the house of Chandler.

While Indulf was the head of the knight from the Chandler family.

And there's Elizebeth. The jobless lady who made trouble everywhere. Was a part-timer at the Dark Alley inn though she was fired not long ago. 

 "You are still pretty with a pouty mouth, Elizebeth." 

Elizebeth rolled her eyes, ignoring her brother's cheeky behavior. 

"He will be your exclusive be your bodyguard, My Lord?" Emily didn't mind the discord between the two siblings. 

"I suppose so." She sealed the letter. "You may rest, Emily." She dismissed the overworked maid as she glanced at the clock above the bedroom door. 

"Thank you, My Lord. Kindly rest early, My Lord. You will have a long day tomorrow." Advise Emily as she bowed to her. 

She thought, "... understood." She waved her away without looking back. 

Indulf watched Emily receding to the door. "The treaty between magical beasts and humans… you intervene isn't it?" He asked as soon as Emily closed the door. Pushed himself up and sat. 

She turned around her moving chair. "More or less." She said as shoved the colored letter to Indulf. "If you have time, you should spend your time with the queen mother. She's your adoptive mother too." 

Indulf jumped down and waved his hand, ignoring her words. "I heard things going around the palace. Are the relationships between beasts and humans that fragile?"

"Fragile? The relationship is equivalent to thin glass. One poke and gone." She emitted the 'BOMM' sound with her mouth and explosive gesture with hands.

"Ain't fun. Should have rejected brothers' offer back there." His face was full of regret and sorrow. 

"Good for you," but Elizebeth took it in a different light. 

"What do you mean? Eliz loves brother to get bullied?" 

"Sheesh, drama queen. We have brother Logan on the other side."

He perked with the name. The face beamed, "you mean THE Logan will be present?" 

"That's precisely what I said." She's lifting her brow playfully.

"I see." Indulf inspected the letter under the light. 

"It's a normal letter. Stop it." 

Indulf chuckled. He trudged towards Elizebeth and pinched her cheek, his warm eyes penetrating inside hers. "You look like you are breathing properly this few weeks. I'm happy to see you are relatively calmer than before."

Elizebeth stared at her brother, dumbfounded. Her head processes the real meaning of straightforward words. She was always calm and poise. What did he mean by… 

"You always have that dark and cold aura around you after you enrolled in the Dark Alley inn. You were overly sensitive as well. Your face didn't show it but your aura…" He patted her head this time. "It's good you have come around, Lil sister. I miss your cheeky side so much." 

Elizebeth speechless. Her eyes fluttered and trailed at her brother's clean face. She wasn't aware of the aftereffect of learning at the inn would be that massive.

The original plot of the novel has been majorly modified by her. In the original timeline, she was supposed to engage with prince Alec after pestering the duke like a horny dog. And two years later got married to him. 

But now, instead of getting married like it was her ultimate mission, she's becoming an adoptive sister with the prince and had a normal sibling relationship. 

A major plot twist. 

And according to the original plot, humans started one side beef with the magical realm and closed the entrance for preventing the magical beast from entering the normal forest because of other nasty rumors.

Strangely, the rumors still haven't spread just yet. The rumor that accused mythical beast hunting and eating humans at night. The mystery of missing people was concluded by blaming the innocent beast. 

"They don't eat human flesh." Said her so suddenly in a dreamy gaze passed her brother's shoulder. 

He heard the monologue but didn't utter any words, and respected her space. He patted her head again but this time put a little strength to the point her head moved violently. 

"Hurt!" Slapped away Indulf's hand while pulling her face. 

"Still cute." He pinched the cheek this time.

"Enough. I'm not a baby anymore." She pouted but didn't do anything this time. 

Indulf made an offended face. "You are still my baby. Who said you are not? That certain someone needs to fight me." 

Alas, she laughed. The messy hair fell on the floor when she bent her whole body, the forehead all the way touched her laps. Her whole body vibrated. 

Indulf smirked in satisfaction. Though his sister has changed completely, the calm face was his ultimate goal. There's no further report of a nightmare. The sleepless night has been reduced thanks to the family magicians that Elizebeth successfully brought as soon as she worked at the inn.

She was not a weak lady and never was. Yet, she changed even better though the downhill was becoming lazier. 

"Brother! Throw me to the bed. I'm tired." She hugged Indulf's waist. Rubbed her face on his hard stomach like she was feeling it while in fact, she was too tired. 

Yeah, just like now. 

"Return my energetic Elizebeth. My Eliz is the cutest, the prettiest, the- aww. Hahahaha." He laughed as he rubbed the stinking area at the back. "Who taught you to hit your beloved brother huh, Eliz?" 

"Brother… me… bed...." Begged her, slurred at the stomach. 

Indulf sighed endearingly towards his sister. She's still an affectionate and cute sister to him. He put the letter down, and hugged Elizebeth like a princess, and put her gently on the bed before wrapping the blanket around her. 

"Will you give the letter tonight or tomorrow?" She yawned slowly closed her eyes.

"Tomorrow. I will have a nice chat with a queen mother." Elizebeth felt a dip in the mattress and cracked her eyes open to watch Indulf sit at the edge of the bed. "I know it's heaven to sleep after a hectic day but you gotta stay awake for a bit longer." He patted her head.

"Say it. I'm getting sleepier." She shifted so she could tuck her hands in under her head, tiredly blinking. 

"Where is brother Dante?" 

She pursed her lips for a moment, humming under her breath as she seemed to think of the correct words, "brother Logan will be the representative of all the negotiation from now as the substitute." 

"You're planning to bring brother Dante with you?" Indulf's voice was hushed in a way that tried to not disturb her sleep as much. 

"Indeed." She hummed. "He will be the biggest help out there. After all, the knowledge he would obtain while following will be essential for the sirens community." 

"So vastly believe your journey will be beneficial to all of us?" 

She needed to find the source of the rumors, she thought. "Yes." 

Indulf crooned, "you have everything figured it out." He ruffled the long hair. 

"I'm feeling euphoric." She mumbled, half-sleepy. 

"I can tell. You may sleep now. I'll go." He slowly bent down on her forehead level and the soft pink lips landed delicately on the forehead. "Good night, Eliz. May you have a good sleep." 

"Hurm…" She answered him in an unaware state as she slowly fell into a deep sleep.

"But do tell me- us when you faced trouble, baby. I'll drop anything to aid you at any moment. They don't eat human flesh? I do believe you. The beasts are innocent. I got you." He caressed the face before turning away. 

Indulf rose tenderly to not shake the bed and disturb her sleep. Cautiously took his steps to the table to claim the letter back before retreating to the bedroom door.

Giving her last loving look before he switched off the light and closed the door from outside. 

"Where is she?" Kyle and Demien stopped while panting in front of Indulf right outside her bedroom. 

"You're late. She's sleeping." Indulf frown. 

"Huh? Already?" Kyle rubbed his face tiredly. 

"Let's go. We'll talk later." Demien nudged Kyle and turned around as he ruffled Indulf hair lovingly. "Father is looking for you." The words were for Indulf this time. 

"Okay." Indulf watched his brothers return to wherever place they were from. They were supposed to talk with their little sister every night for bonding purposes, but the two brothers were running late, unintentionally missing it. "Make sure the protection is well equipped." 

"We will." Kyle waved at him without looking.