Chapter 70

We both froze in terror as the knock pounded the door for a second time. I was filled with dread and embarrassment at the thought of any of my familia members discovering us in this compromising position.

Rays of light from the morning sun streamed through the windows onto Bahamut's room on the third floor, creating an ominous atmosphere.

"Bahamut sama, are you awake?" the person who knocked finally spoke. Relief washed over me because it was Lili but I wasn't sure how to handle this. Lili was 8 years old but she was smart considering that she lived in the slums of Orario for a long time.

She had experienced a lot for someone so young, which made her mature beyond her years. Bahamut, who was still lying on the bed, simply gestured for me to open the door.

Then she slid under the blanket and fell asleep, she must have been exhausted from having sex all night but I doubted that was the case because I still felt quite energetic.

I quickly got up from the bed and started looking for my clothes on the ground. Soon I found them and got fully dressed before the knock came again.

I walked over to the door and opened it to find Lili standing there with a small pouch in her hand. I closed the door immediately after while using my frame to block her vision of inside the room.

I could see different emotions flickering in her eyes, but she was doing her best to hide it. "What's wrong, Lili?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and steady.

"Draco nii, your awake. But what are you doing here" she asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously and curiosity evident. Panic started to settle in my stomach and I paused for a moment trying to think of an excuse for my presence here.

"Ahem, ugh, you see, Lili….After I and Bahamut returned last night, she complained that she was tired, so I carried her into her room but she wouldn't let go. I was exhausted too so I decided to sleep here for the night" I replied smoothly, trying to keep a straight face.

I searched her face for any emotional changes, eager to see if she would believe my obviously fabricated take. The best lie was one mixed with the truth, so I was a bit confident.

She arched an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. " You should probably not disturb her. I had tried waking her up after hearing your knock but you know how she is in the morning" I added, attempting to divert her attention away from the peculiar situation.

"Hmmm" Lili chimed apprehensively. I decided to quickly change the topic before her mind wonders of to who knows where.

"So why are you looking for Bahamut?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation light. "Oh, I just wanted to know if she would go with me to pick up some missing supplies. I asked Vasiliki, Dimitra and Eleni nee, but they already had plans for the day. She replied innocently.

I raised an eyebrow after thinking on it for a while. " I can go with you" I offered, not wanting her to go snooping around after I leave. Maybe I could even erase the event from her mind with this little outing. Bahamut's room was currently a mess after all.

"Really?!" Lili exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across her face. I simply nodded in response.

"Just let me wash up and eat quickly, you go find a carriage. I planned to buy some things for the dungeon expedition anyway" I told her, already thinking about the essentials I needed. The Astraea familia had already gathered most of the things we needed for the expedition but there were still a few things that needed buying.

"Okay" Lili replied eagerly before scurrying off to find a carriage. I opened the room door and called out to Bahamut who was pretending to be asleep. Her face was red, probably embarrassed by the situation.

"Well you heard" I said. Bahamut nodded in response and got dressed. Soon Bahamut and I quickly started cleaning up the scattered and broken items. We piled them at a corner in the room. I planned to buy and replace them when out shopping today with my personal funds.

"So what are your plans for today?" I asked Bahamut. "Hmm, going to see Hephi, I guess. Haven't seen her in a while. We have some things to talk about" Bahamut replied with a wink and I didn't want to find out what it was about. Thinking about it, I needed to think of a way to progress my relationship with Hephaestus but it was very hard to even get some alone time with her.

"I must do something after the expedition" I muttered to myself. I then went towards the bathroom to take a bath. In the bathroom I met Michalis who had just returned from his morning training. We still felt awkward about each other because of Clair but since we were alone, I decided to break the ice.

He looked completely haggard as if running away from something. He needed an outlet before he breaks down. We both sat in the large bath tub quiet for a while before I started speaking.

"Michalis do you want to share?" I asked. He looked at me for a while before taking a deep breath and started speaking.

"Before…" he paused "Clair died, I had professed my love to her. I had always liked her for a long time but all she saw was you". Michalis took another deep breath before continuing.

"She looked to be lost in thought after my confession"

"Immediately after she died. I can't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, she would still be alive if I didn't decide to confess at that time. I was too scared to bring it up in front of the others, fearing that they might find me at fault" he said with tears dropping from his eyes.

"Draco nii, Clair probably died because of me and I just let you take all the blame" Michalis said bursting out in more tears. I brought him in for a hug and patted his back rhythmically.

"Michalis, you have to stop blaming yourself. I am also at fault for Clair's death too but I know that she wouldn't want to see us suffer because of her. I was aware that you liked Clair and Clair liked me but I wasn't sure how to handle it at the time because I wasn't sure of my own feelings then"

"Perhaps I subconsciously relegated her to just a family friend but there's nothing I can do to change the past. Please don't blame yourself because all this started with my poor handling of the entire situation" Soon he calmed down after letting everything out. Then we started talking about cheerful topics before we left the bathroom. Michalis looked a lot better now.

Once I was all squeaky clean and dressed, I couldn't resist the delicious aroma awaiting from the kitchen. My sisters had prepared a scrumptious meal earlier in the morning but the smell still lingered in the air. I couldn't resist filling up my stomach before meeting Lili at the familia gates.

As I approached the gates, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. The sight that greeted me was like something out of a comedy sketch. Lili was attempting to direct a rather eccentric carriage driver who seemed more interested in his shiny hat than in listening to her instructions. The carriage was weirdly designed, making me wonder where she had found such a thing.