Chapter 43: A Reward for Elina

Chapter 43: A Reward for Elina"Are you finished?" As soon as Elina walked out of the room, a voice suddenly came from the side, making her jump in surprise. She turned her head and saw her brother standing there, smiling at her. "Brother..." Elina let out a sigh of relief as she patted her chest. She frowned and said in an annoyed tone, "You’re so annoying! Don’t you know you almost gave me a heart attack?" Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched Nolan’s waist—hard. "Ouch!" Nolan winced in pain. "Let go! That hurts! I’m sorry! Ouch!" Elina smiled in satisfaction at her brother’s reaction, then snorted softly. "Hmph! Good. At least you realize it." She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest. Nolan rubbed the sore spot, looking pitiful. He didn’t expect that the older his sister got, the more rebellious she became. As her brother, he felt both sad and a little depressed. Shaking off the thought, he smoothed the wrinkles on his robe and leaned one arm against the wall beside him. "So, how did it go? Did the old man ask about the Singularity of Chaos?" "Yes, he did." "And what did you say?" Elina stepped forward and replied, "I told him the truth. I don’t know who the Singularity of Chaos is, and I have no idea what his purpose might be." Nolan followed behind her and nodded. "I see. Anything else? Was that all he asked?" "No." Elina paused and shook her head. She turned toward him and looked at Nolan seriously. "He asked me to bring the Singularity of Chaos over to the Empire’s side." "Oh?" Nolan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Did you accept?" "Of course." Elina pursed her lips before finally putting on a stern expression. "Even if the task is nearly impossible, I’ll still try. After all, I am a princess." Hearing this, Nolan smiled and gently patted her head. "It seems my little sister has truly grown up," he said with a touch of pride. "Hmph!" Elina turned her head and pretended to snort, but the blush spreading across her face and neck betrayed her. Suddenly... Krrk! A loud stomach growl echoed in the air, and the warm atmosphere between them instantly froze in silence. Elina’s already flushed face turned even redder—right up to her ears. Nolan blinked, then glanced instinctively at her stomach. A teasing smile spread across his face. "Hungry, huh?" he teased. "I’m... not—" Elina rushed to deny it, but a few seconds later, her stomach growled again, pushing her embarrassment to its peak. She looked down, not daring to meet her brother’s gaze, already knowing his face was lit up with amusement. Nolan simply chuckled without saying a word. He knew that the more he teased her, the more Elina would get angry and sulky. And when that happened, persuading her would be a real pain. He gently took her delicate right hand and said softly, "Never mind. Don’t be embarrassed in front of your brother. You’ve worked hard today, so let me cook something for you." At those words, the blush on Elina’s face vanished—instantly replaced by excitement and anticipation. "Really, brother? You’re not lying, right?" She looked up, eyes sparkling. "Of course." Nolan smiled and pinched her cheek. "Go back to your room. I’ll head to the kitchen and get started." "Yay!" Elina threw one hand into the air, overjoyed. Anyone who knew her would’ve been shocked to see her acting this way. To others, Elina always appeared calm, cold, and indifferent—just like Ragan. But in front of Nolan, she let her spoiled and innocent side show. Especially when she heard he was going to cook, her mood soared. Not that it was surprising—Nolan was an excellent cook. Every dish he made was rich in flavor and irresistibly appetizing. Sadly, her brother was hopelessly lazy and almost never agreed to cook for her. Nolan didn’t say anything—he simply smiled at his sister’s childish behavior. To him, Elina’s spoiled and innocent side was what he cherished most. It was in those moments that he truly felt like a brother. "Then, I’ll head to my room," Elina said. Nolan was about to reply, but she suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. "That’s my thanks," she whispered, blushing, before quickly turning and running to her room. Nolan stood frozen for a moment, then slowly raised a hand to touch his cheek. "That girl..." he muttered, shaking his head with a helpless smile. When it came to his sister, he couldn’t bring himself to be strict—or lazy. Well... because he loved her that much. Pushing aside his thoughts, Nolan stretched and said, "Alright, let’s make something good for Elina." But before he could take a single step, a soft, sweet voice—tinged with coldness—called out from behind him. "Heh... I didn’t expect you to have such a caring side, Nolan. So why don’t you ever show it to me?" Nolan froze on the spot. His expression stiffened as he slowly turned around—only to find the one person he least wanted to see. "S-Sister Seira?" Seira smiled as she stepped toward him, her eyes slowly scanning him from head to toe. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just seen someone you were hoping to avoid." Although she was smiling, something about it made Nolan’s hair stand on end—a chilling aura lurking beneath her calm expression. "Cough!" Nolan cleared his throat and forced a smile. "What are you talking about, Sis? Of course I’m happy to see you!" Of course, there was no way he could admit that he’d actually been hoping to avoid Seira. She was unbelievably annoying. She clung to him like a stubborn plaster—refusing to let go unless he promised her something. Even when he refused, Seira always found some way to pressure him, overwhelming him every single time. "Heh..." Seira gave him a knowing look, as if she could see right through his fake smile. "So, what brings you here, Sister? Do you need something?" Nolan quickly changed the subject. He knew that if the conversation dragged on, she’d definitely pull some trick that would end badly for him. "Nothing important, really," Seira replied as she stepped closer and wrapped herself around his arm. "I just happened to overhear your conversation with Elina. I was surprised to learn you can cook." Nolan felt the softness of her ample chest against his arm, but her words quickly captured his attention. "Do you want me to cook for you too?" he asked directly. The unexpected offer made Seira blink in surprise. "Are you serious?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Usually, she had to resort to all sorts of persuasion to get him to agree to anything. The fact that Nolan was offering on his own left her shocked... and honestly, a little happy. "It’s okay," Nolan said casually, smiling. "I was already planning to cook for Elina, so I might as well make something for you too." He knew Seira would ask eventually, so it was best to avoid any unnecessary arguments. "Awesome!" Seira’s eyes sparkled. "I’m really looking forward to it!" Nolan chuckled and nodded slowly, but then a thought crossed his mind. After a brief pause, he asked hesitantly, "But, Sis... Isn’t Adalen in the medical room? Is it really okay for you to just leave him?" Seira’s expression darkened instantly. She shook her head lightly and said flatly, "It’s fine. Mother is taking care of him." Nolan sensed the anger and resentment beneath her words but decided not to press further. "Alright, I understand."