Miley’s POV
“We’re leaving now as we still have some things to take care of in the palace. Just tell your brother that we already left.”
I nodded to Mom and closed my eyes as I felt her lips touch my forehead. “Alright. Take care, both of you.”
Dad hugged me tightly. “Behave here, alright? And sometimes, visit us in the palace.” There was a hint of reproach in his voice.
Hiro and Kira laughed. Well, I can’t blame them. Dad always acts like a child, and I’m sure he’s pouting his lips right now.
I saw Mom roll her eyes. “Oh, there goes your daddy, starting his drama again.”
Dad broke away from our embrace and turned to Mom, sticking his tongue out. “Can’t I just be affectionate?” All of us just shook our heads at what Dad said.
I smiled widely at him and saluted. “Yes, Sir! We will.”
He messed up my hair one last time, and in an instant, they were no longer in front of me.
“I knew it. That’s why I never really liked Mikan from the beginning.”
We all looked at Steph when she spoke up. Her face suddenly turned serious.
So that’s why we noticed that Steph was also avoiding Mikan. She must have had her own reasons.
“Yeah, and then she— Never mind!”
I raised an eyebrow at Rei’s reaction. What was that about?
“What was that?”
She sighed. “Nothing. It’s like I want to go to another place. Just to have a vacation, even for just a week,” she said longingly.
I nodded in agreement. Yes, I also wanted that. “We should have told that to Mom and Dad a while ago. For sure, there will be no problem with them.”
They all nodded. But Vince, as usual, didn’t care. His eyes were closed as he leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets.
“Summer break is coming soon. Maybe during that time, we can take a vacation and not think about anything else.”
I furrowed my brow at what Hiro said. I wonder what’s wrong, he seems really sad.
I saw how Rei’s face softened. I just shrugged.
“So many things have happened. After all that, it turns out Nicole has a sibling. I wonder how their conversation went.” Kira crossed his arms and shook his head.
We all fell silent. We do hope that she will be okay. That we will all be okay.
***
Nicole Jane’s POV
We would like you to meet your older brother, Gino Parker.
We would like you to meet your older brother, Gino Parker.
We would like you to meet your older brother, Gino Parker.
I keep hearing Mom’s words repeated over and over in my head. And until now, I still can’t believe what they told me.
In just a snap, I already have an older brother.
How cool is that? It used to be just a dream for me. I used to ask myself what it feels like to have a sibling.
I thought that maybe it would be nice to have an older sibling because it’s like having an instant friend and someone to support you in everything. Besides that, you have someone to confide in about your problems.
“Um, hi?”
I looked up when I heard him speak.
Then I saw him smiling in front of me. However, there was still doubt and a hint of a bad boy look on his face. But at the same time, I could see excitement and longing in his brown eyes.
“Hi?” I answered back.
After that, an awkward silence fell upon us once again.
We’re here in the garden. After Mom’s revelation earlier, my feet led me here.
But I didn’t expect him to follow. It made it hard for me to think straight. The feeling is just too awkward. I can’t possibly push him away. I can’t do that.
To be honest, we’ve been here for a while now, but I don’t know how to start the conversation. We’re still total strangers to each other.
“How? I mean, why just now?”
Those questions suddenly escaped my mouth. They were almost a whisper, but I know they were loud enough for him to hear. I’m still confused and shocked.
He sat on the other end of the same bench where I’m seated. I just lowered my head. But I could feel that he was looking at me.
“You were only two years old when Mom and Dad decided to take me to another country. I was six years old back then. Even as a child, I was already aware of my responsibilities and the need to fight. I even knew about the prophecy. It was difficult for me to understand it at first. But later on, I already understood everything.” He smiled.
“We are not just normal people. We are even surrounded by those who are not normal. I learned how to become a strong and worthy protector at America. I managed to do it even without our parents by my side. Because it was also for us. So that I could defend you in a potential war. But even so, they never lacked in their support and care for me. They often visited me there.” He let out a deep sigh.
I just listened quietly. For a moment, I felt pity for him. Although our parents are often not in the country, they still come home to me somehow. But I did nothing but misbehave.
While him, he has no one beside him all throughout.
Now I realized that during the times when Mom would leave for another country, maybe it wasn’t really because of business or anything like that.
But mainly because of him.
“I also had many friends there. Most of them were fellow protectors. But there was one among them who stood out and became my close friend.” He paused, making me look up at him.
“Dave Croven.”
My jaw dropped at what he said. “Dave?” I almost held my breath while looking at him.
He smiled sadly. “Yeah, Dave. He became my close friend. Even though I knew that the blood of being a Croven flowed in him. But I also knew that he was different. Far different from his entire clan. We met during a time when my life was in danger. He’s the one who saved me.”
I just stared at him. I still couldn’t believe everything I heard. It’s just too much information for this day.
“He said that he didn’t like his father’s kingdom. That’s why he usually goes to different countries. Until we met. Our parents don’t know about it either. I just kept it to myself because I have my own plan.”
I nodded. Even from the beginning, he really disagreed with his father.
“The truth is, we often talk about you. You don’t know us, but we often keep an eye on you from afar. We’re making sure that you’re always okay and safe. Because of him, I am able to see you from a distance. He’s helping me without our parents’ knowledge. He told me he has a sister too. But they’re not close. He’s against his father, while his sister seems to be a loyal follower to him.”
I felt a tinge of sadness. I know he’s referring to Mikan.
“Whenever I ask about his sister, he doesn’t say anything. If he does speak, he often mentions that he doesn’t know many details about what happened and how it happened. I think it was only recently when he learned everything about his father’s secrets.”
My gaze lowered to his clenched fists. Somehow, I understand what he feels.
“But one day, I wasn’t surprised when he told me that he is starting to like you. That’s fine with me. But I already warned him that he might just get hurt. Because from the beginning, there’s already someone destined for you. And that’s Kyle.” He chuckled, then looked up at the sky.
Right. From the very start, there were predetermined events, and those need to be followed. The past shouldn’t be repeated.
“It’s just sad that when I return home, I won’t be able to meet him anymore. It’s been a long time since we last saw and talked to each other. He even promised that he would be one of the people to welcome me back. But I guess it will just remain a promise.” He smiled, but sadness was visible in his eyes.
I tried to absorb everything he said. It seems like my brain can’t handle all the information I’ve learned. I feel like I’m going crazy.
We remained silent for a couple of minutes. Numerous questions were racing through my mind.
When suddenly, I remembered something I really wanted to know.
“How did Mikan become Marcus’ daughter?”
***
Kyle Ethan’s POV
“I am so happy to see the two of them talking to each other right now.”
I just nodded by what Aunt Nathalie said, who is sitting next to me, while watching Nicole and her brother talking in the garden.
“I am sure that Nicole has a lot of questions in her mind right now, but I know she can handle it,” I assured her.
She nodded as well before resting her head on the shoulder of Uncle Conrad, who is sitting beside her.
“Right. Nicole is a strong woman. But she’s also been longing to have an older brother ever since.”
I smiled. She may be independent, but I know that deep inside her, she still wants to have someone to protect her aside from me.
I only found out about her sibling recently. As soon as they arrived here, they immediately told us everything.
We are all shocked. That is another piece of news. And I know that there are still some things that will be revealed soon.
“We will be staying here for good. We will only visit our business at America occasionally. We have already spoken to someone there whom we can trust to manage it. And there will be others overseeing the training of the protectors there,” Uncle Conrad informed.
I nodded. As far as I know, the Parker family’s business is also extensive, just like ours. But due to the recent events, we have all temporarily entrusted them to others.
In our family, only Reiri and Vince’s parents are currently managing the business. Even though Marcus is no longer with us, we still need to be cautious. We will never know if there are remaining enemies watching all of us from afar, waiting for their time to attack.
We paused our conversation as Nicole and Gino suddenly stood up and headed towards the mansion. We met them, and her brother looked serious as he directly looked at me and spoke.
“I think we need to go and see the Stanford sisters.”