Chapter 409 The Butterfly is on her way riding a dragon
Chapter 409 The Butterfly is on her way riding a dragon
In the early morning, sunlight shines on every corner of St. Freya Academy.
As the saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm," and at this time of day, the regularly-resting Raiden Mei would leisurely wake up, stretch, wash up, and make breakfast. In contrast, people like Kiana would remain in bed, fast asleep…
Unless someone needs her, she can sleep until noon.
As always, Kiana, who slept exceptionally well, was snoring in bed when she suddenly heard a rapid knocking on the door. She groggily buried her head in the pillow, trying to block out the sound.
"Kiana, it's Dad! Wake up!"
Siegfried's gentle voice came from outside the door, but his words did not achieve the desired effect.
"Dad... let me sleep a little longer..."
Kiana mumbled incoherently and shrank further into the blankets.
There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock—Theresa always kept a spare key to Kiana's room in case of this.
Seeing his daughter seemingly sealed in bed, Siegfried, who was holding a plate, reached out and gently shook the white fluffy ball under the covers.
“You really need to get up. Theresa said she needs to see you. And it's important! If you don't go, your allowance for this month might be…”
"what?!"
When the topic of pocket money came up, Kiana finally poked half her head out from under the covers, her azure eyes filled with confusion.
"Why? Dad, I've been very good lately! And I'm on vacation now, I've finished all my assignments and homework..."
Although the accuracy rate of the submitted assignments was worrying, at least they were submitted.
Anyway, get up and have breakfast first.
Siegfried, his gaze unfocused, looked out the window, placed the plate he was holding on the bedside table, and pushed it towards Kiana.
"Eat after you've washed up. After you've eaten, I'll go with you to the office to find Theresa."
Concerns about economic freedom and the allure of food finally brought Kiana to her senses. She overcame her urge to stay in bed, struggled to sit up, and accepted the milk Siegfried offered her.
"Dad, did Auntie say what it was about?"
"You will know when you go."
Siegfried didn't look directly at his daughter; he simply started tidying up Kiana's messy desk.
"Kiana, you have to believe that your dad and your aunt both love you, and we both have our reasons..."
Twenty minutes later, Kiana finally finished washing up and put on her St. Freya Academy uniform. Siegfried helped her re-braid her signature pigtails, and the two walked together through the school corridor bathed in morning light.
The closer Kiana got to the teachers' office, the more nervous she became. She quickly recalled the events of the past few days…
She shouldn't have done anything wrong!
If there was anything that made Theresa angry, it was that she and the gray-haired guy had been fighting at home recently, but where was Qiong? If that was the matter, why wasn't he there?
"arrive."
Siegfried stopped and gently knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
Theresa's voice came from inside.
Siegfried took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Theresa, the school principal, sat in the office—she was holding a glass of bitter melon juice, her small face serious.
Kiana's heart skipped a beat: Aunt Flo didn't laugh?
This is bad news!
Just as she was thinking this, Theresa put down her cup and looked at her.
Kiana Kaslana.
Using her full name? And her dad too? Is she going to get a double beating from her parents—what on earth did she do?!
Let her die knowing why she died!
"I called you here today to inform you of two things."
Theresa paused, realizing she had used the wrong word. The conclusion of their discussion was... that the child shouldn't be overstimulated.
But someone always has to be the bad guy, so let her be the bad guy!
"No, it's Aunt Flo who wants to discuss this with you and give you a heads-up... Don't get too close to Qiong, it's absolutely, absolutely impossible for you two! Both Siegfried and I will stop you!"
"What? Why? Auntie, are you still half asleep?"
Kiana's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief. What nonsense was Theresa spouting so early in the morning?
She looked at Siegfried, but Siegfried was looking down, not daring to look Kiana in the eye.
"We are serious."
Theresa also turned her head away, avoiding direct eye contact with Kiana.
"Auntie, what are you thinking? Mei is the one who—"
boom!
Theresa slammed her hand on the table.
"Kiana, do you think you can fool my eyes?"
Theresa slammed her hand on the table, startling Kiana so much that she flinched. The words that were about to come out caught in her throat, and she swallowed back the rest of her sentence, "Mei is the one I like." She opened her mouth, looked at Theresa's stern face, and then turned to look at Siegfried—who was still hanging his head, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes, looking even more flustered than Kiana herself.
"Lie? Auntie, I'm not lying to you!"
Kiana stubbornly defended herself, her azure eyes filled with confusion.
"Me and that gray-haired guy are just best buddies! We're always bickering, fighting, and fighting over Mei!"
"Steal Mei?"
Theresa gave a cold laugh, picked up the bitter melon juice and took a sip, her expression as if she were scrutinizing Kiana.
"Who was it that hid under the covers and cried their eyes out because Sora and Mei were together?"
"I'm heartbroken because of Mei! I was determined to break them up! Dad knew that too!"
Siegfried remained silent, only gazing out the window.
"And who is it that has been in frequent contact with him for so long, disregarding even the most basic rules for girls?"
"Can a dead gray-haired boy be the same as other boys...?"
Kiana muttered a protest under her breath, which annoyed Theresa: Still not admitting it?
"Okay, okay, so what do you say about this!"
As Theresa spoke, she pulled a photograph from the drawer and slapped it down in front of Kiana.
The photo appears to have just been developed; the background is St. Freya's garden, and Kiana is crying on a bench. Hoshino and Sora stare in disbelief as Kiana tries to hug Sora...
"Auntie? Where did you get this photo?"
Kiana's cheeks flushed instantly, and she frantically tried to cover the photo, but Theresa grabbed her wrist.
"Kiana, just because you don't say it doesn't mean others can't see it."
Theresa's voice softened slightly, but it still carried an undeniable seriousness.
"Dad, believe me, this is all a misunderstanding! It's fake!"
Siegfried remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Kiana, Dad specifically asked Xiaoxing, do you know what she said to me after she accepted two chocolates from me?"
Theresa spoke softly.
"I was here first..."
Kiana was so anxious that tears were almost welling up in her eyes.
"Dad, Aunt, you don't know the situation at all! It's a misunderstanding! It's a lie... told to trick Gray Hair into breaking up with Mei! I really don't have those feelings for him, it was just an accident!"
Theresa frowned, surprised that even after all this, with witnesses and evidence, her little niece was still trying to deny it.
"Kiana, you don't need to make excuses anymore. The facts are right in front of you. From today onwards, you must keep your distance from Sora."
Kiana stomped her feet in anger.
"Auntie! What are you thinking? I don't want to! I haven't done anything wrong, why should I listen to you!"
After saying that, her rebellious streak kicked in and she pushed the chair away, intending to get up and run away, but Siegfried pressed her back down the moment Kiana stood up.
"Kiana, let Theresa finish speaking! If you were only close to Mei or Sora, Dad wouldn't stop you! But your blood relation is too close..."
"What relationship?"
Kiana pressed for an answer, pulling her hand away from Siegfried's—thanks to the efforts of the two adults, her train of thought successfully veered off course, changing from "I don't like the gray-haired guy" to "What's my relationship with him?"
"What could I possibly have to do with that gray-haired guy? Even if we were relatives, you can't even remember Dad, and I don't know anything about my aunt. We don't even have the same hair or eyes. You'd have to go back hundreds of years to find that connection, right? Is his surname Kaslana?"
"Kiana, show some respect and call him Sora... By the way, if I told you he's your younger brother, could you accept that?"
"what?"
Kiana's mind was buzzing as if she'd been struck by lightning.
"You stinky old man, when did you find me a stepmother?"
"No, I didn't!"
Faced with Siegfried's explanation, Kiana immediately began to brainstorm: she wasn't unaware that her father's reputation within Schicksal wasn't great, so...
Given how weak her father and aunt seemed—could the rumors be true? Was her father a playboy?
"So, Dad, you've been cheating on me with someone else and then abandoning me, is that it?"
"no……"
Siegfried spoke slowly, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Something happened back then..."
Siegfried struggled to organize his thoughts.
“It’s complicated and dangerous. You might find it hard to believe… Kiana, Xiao Qiong is a homunculus. Otto, that bastard—you should have met him, he’s the Archbishop of Schicksal, he’s a homunculus modeled after you.”
Kiana's Brain, exe. Not responding.
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Located in the only large-scale theme park around St. Freya, Houmu Park covers an area of approximately eight square kilometers and includes almost all modern popular amusement rides. It is the most popular place around St. Freya, bar none.
Xing stood on tiptoe, her gaze passing over the throng of people, trying to make out the outline of the towering roller coaster track in the distance. Her eyes shone with a light brighter than the sun—turning right here leads directly to the pirate ship, and turning left leads to the carousel. She couldn't wait any longer!
"Brother, hurry up!"
She turned around and grabbed the gray-haired youth behind her who was still studying the map.
"Houmu Train! Let's play that one first!"
Qiong stumbled as she was pulled, and the guide map in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.
"Xiaoxing, slow down! We have plenty of time. When we go out to play, we need to plan ahead. For example, we should go to places that are crowded during peak hours as early as possible..."
"Then run to line up!"
Xing's logic was simple and direct, and she was full of motivation. She was like a newborn little gray fish, weaving through the crowd. Qiong sighed, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up. She put away the guide map, resignedly followed, and gradually quickened her pace until she was side by side with her.
That's true. It was my decision to spend more time with my sister, so I'll just go along with it—besides, it's not my first time here.
"We're going to the Fairy Maze later! We're going to explore the whole park today!"
The words had barely left her lips when the roller coaster plummeted. Qiong gripped the handrail tightly, and through a blur, she glimpsed Xing beside her, arms outstretched, laughing freely and joyfully into the wind…
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