Shadow of the Count's Family

[9]

"Why did you throw things?" The man asked as he sat down, talking to his daughter who had remained quiet. No matter how people try to console her out of it, she stays mute. Then another red hair comes in, forcing everyone out. Including their father.

Once both of them were the only ones left, the older brother broke out of his cold facade as he hugged his sister. Only then did she look eye to eye as he worriedly asked,

"Are you ok? Did you hurt anywhere?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times.

Her mouth feels heavy yet all the same, there's pain coarse through her body, it feels like there's a knife stabbing her heart. And she was minutely aware of how she felt lightheaded and hot all over. The young boy just patiently waits for his sister to process her words. She speaks up.

"..I feel like I want to throw things at those people when they call you with bad names."

The girl just watched as her brother's face morphs from concern to confusion and settles into understanding before bursting into laughter. He hugged her again, and said...

He says something. The girl tried to listen, she really tried. She can't hear it. She can't remember.

...What was it that he said back then?

-SoTCF-

The carriage slows down to stop. No longer lulled by the moving carriage, Thalia blinked open from her dream. Or memory. Whichever is fine as Thalia's dream has always been a collection of memories or something else.

"Have we arrived?"

Thalia asked she groggily opened her eyes and tried to see her surroundings. Choi Han who was standing by the window immediately said,

"I'm so sorry that they woke you up, don't worry, I will deal with them quickly so everything will be alright."

Thalia was puzzled by his reply. Not having context, Thalia just slowly nodded. Cale meanwhile sighed as he waved his hand.

"Just go."

"Yes Cale-nim!" the puppy replied happily as he quickly headed somewhere.

"Was I seeing things or is Choi Han a puppy in disguise?" she blurted out, which received a collective agreement from the kittens. On already jumped onto her lap as Thalia slowly caressed her.

"That Choi Han is a puppy?" Cale face paled at that statement. Clearly, this sister of his is still sleepy.

"You should rest again, we haven't reached our destination yet."

"Is that so..." hearing that, she slowly dozed off yet again. On snuggled in Thalia's held for a bit before jumping down. Cale just pulled up a blanket to cover her again.

"Cale-nya, why is she always asleep?" Hong asked. He had never met someone who slept so much, at least, so far, he always saw her fall asleep so far.

Cale just calmly brushes against Hong's fur as he contemplates.

"Perhaps she was tired. She had always been in her room after all. It's only recently that she went out."

Cale hoped it was simply tiredness, not due to something else as the girl in question was already in her dreamland again.

-SoTCF-

They were camping outside as there were no villages in between the territory until they reached that one village just by the border of Viscount Tolz's govern area. Thalia's camp was set beside her brother, with Maria helping with setting it up for the night.