Chapter 2

...

When I tried to open my eyes, the light was too bright and I had to close them again.

Slowly, I opened my eyelids, and the figures of my parents and sister came into view.

"Klaus! You're awake!"

"Oh... I'm glad."

Father Paul and Mother Talis were overjoyed.

"Brother... I'm so glad... I was so worried, I thought you might die..."

My sister, Seria, burst into tears and clung to me. She is usually so composed, often scolding me and Father for being lazy, but it had been a long time since I saw her cry.

While my parents spoke kindly to me, I stroked Seria's head.

"How long have I been out?"

"It's been exactly one week since you were struck by lightning."

"When you lost consciousness and your heart stopped, we thought it was all over."

When I asked, my parents answered. The lightning strike probably refers to the moment when the goddess Muse bestowed her power upon me.

I don't remember being struck by lightning, but I vaguely remember what happened before. I'm sure...

"Was Seria okay!?"

I remember we were walking together on the road.

"Ugh, at the moment you were struck by lightning, you pushed me away. So, I didn't get a single burn."

My sister lifted her head and explained. Her sapphire eyes glistened as she looked at me, then buried her face in my chest again.

"I see... As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Although we are not blood-related, we have lived together for ten years, so she is an important family member to me. If Seria's beautiful face had been scarred, my being struck by lightning would have been for nothing.

"Still..."

Now that I'm awake, I start to wonder if it was all a dream. It seems more plausible that I had a strange dream while critically injured, rather than the goddess Muse appearing in my dream to give me a divine message. Even if it wasn't a dream, telling my worried parents or Seria would only make them think I've gone mad.

"Brother?"

While I was lost in thought, stroking Seria's head, she must have sensed my absent-mindedness and lifted her head.

"Okay, okay, Seria, that's enough. Klaus has just woken up."

"That's right, we can't tire out someone who was so seriously injured."

"Speaking of which... fa... I'm still so sleepy..."

Despite having slept for a week, I still felt drowsy.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. For now, get some rest."

I decided to indulge in my father's words and nodded.

"No, if I leave now, Brother will die."

Seria shook her head and clung to my clothes tightly.

"Well, well, there's no helping it. Klaus, sleep with her."

"No, that's... a bit..."

Seria is 15 years old this year, and she has grown more and more womanly. Honestly, I'd rather avoid sleeping with her...

"Brother, do you not want to sleep with me?"

During my illness, Seria must have hardly slept. The dark circles under her eyes made me feel guilty.

"Ha... I can't help it, just for today, okay?"

"Okay, Brother. I love you!"

She hugged me even tighter, pressing her body against mine.

"You two really are close."

"Seria, take your time with your brother."

My parents smiled and left the room.

...

"Ugh... It's hot, it's suffocating."

The next morning, I woke up to find myself in Seria's embrace. Her developed chest was pressed against my face, making it hard to breathe.

"Mmm... Brother..."

Seria, seemingly having a good dream, relaxed her lips and mumbled in her sleep. I carefully slipped out of her arms, got out of bed, and left the room without waking her.

"Klaus, do you want breakfast?"

When I went to the living room, Mother turned around and asked.

"Where's Father?"

I looked around, wondering where Father was.

"Father is at work. He stayed by your side until you woke up, so he has a lot of work to catch up on."

Knowing that he had taken time off work to be with me made my heart warm.

"I'm so hungry, Mother. Please, I need food."

It's no wonder; I hadn't eaten for a week. The moment I became aware of my hunger, I couldn't bear it anymore.

Mother placed freshly baked bread on a plate, prepared a salad, and poured soup into a glass, setting it on the table.

"Mmm, it's delicious."

The soup, with its light seasoning, seeped into my empty stomach, and the flavor of the bread spread through my mouth. Thinking that I might not have been able to taste this if I had died, I felt happy to be able to eat this meal.

The door to my room slammed open.

"Brother!?"

Seria, with a worried expression, looked at me.

"What's wrong, Seria? You're being noisy this early in the morning..."

"When I woke up, you weren't there... I thought maybe..."

She sighed in relief and sat down next to me.

"Here, your portion."

Mother sighed and prepared a meal, placing it on the table.

"I thought it would be bad to wake you up since you had slept so well."

I told Seria, who was looking at me with her blue eyes, as if blaming me.

"It's not that, really..."

She averted her eyes and took a bite of the bread.