On Wednesday, Ansu took a day off from school because he was moving back to the old house with his sister.
The temporary workers carried the siblings' boxes one by one into the living room of their old home, and once the door closed, Vera could no longer contain her excitement.
"Brother! We're finally back!"
Vera, wearing the pretty new dress Ansu had bought for her, ran through every room like a butterfly, looking around in excitement.
Ansu was dusting the old furniture with a feather duster, and seeing Vera so happy, he couldn't help but smile along.
He looked around with emotion; this old house was where they used to live, a small two-story western-style house with a courtyard.
The old house was located in the heart of Benalu City, right next to the wealthiest Riverside District; the area was filled with banks and corporate office buildings, with few factories and a pleasant environment, and it was very close to where Vera went to school.
Although the price of the house had risen significantly since the year he sold it, Ansu was not short on money now; with a massive sum of 800,000 pounds in his pocket, he didn't even know how to spend it all...
Besides, he had long planned to leave the chaotic lower-class neighborhood with Vera and move back to the old house.
"I thought we'd never be able to come back, I didn't expect Brother to actually buy it back!"
Vera ran back excitedly and plopped down on the sofa.
She looked at the familiar yet strange furnishings, recalling scenes of growing up here with her brother when they were little.
"It's so good to be back~"
Both siblings began to feel sentimental, as this was the place that held their memories.
"Brother, do you remember our days in the orphanage?" Vera suddenly asked.
"Of course I remember." Ansu nodded.
Vera said quietly, "When we first started at the orphanage and were being picked on by those kids, I was always hungry. Brother had no choice but to either steal or fight for food, but he always managed to get something to share with me..."
She looked at her brother's tall, upright figure.
"Brother was so thin and small back then, but he always told me he wasn't hungry... but I knew he must have been starving."
"That's all in the past." Ansu stroked the top of Vera's soft hair. "Didn't things get better later?"
"Yeah." Vera enjoyed her brother's touch and said with a smile, "Father picked us out from all those children at a glance. We were really lucky! Could this be destiny?"
"It truly was destiny." Ansu thought silently, because that was how the plot was written...
Vera continued her reminiscence. "I remember being so scared when we were first brought back, because everyone said many bad people adopted children from the orphanage with ill intentions... but I didn't expect Father to truly be such a good person!"
Although Dr. Morris had no experience raising children, he treated them as his own. The time Vera missed the most was still the image of the three of them sitting around the dining table, talking and laughing...
"I still have to thank Brother!" Vera looked at Ansu's face. "It's all because of Brother's hard work that we can live a better life!"
"I should thank Vera too!" Ansu affectionately stroked Vera's hair. "It's also because of Vera that I have the motivation to work hard."
Besides, if Vera hadn't been so sensible, taking the initiative to drop out and silently handling all the housework, Ansu wouldn't have had the chance to get into the Royal Academy.
"Brother is the best!" Vera smiled sweetly. "I love Brother the most~"
Ansu smiled gently. "I love Vera the most too~"
Those big deep blue eyes flickered slightly, and Vera suddenly opened her arms like a spoiled child. "Brother, hug!"
"How old are you now, still wanting Brother to hug you..." Ansu looked at Vera helplessly, remembering how she used to always cling to him and ask for hugs when she was little.
"Didn't Brother say I'll always be a child?" Vera blinked, her deep blue eyes full of mischief. "Why are you suddenly breaking your word?"
Ansu gave her a dry look, and Vera giggled.
In the end, he still opened his arms to her, and Vera happily jumped into his embrace.
"Brother is so good~"
Vera hugged her brother tightly and acted spoiled; in a place Ansu couldn't see, her little face was covered in a sly smile.
This was how it should be... what had she even been worried about before?
Brother belonged to her.
Vera realized that she had an advantage that no one else could match: she was her brother's sister.
Their bond from childhood was something no one could change...
They would always be the most important people to each other, and all their efforts were for the sake of making the other's life better.
Therefore, no one could ever come between such an intense connection!
"Brother, you have to keep being this good to me." Vera greedily enjoyed her brother's embrace and his scent, murmuring, "After all... you're all I have now..."
"Why are you suddenly saying this?" Ansu turned his head, looking at Vera's cute face with her eyes closed. "I'm your brother, of course I'll always be good to you."
"Mm..." Vera curled up in Ansu's arms and nodded gently. "Brother is the best."
...
The old house was truly too large; after tidying up with Vera until noon, they had only managed to organize the living room and their two bedrooms.
After lunch, Ansu took out the gifts he had prepared for the teacher and looked at Vera with a smile.
"Freya won't be back for a while, but she's arranged for someone to take us to see that master this afternoon."
Ansu was truly curious about the 'master' Freya had found for Vera; after all, he hadn't heard of any retired paladin masters looking for an apprentice.
Vera trotted over happily. "What kind of gifts did you prepare?"
Ansu picked up several gift boxes. "Some expensive medicinal herbs and nourishing Northern specialties. The master is probably getting on in years, so these should be perfect."
"These things... they must be very expensive, right?" Vera didn't open the packaging, but just looking at the finely textured wooden boxes, she could tell they were worth a lot. "How much did this cost..."
"It's fine, just pocket change." Ansu dismissed it.
Vera nodded blankly. "Brother, is that job of yours really that profitable..."
Her brother had bought back the old house so easily, even though the housing prices in the center of Benalu had skyrocketed over the years...
"Mm... something like that." Ansu couldn't exactly explain to her that her brother had inherited their gambling father's talent and made a fortune hanging around casinos...
Vera would definitely be angry.
For the time being, he didn't want to tell Vera the news that he was carrying a massive sum of 800,000 pounds; he was afraid of scaring his sister...
He gave Vera a few instructions, telling her she must remain humble and eager to learn when meeting the master, and before long, there was a knock at the door.
"Mr. Ansu, Miss Vera, hello." A low-ranking clergyman gave a kind nod.
"I am Kent from the local parish. The Lady Holy Maiden instructed me before she left to take you to see that demon hunter lady..."
"A demon hunter?" Ansu looked at Vera in surprise.
The path he had planned for Vera was clearly the top-tier profession, 'paladin'. Why did Freya still find a demon hunter teacher for her?
Seeing Ansu's expression, Kent quickly explained:
"You see, this demon hunter lady was carefully selected by the Lady Holy Maiden. Due to her powerful Holy Light talent, she served as a guard in the Sacred Cardinal Guard in the Royal Capital for many years. Later, for certain reasons, she transferred to the front lines of the Holy Light Purification Department—the demon hunter department—until she recently retired due to injury."
"Since Freya has considered it carefully..." Ansu nodded.
"Very well, please lead the way."
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