At 6 in the morning, Shanna woke up early as usual. However, unlike other days, today she didn't get up right away to train; instead, she lay in bed without moving. Because she had slept very late the night before, Shanna was still a bit groggy when she woke up.
It wasn't until Shanna turned over in bed and felt the cold, damp pillow on her face that she remembered what happened yesterday.
After returning home from King's Cross station yesterday, Shanna hid in her room. She lay on the bed, thinking about every little detail of being with her brother, wondering what he would be doing now. As she did so, she couldn't help but cry.
Shanna didn't know how long she had been crying; she just knew that she had cried for a long time before falling asleep without realizing it. Fortunately, Shanna had been training with her brother since she was little, so now she could use magic to do many things; otherwise, her eyes would be swollen.
Shanna didn't want anyone to know that she had been crying in her room, especially not her annoying mother. So she reached out and pulled the pillow from under her head, then threw it into the air with force.
"Incendio!"
A burst of fire sprouted from Shanna's fingertip and burned the pillow in the air to ashes. Then, Shanna made a gesture with her hand, and a new pillow flew from the closet and positioned itself under her head.
Lying on the new dry pillow, Shanna continued to stare into space. She didn't feel like moving or training at this moment because even if she went to the training ground, she wouldn't see her brother's figure.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but a knock on the door woke Shanna up. Although she didn't need to turn her head to see, Shanna knew that her father had entered the room, while her mother stayed at the door.
"Sweetheart, it's time for breakfast."
William looked at his little daughter, who was lying on the bed with her back to him, distressed and defenseless.
'It's all that brat Bell's fault,' William complained in his mind.
Of course, he only dared to think that in his mind because if he said it out loud, it wouldn't go well with the two women in the house, one big and one small.
Upon hearing her father's words, Shanna not only didn't respond but also pulled the sheets up, completely wrapping herself in them, clearly expressing that she didn't want to deal with anyone at this moment.
"Sweetheart, get up and eat something; you didn't have dinner last night. Have breakfast, and then you can go back to bed, alright? Or is there something wrong with you? If you're not feeling well, make sure to tell Dad; I'll take you to the doctor," William continued trying to persuade her.
Seeing her husband so bewildered, Elena approached. She patted him on the shoulder and gestured with her thumb toward the door.
"But..."
Feeling helpless, William looked at his daughter, who remained motionless under the sheets, and then at his wife, who was by his side. Finally, he decided he couldn't handle the situation and left the room, closing the door behind him very consciously.
"You haven't trained this morning, have you?"
While looking at her little daughter, Elena's eyes were full of affection and concern, but she quickly concealed those emotions and adopted a somewhat playful expression.
"It seems you have no intention of having breakfast either? Maybe not even lunch? Actually, I don't care at all. Why not keep it that way? When your brother sees you in this state, he'll probably stop liking you, right? At that moment, he'll realize that 'compared to a little child still wearing diapers, mature and beautiful mom is much better.' Then, my dear Bell, he'll surrender into Mom's arms, hahaha~."
Elena let out a laugh worthy of a queen.
But Shanna couldn't act like she hadn't heard those words. Suddenly, she lifted the sheets and sat up.
"My brother wouldn't do that..."
Shanna felt her little head collide with a soft, elastic object, then she was thrown back onto the bed.
(,_,)
Looking at the trembling part of her mother, Shanna recalled something that had happened many years ago.
It was shortly after she received her magic wand. One day, she stealthily ventured into her dad's study, intending to find some magic books to bring back and read with her brother. Her brother had told her that some people preferred to hide powerful magic books so that others wouldn't find them. So she was on the lookout for any clues that her dad might have hidden magic books in his study.
Then, she found it! In her dad's desk drawer, she discovered a secret compartment and pulled out a book from there.
Shanna was excited and couldn't wait to show her find to her brother. However, due to her immense curiosity, she couldn't resist opening the book and taking a look.
Looking at the content of the book, Shanna realized that this book was different from what she had imagined. It wasn't a magic book at all.
The book was filled with images of older women without clothes. Shanna was intrigued and wondered why these women weren't wearing clothes. After all, she really liked the pretty dresses her mom bought for her, and she even resisted taking them off to sleep.
Although Shanna didn't fully understand why, her instinct told her that this book was not something she should show her brother. So, with her newly bought magic wand, she set fire to the book and reduced it to ashes.
"What's that? Why don't I have it?"
Shanna looked down and felt inexplicably unhappy.
Elena rubbed her chest sore from the hit and couldn't believe that her daughter, despite her small size, had so much strength.
"This is a woman's pride, men love this... and boys are no exception! Your brother used to adore this part of mom when he was little."
(For Bell's reputation, I would like to explain a bit here. Elena is teasing her little daughter. And Bell has never had breast milk because his magic power went crazy when he was a child).
"The reason you don't have that is that you're still a little girl. This is a symbol of feminine maturity."
"I'm not a little girl! And my brother definitely loves me! He really likes me a lot!"
Shanna remembered the words that had just been interrupted.
"Heh~ little girls always say they're not little girls. But that's not something you can change just by saying it. Are you or aren't you? It's immediately noticeable."
Elena said, puffing up her chest again.
Shanna looked toward the mountains and then toward the plains.
"Ah!"
She felt frustrated.
"How can I become like you faster?"
To retain her brother, Shanna reluctantly turned to her annoying mother for help.
"Of course, you have to eat well, sleep early, and exercise regularly."
Elena showed a sly smile.
"And you must also drink a lot of milk."
She knew her little daughter very well and could easily handle her.
It seems that Bell inherited his mother's intelligence. It's great that he doesn't have such a stubborn head like his father and has no difficulty adapting.