(Chapter starts)
Elsa grabbed Kairo's hand and pulled him away from Sirius. Her grip was tight, and her steps were fast. Kairo could feel how tense she was—angry, upset, and maybe even scared.
"Sister, where are we going?" Kairo asked, confused by how suddenly she had acted.
Elsa didn't answer until they reached a quiet room inside the mansion. She closed the door and turned to face him, her eyes serious.
"Kairo, listen to me carefully," she said, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "You asked why I hate Sirius so much. Today, I'll tell you everything."
She took a deep breath before speaking again.
"The Sirius you know—the one out there—isn't the same Sirius I grew up with."
Kairo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Elsa sat down in a chair and folded her hands together like she was trying to stay calm. "He used to be completely different before Father died. He was kind, full of energy, and always looked out for me. When you were born, he treated you like his own little brother. He carried you around, fed you, made sure you didn't cry."
Kairo's eyes widened. It was hard to picture Sirius like that.
"Do you remember what happened the day Father was killed?" she asked.
Kairo nodded slowly. "We were playing games at home…"
"Exactly," Elsa said, her voice lowering. "But Sirius wasn't home that day. He was somewhere else. Then we saw the news—Father had been assassinated. We were heartbroken. But when Sirius came home… he acted like nothing happened."
Her fists clenched.
"I told him the news… and he smiled, Kairo. He just smiled and said, 'So sad. I feel bad after seeing the news. I pray for his peace.' Then he went straight to his room like it meant nothing."
Kairo felt a chill run through his body.
"I knew then," Elsa said, her voice shaking a little, "that something was very wrong with him."
She looked down, trying to hold back the emotions.
"He didn't even go to Father's funeral," she said bitterly. "After that, he completely changed. He left home and went to the capital. When I asked why, he just said, 'It's time for me to handle the country.' And then he left."
Elsa closed her eyes like she was trying to forget something painful.
"Kairo, when you were sent to training camp, I was left all alone in this mansion. I couldn't take the loneliness anymore, so I started going outside, meeting people. Eventually, I made a best friend. We played in the park almost every day."
Her expression softened for a moment, but then it turned grim again.
"One day, we were playing like always. Her older brother was there too. He was teasing me, kind of joking around and touching me in a silly way. I didn't think much of it… but then Sirius suddenly appeared."
Elsa's breath caught for a moment.
"He didn't say anything. He just walked up to my friend's brother… and started beating him. Over and over."
Kairo gasped. "What?!"
Elsa's voice was shaky. "Sirius grabbed him by the collar, threw him down, and started stomping on his chest. Again and again."
Sirius was smiling.
'How dare you, you piece of shit, touch my sister?' he said. His voice was calm, but he kept hitting the boy.
Elsa's hands were trembling now.
"I was shouting, telling him to stop. I tried to pull him away, but he shoved me aside like I was nothing," she whispered. "My friend and I were crying, begging him to stop."
Kairo's fists clenched.
"Then… her brother tried to fight back." Elsa swallowed hard. "That's when Sirius pulled out a pistol."
Kairo froze. "He had a gun?"
Elsa nodded. "Her brother and sister begged him not to shoot. But Sirius just smiled and aimed at him."
'This is the price of touching my sister, you crap,' Sirius said, still smiling.
Then he fired.
The sound of gunfire echoed in Elsa's ears. She could still remember it clearly. The way the boy gasped, the way his body jerked every time the bullet hit.
Her friend screamed and, in total panic, picked up a large stone and threw it at Sirius.
He dodged easily, tilting his head. Then, without hesitation, he picked up the same stone and threw it back at her.
It hit her in the face.
She collapsed.
She didn't move.
"S-she… died?" Kairo whispered.
Elsa nodded, her eyes full of pain. "I couldn't do anything. I just stood there, frozen."
Sirius looked at her and said, 'Now we're safe.'
"Then he checked their bodies and took out a pistol and some knives from their pockets. He told me, 'They were assassins from Eldoria.'"
Elsa laughed bitterly. "I was so stupid. I believed him. I actually thought he saved me."
She grit her teeth.
"Sirius called his men and told them to throw the bodies into Eldoria. Then he carried me on his shoulders like a little girl and said, 'Don't worry, sister. I'll always protect you.'"
Kairo saw tears forming in her eyes.
"He took me home, then left, saying he had important work."
Elsa paused for a long time before she continued.
"That night, I turned on the TV, and a news report came on."
She clenched her fists tightly.
"It said that two children had gone missing. Their parents had died years ago. They had been working hard to survive."
Elsa shut her eyes, filled with regret. "That's when I realized the truth. They weren't assassins. They were just normal kids. My friend and her brother… they were innocent."
Her voice broke. "Sirius murdered them."
Kairo couldn't move. It felt like the air in the room had vanished.
"That night, when Sirius came back home, I couldn't hold it in anymore," Elsa said. "I attacked him. I punched him, kicked him—did everything I could."
She looked up at Kairo, tears in her eyes.
"And do you know what he did?"
Kairo swallowed. "What…?"
"Nothing. He just stood there and took it."
Elsa let out a shaky breath.
"I screamed at him, demanded answers. I kept yelling, 'Why, Sirius?! Why?!'"
Sirius had only given one calm reply:
'My hands were tied. I had to do whatever it took to protect you and Kairo. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have.'
The room went silent.
Kairo felt something heavy settle in his chest.
Sirius wasn't just cold or distant.
He was something else entirely.
And Kairo didn't know if he could ever see him the same way again.
(Chapter ends)
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