Everything felt bizarre. Anyone would be surprised knowing their close relative suddenly had a mansion in a span of 2 years. It was almost unbelievable for me. 

 

“Seris could you tell me how you got a freaking mansion?” I asked in bemusement. 

 

I tried asking Seris about the mansion but she seemed to avoid the question itself, seemingly unwilling to answer it. She awkwardly stares around and acts as if she didn’t hear it. After I persisted on that question did she reluctantly agree to tell me later.

 

“Okay brother, I will tell you later alright. I just need some time to prepare myself.” She tells me in a hesitant manner. I didn’t understand what she meant by needing time to prepare herself but her intent was clear that she was disinclined to answer right now.

 

Seris had ignored my probing and hauled me over to the mansion, while tightly grasping onto my arm. As we get closer I realize how big the mansion really is. Compared to the surroundings, this building struck out the most.

I looked at in awe while Seris started giggling from the expression I made. It was pretty obvious as to how surprised I was.

 

“If you’re shocked just by seeing this much, I wonder how you’ll react when we enter the mansion,” Seris said to me in a smug tone.

I wanted to reply but my emotions were in haywire at that moment. I could only breathe deeply in an attempt to calm myself.

 

It doesn’t take long for the gates to open with a loud creaking sound. Since no one was there it appeared as if the gate had been automated with the usage of magic. As we enter I happen to notice the guards situated near the gate. They all wore sleek black armours with the gilding of gold on them. It gave a really luxurious feel to it.

 

It seemed that they were all women considering the curves around the chest of the armour. Their gazes were all directed at me, suspicious of my very presence. But with Seris beside me, they didn’t bother to intervene with us.

 

It was a nerve-wracking feeling as it reminded me of the times we used to study in school. Their intentions were obviously not of affection, they were just acting cautiously as to follow their assigned duties.

 

Seris appeared to have noticed my nervousness and tried to pat me on the head.

 

“There there brother, as long as I am here no one will try to hurt you.” She says in an attempt to comfort me. Though it did make me slightly embarrassed, I did start feeling tranquil under the care which she showed.

 

“Stop acting like I am a little kid, jeez,” I say while trying to hide my embarrassment.

“But you are my lovely younger brother,” Seris says so with a bright smile. Her smile seemed so dazzling for a second that I lost myself within it. I couldn’t help but think about how beautifully she had grown.

 

I was so lost in thought that Seris managed to get really close to me. Our noses were almost touching. Her deep sparkling azure eyes right before me, mesmerizing me into them. It didn’t take long for me to regain my composure and back off.

 

Seris gave a knowing grin with a slight snicker escaping her mouth. “You were thinking something naughty weren’t you?” She says a bit suggestively. 

Though I did look at Seris as the person of the opposite sex at times, I never tried to think too much about it since she was my sister. But after seeing her charm bloom so gorgeously I was left in a loss of words.

 

“No I didn’t, anyway let's just head into the mansion already,” I say so as I tried to avoid the topic entirely. It seemed I had ended up making it too obvious. Seris had caught onto it but she didn’t try to bother me about it, though her grin didn’t hide how much she was enjoying this.

 

I felt a bit irritated after being played by Seris but I tried not to show it on the surface. If she knew about it then there was going to be an onslaught of teasing for me. I rushed into the mansion along with Seris before she could catch onto it.

 

The guards were left uncomfortably staring at our banter as we headed to the huge wooden door. While we walked Seris glanced back at the guards and looked at them wordlessly. They responded with a nod. There was some understanding between them but I couldn’t figure out exactly what they had conveyed to each other. Maybe it was some routine for them?

 

Without concerning herself with the guards any further, she pushed me ahead and led me into the mansion. Upon my entrance, I was greeted by the majestic interiors of the building. It felt like I had entered a world where only the colour blue existed.

 

The walls, the furniture, the chandeliers, all had some hints of the colour blue in them. They all had the same colour theme. I knew that Seris’ favourite colour was blue but I didn’t think it would go so far. It gave the whole place a very calm feeling to it, albeit a bit dull.

 

“How is it? Do you like the design?” She asks expectantly.

“Yeah, it looks great. I wouldn’t mind staying in a place like this.” I said while trying to hide my true thoughts.

“Really? I am so glad you like it, I always knew you liked blue too.”

 

Though she wasn’t wrong I wouldn’t say I preferred it to such an extent. Did she try to make it all blue just to fit my tastes? Nah, can’t possibly be the case. I was just over imagining things, the idea itself was quite absurd in the first place.

 

Seris led me throughout the mansion. The blue tones were a bit overboard but I couldn’t deny the mansion had a nice aesthetic to it as a whole. It was spick and span, there weren’t any signs of dirt. But the whole mansion had a slight dreary feeling to it, mainly due to the lack of people inside.

 

It looked as if Seris had been living here alone for quite some time, there weren’t even signs of any maids to take care of the mansion itself. Did they have allotted timings perhaps? Whatever was the case I still felt bad for my dear sister. It seemed she had to bear through the loneliness like me, despite living in such opulence. 

 

“Brother you’re acting gloomy again,” Seris asks me with concern, forcing me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah it’s just nothing…” I say while trying to hide my emotions.

 

The atmosphere becomes a bit awkward followed by an odd silence. Seris stares at me with worry apparent in her face. As for me, I was sympathizing with the young girl beside me who had been suffering throughout these years.

 

“Seris, were you alone all this time?” I ask her with a worried tone. She stayed quiet for a while but I could see her eyes go blank for a second. With empathy filling my heart, I head to Seris to give her a hug.

 

She doesn’t try resisting me. I could soon feel something wet pouring down my shoulders. Soft whimpers could be heard from Seris. I could feel her cold body coming closer to mine as she returned my hug. Her embrace tightening around my body.

 

“I am sorry!” She bawls out to me.

“Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong.”

“I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry!” She cries out relentlessly.

“It’s okay, let it all out,” I say as I pacify her.

 

We stood still for some time, though it lasted for a few minutes it felt like an eternity. Seris finally regains her composure but her eyes were red from crying.

 

“Don’t ever leave me, brother,” Seris says to me in a pitiful voice.

“I won’t,” I tell her reassuringly.

“Don’t leave me…” Seris says it again as she buries her head into my chest.

 

It takes some time to quell her anxiety completely but her emotions seemed to be back on high spirits after that. Our trip continued but the excitement had been dampened. None of us were quite in the mood to go roaming around the mansion anymore.

 

“Brother you must be hungry right? How about I fix you a meal for the time being?” Seris offers to me with a happy smile. It would be a lie to say I hadn’t been missing her cooking all this while. She made the best food ever especially with the home-made sauce she added.

 

I agreed with her suggestion. Seris skips around with jovial vigour after hearing that. Her skills might have improved throughout the years. I couldn’t wait to try it out. She proceeds to drag me into the dining hall which was quite impressive, to say the least. 

 

She quickly heads into the kitchen after having seated me onto one of the chairs. I could hear her humming till here, Seris appeared as if she was quite happy to get another opportunity to cook.

 

As I waited for breakfast to get ready, I started to wonder what our future would hold in store for us. Seris had reached her age of coming, she was now a woman who fit the ideals of many men. If possible I wanted Seris to have some experience with men other than me. Back in my last time, it was quite common for women to enjoy having dates with men, I wanted her to feel similar feelings of love.

 

It was time I needed to uphold my duty as her dear brother. Seris might end up with some man unworthy of her so it was the brother’s duty to protect her and help her find a suitable candidate. Just the prospect of carrying out that role made me quite thrilled, I always wanted to try it out once when I was young.

 

Though these were just some unaccomplished dreams of mine. If Seris really wanted a man I couldn’t really deny her of it. Same if it was a woman, it was Seris’ decision as her own individual, I couldn’t possibly deprive her of the choice of her preferred partner.

 

My thoughts wandered further, from what her preferences of her partner could be to how I could make use of my connections to help her. As I contemplated all of this, the food was ready to be served. Seris brought along an assortment of dishes. It was piping hot, the aroma coming from the food invigorated my whole body.

 

“Seris it smells lovely, I can’t wait to try them out!” I said so without any intentions to hide my anticipation, the food just smelt so good I could feel my mouth watering already.

“I similarly can’t wait brother,” Seris replies to me.

 

Without further ado, I gobbled down the food. The taste was just tantalizing, the savoury flavours of the meat just burst into my mouth, vegetables added into it made for an irresistible combination while the bread just appeased my taste buds even more. It tasted so good, Seris had indeed increased her proficiency with her cooking skills. But something felt slightly lacking, it was her home-made sauce.

 

“Seris the dishes taste amazing, I really can’t express how good they are.”

“Is that so? I am glad then.” Seris replies with a wide smile.

“Don’t mind me asking but where is your home-made sauce? I actually was looking forward to it.”

“Oh, I was saving them for dessert. I am sure you would love it.”

 

Damn, Seris was really going all out on this one.

“Honestly I wish I could have this food every day, this is just so good!” I say while ravenously devouring the rest of the dishes.

“You wouldn’t have to worry about that,” Seris replied to me though I didn’t quite understand the meaning.

 

Some time passes as I completely clean off all the plates. There wasn’t a single speck of food left. Though I already felt full I was still expectant about the desert. It would surely be something astounding considering how she saved the special sauce exclusively for it.

 

Just as I thought so I had a sudden feeling of drowsiness overwhelming me. It seemed that I had eaten so much that even my body couldn’t handle the burden of it. It was regrettable that I wouldn’t get to enjoy the dessert but Seris would surely save some for me to eat later.

 

With Seris beside me, I could sleep right here without worries. Though I started to notice something odd. Throughout the entire time, Seris had yet to eat any of the food, she had just been sitting on the chair as she watched me eat with that captivating smile of hers.

 

I could barely grasp onto my thoughts as the drowsiness got worse, I was barely conscious at this point. I was probably overthinking it anyways. Seris was just my lovable sister, my anxiety was just getting the better of me and making me unnecessarily paranoid.

 

As I felt my consciousness slipping away I heard some sweet whispers passing into my ears.

 

“I am sorry.”

 

Seris repeated those words just like back then when she was crying, except this time it had a heavier feeling to it.