Chapter 12 “Gentle, simple, nothing.”

When the night became increasingly cold, all the snacks and drinks that Kalina distributed had finally disappeared without a trace. Everyone who had gathered to take or eat together at the place had now gone back to their respective homes. Some of them even took home the plates and glasses that Kalina had borrowed to serve all her snacks and food.

“Hah... it's tiring. Finally done, huh? Big bro?” Kalina said.

Although she complained like that, her facial expression looked so happy. Observing the place that was previously bustling but now clean without a soul in sight made Kalina smile broadly.

“Hehehe, how about it? Does Big bro like it?” Kalina asked with the innocence of a child.

“No, it's exhausting. It would have been better if I went straight home with Albert earlier,” the young man replied.

“Eeeh!? So mean! Look, Albert and his child seem to be having fun over there!” Kalina said, pointing towards Albert sitting with his child in the distance.

Seeing Kalina and her young master looking in their direction, Albert immediately stood up and invited his five-year-old child to approach them.

“Once again, thank you, Miss, for inviting both of us to this event you organized,” Albert said.

“Hahaha! Don't worry! As long as I'm here, I'll try to entertain everyone! Oh yeah! Hey, little one! Come here!” Kalina said as if scolding Albert's child.

“Mmm… mm,” the child replied, hiding behind Albert and shaking their head.

“Hmm? Why are you like this? Come here; I've bought a birthday present for you.” Kalina said.

In an instant, the child ran towards Kalina with a cheerful face.

“How… How did Miss Kalina know today is my child's birthday?” Albert asked.

“Hehehe, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but actually, I can see the future, you know!” Kalina proudly replied.

“Don't joke around. You must have known it last night when Albert was complaining like a stressed person, right?” the young man said, gently tapping Kalina's head.

“Awwwuu! Hehehe, caught, huh? Well, this is a gift from big sister to a cool guy like you! So, don't always be a guy who can only hide behind your parents, okay?” Kalina said, handing her gift to Albert's child.

After hearing Kalina's words, Albert scratched his head and spoke with a somewhat soft voice.

“Um... Miss Kalina, my child is a girl.”

“Hmm? ... What!? In that case, why is she wearing boys' clothes?” Kalina asked.

“That's because clothes like that are cheap in the flea market,” Albert explained. After hearing Albert's explanation, Kalina quickly changed her mind and then asked for the birthday gift she had given earlier.

“Hey, pretty girl! Give back your gift! I promise to replace the contents with something more suitable for a girl like you!” Kalina said in a tone like a thug.

But the little girl immediately took the received gift and hid again behind Albert.

“Hey, don't run away! I just want to exchange your gift because the one inside that box won't be suitable for a cute girl like you!” Kalina scolded.

But the little girl continued to hide behind Albert and kept hugging her father's legs.

“Hey Albert, it seems your child doesn't understand what I'm saying. Can you tell her to let me exchange her gift?” Kalina asked.

Albert then rubbed his child's head and squatted in front of her.

“Dear, return the gift to Miss Kalina, okay? Let the contents be replaced with a better gift than this,” Albert said.

“... No!” his child replied.

“Hahaha, that's what she says. Thank you for the offer, but it seems this child doesn't want her gift to be replaced,” Albert said.

“Hey, Kalina, what's in that gift that you're making such a fuss about?” the young man asked.

“Hmm? The contents? Umm… It's just a cool looking dagger that I found while shopping earlier.” Kalina answered while walking towards Albert's horse-drawn carriage.

“What!?” Albert and the young man's mouths dropped open.

“Although it looks cool, you shouldn't give a little girl a dagger!” the young man protested.

“So, that's why I asked for it back,” Kalina said.

“That's not what I mean! I mean, you shouldn't give a dangerous item like that to a little kid!”

“Hey, I don't want to hear that from someone who didn't give the girl any gift at all. Besides, from the beginning, the dagger was already dangerous, right?”

“If that's the case, then why did you give it in the first place?” the young man asked.

“Um... so they could learn?” Kalina replied hesitantly.

“Well, what if the dagger injures the child?”

“Well, that's a lesson for them.”

“You... you're strange,” the young man said.

“Hehehe, used to it. Many people also have said that to me,” Kalina replied.

Since earlier, the three of them didn't realize that the innocent little girl had been watching the debate between the two siblings. After their argument ended, the little girl slowly approached the young man and tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.

“ Please, Big Bro, don't scold Miss Kalina. Don't worry; I'll be careful so I won't get hurt when using this dagger. Besides, at home, there's mom and dad who will watch over and supervise me. And with this dagger, I can also help mom with cooking!” The little girl said with a cheerful face.

The young man was surprised to hear the innocent words of the little girl. He didn't expect that there would be someone standing up to defend Kalina, as if this little girl had no ill intentions like the adults who had previously only exploited and sacrificed Kalina.

“Hahaha! The little girl called you Big Bro! Way to go, my apprentice! Later, after you arrive home, tell your mother to teach you how to cook delicious food because one day I'll come to eat all your delicious dishes, okay?” Kalina said while patting the little girl's head.

“Ye... Yes!” replied the little girl.

Then, that night, they all began to head home. Specifically for this day, Albert only escorted Kalina and the young man to the gate because he had to take his sleeping child home.

“Hah... I didn't expect Albert's daughter to be really delightful,” said Kalina.

“Mmm.” the young man responded.

“Maybe one day I'll take the time to play with her again.”

“Mmm.”

“Hey, Big bro? Why have you been answering with just 'Mmm' since earlier? Do you have a problem?”

“Mmm? No, I don't have a problem.”

“Just tell me! I promise I'll make your problem disappear in an instant!”

“Really?”

“Yup! Don't worry because there's no way I'll listen and leave someone who trusts me.” Kalina said.

“Um, actually, today I just realized that now I can't read,” the young man said with a bit of embarrassment.

“Oh, really...” Kalina responded without showing any surprise.

“Why is your response like that? Right now, your brother can't read, and right now, your brother is also the laughing stock of school!” complained the young man.

“Well, I already suspected that everything would turn out like this. But what can we do? Our parents told you to do it, and you seemed to be looking forward to it, so... I'm just watching.” Kalina said.

“Watching?”

“Yup. Earlier, I thought you would go home earlier because of that, but it turns out Big bro can hold on until the end of the school day. Umm... by the way, I organized the food distribution event just to keep Big bro from going straight home.”

“What!? Why did you do that!?”

“Because if my guess is correct, our parents will scold you and force you to study endlessly. Just with a small mistake like what Big bro did at school, everyone might now look down on our family. Um... that's according to our parents,” Kalina said.

“So you mean you did all that just to prevent me from studying!?” the young man asked with a slightly stern tone.

“Yes. I wasted a lot of your time with my little event so that the private tutors who called to teach you would go home. And it seems my effort has paid off now,” Kalina said.

“Hoo... So that's how it is? You're the one who made Wallace not go home immediately, right?” A man's voice was heard from behind Kalina and the young man.

“Papa.” muttered Kalina.

“Wallace! Come home immediately! Your mother has prepared everything for you there! And you, Kalina! I will truly punish your behavior! I didn't expect that since Wallace can no longer teach you, you're now influencing him to become a failure and Deviant like you! Get ready because for the next week, you will never see the sun again!” scolded their father angrily.

But there was no hint of fear shown on Kalina's face. She just remained silent as if she already knew that all this would happen beforehand.

Kalina then took out something that looked like an amulet and handed it to her brother.

“Hey, Big bro, if you still trust me even a little, please hold onto this amulet of mine. Because when I'm punished later, I might not be able to help you anymore. So, I beg you, take this amulet from me, at least so that I can still feel at ease when I'm punished by papa later,” Kalina said with a sad and pleading face.

Then the young man looked into Kalina's eyes for a brief moment and decided to accept the amulet from her hands. Without feeling any pity for Kalina, the young man snatched the amulet from her and immediately left, leaving Kalina to be punished by her father for a week.

“I never expected why Kalina would do all this to me! Why is she preventing me from studying!? Does she want me to not be able to live in this world!? Does she want to make me an object of ridicule like her? Ugh! Why is she trying to make things difficult for me! Damn!”

Continuing to think and curse Kalina's actions, the young man then arrived home and was greeted cheerfully by his kind-hearted mother. Without much delay, his mother had prepared many private tutors who, she claimed, had taught Wallace since he was a child. The lessons began and continued without any time for the young man to sleep and rest.

And in the morning, it didn't feel long before the sun had returned to illuminate this hypocritical world. The young man, who had been studying tirelessly since the night, was finally forced to go to school without a moment to rest his tired eyes and body.

“…………”

“……..”

“……”

“…”

And in the end, from the silence that filled this residence, there was not the slightest sign of Kalina inside the vast and empty house.

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