"But all I got in response was a cold denial. I was even told, in an indirect way, that I could be the next one like that policeman if I continued behaving ."
"Instead of cowering, I seethed with anger at such a blatant threat. But knowing I couldn't do anything, not even land a proper punch on his face, I ultimately retreated, feeling defeated."
"At that time, I didn't know any responsible or reliable adult I could consult with."
"So, I spent a lot of time contemplating on my own about what I could do."
"In the end, I realized there was really nothing I could do."
"So, I made it my goal to get back at them later and focused on solving our other problems at the time."
"Time passed quickly in that manner, and more than a year later, despite not forgetting about them, I still hadn't been able to do anything regarding it."
"And given how hard our circumstances were at the time, my resolve finally wavered."
"It was then that I started contemplating my conversation with that detestable policeman again, and after some time, I finally arrived at a different conclusion."
"Even if he wasn't necessarily a good person, he wasn't all bad either, as he went out of his way to warn me when he could have simply chosen not to."
"He wasn't obliged to give me any advice, after all, but he still did."
"And someone capable of killing a person in the police force and covering it up with a fabricated excuse? It would have been even easier for him to do something to us."
"It was at that time, filled with reluctance, that I finally gave up. Being stuck in my desire for revenge and the like wouldn't change anything after all."
"And I had you, who were more important than anything."
"Even then, I still wasn't able to forget everything completely, but as I grew older, I came to increasingly realize how absurd our situation had been, so, even that tiny reluctance eventually vanished."
After Annabelle's voice faded, concluding her story, a heavy silence enveloped them momentarily, confirming to Christian that she was done. So, without a second thought, he drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
His heart ached at what she had said, at the content of her story, and how she had been all alone. He felt it ache even more seeing her behavior, how she tried to maintain an impassive tone, hiding her emotions, not letting them show more than the story itself.
If she knew that her quivering tone, which she tried to keep impassive, had betrayed her, he didn't know. But seeing how even her eyes seemed red, seemingly holding back tears filled with anguish, broke his heart.
Even while she was speaking, he barely held himself together, feeling it would be disrespectful to his sister to show his own emotions. But now, as he held her small, fragile frame in his arms, he felt even more pathetic. He couldn't help but resent the circumstances that made him the younger brother instead of the older one.
He also resented his current circumstances, where even after obtaining the Idle System, instead of making things easier for her, he was now allowing her to live in worry.
He felt like he should have been a shelter to her, a tree that shielded her from everything.
So why was he now involving her in even more problems?
Was it really the right answer to tell her everything?
Christian felt himself wavering, his resolve shaking. But perhaps sensing his hesitation, Annabelle pulled away from him, looking at him seriously before speaking.
"Now, it's your turn, Christian."
"I'm all ears, listening."
'Is that really the only choice?'
While wondering internally, hearing his full name instead of the usual "Chris" from his sister made Christian realize that it was a hopeless case, and in the end, he knew he had to talk.
So, with a helpless sigh, he began.
"Actually, as it turned out, I don't know much more than you. It's just some details and the identity of the culprit, though without any solid evidence."
Christian proceeded to explain the details he had gathered, even mentioning Damian Slate, but he still refrained from mentioning Eva and how the situation had spiraled out of control. He was still contemplating how to approach telling her about this.
"Then what is going on with you currently? You're clearly facing some kind of problem after all."
But not waiting for him, Annabelle asked, as she felt her patience running dry when she realized he hadn't mentioned anything about the current situation yet.
"Well, actually, here comes the problem. Eva had some kind of relationship previously with this Damian."
Christian, not knowing how to soften his words any better, finally replied, leaving Annabelle even more surprised by the answer.
"So, you became close to her to find out more about him?"
As she asked unconsciously, Annabelle for the first time felt like maybe she had judged Eva too harshly, considering it was her brother who had approached her with impure intentions.
And hearing her, Christian realized that from a different perspective, things could indeed be seen differently. It was a thought that hadn't occurred to him at all, on the contrary, his own view had been quite the opposite.
In the first place, he had said that with the intention of informing her that the problem stemmed from Eva's side, but apparently in his sister's ears, it was understood differently.
He hesitated, wondering whether he should clear up the misunderstanding or let it be, as he felt that if he corrected her, the misunderstanding would be resolved, but it would only lead to other problems, now.
Still, if he was going to inform her after all this time of keeping things from her, it was much better to tell the truth. So, he finally opened his mouth and said,
"No, when I got to know her, I didn't know this detail. It's only recently that I found out the truth."