With everything taken care of, and the timing just about right, Christian made his way to his sister's room.
And in no more than a few minutes, he was now sitting together with her inside.
With the silence stretching on, he casually glanced around. The room, while quite similar to his own, carried a softer, more feminine touch.
His eyes moved to the many pictures of himself that decorated the walls, or were on the desk, some from when he was small, others more recent, with a few showing the two of them together.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen them, so it didn't come as a surprise…
But still, he couldn't help but feel like their numbers had been growing too much lately.
In the end, he simply shook his head without commenting on them, and finally opened his mouth to ask, "So, did you arrive at a decision regarding the power system and essence technique you want to have?"
Christian had actually planned to have another conversation with her, one regarding what happened with Eva yesterday, but that would naturally have to wait until after they finished this topic.
"Yes, I did arrive at a decision… but before that, I want to talk about another thing," Annabelle said, her voice low but clear.
Christian raised his eyebrow slightly, but naturally, he didn't mind. He simply gestured for her to speak comfortably.
If she had something to say, he was always prepared to lend her his ears.
And Annabelle, her expression calm, began, "Lately, too many things have happened around you, and I'm not keeping up."
As she spoke, her mind returned to the decision she'd reached after everything that happened yesterday… from what Eva had told her, to the revelation of her talent in essence.
She had actually thought about many things.
And finally, she had come to terms with herself.
So now, she wanted to tell her brother… the love of her life, what she had arrived at.
She wanted to honestly tell him everything.
"Actually, not just lately. It started from back when you began earning money through trading."
"The change… from you being someone I needed to take care of, to someone who could share the burden of the house with, to someone I needed to rely on."
"Did it stop at that?"
"No. Things became even more complicated. And there were several points that made it hard for me to take a proper stance."
'This all must be due to what happened between her and Eva, right?' Christian, who had been listening quietly up to this point, couldn't help but think.
He was curious about where she was going with all this, so he didn't interrupt her.
He just quietly listened, his eyes on her refreshed expression.
"There's our parents… who I'm constantly reminded of. And what they would think of my behavior."
"Eva, who is older and more mature than me… but more importantly, more competent. And no matter what, would always stand at your side."
"Sophia, who is taking care of the house chores as the maid, and took on many of the tasks I used to handle."
"Nina's existence, not just as a maid, but as someone with immense talent, and the ability to help you with many things… starting from how she caught those two criminals with ease, to likely many more things in the future."
"And then, Iris… who you created, and who is doing just as many things."
Annabelle, whose expression had remained calm throughout, suddenly paused.
Then, in a serene voice, she asked:
"Where do I stand in all of that?"
Christian didn't voice the first thought that came to mind. Instead, he remained silent.
He felt that she wasn't asking this question because she wanted an answer.
It was a question meant more for herself.
That aside, he naturally didn't agree with how she seemed to be doubting herself.
Because she was still doing many things in the house… whether it was helping Eva from time to time with the business she was managing, or handling the digital library he had wanted to build.
Lately, with the increased number of physical books being delivered here, she had to meet many people personally, before taking care to upload everything into the database.
And that, in itself, was the strongest evidence of all.
"I was never satisfied with the vague standing I had in this house," Annabelle said, and while looking at her brother with eyes overflowing with even more love, she continued.
"And my love for you, which kept growing farther and farther away from something just between siblings, made it even harder for me."
"Human relationships were never easy, Chris. But even then, if it were just the things I talked about until now, it would have probably been bearable."
'It's not you who's complicating things, you mean?' Christian suddenly wanted to interrupt her and say, but, in the end, he held himself back and simply continued listening.
"But everything that was still bearable... it became not so anymore, after what happened yesterday."
"It was the final push that made me think about many things."
'Should I have been stricter with Eva yesterday?' Hearing his sister, Christian couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had been too soft with Eva… but he didn't think he could have been firmer than he already was.
While he was mulling over whether he should harden his heart more, and not just with Eva, but with everyone, when some problem happened, Annabelle suddenly chuckled and said, "Don't look like that. In the end, I'm not due to Eva. And what Eva did yesterday could happen again... with someone else."
"My point was never about her anyway."
"It's more about this: what I realized is that I don't want anything, or anyone, to stand between us, whoever they may be."
"I don't want any barriers."
"When I want to be able to stand by your side, I want to be able to."