"Now, now, Miriam, let’s calm down." Oliver spoke calmly
"Don’t tell me to calm down; it’s all his fault for being so good-looking!"
Greg was left speechless at the outburst he was somehow the cause of, and his mind raced to find the root cause of the issue.
’She screamed and came in here and accused me of being handsome....I think I am? And is currently very angry at me’
’This could only mean one thing.’
Greg’s face turned grim immediately as he arrived at the only possible conclusion for the outburst.
"I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to injure your brother during the spar."
The banter between Oliver and Miriam ceased as they turned to face Greg with different expressions on their faces.
Miriam sat on one of the chairs with a face that looked like it had aged a few decades.
"Why am I subject to this torture?"
Oliver calmly walked over to her with a sympathetic look, placed his hand on her shoulder, and consoled, "It’s for the greater good. Ava rarely comes home after Father made the announcement, and I’m straight. So you’re the only option left."
Miriam fiddled with her fingers as she mumbled something under her breath with a pout on her face
"But I already have someone I like, though."
Greg heard the quiet declaration and replied seriously, "He’s not worthy of you, and in the event that he ever becomes worthy, I’ll have to risk my life with him first."
Miriam stared at him, deadpan, and replied, "I don’t see you complaining about Greg, though?"
Oliver coughed lightly and answered, "We fought many battles when we were young. So that counts as me risking my life with him."
"Hypocrite," Miriam said with a scoff ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N()velFire.net
Greg blinked in confusion as he watched the scene that unfolded.
’What? What do they mean by worthy? Am I going to be accompanying her to Brinehurst? , but that doesn’t make sense since she’s going to be releasing her unstable mana there....Unless—!’
Greg tilted his head downwards and spoke once again, "I apologize for—"
Miriam interrupted Greg with an exhausted look, "Don’t say anything else; you’re going to give me a headache."
"Oh...uh, very well then."
Scratching his cheek with furrowed eyebrows, Greg leaned back into his seat and waited, signaling Oliver to tell him what was going on.
Oliver glanced sideways at Miriam to make sure she was okay with it before he began.
"Ever since the ball, Father has been fairly restless on the issue of the Crimson Blade and their slowly completing pattern."
Greg’s face turned solemn as the atmosphere changed.
"The issue in Brinehurst being a wake-up call, Father immediately decided that either Ava or Miriam was going to form close relationships with those who could support their Soul severance spell."
Greg nodded in understanding and placed his fingers under his chin as he spoke:
"So, my father had a chat with yours during the ball concerning this issue, correct?"
Oliver nodded.
"But I don’t think it’ll work." Greg declared.Oliver pressed his palm against his forehead with a heavy sigh as he followed Greg’s gaze to Miriam, who was staring at a painting with a sullen expression.
"It would seem she’s...taken." Greg commented neutrally.
Oliver wanted to reply but was interrupted by Greg’s explanation.
"We both know Resonant Convergence requires both parties to have unshakable trust in each other and although I and your sister have a...cordial relationship, it’s nowhere near enough to see any real progression."
Miriam nodded enthusiastically at Greg’s explanation and gently tugged at the hem of Oliver’s robe with a pitiful look.
"Can’t you convince Father? He always listens to you"
Oliver sighed and replied, "We don’t talk about...these kinds of things. It’s usually about my missions and the new territories I’ve subjugated or planning to subjugate"
"Pweaseee, big brooo?" Miriam whined, puffing her cheeks and exaggerating her cuteness
"I’ll see what I can do" Oliver answered with a determined expression
Greg chuckled lightly at their antics and stood up, "Since it’s obviously not going to work out, I’ll take my leave. The taxes have to be handled by someone after all"
"Wait!"
"Wait!"
Miriam and Oliver blurted out at the same time, both turning to each other with equally confused looks. Greg, meanwhile, was just... lost.
’You’d think the second strongest family in the empire would be more....serious’ He remarked
Picking up a snack on the table, Greg asked, "What is it?"
"I want—"
"Let’s—"
Once again, the duo were in sync and they eventually decided who would speak first with a game of Stones, Shield and Swords (Which is basically Rock, Paper, Scissors btw).
"Ha!, I won!" Oliver exclaimed excitedly after a few rounds.
Rolling her eyes, Miriam spoke sullenly, "Tsk, ask him quickly then. I won’t allow you to use your battle senses next time"
Patting her hair, Oliver turned towards Greg, who had long made himself at home and was watching a channel on the large resonance screen mounted on the wall.
"Greg."
Greg cast a sideways glance at Oliver. Noticing the serious expression on his face, Greg gave him his full attention.
"I want you to..."
The tension in the room grew with Oliver’s dramatic pause, and even Miriam had a serious expression now.
"...have just one battle with me."
Tired groans escaped from the two others, and they turned deaf ears to Oliver’s pleas.
"Just one, I promise! It’ll be really quick too! It’s just—ugh—it’s been so boring lately and—"
"Get out of here! You guys can fight tomorrow or something!" Miriam interrupted.
Without giving him a chance to argue, Miriam pushed him out of the room, slammed the door shut, and dusted her hands with satisfaction.
Of course, the mega sis-con could never resist his cute sister’s antics and just played along with a sullen expression.
"Whew... now that he’s taken care of," she said, "I heard you went to Vossier some time ago. I want to know the layout of the place since I’ll be going there soon."
Nodding, Greg explained the state he found the town in when he first arrived—the culture, the people, and every other major location.
"The Vossier Inn is pretty good. Just in case you’re looking to lie low."
"I think Clark was there too, but maybe he’s left by now," he muttered under his breath.
Miriam, who had been listening with a bored expression, immediately perked up at Greg’s comment.
"You said Clark stays where?" she asked with poorly hidden anticipation.
Feigning ignorance, Greg replied, "At Vossier Inn. He’s probably gone by now, but the last time we met, that’s where he said he was staying."
"But I always saw him in a treehouse. Maybe he’s homeless after all..." Greg mumbled.
Miriam had already fallen into a state of extreme happiness, so she didn’t hear the last statement. Needless to say, she was now very excited for her trip.
But just before her rationality could go out the window, she asked "Wait a minute. You said you met Clark in Vossier, so were you two close?"
Greg didn’t see the need to hide anything—after all, Miriam practically owned him—so he nodded in response.
"We’ve fought a few times," he said casually.
Miriam’s eyes widened. "How could he even fight with you when you’re an A-rank?"
Greg leaned back slightly, his tone calm but firm. "I was learning how to suppress my rank, since I’ll be heading to the Demon Nation in a few zynths. He made for a good sparring partner."
Miriam hesitated, her voice dropping into a mix of disbelief and anticipation. "...Did he win?"
Greg’s lips curved into a small smile, and his eyes grew distant, carrying the weight of the battle they’d shared.
"Well," he said slowly, almost reverently, "he didn’t lose."
Miriam didn’t respond.
It would be more accurate to say she couldn’t respond, her mind reeling from the sheer shock.
Clark... beat Greg? How is that even possible?
Her nails dug lightly into her palm as the thought repeated in her head.
Wait—since when did Clark even know how to fight? I thought he wanted nothing to do with being a warrior... then what has he been doing all these months?
The questions piled up, but no answer came, Miriam bit her lips as she realized Clark wasn’t the same person she knew a few months ago.
Greg’s lips tugged upwards as he watched Miriam fall deep into thought.
’So it’s Clark she’s in love with....’ He analyzed, ’Although this nagging feeling within me won’t go away, I’ve done the least I can, my good friend. The rest is up to you’
Greg got up quietly, leaving Miriam and her thoughts and travelled back to his home, the proud smile never leaving his face.
But what even he or anyone else failed to predict was that the change Clark had gone through was far too drastic for him to be concerned about trivial matters like romance.