"Welcome to my home, then."

Crimson's hand went ahead, reaching for the door handle, but before she could even touch it, the door swung open. A man, slightly younger than Crimson, was revealed; his spiky hair just as intense and striking as his eyes. That aside, he was... shirtless, with his shirt casually draped over his shoulder, showing off his muscular chest.

"Oh, Crimson," he said, sounding surprised. "Welcome back."

"Hi, Rubro," she replied nonchalantly. "Still in the shirtless phase?"

"It's not a phase!" he snapped, running a hand through his hair. "It's hot! And I was just about to go train for a bit."

It wasn't that hot... it was barely spring.

"Put your shirt on," Crimson scolded, resting her hand on her hip. "Are mom and dad home?"

He exited the house, closing the door behind him before letting out a dramatic and annoyed sigh, slipping his shirt over his head. "No, mom and dad are out. They'll be back later."

"Hm, I see. Well, let me introduce her to you first, then," Crimson said with a proud smile, grabbing my waist with her hand, pulling me closer. "She's Snowflake, my fiancée."

"My real name is Argenta," I swiftly interjected. "And... just don't listen to her."

"Hm, nice to meet you," he said, giving a half-hearted wave, walking past us.

Crimson stared at him "Well? Give her a proper greeting."

"It's just another one of your girlfriends; she won't last," he replied with an uninterested shrug.

"Oh, you're wrong," she countered, her grin wide, her voice deeper. "She's the real deal; she could even beat you easily."

Rubro stopped, side-eyeing back at her. "I'm not interested."

"What's wrong? Scared?" she provoked. "Since you have to train, why not do it in a duel with her?"

He sighed. "Alright, I'll be more than happy to prove you wrong." He then stepped away to the side of the house.

I watched him go, then turned to Crimson. "Who is he, anyway?"

"Hm? He's my little brother," she flatly replied.

"You didn't tell me you had a brother."

"Well, we only talked about our parents," she shrugged before flashing a smile. "Come on, let's go. Show him what you've got."

Not having anything better to do, and really not a reason to refuse... I complied. I headed to the side of their house; her brother was ready, looking bored and uninterested. For some reason, that irritated me a little.

He raised his arms, getting into position. "Whenever you're ready."

"Are we using spells?" I asked him.

"No," he said, shaking his head slightly. "We're ending this quickly. Spells would only prolong your suffering."

Aah... he wasn't taking me seriously... Alright.

I relaxed my body, taking a deep breath and slightly leaning my shoulders back. "I'm ready. Crimson, do the countdown."

Crimson counted down, and at her signal, we began.

At first glance, the outcome of the match was quite blatant. Obviously, he should win; he's way stronger physically. However, when facing a stronger opponent, there are many ways to get the better of them. As my mother said, using their strength against them is one; leverage and techniques can do wonders, and despite my physical strength being far lower than his, my genius and agility evidently outclassed his.

So, I calmly observed as he made his move, stepping forward, trying to reach me with his hands; he clearly aimed to grab me to put an end to the battle in a quick move.

Unfortunately for him, I deftly dodged to the side. My arms seized his arm as my leg went for a kick at his heel, making him lose balance, and sending him to the ground.

Far too easy.

Crimson laughed as Rubro hit the ground, while I stared at him with superiority. "So, feel like using spells now?"

He blinked. After which, he scoffed. Pushing himself up, a wide grin spread across his face. "Alright, girl. I'll make you regret this."

Rubro pulled a glove from his pockets, tugging it onto his right hand; from the aura, I could gather that was his divine weapon. And so, the second round began.

"Felinchant."

With my spell active, my strength definitely outclassed his as well. So, I dashed forward, ready to exchange blows. But as I did, he raised his fist. "Inferno."

His fist ignited in flames, and I immediately dug my heels to the ground, using all my strength to leap backward. Something big was coming.

He punched the ground, and an explosion erupted; a tornado of fire swirled to life right where he stood. I shielded my eyes from the burning heat. As soon as the vortex ceased, Rubro was there, in position, ready for more, and... shirtless.

"Why did you remove your shirt again?!" Crimson shouted at him from the sidelines.

"IT'S HOT!" he shouted back, completely casting aside our duel. "How am I supposed to fight with fire when it's so damn hot?!"

"Can't you handle a little sweat?!"

"Huh..." I just stared at the bizarre scene; the duel effectively ended with that, as brother and sister were now busy fighting each other...

After the questionable and unfinished duel, Crimson and I holed up inside the house, deciding we just wanted to relax for a bit, while Rubro continued his training outside.

The interior of the house was just as cozy and luxurious as the outside; especially the plush sofa, which I immediately sank into. I could have easily fallen asleep there if I wanted to...

Crimson, however, unhappy to simply lounge on the sofa, went to take a bath shortly after, and even though I'd have liked to join her, my demanding stomach begged for nourishment. So, like a little and very selective thief, since she hadn't shown me around, I wandered around her house in search of snacks to snatch in order to satisfy my hunger.

Well, she did tell me to act as if I were in my own home once inside. But I don't have a home, and back when I did, I sure damn knew where my mother hid chocolate biscuits! But here, no clue… so I had to work hard to find them. I bet she did this on purpose… Bitch.

But, regardless, I prevailed in the end, and found biscuits. So, I snacked a little, and satisfied part of my hunger. Some time later, a noise caught both of our attention, and the door opened.

"Oh, Crimson!" the lady exclaimed, placing a bag of groceries on the table before stepping forward with open arms.

"Hey, mom," Crimson replied with a smug smile, ready to accept the mother's hug.

The man and woman who came through the door were not far different from how I imagined Crimson's parents to be. The lady had remarkably long and flashing red hair paired with crimson fiery eyes; Crimson definitely inherited a lot from her. Behind her stood the man, with black spiky hair and dark, deep eyes.

"Mom, dad, this is Snowflake; my fiancée," she proudly said.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Pyrolina." Crimson's mother approached me, extending her hand.

"My real name is Argenta..." I corrected once again. "In any case, the pleasure is mine."

I reciprocated the gesture. Pyrolina's handshake was extremely powerful; I winced slightly at the sheer strength of her grip, and in the same instant, I could see it... that dangerous, sadistic glint, that spark in her eyes, and that subtle, pleased smile... I'd seen that on Crimson before, several times.

"Nice to meet you, Argenta," the father said warmly from the table, offering me a cheerful nod. Thankfully, not another handshake; his would've probably hurt even more.

"This is my sugar, Vincent," Pyrolina said, glancing fondly at her husband.

A smirk eluded me; 'sugar'... Crimson once tried to call me that.

"Nice to meet you."

"We're planning on staying here for a few days, mom," Crimson added, pulling the conversation back on track. "Is that alright?"

"No problem at all, it's nice to have you back here. And soon, Goldenovum's tournament will open its doors; we could visit the capital together. I heard about the third place," the mother replied, looking at her daughter with proud eyes.

"Oh yeah..." Crimson remarked with wide eyes before turning to me. "I almost forgot about it; we have to head there since the guild is now third in position."

"Do we even still have a guild?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "We didn't even send a letter. I... literally stopped thinking about it, after all that happened recently."

Joey must be worried...

Crimson shrugged. "We'll see; I'm sure Herbaleon will accept us back, and Leonard will probably give us some punishment, but whatever."

"Did something happen?" Pyrolina asked, tilting her head towards Crimson.

She shook her head. "Nah, not really. We just had a long trip; Snowflake's got some things to ask. I was hoping you could help."

The mother warmly smiled. "Of course," she said, turning towards me. "You do look exhausted. Why don't you take a hot bath first? I'll make a delightful dinner; Crimson will help me, too. You can ask me afterward whatever you want."

"Thanks. For everything, really," I said, clutching my arm, feeling a bit uneasy by the unexpected warm welcome.

Pyrolina showed me around the house, and before I headed to the bathroom, she handed me some of Crimson's clothes to change into.

I took a relaxing bath, adorned by the sweet perfume of food drifting in from the kitchen. Crimson's clothes were oversized on me; just the t-shirt was long enough to reach down my thighs. However, they were extremely comfortable, giving a sense of space I hadn't realized I needed. I welcomed it.

"Snowflake, I'm coming in," Crimson said from the other side of the door just as I finished changing.

I nodded, for no particular reason, since she couldn't see me... but I nodded. As soon as she stepped in, she froze, blinking at the sight.

"I didn't have any clean clothes to wear, so your mother gave me some of yours. I hope that's fine," I said as she kept staring at me.

She smiled, and slowly, her hand reached for her face, shaking. "Good job, mom..." she murmured under her breath.

"Just what is wrong with you...?"

Regaining her aplomb, with a chuckle, she approached closer and gently rested her arms on my shoulders. "You're about to taste my cooking. Curious?"

"Better for you for it to be delicious."

"Hm? What are you going to do, otherwise?" she teased.

"I'm blaming you for our entire absence when we report to Leonard," I countered with a smirk.

"Like anyone would believe that." Leaning in, she gave me a tender kiss. One that I might've prolonged for too long. "Shall we go? Before the food gets cold and you blame me for it," she added with a grin.

"Hmm-hm."

Right as we made our way back to the kitchen, Crimson's brother stood up. "I'm heading out for tonight."

"Don't you want to eat first, Rubro?" Pyrolina called from the kitchen.

He shook his head. "No, I'm having dinner with Lara tonight, I'll be back in the morning."

"Another one of your girlfriends?" Crimson said smugly, probably trying to tease him.

"I'll make short work of her," he replied, finally heading out with a jacket draped over his shoulder.

I blinked. What did that mean? "What does that mean? Is that girl about to die or something?" I asked Crimson, my voice low to ensure only she could hear.

"Ah, I suppose he might be a little too rough; his relationships never last, and every girl leaves him after a few marks," Crimson explained shortly.

"Is everyone in this family a fucking sadist...?" I deadpanned.

At that, she laughed, and draped an arm around my shoulders. "And yet, here I am, the sweetest of them all. Am I or am I not a keeper, Snowflake?"

I sighed as she kept pulling me closer. "Come on, let's eat."

The cuisine of a mother... and her daughter together, are more than enough to be considered a masterpiece hardly replicable by the most renowned cooks. I enjoyed that warm meal to the last bite, each one radiating comfort from the inside out; a sense of home I hadn't felt in a long time...

Satisfied, and with my demanding stomach full and sated, I indulged in the tea Pyrolina heartfully prepared while we all relaxed around the table.

"What is it you wanted to ask me, Argenta?" she asked softly.

Where to begin... "Crimson told me that you're a very knowledgeable woman. I wondered if you knew something about... the Silver Witch."

As the words left my mouth, the cup reaching for Pyrolina's lips never met its goal; she froze completely. "That's... a title I haven't heard in a long time..."

"So, you know who she was?" I pressed, feeling my heartbeat slightly speed up.

Nodding, she softly smiled. "Not only do I know, I once shared a dungeon with her."

Crimson clasped my hand. "See, mom, Snowflake want-"

"Please tell me everything you know!" I blurted out, cutting Crimson off before she could finish whatever she was about to say.

Pyrolina looked at me with surprise. Even so, she offered a gentle smile. "I will. Please, sit back."

"Ah..." I realized I had exaggerated; I had risen from my seat, banging my hand on the table... So, I sat back down, trying to calm down, squeezing Crimson's hand.

"I don't think you ever met her, but you also remember when I told you about her, don't you, sugar?" Pyrolina asked her husband with a fond smile.

He warmly returned the smile. "How could I forget? In a way, it's thanks to her that I had the chance to meet you."

Pyrolina's attention returned to me, and her story began...