Waking up from her thought, Guang heard Heian mutter, "That girl is lucky, If only we..." Heian then looked at her sister and noticing her slumped shoulders after she said that, she quickly changed the subject. She said, "Let's try the sweet bread, maybe it is actually good today, that girl was extra cheerful." Guang nodded and bought some with her. It has become a sort of habit for them to try following that girl and her actions, expecting to receive the same radiance and hoping that her attitude would transpose to them. But like always, it does not make them smile like the radiant sun or make them receive that girl's level of optimism.
In the end, it does not hurt to try, and they are acclimatizing to the sweetness and starting to like the flavour of the sweet bread. It is something Guang and Heian found appealing, and perhaps one day, it would be just as flavourful to them as it always is for that girl.
Some days later, Guang was over Heian's bed, "Sis, wake up, let's go."
"Shadow is in the forest hunting. Where do you want to go?"
"But let's go there maybe we can see... him."
Heian ignored her and turned to the other side.
"Come on, we will go and make friends with them today, and we can eat some sweet bread too."
And Guang continued to come with reasons to make her sister walk with her to the market and meet that couple.
"Stop it, if Shadow is not there, he won't come either," Heian said in an annoyed tone half asleep. But immediately after hearing herself, she woke up scared. Heian looked at her sister and her expression, hoping that she did not understand her underlying meaning. However, her behaviour gave hints and sent her message more clearly to Guang. Heian being more involved in Aile's life and a secret stalker of Aile had over time pieced together this news. Now, in a moment of carelessness, she revealed it.
"You mean they are... THE SAME... yeah, that makes sense now... no wonder… no wonder. THIS IS GREAT. We can trade this information for a chance to meet Aunt." Guang had a complicated thought, she was happy that she had a bargaining chip to use. But she did not want to use it, her life and her sister's life had changed because of him.
'No,' shaking her head and removing such revolting thoughts. How could she not take this chance to see her Aunt, and more importantly, it will allow Heian to see her? Guang would sell Shadow out for a chance to meet her Aunt, and she would find a way later to pay him back. She could not let something else come between herself, Mei and Heian. Everything else holds little value, and she would be willing to give up on them? Her sister and Aunt always come first.
"NO," Shouted Heian, "That is not true, I was joking, let's go to the shop and see him." She was desperate and used her weakness, lying, in front of Guang. She was hoping that it would convince her otherwise. In desperation, mistakes happen more often, of course, she was unconvincing.
"Heian, what is wrong? We can meet Aunt with this intel, do you know we can use this information... Why are you not happy?" Guang was surprised by her behaviour. She thought, 'Isn't she always thinking about Aunt and calls for her in her sleep. So why?'
Heian started to weep.
After a while, all she could get out of her was, "Do not tell them, please..."
Guang calmed her down and had to find out why she was acting like this. She needed to hear her reason.
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The quiet and naive girl could not hold back, and she exclaimed her reasons.
"You are the smart one can you not already guess she does not want us. If she did, she would have met us already? How many years has it been...? You had seen what people do and what they are capable of do you really think she cares about us... If she could, she should have met us... do you really think we would be fine if she was not ok and had no power... after seeing how so many people behave... do you think she...
And... Him... Do you want us to be heartless and act like those bandits to Shadow and take away his joy? He gave us money, a house, a peaceful life. Why should we take his reasons of happiness away? How different will we be from the people we detest?
What happens when we make his life miserable, and we do not meet Mei. Why do you think they will allow us to meet her now?
Can Aurelius make us see her? Or do you think they will take the information from us by force?
I do not want to return to the bandit camp, and I do not want Shadow and the girl to be sad like us. Just seeing them from afar brings me joy. I do not want you to take that away, for a chance to meet someone that does not want to see us.
Even if everything works out, I can not live or sleep knowing that the happiness of ours is stolen from them. I do not want to be selfish..." Seeing the questioning gaze of Guang, she muttered, "This is why I did not want to tell you about him."
Guang was more hurt that her sister did not trust her with this information. Yet she also realized that she had some points. However, it was much harder for her to accept Heian's suggestions. She was leaning more towards the fact that there might be more at play here. Perhaps due to guilt, as the catalyst for all of this, Guang kept the hope of their reunion alive. But the reality was she was powerless, even if what she said was the truth, what can she do? As Heian suggested, she does not have the power to meet Mei safely or bargain with the bandits with the information.
For now, she would stay quiet, and although she felt hurt that Heian considered her heartless not to the bandit's level but nonetheless heartless. Her intentions were and have been pure. Plus, the action of using Shadow was not something that she wanted to do, but in the end to her, his value was much lower than their family reunion.
Guang reluctantly told Heian that she would not do anything to Shadow. But their relationship changed a little at this point, Heian became wary of Guang at this point, and Guang felt hurt from her comment.
Meanwhile, someone was watching the two from the sky and sighed.
The little crack formed in their superficial perfect-relationship, and soon years passed. During this time, the bandits were really happy with the sisters' contribution, and the sisters were accustomed to a new life in the town. The cracks in their relationship mended slowly with some effort, but the disagreement remained.
Guang looked at the situation and opportunity to use Aile's identity as a catalyst to right her wrongs. She also wanted this reunion to happen, and she could not understand Heian's adamant behaviour against it. She was aware that it was due to her that her Aunt wanted to join the bandits, and it was up to her to solve it.
Heian was scared. She was scared of going to the bandits and seeing carnage every day. She remembered the forced and happy moans at nights, the sobs of women the next morning, the blood, dirt, smell, and those dirty gazes. She could not understand why her sister would want to spend another second there. She had hoped and still hopes to see Aunt, but she also had experienced enough to know that people can change, and she might have forgotten about them. Plus, she knew that Shadow, Aile to be precise, had done nothing bad to them. When they need money, help, items or whatever else, he offers it to them. How can her sister want to leave such a life and betray such a person for an unlikely chance? If the success rate was even 30 percent, she would have thought about it. But she knows that bandits take what they want. If they could get better profits in such a lucrative business by knowing Shadow's identity, would they not take it? Only a fool would believe that their value was equal to so much profit that they could earn from pressuring him with the secret. Plus, he is also very good to the people around him, maybe he could help with finding Mei. Perhaps they should... Shaking her head with a blush and thinking it was just casual daydreaming, she once again planned to look for him. Her searches have been in vain recently. That girl has not shown up for years now. Without the weekly visit to the sweet stall, it was even harder to catch him outside. Guang and Heian have tried to enter the mansion, but a cunning maid called Zero always stops them, and they have failed to get passed her.