Chapter 166 - 164

Chapter 166: Chapter 164

I stopped breathing.

’Father?’

’Brother?’

The words echoed inside my head.

My heartbeat quickened when Gramps voice resurfaced from the back of my mind.

"Your real father used his ability to send you here..."

"You’re really from there..."

"Your real father..."

"Sent you here..."

I stared blankly at the crack in the door.

’...No way.’

My eyes slowly widened.

’Was Gawain acting like an overprotective older brother this entire time or was I just too dense to notice?’

Looking back, he really had been acting suspiciously brother-ish.

He nagged me every day, always complaining whenever I skipped meals.

Scolded me for doing reckless things yet secretly enabled those same reckless things anyway.

Carried snacks around because he somehow knew I’d get hungry halfway through the day.

Threatened to throw anyone who looked at me the wrong way into the nearest wall.

...

How did I miss all of those signs?

I thought he was just doing his job.

My tail unconsciously swayed causing the door to slightly move.

As my brain desperately tried to reorganize my entire understanding of reality, my tail began swishing back and forth on its own.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Creeeak...

Every single pair of eyes landed on me.

"...Blanca?" Kayden was the first to recover, immediately standing up from his chair. "You’re awake?"

Colt’s usually composed expression cracked. "How long have you been standing there?"

Remington, meanwhile, looked like his soul had just left his body.

"Please," he whispered, hands already clasped together as though praying. "Tell me you didn’t hear everything."

"BLANCAAA!!"

Gawain suddenly shot out of his chair as he sprinted towards me with both arms stretched wide open.

"My Lady!"

His voice practically echoed through the room.

My eyes narrowed at him.

’Oh, now you’re calling me "My Lady"? Real smooth, Brother.’

I lowered my body into a crouch, ears flattening as my tail started to puff up.

Remington glanced at me, then at the rapidly approaching Gawain. "I don’t think she’s running to hug him," he whispered.

Colt studied my posture like a wildlife documentary narrator. "I believe she’s hunting for a foolish snake."

A slow grin spread across Remington’s face. "You’re filming this, right?"

"Uh-huh," Colt was already grinning while a camera was aimed directly at Gawain.

Neither of them made the slightest effort to warn him as they took a respectful step to the side for a better angle.

"Landscape mode," Remington whispered.

"Already done."

"Perfect."

Meanwhile, Gawain continued sprinting towards me with the biggest smile on his face as he bent down, ready to catch me.

"My Lady—!"

I shot forward at the exact same moment and opened my mouth as wide as my tiny leopard jaws physically could.

CHOMP!

"AAAAOW!"

His reflexes kicked in as he instinctively let go of me.

Unfortunately, my teeth had other plans.

I was now dangling from his forearm like an exceptionally angry, fluffy bear trap.

"My Lady—"

CHOMP!

"I MEAN BLANCA!"

CHOMP!

"...Little sis?"

CHOMP!

"OW!" Gawain winced. "CAN YOU STOP ACTING LIKE A CROCODILE AND TALK?!"

My response?

CHOMP!

Across the room, Remington had completely lost it.

He was bent over, clutching his stomach as tears streamed down his face.

"I-I can’t—"

"H-He actually thought calling her ’little sis’ would fix it!"

Even Colt, the more composed twin, had lowered his phone because he was laughing too hard to keep the camera steady.

"This..." he wheezed, trying to straighten up. "This is going straight into the family archive."

Kayden slowly turned toward the green-haired man standing beside him. "Aren’t you going to stop them?"

The man was too busy wiping the tears of joy streaming down his face. "I’ve waited years to see this..." he sniffled.

"Sir..."

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen my children bonding."

Kayden stared at the fluffy leopard currently hanging from Gawain’s arm. "That doesn’t look like bonding."

"It is."

"She’s hanging off him like a Belgian Malinois."

The man gasped in offense. "How dare you call my daughter a canine?"

"...I was describing her level of commitment."

"She’s a leopard."

"A leopard with the work ethic of a Belgian Malinois."

"Sibling affection."

"Attempted amputation."

The man tilted his phone slightly to get a better angle. "Same thing."

Kayden blinked. "Are you recording this too?"

"Smile, kids!" The man ignored him completely, his full attention was on capturing every glorious second in high definition. "One day you’ll both look back on this memory."

Gawain looked absolutely betrayed. "Dad, help me!"

"No posing. Continue."

After another heroic struggle, Gawain finally managed to pry me off his arm and lift me into the air by my armpits.

I dangled there helplessly, my paws moving furiously in midair as my tail lashed back and forth.

"Nyang!"

Translation: I hate you!

Remington clutched his chest. "Did you hear that?"

Colt nodded solemnly. "That was the cutest death threat I’ve ever heard."

I pointed a paw accusingly at Gawain. "Nya! Nya nya nyang nya-ang nyang?!"

Translation: How dare you hide that we’re siblings?!

"I still can’t understand a single thing she’s saying," Remington admitted, watching my tiny paws wave around dramatically. "But she looks like a stuffed toy that somehow came to life."

Colt nodded in complete agreement. "I want to pinch her flabby cheeks."

I slowly turned my head toward him.

Excuse me?

My cheeks weren’t flabby.

They were simply...

Well-cushioned.

"Nya!"

Translation: Keep your hands to yourself!

Colt’s expression softened even more. "...She squeaked."

"I know," Remington said, clutching his chest. "She’s trying so hard to be intimidating."

"It’s not working."

"Not even a little."

I ignored them as I glared back at Gawain. "Nya ang nya nya nya!"

Translation: And why don’t we look alike if we’re family?!

Gawain pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

"...Blanca."

"Nya?!"

Translation: What?!

"I know you’re very angry."

"Nya?"

Translation: So?

"But to me..."

He shrugged helplessly.

"It just sounds like ’nya nya nya nya.’"

My eye twitched. "Nya nyang."

Translation: I’ll kill you

He smiled.

"See? I still don’t understand."

I calmly leaned forward.

CHOMP!

"OW!"

He pulled his hand back but I immediately lunged again.

CHOMP!

"Blanca!"

CHOMP!

"For the love of—"

CHOMP!

Remington slid down the wall laughing. "I can’t breathe..."

Colt quietly resumed recording. "...Worth every byte of storage."