"Aside from that, how could there be a knight interested in me? I am weak and not talented. An Elementalist knight should be destined to a powerful Elementalist girl. Am I right?"
"Well, that makes sense." Then why could Kazuto fall in love with his weak sister?
What he was most worried about now, what would happen if his sister found out that she had been claimed to be an inamorata by the black knight?
Hhhh... What would you do if I tell you someone already claimed you as his inamorata? Thought Richard.
"What? Is that true?"
Richard gasped at his sister's question. Seeing the look of shock and hurt in the eyes of his sister made him realize... He had just spoken his thoughts out loud!
"Ni... Niken." Called him nervously.
"I am an inamorata? Since when? Who?"
"Ni... That ..."
Before he could answer, Niken got up and went straight into the house. She continued to walk to her room then unbuttoned her clothes. She examined her whole body. She looked at her shoulders, arms, chest, wherever her eyes could reach. She wanted to make sure there weren't any symbols on her body.
She sighed in relief when she didn't find any tattoos. Ah, apparently, her brother lied to her.
How cruel! The joke was not funny at all!
Well, she was indeed laughing earlier, but now she couldn't laugh at all! The joke was not very funny now as she was too scared if her brother was telling the truth.
She was in love with Kazuto. Her heart belongs to someone else, so how in the earth she could become a knight's inamorata?!
That was ridiculous!
Niken walked back to the mirror to look at her back. Her back was peerless with no tattoos, no scars, or symbols of any knight.
Reflexively, Niken put her hair aside so she could see her back clearly. That's when she caught a black circle with a picture of a howling wolf in the middle of it.
Ba-thump! She could feel her heart stopped at the moment.
She could see the apparent black circle on her nape that was often covered by her hair. Of course, she couldn't see it. Other people won't be able to see it either because she often let her black hair loose.
Her eyes began to glaze-over, seeing the solid black like a tattoo.
How could she be an inamorata?
Kazuto... the one who was in her heart right now is Kazuto. But the black knight claimed her?!
Then what would happen to her feelings? Would it disappear if the black knight came to see her? Would her feelings change?
Why was fate so cruel to her? She had never felt parental love. She never felt the wholeness of a family. Now she couldn't even be with someone she likes?
If she forced herself to be with Kazuto, it would mean crushed the black knight's heart. With time, the black knight would be dead in pain and sorrow. She would become a killer if she didn't reciprocate the knight's feelings.
Her knees became weak, making her body slumped down. She sat on the cold floor with a blank expression. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. For the next few minutes, she just sat there, crying in silence.
Poor Niken. Only if she knew the black knight was Kazuto. She wouldn't be as depressed as this.
At the same time, Richard leaned his back against the door of his sister's room. He knew that Niken needed time to digest all of this. He knew his sister needed time to accept reality. So he didn't call her nor go inside.
Niken put on her clothes again before returning to meet her brother, who was worried about her.
"Niken, I could explain everything. The truth is... "
"Richard, I don't want to hear it. Can we talk about something else?"
"..." Richard looked doubtful and regretted his carelessness. He should have left Kazuto himself to tell Niken about this. But this mouth of his that could not be controlled leaked it away carelessly.
Ugh! He had wanted to tell Niken that the black knight he was referring to was Kazuto. Who knows, maybe the mood of his sister will improve. Perhaps his younger sister would instead rejoice because the person who claims to be an inamorata was none other than Kazuto.
Argh! Instead of thinking about it, he better tried to change the mood. After all, Niken did not want to discuss the matter of Elementalist knights. He would let Kazuto let his sister know about this by himself.
"By the way, how is your elemental water training? Any improvement?"
"Hhhh. They forbid me to use my elemental water energy. So I couldn't train at all."
"Why?"
"Don't ask me. They even not allow me to join any practical class." ranted Niken as her mood was not as good as earlier.
Richard sighed. Kazuto's protective attitude was very excessive. Richard himself was not too extreme in protecting his only younger sister.
Besides, Niken was currently in the spirit of enthusiasm to control her water elemental. Why do they have to forbid her?
"How about you practice now? I could keep you company you if you want."
"Really?" Niken's eyes sparkled.
"Of course." Richard chuckled at how quickly his sister's mood changed. "I will get the water for you."
While Richard fetched a bucket of water, Niken waited outside. She did not want to think about being an inamorata. As long as she could still be with Kazuto, she wouldn't care about anything.
Not long after, Richard came out carrying a bucket of water.
The last lesson she learned was transforming the water into several bubbles. She tried it again, and as usual, she managed to do it. The question was whether she could maintain that form or not.
"Wow, you can create water bubbles. That's amazing." Praise Richard.
His eyes focused on the bubble, not realizing his sister got a headache. When the bubbles burst suddenly, a loud 'bang' noise was heard from the side.
He saw his sister laid on the ground with a pale white face.
"Niken!"