Halesia's sweet smile remained until she reached the gate of their house.
Her house is located in the suburbs and is more than three hours away from the academy. She stays in the dorm during schooldays and goes back home during vacation.
It was rare to have a long weekend, and they decided to go to a nearby scenic spot. It was supposed to be a three-manned trip, participated by herself, Ken, and Ryle, but somehow the other guys learned of their plan and tagged along.
"I'll see you at school, Halesia." Ken bade his goodbyes when they reached the gate.
"Don't forget to rest early." Ryle, who stood beside Ken, spoke.
They had just returned from a weekend escapade and dropped Halesia. Initially, Maxilleam was in charge of dropping her off, but midway through the vacation, he was summoned back to their home.
The remaining guys drew lots to see who would send Halesia back. Ken won, but Ryle's house was on the way, and he decided to hitchhike. In any case, they are classmates and considered the closest and most peaceful of the seven, excluding the twins.
The group has known each other or has been dangling around Halesia for more than a year. They had a tacit understanding of one another and tried maintaining an odd sense of equilibrium on the surface.
It's not like they haven't shown their ideas toward Halesia. It's just that the girl they like said that love is not her focus at the moment, and she sees them all as her friends.
Despite observing her affection for that fellow with the surname Lu they did not pierce her facade. They decided to indulge her "indecision" towards them. They would rather she not choose one and lose their chance of being with her.
Reluctant to let go, they then decided to maintain the vague relationship with her.
If the gossipmongers Eve and Halfise could hear their inner thoughts, they would simply scoff and say,
Eve: pfff. domesticated fishes
Halfsie: would you want some head on that green hat of yours?
"Well, thank you so much for these past days and for sending me home." Halesia's limpid eyes seem bright by the nearby lamppost. She fixed her hair behind her ear and continued with a smile,
"Be careful on the way."
"We will."
"Go inside. We'll depart once you head inside."
Halesia couldn't help but chuckle when hearing their words full of concerns.
"Byebye!" She spoke once again before disappearing from their sight.
***
It was the familiar dark living room that welcomed Halesia. She readily took her shoe off, mounted them on a rack, and changed into home slippers. Even without light, her moves were uninterrupted.
Despite returning to an empty house most of the time, Halesia still prefers to head home.
"Where have you been?" A hoarse voice suddenly rang and took Halesia by surprise.
"Ahkkkk!!" She screamed as she hurriedly flickered the light switch.
"M-mother?" The panic-stricken Halesia trembled as she looked at the woman sitting by the sofa.
A disheveled red dress, messed-up curly hair, and spent-up mascara on the other's eyelids are what met Halesia's astonished eyes. It was the first time she had seen her mother like this.
[ Is this mother? Why does she look like this?] Halesia pondered as she scrutinized the woman before her.
"We haven't seen each other for a mere few months, and now you don't recognize your mother?" Hemiura scoffed, annoyed by her daughter's expression as if she had seen a ghost.
"Mother, it's not like that." Halesia trotted by the sofa and hugged her mother's arm. However, the stench of alcohol and smoke caused her to hold her breath.
Trying to breathe normally, she questioned,
"Mother, I missed you. What have you been doing?"
Halesia wanted to ask why she was drinking alcohol again but was worried that her mother would scold her instead. She knew her mother's quirk of not insulting her beauty in any form and despised being questioned about her actions.
Hemiura didn't answer her daughter's query but said,
"Listen to mother, Halesia. I have something important to tell you." Hemiura took Halesia's arms away and looked her in the eyes.
"Mother, what is it?" Her mother's solemn attitude made Halesia nervous.
"We are going to see your father." With shining eyes, Hemiura spoke.
Halesia was dumbstruck for a moment. Then happiness spread from the bottom of her heart to every limb of her body.
"W-what? Father? Are we going to meet him? When???"
For the first time, Hemiura didn't get annoyed by her daughter's excessive questioning. She patiently answered,
"Yes, my daughter. We will be meeting your father soon. You don't know how magnificent your father is. I'm certain he will be happy to meet his long-lost daughter." She rubbed Halesia's hair affectionately, her eyes looking at Halesia like a trump card for a sure win move.
"Then, mother, can you tell me who my father is?" Halesia eagerly asked her father's name. Every time she asks anything regarding her father, Hemiura would find ways to circumvent it. Repeated disappointment made Halesia upset that she had rarely questioned her mother ever since.
Contrary to her expectations, the woman before her chuckled sweetly and answered,
"Of course, my daughter." Fixing her child's hair behind her ear, Hemiura continued,
"Your father is Sylvius Tang."
***
"Halesia." A teenager's voice called.
Halesia turned her head and mumbled, "Huh, what?"
"I've called you several times, but you didn't answer." Ryle, who sat beside Halesia, observed the girl's absentminded appearance.
Lowering her eyes and hiding a turbulent expression, Halesia lifelessly responded, "I'm sorry. It's just that..."
"Is something wrong?" The other questioned upon seeing her despondent reply.
Realizing her messed-up actions, Halesia immediately fixed her attitude. She smiled, albeit crookedly, saying,
"None! None! Nothing. Everything is fine!"
Ryle's brows immediately furrowed, thinking she hid her sorrows again. It's not right for him to force her to open up to him. Hence, he can only console and speak in a soft manner,
"Well, if you need help, you can always count on me, okay?" He rubbed her head in a loving manner.
"Yes. Thank you, Ryle." Halesia could only lower her gaze again, trying to hide her complicated thoughts.
It's just that nobody can help with what she's going through right now.
She took a book from her bag and tried distracting herself.
When Ryle saw this, he returned to his seat, forgetting the reason he approached Halesia in the first place.
Halesia glanced at his back as she flipped a page. She found a topic and focused on reading.
However, to no avail, Halesia couldn't comprehend a word.
She has been reading the same sentence for over a few minutes and can't discern its meaning.
Closing the book, Halesia decided to rest her mind, but her thoughts became even more turbulent.
Halesia is in an extremely complicated mood.
She recalled her conversation with her mother that day, and her heart ached.
At first, she was ecstatic, for she finally knew who her father was.
However, reality hit her like a train.
Sylvius Tang.
Of course, she recognized who that man was.
How could she not?
She has been watching every detail of his daughter.
Halesia chagrined to hide her wry smile.
It turned out that Evangeline, the person she had been envious of, was her half-sister.
She is a person pampered since birth, cherished by her family and Sarien.
How could she be so lucky?
Evangeline has everything while she...
Her fists clenched tightly.
Halesia doesn't know how to deal with it.
Should she be happy? She finally figured out who her father was
But she also has a sister. Not to mention that her sister made her feel tangled.
From the very first day, Evangeline's existence crushed her.
Everything about her brings a sharp contrast to their standing.
Be it looks, wealth, popularity, and love.
Sighing heavily, Halesia thought of the most crucial part.
The manner of her birth.
When Halesia figured it out, she was indignant.
She can't ask her mother about it because she doesn't know if she can accept the truth.
Her brain is not bad. She has researched everything she could about Evangeline before. Thus, she inferred why her mother hid the truth from her.
Ashamed? Hate?
Halesia doesn't know.
However, those facts made her pay more attention to her sister.
She lowered her hands and glanced at the horizon.
[Should I tell her?]
Such a notion popped into Halesia's mind.
Somehow, she wanted to see her.
[ What will your expression be when you learn I'm your sister?]
A weird smile not befitting her innocent countenance bloomed on Halesia's face. However, she didn't even notice it herself