"T-This is our first time right? Going alone?" Fria squeezed her hands beneath her armpits and stared outside through the window.
The Wheelie jolted from time to time, and Enix and Fria sat side by side with their shoulders linked.
"Hmm." Enix's hand rested on the seat beside him. 'I am without mother...' He couldn't say his heart wasn't fluttering softly or deny his eyes which kept twitching side to side in frustration, 'Alone with my–'
He heaved a heavy sigh and his lips parted like the curtain on some play, "Sister."
Fria's heart writhed like a fish out of water, "S-sister?"
She repeated under her breath. As she iterated and iterated, her face twisted more and more, "How bland... never call me that again, Enix!"
Enix's vision shook and fell atop the hand pressing down at his thigh. His lips sealed—glued by the barrenness of his throat— and he traced the slender arm up to Fria's face.
'How sad...' He could tell, no, he was told! by something inside him, that she was genuinely sad.
"T-Then how should I call you?"
"In any way," She pulled closer to him, her quivering eyes overhung by tightened brows, "But not like that... that, that felt so... empty."
"Then... Fria?"
She paused, her eyes closed as if tasting the cracking of his voice before jolting open. Flashing a flushed smile, she nodded, "Yep! That's good."
Enix nodded. Fria followed in turn.
An invisible wall seemed to separate them, making them isolated and fall silent.
"Urh... umm..." Fria scratched her cheek sheepishly, "did you mean to say something earlier?"
"Oh! yes, I was wondering... why did you agree to this?"
"Hmm?"
"You could've rejected... you were about too... but you didn't for some reason after father mentioned of me too."
"Oh!" Fria's expression lightened, "I... I was..."
Her expression squeezed and turned, before with a sigh, words smoldered out of her mouth, "Uncle said that I wasn't fulfilling my promise... he had been sending me requests through his servants to visit him, but of course I was rejecting them... but, did that mean he could break his end of the bargain too?
"Did he believe that he could... defy me too?"
'Oh!' As Enix saw her face turn to the side, peering outside, the corner of his lips curled upwards, 'The odds of hearing this from a normal 3 year old... and the odds of it sounding so piercing instead of cute.'
Enix chuckled and maintained his grin. His lusterless eyes dried like a murky sky.
After a lengthy while the Wheelie halted, and Gruis opened the door, beckoning them down.
"We're here, young master and young mistress."
He motioned forward, "This is Sir Purtris, head butler of the household of Ululus."
The squared faced, thirty plus man bowed beautiful, "Good morning, master Fria and Mistress Enix. I am Purtris, please rely on me for anything."
Enix's and Fria's eyes met. While Gruis scrutinised Purtris's unfaltering gaze hooked to Enix as he rose up.
The air seemed to freeze as Enix met his prying eyes head one, before a polite smile cracked on his face and he motioned ahead, "Please, my master has been awaiting you."
Enix's vision shook, a booming step echoed in his ear, detracting him momentarily.
When he came to, he realized he wasn't the only one.
Fria paused and turned back, she asked, her words seeping out from beneath the disgusted wrinkles of her lips, "What's keeping you?"
"U-uh! I am afraid I need to get going, young master. Master told me to be back soon." Gruis bowed, feeling a trickle of sweat slide down to his chin and fall down as he lifted up.
Seeing Fria nod, he bid farewell and departed. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his sweat splatter on the ground, 'Haha! Stand upright, yet still submissive.'
'What just hap– Oh!' Enix's eyes fell atop the red cheeked, flustered, Purtris, as he bowed again and took the lead, 'Oh! Purtris was trying to pressure us, wasn't he? But Fria cut him short, taking the lead ahead even though she's clearly visiting for the first time.'
"Truly what I would expect... from a three year old." A grin stretched on his face.
Ululus's eyes fell atop Enix, "Hahaha! It seems my dear niece is quite delighted upon seeing me."
Enix's eyes snapped open, "Eh?" His grin withdrew back, 'Here already?'
Ululus smiled, "I thought you would be more restrained with the last event in mind."
Enix's eyes flapped like a bird with wounded wings.
Fria smiled in turn, and nodded, "How can we possibly be shy after the vehement display of our uncle's love onward said occasion?
"After all, here I was hesitating on your invitations, and yet your unbridled heart reached out to father and had us invited through him." A sly glint flashed in her eyes.
"Unbridled?!" His brows creased, his eyes somewhere on the reflecting glass of the table.
Enix's eyes drifted toward Fria and watched her grin as Ululus's head lowered in thought.
Ululus's chin rose, a snicker insensibly escaped him, "Might I arrange grammar classes for my precious, to-be, son-in-law."
"Hahaha! That is a wondrous thought, best kept buried in thoughts, my Enix here is more than sufficient in place of any instructor." Fria chuckled cheekily, and gently nudged the stiff Enix beside her with her shoulder.
"Ho?!" Ululus's face morphed in amusement, "May I then see my dear niece correcting our Fria, then?"
"Uh?" Enix's eyes jumped to Fria before Ululus, his lips moved about in vain, before his eyes froze into Fria's.
Some conversation seemed to move past them, and he forced a flatering smile and leaned forward slightly, sweat tricking down the side of his cheek, "I-I believe, at Fria's age, even the eloquence she bears is sufficient."
As his throat dried as if he had scaled a mountain, the door thrust open and a jovial pair of girls bolted in.
One dragged in hand by the other. Creating a ruckus with their noisy, clattering steps.
Fria's eyes zoomed over, and her expression changed as if a mosquito had jumped in her mouth.
"Seeee? I said the Charming Prince would be here, right?" Mirra let go of her sister's hand and, bolting toward Fria, squeezed her in a hug.
Enix's eyes glinted, a sly grin stretched across his face before creeping back, "Right? In contrast to ordinary, what, three year olds? Fria exhibits more refined and mature intellect. She speaks in reason, and shows cognizance of a sensible person. Contrary to children who barely know to put word next to word. Or even know to write the e of etiquette.
"More so, I believe it a pity that she be confined by her age's ilk— snotty brats incapable of even greeting properly. Hence, maybe I will take you up on the suggestion, and clean her rough edges a bit."
Fria's hand, about to shove Mirra off, halted. Her eyes fluttering as Enix's words played once more in their fine tone in her head, and the edge of her lips curled.
With a large grin revealing her gums, her eyes shot toward Ululus. Her head lifting high with the support of the thing bubbling in her chest.
Hearing the muffled noises, and feeling the trembling shoulders, Mirra looked up innocently. Her sparkling eyes fluttering softly seeing Fria's grin, "How beautiful!"