I managed to hide out until the afternoon but had to go down because my parents arrived.
It was good that the weather called for warm clothing, so piling on layers to hide all these marks wouldn't be too conspicuous.
I rushed over to my parents lest they think I was sick or something, and got my hair ruffled in the process.
Lucian similarly greeted my parents before asking about their trip.
He's capable of doing small talk when he needs to. Surprise, surprise!
On the other hand, we busied ourselves with baking and designing, teaching Lily how to make the cookies she liked.
We were having such fun that we barely noticed the arrival of unwelcome guests.
As Riri's lifelong best friend, I've long heard my fair share of stories about the holiday horrors. I just didn't expect Lucian to encounter similar difficulties.
