TAK... TAK...
A soft, rhythmic knock sounded on the door.
"Big Sister Nat? It's me, Big Guy."
"Huh?"
sniff… sniif… cough
Natalia's voice was thick with tears.
"Big Guy? Come in…."
She slowly pushed herself up from the bed, the blanket sliding down her body revealing her beautiful semi naked body. She positioned her back against the headboard and pulled her legs up, resting her face on top of her knees in a small, protective curl. She tugged the blanket over her front loosely, covering herself from front.
But her naked shoulders, the delicate straps of her bra, and her entire bare back were in full view, but she didn't care. She was too emotionally exhausted to worry about modesty right now.
Big Guy came inside carrying a warm meal on a plate. He looked at her and immediately took in her state, the tear-stained face, the trembling shoulders, the defeated posture.
He didn't stare at her exposed skin. Didn't even glance at her naked shoulders or her bare back. His eyes stayed respectfully on her face.
Without a word, he set the plate of food beside the bed on the table and simply sat down on the chair next to her bed, his large frame settling into a comfortable position.
Natalia was still sobbing quietly, tears continuing to fall down her cheeks in silent streams.
Big Guy didn't say anything. He just sat there with a solid, comforting presence.
After quite a while, Natalia finally calmed down enough to speak. Her voice came out hoarse and broken.
"What? Don't you have anything to say to me?"
She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Everyone has something to say to me….. Do you also think whatever I've done is bad?"
She looked at him through blurry vision.
"You haven't said anything to me from the start. Tell me, Big Guy…..what do you think of me?"
Her voice cracked on the last word, she knew she had ruffled lot of feathers on everyone but Big guy just stayed silently beside her for the whole day, but now she wants to hear his words, she was waiting for judgment, for condemnation, for anything.... Just not silence....
Big Guy looked at her face thoughtfully and spoke in his characteristic straightforward manner.
"I try not to think too much. Brother Zack told me to protect you, and I'll do that regardless of my feelings."
His voice was matter-of-fact, simple.
"Zack, Zack... sigh."
Natalia's shoulders slumped.
"I had a weird dream. I can't remember much of it, but I think it was about my past with Zack and how badly I treated him. Seeing those things... it made me feel terrible."
She shivered, trying to grasp the fading fragments of the nightmare.
"Did you do bad things to Brother Zack?"
Big Guy asked the question goofily, tilting his head to the side with innocent curiosity.
"Hmm... yes. I did."
Natalia bit her lip hard.
"Very bad things.... And even before.... Big Sister Sasha lashed out at me for... you know... me nearly sleeping with Little Man."
The words tasted bitter on her tongue.
"That's not good, Big Sister Nat."
Big Guy spoke straightforwardly, no judgment in his voice but just stating a fact.
"Ha ha... I know, right?"
Natalia's laugh was hollow and self-deprecating.
"In the same way, I hurt Zack over and over again, one way or another. And I don't even know WHY I did it, despite thinking I loved him."
She sighed deeply, her chest aching while thinking about those memories.
"Sigh…"
Looking back now, it all seemed painfully clear to her. She had been such a mess back then. So many words, so many emotions, yet when it truly mattered, she had done nothing. All talk and no action.
"I was disloyal to Zack," she murmured quietly, the realization weighing heavily on her heart. "And now… when I think about it, I don't think I ever deserved him...."
Her voice dropped lower.
"My mind is a mess…... In the dreams, it seemed like Zack was always there, just watching me be a stupid girl my whole life."
She looked down at her hands, shame coloring her features.
"Miss Subordinate Woman or Miss Rugged would never act like I did.... I am sure they put action where their words lands...…. I feel like giving up."
She slumped down even more, her body curling in on itself.
Big Guy fell silent for a long moment, processing her words. Then suddenly, he spoke with genuine confusion in his voice.
"Did Brother Zack really suffer that much?"
"Yes... he did."
Natalia smiled sadly, her eyes getting teary again as the memories from her dream crashed over her.
"But then... Why did brother Zack still choose you???"
Big Guy's question was simple, innocent, but it hit her like a lightning bolt.
"HUH?"
Natalia's head suddenly lifted, her eyes widening. She spoke hesitantly, scrambling for an answer.
"Umm... well, maybe he can't leave me alone, and that's the reason I took his presence for granted. Because of this, I didn't care about Zack's feelings and just did whatever I wanted."
Even as she said it, her head started hurting again, the same confused spiral of guilt and self-blame.
Big Guy scratched his head in confusion, his brow furrowing. Then he said something completely unexpected:
"Big Sister, I think you're just stupid."
"WHAT?! HUH?!"
Natalia suddenly sat up straight, not expecting to hear this from gentle Big Guy. Her blanket nearly fell off completely, but she managed to catch it at the last second. She tucked it firmly under her armpits and placed her hands on her chest to hold it in place.
"Why are you cursing me, Big Guy?!"
She spoke with some actual energy for the first time, her shock overriding her sadness.
"Isn't that true, though?"
Big Guy's voice was earnest now.
"You keep saying, 'I hurt him, I hurt him.' Yes, you did," he said bluntly. "But Brother Zack is still with you. And you keep saying he can't live without you...….. Big Sister, you're looking at this the wrong way."
Suddenly his tone changed. The playful, goofy look he usually wore vanished, replaced by a rare seriousness. His eyes locked onto hers with intense stare.
"Brother Zack stayed beside you. Even after you hurt him."
His voice grew firmer with every word.
"That means that despite everything you did, despite everything the whole world could throw at him, he still chose YOU!!!! He decided to love you by giving his all, and he chose to stay with you rather run away from you!!!!!"
His passion rose, the words coming out stronger.
"There's nothing complicated about it. Stop twisting it into something else. You're only confusing yourself."
Leaning forward, he stressed every word carefully.
"You say you wounded him a hundred times. But on the hundred and first time, Brother Zack was still there beside you. So, either he's completely insane… or he loves you that much."
He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in and continued with soft voice.
"So, stop overthinking everything... and just go to him."
The words crashed into Natalia like a tidal wave, leaving her stunned in their wake.
Something clicked in her mind.....something obvious, blatant, that had been right in front of her the whole time.
She'd been staring at the problem endlessly, going in circles of guilt and self-hatred, but the solution had been present beside her all along.
She might be a rotten, flawed, broken girl... but he was STILL there. Still present. Still waiting for her.
Natalia's eyes suddenly shined with light, like someone had switched on a lamp in a dark room.
Her breathing deepened and became fresher, as if after a long, suffocating drought, rain had finally started falling. Fresh green leaves sprouted where there had been only dead earth.
Her posture became more relaxed, the crushing burden lifting from her shoulders bit by bit.
Her head, which had been filled with swirling, chaotic emotions and endless self-recrimination, slowly started to clear. The fog began to lift.
The pain all over her body, in her eyes, in her head, in her chest... All started fading away like morning mist under sunlight.
She stopped thinking about everything she'd done wrong.
Instead, she just pictured him, his figure standing beside her, every single day, without fail.
She started crying again.
But this time, it wasn't from sadness. It was from RELIEF. From finally being free of the constant back-and-forth war raging inside her head. From breaking the chains of guilt that had been crushing her.
AND SHE FINALLY FORGAVE HERSELF......... SHE TRULY ACCEPTED EVERYTHING ABOUT HERSELF......….
.
.
After a long while spent quietly crying, her tears gradually slowed. They were no longer tears of pain, but of release, as though something heavy inside her had finally been lifted. When she spoke again, her voice sounded lighter, carrying a faint, playful note.
"What if Zack hates me now?"
Even as the words left her lips, a smile had already formed on her face. In fact, she was almost grinning, because deep down she already knew the answer her heart believed.
Big Guy immediately caught that expression and grinned right back, matching her mood.
"Then chase him to the ends of the world!!!!! HEHEH"
He burst into laughter right after, his booming, unmistakable laugh echoing through the room.
Natalia joined him, laughing just as freely. For the first time in a long while, her laughter felt genuine, bright, and completely unburdened.
Outside the door, Miss Emmy had been standing there the whole time, listening. She finally allowed herself to smile with a small, satisfied expression.
"Big Guy, thank you...… Can I get a hug?"
Natalia's voice turned sweet.
"You hugged Emmy that time, but I was hurting too and you didn't come to comfort me! Humph!"
She pouted adorably.
Big Guy didn't say anything in response. Instead, he simply stood up and sat beside her on the bed. He carefully adjusted the blanket to cover her naked back properly, then wrapped one arm around her shoulders in a gentle, brotherly hug. His other hand rubbed her arm comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Big Sister.... Just like everyone says, Brother Zack and you are destined to be together."
His voice was warm and full of certainty.
"Hmm... yes. But for that, I have to become a worthy woman first."
Natalia nodded against his shoulder, her resolve solidifying.
"EMMY!"
She called out loudly.
"WHAT?!"
The response from outside was stoic and rude as always.
"I WANT TO TAKE A BATH!"
Natalia didn't mind Emmy's tone at all.
"FINE!"
Emmy huffed, then her footsteps echoed down the hallway as she went to prepare the bath.
Big Guy looked down at the warm food he'd brought, which had gotten completely cold by now.
"I'll heat it up again for you."
He picked up the plate and stood to leave.
"Thanks, Big Guy."
Natalia smiled happily at him.
Big guy just nodded and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Natalia sat alone for a while, her mind now actively thinking, but in a different direction. Instead of spiralling in guilt, she was planning.
What could she do for Zack? How could she become a woman worthy of him, not a princess on a pedestal, but a normal woman who could stand beside him as an equal partner?
She smiled sweetly to herself, then threw away the blanket with a decisive motion.
Her body wasn't covered in cold sweat anymore. She didn't feel the chill. Instead, she felt refreshed, like she'd been reborn.
She stood up from the bed and brought her arms up high, stretching luxuriously. Her beautiful, long arms and S-curved posture extended upward with flexible grace, her spine arching as she worked out the tension.
THAP! THAP!
She lightly slapped her own cheeks to fully wake herself up, then turned to look at the mirror.
Her smooth, sexy figure reflected back at her, curves in all the right places, soft skin, feminine grace. Even her own heart raced a little looking at herself.
"This body belongs to Zack now," she whispered to her reflection, her voice filled with quiet determination. "No one can touch it. Only him... and maybe them."
Her face turned red thinking about such possibilities…..Zack, herself, Miss Subordinate, Miss Rugged Woman... all together...
She fanned herself quickly with her hands, trying to cool down the sudden heat.
Her fingers touched her belly, feeling the soft sensation of flesh.
"Hmm, I've gotten a little fat... but it's fine as long as Zack likes it."
Then she cupped her breasts, which were slightly bigger than medium size, assessing them critically.
"Miss Subordinate Woman seems to have a perfect breasts size breast, and Miss Rugged Woman has bigger ones than mine. Hmm..."
She touched her sticky, sweaty hair next, which reached down to just below her breasts.
"Hmm, not too long or short, but my thickness is less. I think Miss Subordinate had very thick hair....hmmmmm yeah I think she had thick hair but I couldn't see it clearly though. And Miss Rugged also had cool hair."
She twisted a strand between her fingers.
"I have to work on my hair a bit. Maybe I'll change it a little to fit my own style better."
She turned around to examine her naked back in the mirror, looking over her shoulder.
"Hmm, my strong suit is definitely my lower half, my legs and curves."
She assessed honestly.
"But they also have those qualities... well, whatever! I'll do my best!"
Then her expression became more serious, more determined as she spoke to herself.
"But remember…..just like Zack took care of me all this time, I have to do the same for him now. Those two are already way ahead of me despite only knowing Zack for a few days. I can't lose to them."
She looked at herself firmly in the mirror.
"I hope they can accept me….. I hope we can all make this work together….."
Natalia talked to herself in the mirror for quite a while, making plans, building her resolve, preparing herself mentally for the journey ahead.
.
Only when Emmy returned carrying bath essentials did Natalia finally move.
She stripped off everything, her soaked bra, underwear and changed into a simple towel wrapped around her body.
When she stepped out of her room into the hallway, she saw Miss Expert Sister standing there, clearly doing her duty for protecting her from any unforeseen circumstances.
Natalia's steps slowed. Then, gathering her courage, she walked close to her and bowed deeply, her body folding at the waist in a gesture of sincere apology.
"I'm sorry! I was too harsh on you! Please forgive me!"
Miss Expert Sister was shocked at first, her eyes widening at the sudden apology. Then she nodded slowly and reached out to hold Natalia's shoulders, gently raising her back up to standing.
"It's okay... Master Zack already asked for forgiveness on your behalf, and he was the one who told me to come back. And he's worried about you."
Her voice was kind, without any trace of resentment.
"But seeing you now... I think he'll be very happy."
"How is he? What is he doing?"
Natalia asked in a low voice, suddenly desperate for information about him.
"He's... well, I think you should talk to him in person."
Miss Expert Sister answered carefully, not wanting to overstep.
"Hmm, he's probably cleaning up the mess I made, right? Sigh... I'll try to do better."
Natalia scratched her head in embarrassment, acknowledging her mistakes.
"No, no, Princess! You did very well! Just…."
"Just not enough. I know."
Natalia finished the sentence with a self-aware smile.
"It's okay. As long as I have Zack, I can win against the world! Hehe!"
She smiled brightly, very happy for the first time in what felt like forever and walked away toward the bath, leaving a stunned Miss Expert Sister standing in the hallway.
She watched Natalia's retreating figure with a mixture of surprise and hope while thinking about future.
"Perhaps... perhaps Princess was finally becoming the woman this city needs."
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
Forgive yourself for the things which comes to haunt you back.....It's okay....
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