Virena's touch was featherlight, yet the sincerity of her fingers tracing the sharp, handsome line of Kazien's jaw felt like a powerful physical anchor. Kazien, always so quick to mischief and so slow to genuine introspection, remained still beneath her gaze.
"Kazien, look at him!" Virena's voice, usually laced with playful teasing, held a rare, firm conviction. "Alvin is always by your side and never leaves you alone. Hasn't he sacrificed a lot for you?"
Kazien's gaze was already fixed on Alvin. The High Elf sat beside them, a shimmering pool of quiet devotion. Alvin had the kind of beauty that made one pause—delicate features framed by silver hair, and eyes that held the luminous, deep blue of a winter sky. But beyond the striking appearance was the steadfastness, the almost bewildering loyalty that Kazien had, until recently, taken for granted.
Slowly, Kazien raised his hand, which had been resting on the bottom of the bathtub, and reached out, his fingers finding and grasping Alvin's hand. Alvin's hand, warm from the water and slender, immediately grasped Kazien's hand in return.
Virena watched the exchange, a soft, knowing smile touching her lips. "You love him very much, right?"
"Yes, I love him very much!" Kazien's answer came out firmly, without hesitation, resonating with a sudden, startling clarity that surprised even himself. It was a declaration he hadn't fully articulated in this way before, not even to Alvin.
Virena nodded, the maternal severity softening into an earnest plea. "If you love him, never waste someone who is so sincere to you! There are indeed many cute and handsome men in this world. But, is there anyone like Alvin? Anyone who would trade their very identity for you?"
Kazien shook his head slowly. The memory of Alvin, in his natural form, was distant and blurred by time, replaced by the image of the man before him—the man who had agreed to become male, to become his spouse, simply to uphold a commitment and save his life. No, there was no one like Alvin.
"Isn't having an elf wife—or spouse, in this case—your hope? The hope you spoke of so often as a boy?" Virena pressed.
Kazien nodded. It had been his fantastical childhood dream, born from the stories of noble High Elves and their ethereal grace.
"Hasn't your hope been granted?"
Kazien nodded again, the movement sharp and decisive.
"If you understand, keep that hope and don't waste him who is now your destiny!"
Kazien's grip on Alvin's hand tightened, a desperate, reflexive clench. But his hands were shaking. From the trembling grip, Alvin could feel that Kazien was currently holding back tears that could fall at any moment. The casual, easygoing façade had cracked, revealing the raw, genuine fear of loss beneath. Alvin wanted to speak, to offer soothing words or a simple reassurance, but he didn't dare interrupt the conversation. This was a sibling intervention, and he knew, with the instinctive wisdom of his race, that Kazien needed to hear these harsh truths from his own blood.
Kazien finally spoke, his voice low and tight with emotion. "Even if I have to kill someone to protect Alvin?"
Virena's expression didn't flinch. "Try not to kill! We are a noble house, and peace should always be the first recourse. But if it's necessary—if his life or honor is truly threatened—or even if you want to declare war on those who have hurt Alvin, your whole family will definitely support you! We may tease, but loyalty runs deeper than magic in this mansion."
Virena slid off her brother's lap, the wooden bench sighing beneath her. She then patted the empty space she had vacated. "Alvin, just sit on his lap. He needs the physical reassurance right now."
Alvin didn't hesitate. He immediately settled onto his future husband's lap, his heart soaring with a happy, possessive feeling. He wrapped his arms around Kazien's neck and hugged him very tightly, burrowing his face into the warm scent of his skin.
"When the academy year starts," Virena continued, oblivious to the sudden, intimate shift, "where do you plan to live?"
"Maybe we'll both rent or buy a house," Kazien replied, his voice regaining its familiar lightness now that Alvin was securely in his arms. "Alvin said he wants to cook for me every day."
Alvin gave a small, contented hum of agreement against Kazien's neck.
"Is that so? That seems like the right solution for both of you," Virena mused, pulling the conversation back to the mundane. "You and Sis Selena are the only ones who have ever attended the academy. But Sis Selena quit."
Kazien and Alvin immediately turned their heads to face her, the revelation pulling them out of their embrace.
"Quit? Why?" Alvin asked, his curiosity overriding his shyness.
Virena shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "She said the education at the academy is of poor quality. All the nobles who study there are also only focused on showing off their noble status and their magic grades, not on genuine learning or skill acquisition. She called it a glorified finishing school for the privileged."
"So that's what life at the academy is like?" Alvin's luminous eyes widened slightly, the image contrasting sharply with the tales of high scholarship and rigorous training he had always heard.
"That's right! After we heard her story, Davin and I immediately lost all intention of attending the academy. Why waste years surrounded by pompous mediocrity?"
"But, I have my own goals for entering the academy! Hehehe," Kazien chimed in, a glimmer of his usual mischievousness returning.
Virena and Alvin leaned forward simultaneously, a synchronized movement of shared curiosity. They urged him to tell them about his plans for entering the academy, but Kazien, thoroughly enjoying the sudden attention, refused to say anything. He simply grinned mysteriously at the two of them, an annoyingly perfect, silent arch of his eyebrow adding to the suspense.
The curiosity they were currently feeling made them both even more eager to know. Even when Alvin put on a pouting, sullen face—a remarkably effective tactic that usually melted Kazien's resolve—Kazien still wouldn't yield.
"The more you stay silent, the more we want to know about your plan!" Alvin insisted, his voice a low, melodic plea.
"It's just like Alvin said! We're getting more curious, you know. Tell us!" Virena added, her voice rising in mock exasperation.
The combined pressure coming from both of them still couldn't shake him. Kazien just smiled broadly in silence, the secret feeling like a delicious, warm thing to be savored privately.
Let them guess, he thought, it's more fun this way.