Late at night, Samuel woke up to the sound of rustling coming from his door. Due to his special body, he was never a heavy sleeper. Sensing sothing was wrong, he made his way toward it to find a little girl holding a big pillow while rubbing her eyes.
" Hannah, What happened?" He asked.
" Brother, I can't sleep."
It was bound to happen; telling horror stories to children was never a good idea. Samuel glanced at the clock; it was already half past one.
" Co inside. Want sothing to drink? Warm milk could calm your body."
She nodded, but the problem was it would be hard to find soone awake at this hour. He could get it, but he had to leave her alone for a while.
" I will turn on the lights. Can you wait a few minutes? I will be back before you know it." She was hesitant initially, but it was bright enough for her to hold on for those few minutes.
Seeing her agree, Samuel rushed toward the kitchen. Coincidently, he saw soone walking in the hallway; it was one of the maids, who was wearing her nightgown and about to go to bed.
" Young master?"
" Oh, Cecile."
" Why are you rushing? Did sothing happen?"
" I need sothing from the kitchen. Can you bring up two glasses of milk to my room?"
" As you wish. Are you having trouble sleeping?"
" No, it's for Hannah."
" I see; it was bound to happen. I heard that she got pretty scared." She was the one who brought the snacks for the party.
" Yeah, It was a silly idea, to begin with."
She helped Samuel, and they both brought two glasses back to Hannah. The maid excused herself; she, too, had work to do in the morning.
Hannah crawled up to Samuel's side with a glass of milk in her hand. She silently sipped it while looking at Samuel. Her whole face was red, probably because she was embarrassed by asking for help.
" It is too hot? You can slow down; no need to force yourself."
" No, it's fine. Brother, I am sorry for troubling you."
" Silly girl, Don't you rember our promise? Big brother will always protect you!" Samuel ruffled her hair as it was painful to see her crestfallen appearance.
" Yes, I rember."
" Do you want to hear a story? "
" No, I don't like scary stuff any more." Hannah refused imdiately.
" It will not be a scary one, I promise."
They both settled down, Samuel turned off the light which alard her, but he bought a lamp, illuminated it and placed it on his chest. It was in a box shape which was perfect for the occasion.
He moved his hand above the light, which cast perfect shadows on the ceiling. It was clumsy, but Samuel tried incorporating Hand Shadowgraphy with his storytelling to make it more compelling.
" It is a forgotten tale about two sister princesses and how they saved the world.
A long ti ago, in a faraway kingdom lived two sisters
They had changing views on their country, the world and life.
The younger princess who lives in their country resigns herself to her fate, waiting for a prince to save the day even though she is not that interested in those types of things to keep the peace among kingdoms.
The older princess lived in Western Courts, where she studied and then returned to her hotown. She was smarter than everyone but always looked after her people, especially her younger sister. "
He tried the best he could with his gesture.
" It seems her older sister's country was superior, but she had respect for her younger sister, who saved her once from a calamity.
Then one day, a boy ca to their world, he had mysterious power, but sothing was missing. Although he could feel the power, he could not conjure it."
" Why?" Hannah asked.
" Because he lacked basic knowledge. But it all changed when he t the princess, they nurtured him, and soon, he displayed imnse strength enough to beco a Hero."
" Does he know magic?"
" Yes, it was magic. A very powerful one."
" But everything was more complex than it seed at first. Soon, an evil villain appeared, threatening to wipe out the whole kingdom. But-"
" But?" Judging from her reaction, she was intrigued.
" But because of the Hero, he was having trouble. He soon learned about the princess and took the younger princess hostage. She was always timid and weak because of that, he targeted her.
When Hero and the other princess learned about the kidnapping, they rushed to save the princess. Despite magic powers, Hero was struggling to defeat the villain. Now, they were at a standstill.
Neither one could overpower the other one, but the villain gained the upper hand toward the end. "
" Was he really that powerful? I thought the Hero always wins."
" Yes, it was a very strong enemy."
" But the older princess sacrificed herself to save the Hero in the final mont. That gave the hero power to defeat the enemy. In her final mont, the older sister pressures the younger sister to escape with Hero after he has taken care of the prophecy and defeated the enemy.
" Sister, I am sorry because of , y-you-" The younger princess cried, realizing that she had caused her sister's death.
In her dying breath, the older princess smiled; instead of resentful, she was happy that her sister was safe.
" Don't cry. You are much stronger than this. I am sorry I couldn't co sooner."
" No, I am not strong. If I was, you would not be in this situation."
" You are; you just don't realize it. Don't bla yourself; I will always watch over you. Always."
It was unfortunate, but from that mont younger princess no longer lived in fear. She took her sister's mantle and made the greatest empire in history."
" That was a good story, but I just feel sad about her sister."
" That is not the point. Sotis there are no happy endings in life."
" Hmm. I just-"
" I know, but she will live forever because whenever her younger sister is ntioned, they will rember the sacrifice of the older one." He continued before Hannah could ask more questions.
" It's already two in the morning. We better sleep, or mother will bla in the morning."
Hannah fell asleep while holding Samuel's hand. Although there was a lot on her mind, it was not scary thoughts.
In the morning, Samuel woke up to find various people crowding his bed. Laura was smiling while looking at two little kids bunking together. Unbeknownst to Samuel, they had already taken several pictures to commorate the mont.
Samuel could see Cecile at the corner, smiling knowingly. She was definitely the mastermind behind it. He had to shoo them away to avoid waking Hannah, who was fast asleep by his side. He could not move because his hand was still tightly gripped by her.
After the commotion, Carol ca to pick up her daughter. While Samuel was getting ready, Carol and Laura reviewed the photos. They were discussing which one was best for framing.
All in all, Hannah enjoyed her stay at the estate. She left after they made so future arrangents. Samuel knew sothing was on her mind, but he didn't press her for answers.
He would be ready when she was comfortable to ask for it herself. He could guess that question, but it was not worth ntioning.
Today, He had a special arrangent to visit the Headhunting Association. Robert had already inford them about his arrival, so he was not worried about it. He took David, as he was the only one available currently.
As usual, the convoy left with so people following its every move. Unlike movies, people with money are not idiots, especially the uber-rich.
David reached the location; it was a stylish five-story building that looked more like a restaurant than a business establishnt. But seeing a row of luxurious cars in the driveway, they knew it was the right place.
Walking inside with David, Samuel could see a few people at the entrance. They wore typical business suits but bulges on their side gave away their identity. They hired security, and through the glass, the whole place crawled with security.
" That is so heavy firepower. Are they expecting a raid?" Samuel whispered.
" You will find out soon. The person in charge is not ordinary. You have to be careful. I will call so of our people just to be sure." David said, accessing the situation. He had t the person before, but you can never be too prepared.
On his signal, five people appeared and circled Samuel and David.
Samuel had seen them before while training and rembered quite a few by na. But it was his first eting with this group; they had extre expressions like soone on edge.
" Uncle, this?" Samuel asked.
" I will introduce you later. First, let's finish the job." He dodged the subject.
" Alright. I am also dying to et this 'person'"
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