Henrik didn’t outright say it was his wife, but Atlas knew she was the first person Henrik suspected. Still, one couldn’t point fingers just yet. Not when the bigger picture suggested sothing more than rely dethroning Henrik, but the total annihilation of the Bellemonte family in a war against the Order.
They didn’t think the wife wanted that. Hence, they refrained from speculating.
"Sis!!"
Lola was just about to step off the chopper when she heard a familiar shout ahead. Looking up, she saw Slater waving both arms wildly, a wide grin stretched across his face.
"Goodness," she murmured. "I thought he’d be a little more depressed."
Relief softened her heart as she clasped Atlas’s waiting hand. With his help, she stepped forward toward the residence where Slater stood.
The chopper’s blades whipped up strong winds, making it difficult to walk casually. Even so, people lingered nearby as the blades gradually slowed.
Considering the situation in the Ha region, one might’ve expected Ashkar to be sparsely populated. But that wasn’t the case. There were more people here—more specifically, more mbers of the Order from the Phantom Circle branch.
"Sis!" Slater hopped when they got close, arms spread wide for a hug.
At the sa ti, Atlas casually tugged his wife to his side.
Slater fell face-first onto the spot where Lola had been standing.
"Ack!"
"..." Lola pressed her lips together and glanced at her husband. "Actually, I want to hug him."
Atlas studied her briefly, then looked at Slater. A flicker of disgust crossed his face as he watched his little brother push himself upright.
"He hasn’t showered for days," Atlas said flatly. "You’ll faint from the sll."
"First Brother..." Slater rubbed his nose as he sat on the lawn. "What do you an I haven’t showered? I showered before coming here!"
Lola’s expression twisted. "Slater... that was days ago."
"Huh?"
"Drag him and toss him into a bathtub," Atlas ordered, turning to the guards nearby. "Now."
"Huh?" Slater froze as the people he’d been ordering around for days imdiately bowed to Atlas. A second later, all of them turned toward him.
He shook his head, but before he could attempt a dramatic escape, arms wrapped around his shoulders and legs, lifting him like a pig headed for roasting.
Watching this, Lola shook her head.
"Haha..." She let out a soft laugh, crossing her arms as Slater’s dramatic cries echoed through the area. "And here I was, worried about him. He seems perfectly fine."
Atlas, standing beside her, nodded while watching the scene.
" too," he murmured. "I was worried when I left him here. But... Slater isn’t the sa person he used to be."
Lola turned to him slowly and smiled when he t her gaze—relieved to see Slater, who never failed to act like their first child.
"Let’s go inside," Atlas said, taking her hand and guiding her in.
As they walked, she couldn’t help but joke, "I never thought I’d miss him, but I guess I did."
He didn’t respond, but he chuckled softly.
*****
Monts later...
Slater plopped down onto a chair in the dining room to have dinner with them. A small towel rested over his head, and he wore a simple shirt and pants—comfortable clothes he hadn’t worn since arriving.
"First Brother, Sis, the more I think about it, the more you two feel like Mom and Dad!" he complained, drying his earlobe with the towel. "How could you order people to throw into the shower the second you see after days?!"
"That suit would’ve lted into your skin," Atlas replied indifferently as he placed a napkin on his lap. "Jas would scream in your ear if he saw you ruin your skin."
Lola chuckled, resting her cheek in her palm as she looked at Slater. "You can hug now."
"No way!" he barked, making her laugh even harder. Then, as fickle as ever, he shrugged. "But... I do feel better now. I kept wondering why I felt hot and uncomfortable lately. Didn’t realize it was the suit."
Ever since Slater secured the governor’s residence and was placed in charge of overseeing the region, he’d been working nonstop. With no governor left to lead, and most of the Ashkar governor’s forr staff found dead or missing, the situation was far from simple.
Though there were no ruined structures or imdiate aftermath, the chaos ran deep.
"If Jas hears I worked so hard that I forgot what day it was—and even forgot to shower—I’m dead," Slater cupped his face dramatically. "He’ll work to the bone. Please don’t tell him."
Lola raised her brows instinctively and turned toward Atlas. Slater followed her gaze.
But instead of agreeing to keep it secret, Atlas said sothing else.
"Good job, Slater," Atlas said, nodding at him. "You worked hard this ti."
Slater blinked, stunned. His hand dropped from the table as he patted his pockets.
"Where’s my phone?" he asked suddenly. "I should’ve recorded that! First Brother, say it again when I find my phone—I want to show Penny and make her jealous!"
Lola chuckled as Atlas ignored him completely.
"Let’s eat," Atlas said. "I heard you barely ate anything."
"I’ll eat—but First Brother, you have to promise !" Slater whined. "Let record that!!"
Atlas ignored him.
anwhile, Lola smiled as she ate, watching Slater beg shalessly for a recorded complint just to show Penny.
I’m really glad... she thought, her smile softening. I worried for nothing.
Eventually, Slater’s energy settled, and he began eating properly. Midway through the al, Lola and Atlas filled him in on the current situation in the Ha region and their latest discovery. They also disclosed Henrik’s agreent and Atlas’s assessnt of the man’s reaction.
Then, Lola brought up the sketch.
"What do you think, Slater?" she asked solemnly, her eyes fixed on him. "Do you think... the people who approached you back then also approached lissa?"
Slater chewed slowly, allowing their words to sink in. He tilted his head, his gaze moving between the two of them.
"From what I know, they recruit people into their program who have potential," he said. "Not just potential, but people who can disappear without a trace, people no one would look for."
"If what Chucky-Wanna-Play said is true, then... it’s possible they recruited that ugly girl lili." He puffed his cheeks before carefully setting his cutlery down. "But confirming whether it’s lissa or not isn’t the most important thing right now."
Atlas and Lola knitted their brows, eyes locked on him. Slater cleared his throat and exhaled.
"What matters is finding this person—whether she’s lissa or not," Slater continued. "Because if they really did recruit her, then that ans..."
He paused, his expression grim.
"They gave her a mission." After a beat, he added quietly, "Just like they gave one."
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