Alice saw through her spirit sense how her brother shared a kiss with Sarina and mentally sighed.
"Well, it seems we got ourselves another sister, I still can't understand how it works, why Sarina and no other girls… maybe my brother has a thing for "damsels in distress", but if that was the case, we would have found another three or four family members in the past three years", she thought.
While they Aster and Sarina were enjoying the moment and Alice was trying to figure out her brother's "tastes", Kana was thinking about the image that reflected in the water.
"Why is big brother… kissing mom, is it because big brother saves us before?", she thought.
Marco did a better job as father than Robert, since he was her guard, he made sure that she didn't see anything unfit to a young lady while Sarina only taught her to not let anyone that wasn't her fated one touch her body, besides that Kana never saw their parents kiss, hell they didn't even held hands or things like that.
So, the base of her knowledge about relationships was the stories that her mother used to read her, in them the princess always gives the knight a kiss as a reward, so Kana didn't find weird that her mother was doing it, she saw Aster fighting for them, even when she fainted due to Robert's words, she could somehow listen to what happened outside so she was aware that Aster felt anger for her sake.
Then the fight occurred, and as things advanced, she saw the man that she previously considered her father turning into a monster, but even then, Aster easily defeated it, and not only that, she helped her overcome the fear she developed for that monster.
Previously what she felt for Aster was admiration, the first time they met she was in awe, a young blessed one who was also a strong cultivator is not something common after all, but it didn't stop there, she saw with her own eyes how Aster cured her mother from corruption something that was considered impossible even for the better doctors or alchemists.
After that she started to consider Aster as close friend, someone she could trust that's why she started calling him "big brother" more often, then the whole fight with Robert happened and she saw how he fiercely fought against the monster while protecting her and her mother at the same time, so her little innocent heart started experiencing new feelings.
She didn't understand why, but she felt a little tug on her chest when she saw the reflect that showed her mother kissing Aster, without noticing Kana was experiencing her first lovestruck, but unlike Sarina, she didn't understand her own feelings.
"I will ask mom why I feel like this later", she thought.
All the good things must come to an end, back in the gazebo Sarina stopped the kiss, because she saw through her spirit sense that a maid was coming to meet them.
Aster also noticed it but he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily, when she tried to stood up to return to her previous position, she felt Aster arm wrapping around her waist to prevent her from moving.
"A-Aster, a maid is coming and both Alice and Kana will also return, I don't plan to keep it a secret but I need to talk with my daughter first".
Aster smiled.
"I told you, once you accepted being mine, there was no going back, so don't get the cold feet now hahaha, don't worry about Alice… and Kana won't think anything if she sees you sitting next to me anyway".
Sarina sighed, she stopped trying to get away before she called her daughter back, both Alice and Kana stopped playing in the river and returned to the Gazebo, a couple of seconds later a maid told them that Orson asked for their presence.
Kana saw her mother was now sitting closer to Aster than before, and her eyes twinkled a bit, they all stood up and left, on the way Alice walked next to her brother and Kana was clinging to Sarina.
Once they were back in the strategic room of the castle, the harmonious atmosphere they had disappeared changing into a solemn one, the members of the court with the exception of the captain of the royal guard were all standing behind Orson, his face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot and his body was also trembling.
Aster frowned his eyebrows, he looked towards Sylas and said, "Old man, what is happening here?".
Sylas doubted for a second but he still answered.
"Those crystals were more dangerous than what we previously thought, apparently, they not only recorded what the kings wanted… but everything, without them knowing, the crystal registered all their actions and memories, and let's just say that many things weren't too pleasing to see".
Orson drank an elixir that Milia handed him, he took a deep breath to calm down and looked at Sarina.
"Please take little Kana to her room… the things we are about to discuss are something even I would wish haven't seen nor heard of in my life".
Seeing the serious expression in the face of the king, Sarina nodded but as she was taking her daughter to leave the strategic room, Aster handed her a talisman and told her something in a low voice, she smiled and then left the room followed by Kana.
While Aster sat down with his sister next to him, Sylas noticed his daughter looked happier than before, but unfortunately right now it was not the time to celebrate a possible "add" to his family.
The rest of the members of the royal court also took their seats and silence reigned over the room, completely ignoring the situation in the strategic room Kana was walking with her mother towards the room where they were staying and after doubting a couple of times, she decided to ask her what was on her mind.
"Mom, can I ask you something?".
"Mm?", Sarina listened to the slightly shy tone of her daughter and she patted her head.
"Of course, dear, you can always talk with me about anything".
Kana smiled.
"Is it normal to feel my heart racing when I'm near someone?".
…
Sarina had a weird premonition but she still answered her daughter.
"That happens… when you are with someone you like to be with, why do ask that?".
Kana laughed.
"I recently started feeling like that, whenever I see big brother Aster, I thought I might have gotten sick so I wanted to know if it was something bad, luckily it seems that's not the case hehehe".
Sarina almost tripped, she stopped walking and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"Ahem, dear, tell me do you feel anything else besides your heart racing… it's just so I can discard any sickness".
Kana contemplated things for a moment before she told her mother a list of how she felt lately.
"Besides my heart racing, I also feel happy when I see big brother and I feel comfortable when he pats my head… also when I saw you kiss big brother in the reflect of the river I felt a little tug in my chest, is it something bad?".
Sarina was speechless, "She saw us… sigh I get that Aster is quite cool and all that, but to think this little girl will develop a crush on him, perhaps our "preferences" are quite similar since she is my daughter, still I don't know how the hell am I supposed to explain this?", she thought.
They arrived at the room where they were staying and Sarina shook her head a couple of times.
"You aren't sick or anything, you just enjoy being with your big brother and there is nothing bad in that… as for the kiss, that was a way to expressing my gratitude towards him, he has done too much for us after all", Sarina activated the talisman Aster lent her and a barrier appeared around them.
She patted Kana's head and added.
"Once the meeting with the king ends, we will talk about some things, but for now be a good girl and stay safe inside the barrier, okay?".
Sarina was going to be attending the meet, so Aster gave her one of the barrier talismans just in case, at this point there might be more spies from Riga so it's better safe than sorry.
Kana nodded, the barrier covered the whole room so she could lay down in her bed and read a book or something to wait for her mother to return.
Once Sarina left, she placed two fingers in her lips and a smile flourished in her face, "I wonder if I can also kiss big brother like mom, he has helped me a lot after all, I will ask her once she returns ?".
Ignoring how lovesick was her daughter, Sarina returned to the strategic room, although she knew the situation was not good, right now the only thing she had in her mind was, how was she going to explain her daughter that she just literally started "dating" Aster a moment ago.
"Out of all the men in the world, she had to like the same as me… on the other hand if it is this way, I can at least be sure that she will be with a decent partner though, I need to speak about this with them later, stupid Riga continent I have more important things to deal with than their world domination fantasy, like the future happiness of my daughter!!!".
Aster noticed the troubled expression in Sarina's face and he asked.
"Is everything okay Sarina, did the talisman not work or something?".
Sarina came out of her daze when she listened to him.
"No, everything is okay… once we deal with this urgent matter, I would like to speak with you and Kana".
Aster nodded, he thought it was so she could tell Kana about the relationship they will be starting but this time… he was bound to be surprised about the subject of the future conversation.
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