Epilogue

Ten years later

"Brother Liam! What are you doing out there?!"

I tore my gaze away from the light fluttering of snowflakes and glanced back at our house curiously.

A fiery little girl came flying out the back door with a flurry of blankets.

And before I even knew what had happened, I was bombarded with a pile of soft wool and pulled down to her height by the blanket hooked over my head.

A familiar head of warm hazelnut curls and bright silver eyes popped up into my view with a big pout gracing her lips. Not caring for the fact that I was a full ten years older than her, she harshly scolded, "It's too cold out here! Are you trying to make Mom and Dad worry?"

I chuckled softly at her antics.

Though she was a tad overprotective, I had to admit that it was getting a bit too cold for me to handle, but I honestly liked the snow too much to give it all up.

After all, it was my favorite season.

It was the time of year when all the best things in my life happened.

Getting saved by Mom when I felt like I had hit rock bottom.

Finding Dad who lifted me up more than anyone else.

Meeting Reverie for the very first time, my adorable little sister who could light up anyone's world with a single smile.

Unfortunately, due to the whole fiasco with my biological parents, I lost one of my lungs to the gunshot wound with the bullet just barely dodging all my vital points, making it difficult for me to stay out in the cold for long. I was glad that I managed to miraculously survive the whole ordeal, most likely to Dad's frightening threats to end the careers of any doctors who failed to save me, but I still often found it hard to breathe in freezing temperatures.

I remembered how worried Mom was during the first winter season when I had to deal with only one lung. I had always liked playing in the snow with her and didn't notice how shallow my breathing had become until I suddenly collapsed from pigheadedness.

After that event, Mom and Dad became even more protective over me and forbade me from overexerting myself or staying out for too long. They were so protective that I wasn't even allowed to go outside during the winters unless our family's guards were holding heaters around me from all sides.

I couldn't help grimacing at the memory.

My parents truly were more than just overprotective, but I never held it against them. I knew that they were only like that because of everything that had happened. I remembered how traumatized Mom had been for months after I was shot. How badly she trembled in fear of losing me every time my breathe became a bit too shallow whenever I exerted a bit too much force.

They just didn't want to risk losing me again.

But if I had to go back to that day, I was sure that I would make the same decision again. I would do anything to keep my family safe.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

I turned my attention back down to my five-year-old little sister, quirking an eyebrow at her dramatic stance with both of her hands propped up against her hips. She stared down at me with a fiery expression as if it would make me back down, but it was honestly more adorable than anything else.

She huffed and quietly grumbled under her breath, "You never listen to me even though I only want what's best for you..."

My eyes widened slightly, not expecting such a sudden confession.

Though she could be a little rough around the edges at times, she was still the precious daughter of the Cordova family and my adorable little sister. Mom and Dad had a bit of trouble conceiving a child together after her first miscarriage and the trauma of nearly losing me, but after 5 years of patience, they were eventually gifted a wonderful little girl to call their own.

Reverie Valkry Cordova.

My baby sister.

She was the perfect mix between my parents with Mom's graceful features and Dad's fiery nature. She was just as clever as she looked and had no trouble speaking out to anyone who crossed her. She knew how to use our family name and yet was never arrogant about it.

Everyone doted on her, but I never minded the divided attention because I truly adored her just as much.

Even though I was ten years older than her, Reeve always looked out for me as if she was my older sister. And despite all her crass words, I could tell that she loved me just as much as I loved her.

So how could I ever hate such a wonderful baby sister?

Ignoring her light grumbles as she continued to reprimand me for being reckless under her breath, I calmly scooped her little body up into my arms and slowly started to made my way back toward the house.

Her voice hitched the moment I lifted her off her feet and stammered, "W-What are you doing? Y-You're going to hurt yourself like this."

I playfully rolled my eyes and replied, "I know that I'm not as big or strong as Dad, but I can still at least carry my baby sister."

I was on the leaner side, closer to Uncle Reegan's build than Dad's, but I was also quite tall for my age at just half a foot shorter than Dad. To add on, Reeve was also on the smaller side in comparison to other kids her age, and it would be no surprise if she eventually turned out to be as short as Mom.

She held the blanket securely over my shoulders and looked at me worriedly. "Isn't it hard for you to breathe right now? I don't want to make it worse..."

I kissed the side of her temple lovingly, "Don't worry your little head over it. Can't you see I'm doing just fine?"

She pursued her lips but eventually nodded reluctantly, giving in to my words. She leaned against my chest quietly as she watched me slowly make my way back inside.

Once we were inside, we were met with the light chatter of several different voices.

I raised an eyebrow at the sound as I brushed the snow off of our heads, but Reeve seemed to recognize the voices almost immediately.

She immediately hopped out of my arms and eagerly scurried to the kitchen, screaming, "Aya! You're here!"

I shook my head in amusement as I quietly trailed after her. She was always like this when Uncle Benedict's family came over, but I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised.

Despite all their drama, Uncle Benedict and Auntie Haraya eventually got married and had a baby girl around the same time Mom and Dad had Reeve. And with how close they were to our family, they often came over to our house during most weekends and holidays.

After all, their daughter was the same age as Reeve, and it was no surprise that Reeve quickly claimed their daughter as her best friend.

I walked into the kitchen behind Reeve, watching as she tackled her friend to the ground, and waved at the Serman family along the way.

Auntie Haraya perked up at the sight of me and cheerfully greeted me, "How have you been, Markliam? You look as if you grew another few more inches since I last saw you!"

I chuckled softly at her antics and replied, "You were here just last week. There's no way I could've grown that much in a single week."

She waved her hands as if to brush off my words. "Now, now, child. You know what I mean. Stop giving me so much sass."

I rolled my eyes, going along with her teasing, as I made my way over to my mom's side, glancing over her shoulder to look at what she was making.

Mom smiled warmly up at me when she noticed my hovering figure and quietly waved for me to bend down.

Adhering to her silent command, I leaned down to her height and watched as she brushed a bit of snow off of my head.

She asked, "Were you standing out in the snow again?"

I hummed softly, leaning ever so slightly into her touch.

"I figured when I saw Reeve run out all of a sudden with a bundle of blankets again."

I mumbled, "She's just being too protective. I'm perfectly fine. What kind of older brother would I be if I toppled over from a bit of cold air?"

She raised a hand up to her lips, giggling ever so softly. "She only does it because she loves you so much."

I sighed, "I know..."

She continued to pat my head quietly, "You're breathing still seems a bit shallow, though... Why don't you get yourself a glass of warm apple cider? I just made a batch, and it's still in the pot on the stove."

I nodded obediently as I pulled away from her hand, turning around toward the stove as instructed.

An overly exaggerated gasp sounded the side as Uncle Benedict childishly exclaimed, "Why he's always like a giant puppy with you?! He's always so mean to me!"

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to turn around to acknowledge his statement, as I continued to pull out three cups from the cabinet and worked on pouring out the warm drink.

Mom's soft giggles echoed through the kitchen, amicably replying, "I guess he just takes after his dad."

An unsatisfied huff sounded from the overgrown manchild.

I calmly turned around with the three cups on my tray and bluntly replied to him, "I'll listen to you when you can actually beat me in any game."

He childishly crossed his arms and pouted, "How am I supposed to win against a certified genius? You always find some trick to win, even when I try to challenge you to a physical game."

I smirked and purposely jabbed at him, "I'm not too smart. Rather, you're just too dumb. Dad can still win against me half the time, and even Mom can beat me if we play Scrabble."

He gave me the stink eye before turning away from me and grumbling unhappily under his breath as Auntie Haraya tried to soothe him with soft strokes to his head.

Unfazed by his usual behavior, I placed my cup on the counter and made my way over to the two little girls with two smaller cups of warm apple cider in hand.

Reeve was chatting happily away with her friend on the sofa in the living room.

Hiraya Beatrice Serman

The girl was just as small as my sister, with pin-straight dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes that popped out distinctly against her pale skin. She was dressed in a cute little knitted dress, just like my sister.

The two could've easily passed as sisters, but my sister was definitely the more lively one of the two.

Since Hiraya was on the quieter and more timid side, her parents were a bit worried about her getting bullied by the other kids at the academy. But I didn't think that would an issue at all.

She was a good balance for my sister, and I was more than sure that Reeve would pummel any kid who tried to hurt her friend.

I squatted down in front of the two and greeted, "Hello, Hiraya. Are you having fun with Reeve?"

She immediately froze in my presence, eyes widening like round saucers like usual. A light pink hue decorated the tops of her cheeks as she shyly stuttered, "Y-Yes, L-Liam."

I offered the drinks to the two little girls, "Would you like some? Mom just finished making it."

Reeve eagerly accepted the cup, brashly exclaiming, "It smells great!"

But Hiraya was a bit more timid, carefully wrapping her little hands around the cup. Cheeks turning a bit pinker when her fingertips brushed against mine. "T-Thank you..."

I guess I should've mentioned that Hiraya seemed to have a bit of a crush on me. She was only five years old, a full ten years younger than me, so I didn't take it too seriously, but it was still a bit amusing to watch her blush every time I was near.

"I'm glad you like it. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so try not to snack too much before then." Pressing my hands against my knees, I made a move to straighten back up, ready to go back to the kitchen to help Mom with dinner preparations.

But I was surprisingly stopped by a pair of little fingers pinching on the edge of my sleeve.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at the little girl. "Hiraya?"

Her blush turned into a deeper shade of pink at the sound of her name.

"Did you need something?"

Unable to lift her eyes from the ground, she meekly replied, "I, uh... M-My parents said that y-you were leaving f-for Europe soon..."

I quirked an eyebrow in confusion, "I am..."

After what had happened with my biological parents, I decided to take over Cordova Industries as Dad's heir. I hated being so helpless and wanted the power the protect my family, so it wasn't a hard decision to make.

I had already finished my graduate degrees ages ago and recently completed training under my dad's guidance at the New York office, so he thought I was ready to try to direct an office by myself and planned to send me to Europe to handle the European branch by myself.

Hiraya's grip on my shirt tightened, eyebrows furrowing as she asked, "H-How long w-will you be gone for?"

"Maybe for about five years..."

She pursed her lips. "W-Will you visit d-during the holidays?"

I hummed quietly in thought.

Although the official reason for sending me to the European branch was for me to gain experience, the real reason was that Dad needed some help uprooting the rats hiding out in that branch. It wasn't something that could be handled easily.

I patted her head softly, "Probably not..."

Her expression immediately fell.

"But I won't always be gone forever. I'll eventually come back since my home will always be here."

She nodded amicably.

Tugging on my sleeve gently, she shyly asked, "C-Can you wait here for a s-second? I-I have something I w-want to give you."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity and silently nodded in agreement.

I watched as she hopped off the sofa with a little oomph and scurried off toward the foyer.

I glanced back at my sister, wondering if she knew anything about Hiraya's odd behavior, but she didn't seem to notice anything off about her friend at all. Instead, she was fully immersed in her drink and happily snacking away on Mom's homemade butter cookies.

A soft pattering grew closer as the little girl came back toward us, now with a slim black box in her hands.

She peered up at me with her bright green eyes and timidly stuttered, "I-I g-got you a p-present as a g-going away g-gift."

"Thank you, Hiraya." I gratefully accepted the present with a warm smile, not expecting such a little kid to think of such a thing. "May I open it right now?"

She nodded.

I carefully pulled one end of the ribbon, smoothly unraveling it in one go. I lifted the cover off, revealing a sleek dark green fountain pen with gold ends and an intricate hand-drawn flowery pattern.

Fidgetting with her fingers, she shyly explained, "I-I wanted to get you s-something before you l-left, and y-your mom m-mentioned that y-you broke your p-pen recently, s-so I s-secretly asked m-my nanny to help me get this f-for you with some of my C-Christmas money."

It was both pleasing to a mature eye while still maintaining an essence of childlike innocence, reminding me of the one who had picked this out specially for me.

"I-I k-know that it's not very fancy, b-but I hope y-you like it."

I chuckled silently at her adorable behavior. She was honestly such a good kid.

Ruffling her hair, I reassured her, "I love it, Hiraya. I'll use it every day."

Her face turned bright red from my actions. I could almost see the steam comically coming out of her ears.

I guess I was teasing her a bit too much.

Removing my hand from her head, I stood up from my spot and waved goodbye to the two, "I'll be taking me leave first. Thank you for the gift again, Hiraya."

She wordlessly nodded, holding the top of her head with both of her hands with a bright red blush ordaining her cheeks.

I chuckled softly and quietly excused myself.

Making my way back to the kitchen, I found all the adults huddled around the kitchen island and chattering animatedly to themselves.

My eyes softened as they noted how much they loved each other.

No matter how much Uncle Benedict and Auntie Haraya bickered with each other, they still only found solace in each other at the end of the day. A single stroke of her head from Uncle Benedict could calm her fury in seconds, and all it took to silence Uncle Benedict was a kiss from his wife.

But the relationship that I loved the most was the one between my mom and dad.

I watched from the doorway as Dad smoothly walked up right behind Mom and gently wrapped his arms around her as the first thing he does everytime he comes back, leaning down to whisper what was most likely a series of mushy loving words against her ear. The way he treated her so gently even though he was more than twice her size. The way he only softened for Mom, treating her like she was his entire world.

The way Mom melted under his touch, making the brightest of smiles only when he was next to her.

He was her perfect match.

The only one who could make her feel completely safe, safe enough that she no longer felt the need to hide herself.

Even after ten years of marriage with an endless number of ups and downs.

Through every heartbreak.

Every breakdown.

Every smile.

And every laugh.

They were still going strong and acting like a bunch of fools who never left their honeymoon phase.

The infamous story of the king who had finally found his queen after so many years of waiting.

A story that I could only hope to get one day.