### Chapter Fifty-One: Royal Palace Banquet (Part 2)
The sky-blue and white elegant princess gown billowed out like an umbrella, with layers upon layers of embroidered lace dancing in sync with each step, fluttering like a delicate veil. The entire dress was studded with sparkling crystals of all sizes and colors, and even her little face was adorned with light makeup, sparkling as if dusted with crushed gemstones.
The little darling descended the stairs, catching the firelight and everyone’s gaze, as if she were radiating a “bling-bling” effect, glamorous and dazzling.
At the same time, it also gave Lafael a “very heavy” vibe.
That dress must be weighing a ton…
It’s hard to imagine that when his “dead” sister reappeared before him, the first thought that popped into his mind was about her outfit—after all, it was just too eye-catching, almost blinding.
Lafael stood frozen for a long time, watching his sister clumsily make her way down the stairs, one hand clutching their mother’s palm with such force that her little fingers were turning white. Their mother was visibly straining as well.
They moved slowly, and the girl even limped a bit, with her footsteps creating a rhythm-less “thud, thud” sound. Suddenly, her small body leaned precariously to the left, and their quick-thinking mother swiftly caught her, pausing in silence, both wearing blank expressions. Once the girl regained her balance, they continued towards the hall.
She was wearing high heels…
Lafael raised an eyebrow.
And those heels were at least ten centimeters high; she was almost as tall as their mother now…
Ha, look at that sour face…~
Lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, when the girl finally stood before him under everyone’s gaze, Lafael suddenly didn’t know how to greet her, feeling a mix of emotions. Yet before he could sort out those feelings, she stumbled again, letting out an “ouch!” as she lunged towards him.
“Be careful!”
Lafael quickly reached out to support her, stretching out his arm straight to wrap around her shoulders in an awkward position, as if wanting to hug her but afraid of getting burned, just in time to prevent her from taking a spectacular dive outside the hall.
“Hiss—”~
The girl gasped, “Bro…”
That single “bro” left Lafael’s mind blank. He looked at her precious face, which had grown a tad fuzzy in his memory, and those sparkling, jewel-like black eyes, and in that split second of eye contact, he felt a lump in his throat, his eyes becoming misty.
And then she said, “Don’t move; I might have twisted my ankle…”
“……”.
The conflicting emotions swirling in Lafael’s heart—sadness, nostalgia—were suddenly muddled, leaving him unsure whether to cry or laugh.
His eyes were still moist, but a smile gradually spread across his face.
“You twisted it? How bad is it? Let me see, let me see…”
Mother Catherine who had just failed to support her, worried upon hearing that her daughter twisted her ankle, immediately squatted down to check. The girl hurriedly stopped her, “It’s fine, it’ll be okay in a bit; Mom, don’t move.”
After a pause, she added, “I told you I couldn’t wear this…”
“Move your ankle a bit, slowly. Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore, Mom. I’ll just go change my shoes…”
“Absolutely not.”
Catherine outright rejected the girl’s suggestion: “If it doesn’t hurt, then just walk. Once we get into the hall and sit down, it doesn’t matter what shoes you wear. It’s just a short distance; hold on a bit longer.”
“I can’t sit like this…”
“The dress support is soft; just lift the back a bit and sit however you want.”
“But this dress is so uncomfortable…”
“Be obedient.”
“……”.
Lafael stood aside, maintaining a rigid posture, glancing at his sister, then at their mother, unsure of what to say.
“Lafael, come help her.”
Their mother promptly gave him orders, transferring his sister’s hand into his grasp: “Any important stuff can wait until after dinner. Just support your sister and get her inside. Remember to walk slowly; don’t let her really fall. I’m not strong enough.”
As Lafael took his sister’s hand, he immediately felt her weight, his arm sinking under the pressure. This girl was practically resting half her body weight on him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to stand straight.
“Bro, slow down, okay?”
She adjusted herself briefly, taking a deep breath. Since she couldn’t go against their mother, this was the only option left. She didn’t understand why she had to wear such an extravagant dress and high heels just to celebrate her birthday.
“Mm.”
Lafael softly replied, using his arm as a crutch or support for her, and together they followed Mother Catherine towards the hall’s entrance.
With the commotion that had exploded, the sadness, nostalgia, and heartache that had stirred within him upon reuniting with his “dead” sister had nearly faded away. He calmed down, even though he still felt that brief, unreal confusion, but with his disposition, at least it wouldn’t show on his face.
“You really okay?”
Lafael asked after some thought.
However, when he turned to look at her, he caught his sister winking at him.
What does that mean?
He was taken aback.
Wait a second…
Did she just notice me almost crying?
Is she trying to interrupt my feelings, cover up my embarrassment, so I don’t have to risk a tearful scene in front of so many people by pretending to have twisted her ankle?
No way!
Although my sister is clever…
She can’t be that clever, right?
In a split second of conflicting thoughts, Lafael looked at his sister’s face, so familiar yet somewhat strange. He saw her smile, her eyes crescent-shaped like a moon, and softly, almost dreamily, she said to him, “Bro, long time no see.”
“……”.
That smile was as refreshing as spring, instantly bringing Lafael back to calm, his heart void of distractions.
“You little girl.” The man also chuckled.
He reached out with his other hand and playfully rubbed her nose. “At least I got to know a bit sooner than Pasifal, right?”
“Hehe.” The girl cheekily stuck out her tongue.
“Ah, whatever…”
Lafael looked at his sister, her warm yet mischievous expression, everything felt so familiar as if nothing had ever changed, just the way it always was.
“Welcome back.”
And thus, all the words swirling in his heart finally condensed into that one sentence.
Back.
That’s enough.
…………
Wow—
The siblings “linked” arms, stepping into the grand hall under Mother Catherine’s guidance, where a raucous scene unfolded before their eyes. In that moment, whether standing, sitting, casually chatting, or drinking, everyone had their glasses still up, and all gazes turned toward them in unison.
It was as if the whole space came to a standstill.
