Make Our Family Great Again – Chapter 67

I headed toward the bed, following Felicita’s instructions.

As soon as I perched on the edge, she enveloped me in a hug.

It felt like I was caught in a Venus flytrap, but I refrained from uttering such a comparison.

“….”

“Feli?”

Her first action after hugging me was to check my scent.

For a moment, I thought to myself that it was a good thing I had bathed before coming here.

“Are you still using that soap?”

“Well, yeah. Elena doesn’t really care about those things.”

“Yep, it definitely shows. She’s quite lacking in attention to detail.”

An unexpected talk about soap. It might seem a bit random.

One of the things Felicita had done behind Elena’s back while we were meeting was to make sure I used items to her liking.

To borrow her description, one of those items was a luxury soap that smelled ‘fresh and cozy.’

Getting someone you love to smell like the scent you prefer.

That was so quintessentially Felicita. It’s something that could often happen between ordinary couples.

“Feli, there’s really no need to put down Elena.”

“…Does that mean I’m more attractive? I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“….”

[Dreams are better interpreted than dreamed.]

That’s not what I meant, but just then, words appeared beyond the window of the room. It seemed even the status screen was on the same wavelength as me.

“So, what did you talk about with Veronica? Judging by how late you woke up, it seems it wasn’t a short chat.”

“Yeah, we actually have more in common than I expected.”

“You both dislike Elena?”

“That’s part of it.”

Felicita answered quite honestly. It was a somewhat sensitive topic, but it was the kind of answer that showed she never lied in front of me.

“Veronica mentioned that to me as well.”

“What did she say?”

“She congratulated me on you being pregnant with my child.”

“…I wish you two had met a bit earlier.”

It sounded like Felicita meant it. I could tell just by looking at her expression.

“So what did you tell Veronica?”

“Aren’t you curious about what I heard rather than what I shared?”

“That’s true. Then let’s hear both.”

Felicita unconsciously hugged me tighter at my adorable reaction.

Originally, she wasn’t someone with a strong sexual drive… but her husband was just too attractive.

Despite seeming cold on the outside, every small action contained consideration for others.

There was a slight change in Felicita’s pupils.

Usually, her pupils were no different from an ordinary human, but occasionally, when she got emotional, they would elongate vertically.

Like a dragon.

After all, she was a distant descendant of a golden dragon.

I raised my head to meet her dangerous gaze looking down at me.

“….”

Her purple eyes, shimmering like the Milky Way, had vertical black pupils.

“Feli?”

‘I will definitely crush him!’

Felicita thought that to herself as she continued the conversation.

Luke thought the dangerous moment had passed when she focused back on the discussion, but that was a wonderful miscalculation.

“Luke, I hope you don’t hate Veronica too much.”

“…I don’t hate her.”

“That’s not enough. You didn’t know before, but now you know she’s your biological sister.”

Felicita couldn’t tell her husband all the stories she heard from Veronica.

That was understandable, as she had poured out stories for over three hours. Even for Felicita, who had a lot of patience, that would be quite exhausting.

Of course, there were many understandable aspects while listening since the stories concerned her husband.

“I finally met a brother I wished to see and possess my entire life.”

“Feli. I can understand that, but that’s completely different from seeing me as a man…”

“Don’t worry.”

Felicita interrupted Luke’s words in an instant. It was behavior she wouldn’t normally exhibit.

Luke, unsure, raised his gaze again.

“Felicita, seeing your expression makes me worry about things I shouldn’t be worried about.”

She was staring at me with wide-open eyes, almost as if possessed by madness.

“If it were me, I could handle her well.”

“….”

New words appeared on the window again. This time it was a deeply profound statement.

[There is always a price to pay for trying to change someone.]

It was like a premonition of Felicita’s failure, but I decided to focus on my conversation with her.

“And by the way, I have something to show you.”

“What is it?”

“Just a moment.”

Felicita looked reluctant to let go of me from her embrace.

“Here, look.”

“What is this?”

As I asked, I took a document out of a yellow envelope.

It contained information about a woman. The format resembled a public document….

“Is this…?”

“Yes, that person is your and my birth mother.”

Felicita explained the source of the document. It was from Veronica. Her words that she could prove our sibling relationship came back to mind.

At the top of the document, there were names and surnames that meant nothing to me.

Moreover, there were records of multiple births and abandoned children every time.

Taking a closer look at the records, there were ones that seemed linked to both me and Veronica. Considering my age, it fit perfectly.

“….”

“Luke, I’m sorry.”

Once I verified the necessary information and hurriedly put the document away, Felicita apologized to me. She shouldn’t have to apologize at all.

“It’s fine. Anyway, this definitely confirms that Veronica and I are siblings.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

After confirming the document she had shown me, Felicita carefully stored it again. Considering her personality, I figured she would definitely show it to Elena.

“Luke, by the way, I heard a lot about you from Veronica.”

“Really? I knew nothing about her.”

“It seems that Carmen didn’t allow her to approach you. Still, Veronica came to see you frequently because she wanted to.”

“….”

That was a part I had never known.

Actually, I sometimes felt like someone was watching me. Of course, it couldn’t have been all Veronica… could it?

“The parents who raised her were Rita Carmen. Since she lived only for you, I suppose it all makes sense.”

“That makes sense.”

“And I think I might have seen you and Elena playing together from afar.”

“….”

It may have been a miracle that Veronica didn’t interfere with Elena.

“I think I remember your appearance vividly from that time.”

“What was I like?”

“You looked small and had half-closed eyes, tired out.”

“….”

“Even then, you worked hard to play with Elena.”

After describing it like that, Felicita commented that I might not be much different now.

“I guess I enjoyed hearing about you more than I expected?”

“Yeah, since it was a story I didn’t know. And Veronica really looked happy when she talked about you.”

Felicita’s expression while saying that also appeared genuinely happy.

“….”

“Luke, so promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Without even asking what it is?”

I didn’t need to ask; it was obvious.

“I’ve been doing well as someone’s older brother so far. That should be easy.”

“True. Elena hasn’t been the best little sister.”

“Feli.”

“I’m not trying to insult Elena… it’s just the truth.”

Felicita seemed to be unaware of the concept of factual defamation. It was a concept that was obvious in the world I came from.

We continued various conversations afterward.

As I talked while being held by Felicita, I felt so comfortable that my eyes began to close unconsciously.

“Luke.”

“Yeah?”

“I heard they’re bringing in the drugs today. How about taking a quick nap?”

“…Should I?”

*

That was the last of my memory. When I opened my eyes again, it was already evening.

“Ugh?!”

I checked the time calmly with dilated pupils. Meanwhile, Felicita was sleeping while hugging me.

“….”

I hadn’t expected the aftermath of Veronica holding Felicita would be this big.

But the drug delivery was scheduled for late evening—there was still plenty of time left.

“Ah….”

After skillfully slipping away from Felicita’s embrace, I immediately began preparing to head out.

Sarina and Kambara would surely suspect something was up since I hadn’t gone to the Union Office. It was also strange that I hadn’t received any messages from Giovanni and Carso regarding today’s drug delivery.

Just as I left the room… a door from another room swung open.

“Elena?”

“Finally awake?”

“Well, it just happened.”

“I was wondering if something was up, so I went over to check on your room directly.”

“Ah,”

Suddenly, the reason for the lack of messages became clear.

It seemed Elena had been careful not to disturb Felicita and me while we were sleeping.

“Giovanni said to let you know that everything seems to be going as planned.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But it seems there are some black folks lurking around.”

“Black folks? Is it those guys from the South?”

“No, I don’t know if it’s them yet. There are plenty of black people in this city anyway.”

“That’s true.”

The ethnic diversity in Hebili was more than expected.

It was like how species that are globally endangered, like the roe deer and beluga whale, were plentiful in Korea.

In a way, it seemed Hebili provided a good environment for unique individuals to gather, just like Korea.

“Luke.”

“Yeah?”

“How about grabbing a bite to eat before heading out?”

“…Excluding Felicita?”

“Yep, that’s exactly it.”

Just in case, but it seemed Elena was being sincere.

“No, I still think it’d be better to wake her.”

“Come on, follow me.”

Before I could even head back to the room we just exited, I found myself being pulled into the elevator by Elena.

“….”

Just before the elevator doors closed, Veronica’s room came into view. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to take her along.

Of course, Elena would vehemently oppose it, but I couldn’t help but feel a certain distance had lessened after hearing Felicita’s stories about Veronica until I was sick of them.

Ding-dong—!

We arrived at the floor with the restaurant. However, just before we could enter the restaurant, a figure quickly attached itself to us from a corner.

“What? What are you doing here….”

“I happened to think both of you would come.”

It was Veronica.

“…That’s convenient; let’s have a meal together.”

“Yes, brother.”

Veronica responded as if my invitation was a huge honor for her. The stories I heard from Felicita came back to mind.

It might not be a typical sibling relationship, but she couldn’t change her accumulated life overnight.

“….”

It seemed the only one unhappy with this situation was Elena. Our dinner turned out to be quite ordinary.

“…Aren’t you ordering too much food?”

“Really? Luke and I usually eat this much.”

“To be precise, I’m the one eating this much.”

It seemed I had a larger appetite than Veronica had assumed.

The restaurant staff appeared to recognize my penchant for overeating, as the dishes I ordered were noticeably larger than what others received.

It felt like everything was set for my orders with a generous portion.

“Even though you’re small, you eat a lot.”

“….”

As Veronica poked my sore spot, Elena silently gauged my reaction.

“That’s true. I want to grow a bit too.”

“Luke, I actually like how you are now.”

“That might be, seeing as you and Felicita can treat me like a doll.”

“….”

“That’s true; it’s also cute.”

In the eyes of a mafia, being perceived as cute by others was a significant disadvantage.

There was nothing that could be done about being inherently cute either. A prime example was Little Dom Solomon, the boss of the Solomon Family.

No matter how angry he got or how loudly he shouted, it could only elicit laughter to see a large hamster walking on two legs.

“Veronica, don’t worry about expenses; order whatever you want.”

“…Okay.”

As we eagerly awaited our food and once it arrived, our conversation continued.

While focusing solely on the food sounds nice, right now, Elena and I, being the Boss and Underboss, preferred to converse about family-related matters.

“So, Elena, what are you going to do about Veronica’s friends?”

“Well…”

When Veronica fled to Lumini’s territory, she wasn’t alone; she had her friends and subordinates with her.

“Let’s think slowly and decide.”

“….”

Veronica didn’t express her specific opinions on that matter.

It was a bit ambiguous to appoint her as a Caporegime of a territory due to various reasons. So, placing her in a suitable position at the Academy to keep her close to me could also work.

Of course, it seemed Elena wanted to keep her near.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“Has Donna Felini arrived yet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Pregnant.”

“Pfft!”

Veronica’s sudden bombshell blew me away.

I was in the middle of rolling up spaghetti with meatballs to eat.

“Veronica.”

“I heard that Felicita is pregnant.”

“…Not yet, but it won’t be long.”

“….”

Elena said they were already making considerable efforts. At her words, Veronica’s face hardened.

“How does it feel to be married to your brother?”

“….”

Darn it. I couldn’t eat at all.

Veronica’s questions had a devastating power to them.

“Why? Are you curious?”

“Yes. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be asking.”

“It’s not that bad, surprisingly. More than anything, I’m not really his biological sister.”

Being able to get everything a younger sibling would enjoy, and on top of that, marrying him.

For Veronica, it was definitely an enviable situation.

Should I consider that fortunate? That was the last of Veronica’s bombshell statements. Since Elena had concluded the conversation with her perfect victory, she didn’t provoke Veronica anymore.

After all, Veronica had proven that if she was provoked, she could act immediately.

After the scary dinner, I headed directly to the docks.

Kazin and Haremo were about to arrive with lots of drugs, after all.