Under The Veil of Night

By the time it was time to go home, Misae already calmed down a lot. Laura’s presence and the fact that the girl was not part of the clan caused her to feel much calmer.

"Misae, can I ask for help in taking my sister home?" Kanae asked as she glanced at the clock. It would be time for the meeting soon. She would be late if she didn’t go to the mall soon. Her mission today was very important, and she couldn’t afford to be late as it would affect her own safety.

Misae nodded her head. "I can do that."

"Have you calmed down? Do you need more help?" Laura asked in concern. There was no need for her to go home so quickly because there was no one at home. She could just spend her time in the infirmary for a longer period of time.

"I’m already good," Misae smiled.

Alice sat down on the chair near the bed. A gentle smile was plastered on her face. "I’ll stay here to accompany you, so just rest if you need it."

Misae nodded her head. It has been a few days, yet she still couldn’t get over it. She wanted to talk to him and tried to continue this relationship, but the mere fact of him being part of the clan made her unable to move. The pain she received from the clan in the past was too much for someone like her.

She hated herself for being so weak, yet she didn’t know what she could do to change it. Her inner self yearned to become stronger, strong enough so she could face the reality of this city and learned how to live alongside people from the underworld. Unfortunately, she was not strong enough yet.

Was it because she lived a sheltered life?

Was it because she couldn’t become stronger?

She didn’t know, but she had to overcome her fear first. If she continued to be afraid of the clan and live in this city, she would forever be haunted by that fear. It was something she didn’t want to happen.

"I’ll get some sleep," Misae lied down on the bed. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling as she renewed her resolve. Previously, she could manage to accept Jay as part of her friends. Mike is more important than Jay, so she had to learn to accept him too and forget about her own past.

Forget them... they have passed a long time ago.

"I’ll be going now. See you all later," Kanae smiled and patted Laura’s head, much to the girl’s annoyance.

"Don’t pat my head in public!" she grumbled.

Kanae laughed. "It’s right in front of me, so I can’t help it."

"What are you talking about? Are you patting Alice’s head too if it’s in front of you?" Laura complained.

Alice giggled. "She never does that."

"How about Misae?"

"I think, no?" Kanae tried to recall if she ever tried to pat Misae’s head. In her memory, Misae was slightly older than her, so she didn’t have any intention to pat the other party’s head. After all, it was slightly impolite.

"Sheesh, if you’re busy, you should just go and not tease other people, Sis," Laura pouted.

Kanae laughed. "Fine, fine, take care of yourself here."

"We will."

"Yes, don’t worry so much."

Not long after that, Kanae walked out of the room. The others continued to stay in the infirmary as they accompanied Misae. As for the doctor, he already disappeared long ago from the room with the excuse of busy.

"Kanae is really playful in front of you, Laura," Alice commented. She had never seen Kanae being that playful in their days before Laura’s appearance. Previously, Kanae would spend most of her time to sleep or teaching them, but with Laura around, Kanae didn’t spend that much time with them anymore.

Even though they knew that Kanae was busy, they were glad that she didn’t sleep that much in class anymore. Well, she still slept occasionally in class, but not as much as before.

"She’s just teasing me," Laura shrugged. "It’s just how my Sis interact with me most of the time."

"You don’t have a serious conversation?"

"We have, but it’s not too often."

"I see. I thought she’ll be more serious with you," Alice laughed.

Laura really couldn’t imagine Kanae got serious all the time. The thought of seeing Kanae strict face made her laugh. Most of the time, Kanae would be pestering her to learn how to cook in the kitchen or any possible other girl conversation.

Aside from the matter of taking back their inheritance, they rarely talked anything serious.

"Don’t imagine her like that. You’ll get disappointed," Laura also laughed hard.

Listening to their banter, Misae smiled slightly. She peeked from the blanket, looking at her two friends laughing not far from her.

"Have you felt better, little princess?" Laura asked with a bright smile.

Misae nodded. "I guess so."

"Do you want to talk to us? I mean, you might feel better if you talk about your problem with someone else that might help you out," Alice offered. Rather than burying her problem deep inside her heart, it would be better to let it out and talked with her friends.

Misae sighed. "I’m just afraid."

"Afraid? Why?"

"Well, I don’t have any good experience with clans and the thought of having them near me makes me terrified," Misae replied. "It’s silly, isn’t it? Being afraid just because of someone’s background."

Alice shook her head lightly. She might not know what Misae felt, but she knew very well the thoughts of those who found out that she came from clans. They were unable to accept because the image of clans in their mind was simply too bad.

"I don’t know what you have experienced, but I’m sure that you can overcome it, Misae."

"I hope so too," Misae murmured.

Leaning back on the chair, Alice recalled her past. "It’ll be difficult to move on, but you have to learn to accept them. Just take it slow, one step at a time and I’m sure that you can handle it."

"Yeah."

Misae knew that she made progress, but it was extremely slow like a snail. If one should say, she barely moved her position. She knew that at the very least, she was able to not avoid Mike intentionally. Probably, it was the result of facing Jay’s case first.

She could stay near him, but not too near like before anymore.

"You have the time," Alice added, her tone was melancholic. "We’re going to be here with you too."

Smiling, Misae nodded her head. "Yeah. Thank you."

Alice nodded her head. For a split second, she recalled back to the decision that her father made for her. Even though she never wanted it, she was forced to adapt to the situation in the clan very quickly. Unable to get out, she could only be patience and endured the harsh training that her father gave her.

Every arrangement he made, she had to follow. Including the arrangement for her future...

"Alice?" Laura noticed that Alice seemed to be deep in trance.

"Ah, sorry, I was daydreaming," Alice apologized. She picked up her bag. "I make some cookies. Do you want some?"

"Yes!"

"I want some too."

"Don’t worry, I make enough for us."

Smiling brightly, Alice took out the cookies. No matter what, she could not drag her friends into her matter in the clan too, especially because they were only ordinary people without any relation to the underworld. It would be better for her to stay silent and just accepted her father’s arrangement.

Even if it meant she would be unable to stay with her friends anymore...