My Family in the Novel?

"I think this should suffice to lessen Euphemia's nagging, right?" I mused to myself as I held the potion, I had crafted during the entrance exam. It glistened within the translucent vial, its magical essence dancing with an ethereal light.

While I didn't have the precise notes on how to actually make it, I had a strong conviction that Euphemia, with her exceptional alchemical talents, would be able to reverse-engineer this potion almost immediately upon seeing it. She was, after all, the one who had created it in the future.

As I busied myself with preparing for class, an unexpected knock disrupted my morning routine.

??? 'Why would someone visit me so early in the morning?'

Intrigued and somewhat puzzled by the early visitor, I made my way to the door and swung it open. I was met with a sight that left me both astonished and bewildered.

"Good morning, Adrian," said the person before me. It was a figure I was all too familiar with, yet also not. It was my older sister, or at least, she was the older sister of the original Adrian. Lilliana Vulter Tellus stood there with a smile on her face, and by her side was Salik, her personal butler, who seemed to wear a slightly resigned expression.

"Good morning, sister Lilliana?" I replied, still trying to process her sudden appearance.

"Yes, good morning."

Why was she repeating herself? Lilliana kept smiling at me, her eyes fixated on my face as if she were analyzing me. I wondered why she had come to visit me. The last time I had seen her was when the Goddess had taken me.

"Uhm, sis, why are you here?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Well... do I really need a reason to visit?" She replied, still grinning.

"No, not really, but still…"

"Then, may I enter? We have a lot of catching up to do, right?"

"I'd like to, but my class is starting soon," I explained.

"I heard that alchemic studies start at 9, right?" Lilliana remarked.

"No, I still have my general subjects," I responded.

"You have no such thing, Salik told me you only have your major subjects and didn't apply for any minor ones."

I was taken aback. How did she know that? Did she perform a background check on me without my knowledge? I turned to look at Salik, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact, confirming that it was indeed him who had disclosed this information, since when did he check up on me?

"Fine, but make it quick" I agreed, a bit reluctantly.

Lilliana's face lit up with joy. "Yes!"

As Lilliana entered my room, I couldn't help but wonder how much she remembered from our last encounter. Did she recall the events that had transpired between Analise and me during that time? I had a strong suspicion that the Goddess's divine intervention might have blurred her memory, but I needed to be sure.

I decided to tread carefully and asked a few questions to gauge her recollection. "Sis," I began, "I was just curious. Do you remember what happened to me and Analise during that time you got to return to the household earlier?"

Lilliana looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered my question. After a moment of contemplation, she replied, "I remember some things, but it's all a bit hazy. It's like trying to recall a dream you had a long time ago. I know I was looking for you, but the details are fuzzy"

Watching Lilliana, I realized that my suspicions had been confirmed. The Goddess's divine interference during her previous visit had indeed left her with a hazy recollection of the events, and her mind seemed to have filled in the gaps with its own interpretations to make sense of it all. I couldn't blame her.

…..

'I'm glad he's doing fine and he seems well'

Lilliana reclined comfortably on Adrian's couch, making herself feel right at home in his dorm room. Their time together alone was a rare occurrence, and she was determined to take full advantage of this opportunity to spend time with her little brother. Adrian, who was brewing tea for the both of them, had a look of concentration on his face as he went about his task.

Salik, her loyal butler, stood dutifully outside the door, having been instructed to wait there. Lilliana's decision to leave him outside was a somewhat selfish one, driven by her desire for a private conversation with Adrian. It wasn't often that she could have him all to herself without the usual responsibilities and interruptions.

As Adrian expertly prepared the tea, the room filled with the soothing aroma of the steeping leaves. Lilliana couldn't help but observe her brother. Her affection for him was undeniable, and her smile only widened as she watched him work.

'Isn't he a bit more muscular now?' she thought as her eyes traced the lines of his arms and shoulders. She'd missed so much of his life, and she couldn't help but notice the physical changes that had occurred during her absence.

'And he seems to have grown a bit taller' she continued to herself; her heart filled with pride at his growth.

But then, her thoughts took an unexpected turn. She found herself entertaining more personal thoughts about her brother, thoughts that ventured into territory she knew was entirely inappropriate.

'He's becoming more handsome each time I see him' she mused, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Slap!

Suddenly, she snapped herself out of her reverie with a sharp slap across her own face, the sound echoing through the room. She looked at Adrian with a surprised and slightly embarrassed expression as he turned to her, concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay? Why did you suddenly slap yourself?" Adrian asked with genuine concern, quickly setting aside the tea preparations and hurrying over to his sister's side.

Lilliana, trying to play off the situation, grinned sheepishly and waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I just had a very strange thought, hahaha... You know how random thoughts can be sometimes."

"By the way, Adrian," Lilliana began, her voice tinged with curiosity, "I heard you became the top alchemic student of your year. Congratulations!"

"I didn't know you were studying alchemy. Were you that passionate about it? If I can remember correctly, you said you wanted to become a mage like me. That's why you wanted some magical tomes and books. Why the sudden change?" Lilliana asked, her genuine interest in Adrian's circumstances shining through.

Adrian paused for a moment, contemplating his response, as he busied himself with preparing a pot of tea. After a brief silence, he turned back to Lilliana, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, let's just say I had a change of heart, I guess."

With the tea now prepared, Adrian carried the steaming pot and two cups over to the couch, where Lilliana was sitting. He poured her a cup and then settled into his own seat. Lilliana took the cup with a gracious nod, savoring the aroma of the tea.

"Since when did you start studying alchemy?" Lilliana probed further; her curiosity not yet satiated.

Adrian leaned back, taking a sip of his own tea, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "Well, let's just say during my free time?"

Lilliana couldn't help but make a slightly pouty face, feeling a bit frustrated that Adrian hadn't given her a more direct answer. But at the same time, she was delighted that they were having this conversation, sharing moments like these that were something she always wanted as she noticed that Adrian avoided her back on their home for some reason.

…..

'Seriously, why did this cockblocker come here? Did she really just come to check on me?'

'Although, based on Adrian's memories, we were quite close, he thought of her as more of a hassle than anything. The number of times Adrian's bullying intensified whenever Lilliana showed favor to him was undeniable. Even now, I can't exactly trust her. A part of me still isn't sure if she is genuinely concerned for Adrian, or if she's just one of those bitchy white lotus ladies who are good on the outside and a bitch on the inside'

But as I looked into her eyes, she seemed to genuinely like me. No, it was more like she loved me. I gazed into her eyes again, and the slight blush she gave while looking at me deeply with those ashen grey eyes of hers was slightly creepy. I guessed what Schwi had commented about Lilliana being obsessed with me was a fact.

But why, though? Based on Adrian's memories, there weren't really any indications of Lilliana having such thoughts for me. When did it start? Seriously, if we weren't brother and sister, I was pretty sure this girl would have suddenly jumped on me back then.

As I kept looking at her, her breaths became more ragged all of a sudden, and her blush seemed to intensify.

'What the heck? Woman, control yourself'

"Uhm… Adrian, is there something on my face?" she asked embarrassingly.

"No, not really… hahaha," I replied nervously.

"Is that so?" She smiled confidently, as she gently held her cheeks.

I didn't know what she was thinking, but it was definitely not that.

We talked about some random nonsense for the remaining time. She especially liked talking about my childhood, to which I had a hard time answering because it was Adrian who experienced most of it, not me.

I might have his memories, but I had to manually access them to recall the details. So, when she asked questions that I didn't know, it was annoying that I had to delve into Adrian's memories all throughout our conversation. Seriously, I hadn't even met Euphemia yet today, but I was already tired.