Big Sister Lina

When Ye Wei'an pushed open the door again, his heart felt unexpectedly heavy.

By rights, as someone who had crossed into this world, he should have had little to do with this dying old man.

But in that instant, the man's clumsy show of fatherly affection had made Ye Wei'an's breath catch.

He had to admit that Baron Harandir was a mediocre lord. But to the original owner, he had truly been a good father.

Cain was waiting outside. The moment he saw Ye Wei'an emerge, he straightened and hurried over.

As a knight of the Xiaxing House, Cain was supposed to report back after completing his mission to bring Ye Wei'an home.

"Master," he asked in a lowered voice before entering, "what should I say when I go in to report? Should I tell the Baron about Lady Selina sending people to assassinate you and the dirty deeds Gray Crow has been carrying out in town?"

Cain's thinking was simple: they should act while the old Baron was lucid.

Then, with just one order from the Baron, they could take that poison-hearted woman into custody openly and lawfully.

Ye Wei'an fell silent for a moment, his gaze settling on the shadows at the end of the corridor.

"No need." He finally shook his head, his tone calm but firm. "There's no reason to make him face these ugly truths on his deathbed. Bishop Orion was right. Let's make his final days as happy as we can."

"But if we don't expose her, that woman will keep causing trouble!" Cain urged.

"That's my problem, Cain. I don't need a dying old man to solve it for me." Ye Wei'an turned and looked at him seriously. "I'll decide how to handle things myself. If she likes playing the part of a loving mother, then I'll play along."

He didn't explain his deeper concerns to Cain.

He wasn't afraid of Selina, but he had to consider the Amarisk Family behind her.

That family, the protectors of the Eastern Marches, was one of the kingdom's most powerful noble houses and wielded considerable influence in the capital. Even if he dealt with Selina now, he still couldn't stand against the Amarisk Family.

On the other hand, his legitimate younger brother was a Xiaxing, too.

Selina was ruthless, but as long as she hadn't gone mad, she wouldn't ruin the Xiaxing lands completely—not when her own son's future depended on them.

"I understand." Cain lowered his head obediently, though he was still reluctant.

"Go in and report." Ye Wei'an gestured toward the door. "I'll head downstairs first. The air in here reeks of medicine. It's suffocating."

"By the way," he added before leaving, "remember to take our 'prisoners' to the family dungeon later. Make a show of it. There's no need to hide who they are, but our own people must guard them. Don't give anyone a chance to make a move."

"Yes, sir." Cain bowed solemnly, then turned and went into the bedroom.

When Ye Wei'an reached the stairs, he saw a young maid waiting at the landing. As soon as she noticed him, she hurriedly curtsied, flustered. "Master, Head Maid Lina has prepared your room. Please follow me."

Ye Wei'an gave a slight nod and followed her down the red-carpeted corridor, through the west wing of the manor.

When the maid opened the familiar wooden door, a powerful sense of dissonance washed over him.

He'd thought that after four years away, the room would be piled with clutter or covered in cobwebs, with the musty smell of a place left to decay.

Instead, it looked exactly as it did in the original owner's memories:

The introductory spellbooks on the shelf were arranged neatly by height, the brass inkpot on the desk gleamed from a thorough polishing, and even the creases in the smoothed bedspread were exactly as they had been on the morning he left four years ago.

More surprising still, the room was completely dust-free. A faint fragrance of soap and lavender lingered in the air.

"Master, Head Maid Lina comes to clean your room every few days." The young maid drew the curtains open, then couldn't help chattering on. "She's the head maid now, so she could just tell us to do this sort of chore. But she insists on doing it herself. By Waukeen, she's more devout about it than someone polishing an altar in a temple..."

"Who asked you to run your mouth? Have you finished cleaning the corridor?"

A voice tinged with embarrassment came from behind the screen in the sitting room.

A moment later, Lina hurried out. Her signature gray hair was a little disheveled, and a faint smudge of dust marked the tip of her nose.

Her curvaceous figure was cinched by her apron, which emphasized her striking shape. She glared reproachfully at the young maid and waved her out.

After the young maid stuck out her tongue and slipped away, Lina turned around awkwardly and met Ye Wei'an's meaningful gaze.

"Um... Master, don't listen to her." She twisted the rag in her hands, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "I just thought the other maids were clumsy and might disturb the precious books you couldn't take with you. Now that you're back, let me know if anything's out of place, and I'll fix it."

Looking at Lina's discomfort, the last of the distance in Ye Wei'an's eyes melted away.

He didn't need to use Detect Thoughts to sense the young woman's genuine kindness.

"Big Sister Lina, it's been a long time," he said softly.

At that long-missed form of address, Lina's eyes reddened instantly.

Seeing that, Ye Wei'an said nothing. He simply opened his arms without hesitation and smiled at her.

Lina forgot all about keeping up appearances and rushed into his arms, just as she had on the morning he left four years ago.

Her tall, fuller figure crashed into Ye Wei'an's embrace. Momentum pressed her stunning curves against his robes. He could feel her excited, slightly ragged breathing and smell the familiar scent of soap mingled with her hair's fragrance.

They held each other for a moment, until an untimely complaint came from beside them.

"Hey, hey, don't act like I'm not here!" Ailian suddenly interjected, handing them a cup of tea.

Only then did Lina snap out of it. She quickly pulled away from Ye Wei'an and awkwardly straightened her apron.

"Big Sister Lina, how have you been these past few years?" Ye Wei'an sat down in a chair, taking the opportunity to ask. "How has life in the castle been? Have things been all right?"

Lina smiled, hiding her turbulent feelings. "It's been all right. Same as before—handling purchases, cleaning, and other odd jobs. With the Silver Mother's protection, nothing too troublesome has happened."

Lina went on to share the latest news from home: which old servant had retired and returned to his hometown, how the roses in the garden had bloomed unusually early this year, and how the Amarisk Family's people had been coming and going more often, leaving everyone in the manor on edge...

As she spoke, Lina suddenly stopped and lowered her head sheepishly. "Listen to me, going on and on the moment I see you. I've been rambling about nothing."

"Thanks for all your hard work, Big Sister Lina." Ye Wei'an smiled.

Lina looked at Ye Wei'an with some surprise, then teased him, "Master, you really have grown up. When you came back before, you'd never have had the patience to listen to me chatter. Back then, you would've barged in and started shouting, then told me all about the Wizard Towers you saw in Suzar and the flying carpets, all in one breath. Just like in your letters. Nothing like you are now..."

"Are you saying I'm as solemn as an old scholar?"

Before Lina could answer, Ailian cut in, her cheeks puffed up as she twisted her sleeve.

"Big Sister Lina, you're always saying nice things to make Master happy! You ran into trouble yourself, but you haven't said a word about it!"

"What trouble?"

Ye Wei'an's gaze turned cold. The air around them seemed to grow still.

Lina's expression changed, and she hurriedly caught Ailian by the arm. "Don't go making things up..."

"I'm not making anything up!" Ailian blurted out. "That poison-hearted Lady Selina has spent the past few years using Big Sister Lina's 'age' as an excuse to try to foist her off on some random knight or servant as a wife. She calls it a 'favor,' but really, she just wants to drive Big Sister Lina out of the manor! And..."

Ailian added indignantly, "Your younger brother, Lord Xiaxing, has tried several times to make Big Sister Lina serve him. If she hadn't stood her ground and refused, he would've had his way with her by now!"

Lina glanced at Ye Wei'an's more striking face than it had been four years ago. Her expression suddenly turned wistful, and she sighed, half-seriously, "Ailian's right. I really am getting old... Master, do you think it's time I found just anyone to marry, too?"

How could Ye Wei'an fail to notice that she was pretending?

He gave her face, now at the height of its beauty, a solemn inspection, then replied unhurriedly, "Well, now that you mention it, Big Sister Lina, you really are getting on in years."

Lina's face stiffened at once, and a trace of unconcealed sadness passed through her gray eyes.

She was about to force a smile and make a self-deprecating remark when Ye Wei'an's tone shifted. "—So you're exactly the right age to come work for me and manage everything."

Lina froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she awkwardly looked away.

"Master... you don't have to say that just to comfort me. My father has some standing in the Xiaxing House. As long as he doesn't agree, Lady Selina and the others can't force me into anything. I don't want to become a burden to you."

"Your father?" Ye Wei'an caught the key detail. "I don't remember you ever mentioning him. Who is he?"

"My father is Morey Sebastian." Lina straightened a little as she spoke of him. "He's a senior knight in the territory. Though he hasn't gotten along with the Lady much over the years, the hundred or so guards under him still answer to him. That's why she hasn't dared to go too far."

"Sebastian?" Ye Wei'an recalled what he had learned about Faerûn's geography and people at the academy. "That surname... are you descended from the people of Rashemen?"

Lina looked at him in surprise, then nodded. "By the Silver Mother, Master's knowledge really is beyond the ordinary. No wonder you became a Wizard. Our family migrated here from faraway Rashemen in the east three centuries ago, when the land was being invaded by Red Wizards. To escape the war, our ancestors crossed endless wilderness before settling in Cormyr."

Ye Wei'an was familiar with Rashemen.

It was a wild land in the northeast of Faerûn, with a culture somewhat like the Slavic regions of his homeland. It was known for its fearsome Berserkers and mysterious witches.

No wonder Lina was taller and more athletic than the women of Cormyr, and had such a fiery temperament that she dared stand her ground against the matriarch and her legitimate son.

It was no wonder that, in the original owner's memories, Knight Morey had treated him, an illegitimate son who received little favor, fairly well, unlike the other people who looked down on him. It seemed the knight had been kind to him for his daughter's sake.