A Little Ambiguity

"Why are you standing so high up?"

Amira chuckled softly, her white wings trembling gently.

"Hehe, Charlos, shouldn't you praise me?"

"What's there to praise?"

"Oh, come on."

Amira spread her white wings and leaped down from the burning bow, drifting slowly before landing steadily on the ground.

"After all, I can't do the kind of thing that leaves your hands covered in blood."

"You really are naughty. Let's see how Amina is doing."

"Hmph. Charlos, my little sister will definitely handle it just fine."

A black shadow rushed out of the woods and landed heavily on the ground. She slowly raised her head and shook out her black wings.

"Looks like Amina has grown quickly."

Amina grinned. "Of course."

Amira frowned. "Little sister, why are your hands covered in so much blood?"

"They were all enemies that needed dealing with. Isn't it normal to get a little blood on my hands?"

Amira stepped forward, took out a handkerchief, held Amina's hand, and carefully wiped the blood from her fingers.

Charlos watched the scene before him. "Oh my, such sisterly affection."

Amira and Amina exchanged smiles, then each took one of Charlos's arms.

"But you're still the one closest to us."

Charlos pulled his arms free.

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep first."

At noon the next day, Charlos slowly woke up.

"Huh? Why does my body feel so heavy?"

Amina's head poked out from beneath the blankets.

Charlos looked down. "When did you get in here?"

Amina grinned. "You didn't close the door when you went to sleep last night, so I sneaked in myself."

Charlos reached out and pinched her nose.

"If Charlia finds out about this later, you'll be in trouble."

"Then we just won't let her find out."

Just then, loud banging came from the door.

"Charlos, this is bad! Amina is missing!"

"Don't panic so much. Amina isn't missing."

"She really is missing!"

"She isn't. She's in my room."

With a deafening crash, the door was knocked straight onto the floor.

Amira burst in through the doorway, her gaze falling on Amina in the bed.

"Amina!"

"Hi, Sis."

Amina smiled awkwardly.

"Amina, how could you sneak a bite?"

Charlos had intended to take a sip of water, but he immediately sprayed out the water in his mouth.

"Shouldn't you be angry?"

Amira looked at Charlos.

"I am angry."

"Then what you just said..."

"But what I'm angry about is that she didn't call me when she came over last night."

"Are you alright, Charlos?"

Amina reached out and pressed a hand to Charlos's chest, helping him catch his breath.

"It's all Sister's fault. She has no sense of restraint when she talks and made Charlos choke."

"You two, stand properly right now!"

"Do we really have to stand?" Amina looked at Charlos shyly.

"What else would you do?"

But Amina slowly sat up. Seeing this, Charlos hurriedly pushed her back onto the bed, yanked the blanket over her and wrapped her up tightly, then rolled out of bed.

"Where are your clothes?"

Amira's mouth fell open. "Huh? Little sister, you're really bold!"

Charlos looked around and spotted the clothes scattered on the floor. He immediately walked out of the room. At the doorway, he stopped, bent down to pick up the fallen door panel, and laboriously propped it back into the doorframe.

"Get dressed inside first. I'll come in after that."

"Charlos, but this is your room."

"You know this is my room? Then why did you take off your clothes when you came into my room?"

"I wanted to see how you'd react."

"Amira, bring me her clothes and make her get dressed."

Amira turned to Amina with a dangerous smile. "Oh, little sister, let your big sister help you get dressed."

"Sis, I was wrong! Ah~~ Don't!"

Charlos sat on a seaside reef, quietly waiting for the ship to arrive. The sea breeze gently brushed across the water. He picked up the chilled juice at his side and tilted his head back for a drink, its sweet coolness spreading through his body.

He turned to look at Amira and Amina walking side by side behind him. His gaze landed on Amina's face, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Amina now had a dark bruise around her left eye, and faint scrapes marked her cheek. She looked especially bedraggled and wronged.

"Amira, you hit her too hard," Charlos said helplessly.

Amira looked perfectly composed, without the slightest guilt. "It's because she wouldn't behave. Sneaking into your room in the middle of the night to fool around—she deserved to be taught a lesson."

Charlos narrowed his eyes and stared at her blandly. "Is that really why?"

"Of course it is." Amira nodded without hesitation.

Amina immediately raised her little hand high and hurriedly refuted her, her voice carrying a wronged, childlike lilt. "Charlos, she's lying! She's taking revenge on me for herself! She's mad that I secretly came to see you last night without asking her to come along!"

Seeing that the sisters were about to start arguing again, Charlos sighed helplessly, both amused and exasperated.

"Hey, you two, behave yourselves. Once you're both eighteen, neither of you will get away. You're still too young now. It's too early."

Amina raised her little face and blinked at Charlos, her tone carrying a teasing hint of probing. "Charlos, can't you do it?"

Charlos was instantly speechless and glared at her. "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean, I can't? I've only just started developing. I just don't want to leave any lasting damage."

Amina nodded as though she half understood, letting out an "Oh."

Then she immediately moved close to Amira. The two sisters huddled together and began whispering in low voices.

"Sis, does it really leave lasting damage?"

Amira shook her head lightly and whispered back, "I don't know, little sister. Probably not?"

"But Charlos just said there would be lasting damage." Amina persistently whispered her question. The two chattered away, discussing it with great enthusiasm while completely ignoring Charlos's darkening expression beside them.

"You two, do you have to discuss this topic?"

Charlos truly could not bear to listen anymore and could not help interrupting the two little sisters, who kept fidgeting and muttering to themselves.

At that moment, a child came running along the shore, holding a colorful pinwheel high in one hand. The pinwheel spun with a whooshing hum in the wind.

A woman hurried after the child and called out loudly, "Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"

Charlos quietly watched the scene, his eyes resting on the pinwheel turning in the wind.

Amira walked to his side and asked, "Charlos, do you want to play with a pinwheel too?"

"I'm not a child. Why would I want to play with a pinwheel?" Charlos replied flatly, then turned to Amina beside him. "And Amina, how did I never notice before that you're so naughty?"

Out on the distant sea, a warship escorted a luxurious vessel through the rolling waves, slowly heading toward the shore.

The children playing by the sea were instantly drawn to it. They all stopped running and stood on tiptoe to look out at the ocean.

"Mom, look! It's the Navy! It's a warship!"

"It's really huge! Mom, when I grow up, I want to join the Navy too!"

The children's clear cheers rose one after another, especially soothing to hear.

Charlos quietly listened to their young voices, his gaze fixed on the ship slowly approaching shore, his expression calm and knowing.

"Looks like our ship has arrived."

Amina instantly perked up, raising her little hand high as she bounced excitedly.

"Yay! We're finally going out to sea too!"