Cioccolata and Aemeath

"... That's it?"

Kexi discerned at least three layers of meaning in Cioccolata's question, "Is that all?"

The first layer is confusion, the second is disappointment, and the third is, "Are you out of your mind to abandon the three of us, who are now in critical condition, to get married for such a glutton?"

He chose to pretend that he only understood the first level.

"Well, let's go in and have a seat." He pulled Cioccolata into the restaurant, pulled out a chair next to Aemeath, and Cioccolata sat down opposite Aemeath.

The two girls stared at each other across a table of leftover food, as if silent sparks were crackling in the air.

"Let me introduce you. This is Aemeath," Kexi said, pointing to the person struggling to swallow their food, then to Cioccolata. "Aemeath, this is Cioccolata, my companion."

"So," Aemeath tossed the shrimp shells onto the plate, "You're here to steal his from me?"

"Rob?" Cioccolata almost choked on his own breath.

She looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her, her mouth greasy and her expression self-righteous, opened her mouth several times, and finally only managed to utter, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in this idiot."

"That's good." Aemeath picked up her chopsticks again, took a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Although he's my enemy, he's under my control now. When I become stronger, I'll kill him with my own hands. Until then, no one can touch him."

"Wait a minute." Cioccolata finally lost his temper. "You want to kill him, but you won't let anyone else touch him, and you even want to marry him—what exactly do you want?"

"It's none of your business," Aemeath, swallowing the braised pork. "Anyway, I was here first."

"What do you mean you got here first? When I met him, you weren't even a kid anymore—"

"Um, Cioccolata..." Kexi interrupted her cautiously.

"Shut up!" Cioccolata and Aemeath said in unison.

Kexi obediently shut up.

Yaoyue picked up her teacup and elegantly took a sip of the completely cooled tea. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the three people, a subtle, amused smile playing on her lips.

She thought the two girls her younger brother had brought back were quite interesting, each with a distinct personality.

Her only worry now is whether the two of them will start fighting at tomorrow's wedding.

She decided to take another sip of tea.

Anyway, it's none of her business.

She's just an older sister whose memories have been controlled; she knows nothing.

Cioccolata stopped arguing with Aemeath.

Instead, it was after learning about how they met from Kexi.

She leaned back in her chair, her gaze shifting from the sauce at the corner of Aemeath's mouth to the pile of bones in front of her, and then back to her golden eyes.

"So," Cioccolata softened her tone, no longer as aggressive as before, "You just said he was your enemy, so why did you marry him?"

Aemeath slowed down her chewing.

She looked down at the half-eaten shrimp on the plate, remained silent for a long while, and then put down her chopsticks.

"He killed my family." Her voice became very soft, a stark contrast to the gluttonous woman who had just devoured her food. "I wanted to kill him. But then he said that before I killed him... he said he would be my family, providing food and shelter."

"That's all?"

"That's it." Aemeath picked up her chopsticks again, grabbed the half-cold shrimp, and stuffed it into her mouth, adding vaguely, "Anyway, I have nowhere else to go."

Cioccolata didn't say anything more.

She simply turned her head and glared at Kexi.

The meaning is obvious: Are you out of your mind? You're supporting someone who wants to kill you, and then you want to marry her?

This pervert was ultimately so perverted that she couldn't comprehend him.

"Alright then." Cioccolata picked up an orange from the table and started peeling it. "Since it's come to this, let's get married. It's not like it's for real anyway."

Aemeath paused for a moment, a fleeting emotion flashing in her golden eyes, but she didn't refute, only letting out a very soft "humph" from her nose, and continued eating.

The truth that Cioccolata speaks of is different from the truth that Aemeath understands.

Kexi watched this scene from the side and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Cioccolata leaned closer to him, glared at him, and said in a low voice, "You're finished. I'm going to tell Carlotta when we get back."

"Tch, who's afraid of that little potato? All she does is jump up and hit my knee." Kexi said nonchalantly.

Cioccolata glanced at him but didn't respond to the question.

She stood up.

"Let's go, let's get down to business first."

Where to?

"Let's find a quiet place. I'll try to break free from Yaoyue's control."

Kexi nodded and walked to Yaoyue's side.

"Big sister, Cioccolata said he wants to talk to you about something."

Yaoyue put down her teacup, glanced at Cioccolata, then at Kexi, before standing up and straightening her skirt.

She didn't ask what was going on, nor why they needed to go to a quiet place. She simply nodded slightly and followed them out of the restaurant.

The Montelli Family had a small garden in their backyard. At this moment, the servants were busy decorating the front yard, while the backyard was so quiet that only the rustling of the wind through the bushes could be heard.

Cioccolata stopped under an old banyan tree, took the lute off his back, and held it in his arms.

Cioccolata opened her mouth, but for a moment realized she didn't know how to address her.

Would it be too impolite to call her by her first name?

simply.

"Please have a seat, ma'am."

Cioccolata pointed to the stone bench under the tree.

Yaoyue sat down gracefully, her hands folded on her knees, her gaze calm as she looked at Cioccolata.

Cioccolata took a deep breath and placed his fingertips on the strings.

Ripples spread outwards, reaching my ears, my chest, and the depths of a forgotten memory.

Her fingertips danced across the strings, the melody evolving from simple to complex, from calm to turbulent, each note landing precisely on some unseen point.

As the last note faded, its lingering resonance slowly dissipated into the air.

Yaoyue sat on the stone bench with her eyes closed.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Kexi held her breath, looking at her face, waiting for her to open her eyes, waiting for her to recognize them, waiting for her to call out their names.

Then Yaoyue opened her eyes and looked at Cioccolata.

"It's a beautiful melody, Cioccolata Girl. What song is this? I've never heard it before."

Her tone was gentle and polite, and her eyes still held the dignified gaze of an older sister looking at her younger brother's friend.

Nothing has changed.

Cioccolata's fingers were still hovering above the strings, frozen there, before slowly falling.

She lowered her head and remained silent for a long while.

"It's nothing. Just playing casually." She slung her lute back onto her back and stood up.

Kexi opened her mouth as if to say something, but Cioccolata stopped her with a very light and quick shake of her head.

"It's alright, big sister, you should go back and rest."