Lucian was about to say something when a voice called from below:
"Smiltle! Lucian! Where are you two?"
Both kids jolted. Smiltle turned to Lucian, while he immediately covered the sound amplifier and stuffed all his tools into his cloth bag.
"Is there a way down from here?" Smiltle whispered, her eyes darting around.
Lucian quickly crawled toward the small attic window and pulled it open. "We can go down this way."
"Go down where?"
Lucian shrugged. "The second-floor windowsill. Then from there, jump to the balcony."
Smiltle frowned. "Jump down?"
"It's not that high, trust me." Lucian gripped the window frame, slid outside, and landed lightly on the second-floor windowsill. He looked back up and waved. "Hurry up!"
Smiltle gritted her teeth and followed. The moment her feet touched the ledge, Lucian pulled her closer and motioned for silence. Below, the sound of adult footsteps grew louder.
Lucian winked. "Three… two… one…"
He jumped down to the balcony below. Smiltle had no choice but to follow. Just as they landed safely, the attic door above burst open.
"Lucian? Smiltle?" Aunt Lily's voice rang out. "Are you two up there?"
Lucian quickly pulled Smiltle down against the balcony railing, signaling her to stay quiet.
"There's no one here." A cold voice replied. Smiltle instantly recognized it as her mother's.
Hearing that, Aunt Lily sighed. "Those kids… where did they run off to this time…"
Lucian peeked up slightly. Seeing that the adults had moved away from the attic door, he patted Smiltle's shoulder. "It's clear. Let's go."
The two of them crept along the balcony and finally found a safe spot to jump down into the backyard without raising suspicion. Just as they ran around to the front door, Smiltle's mother stepped outside.
"We've been calling you two forever! Where have you been?"
Lucian quickly smiled and answered for Smiltle. "We were in the garden."
Smiltle nodded in agreement. "That's right."
Her mother narrowed her eyes but eventually just sighed. "Come inside, it's almost dinnertime."
Lucian turned to Smiltle, smirking. "Next time, trust me more."
Smiltle glanced at him. "You've done this a lot, haven't you?"
Lucian chuckled. "More than you think. The roof was a first, though."
19:47 – Dinner Begins.
The dinner seemed normal, but Smiltle could feel the undercurrents running beneath the adults' casual conversations. Talks about the harvest, business, and reminders for Lucian and herself about their studies—all seemed ordinary, yet Smiltle had a feeling that wasn't all there was.
She discreetly glanced at her mother. The gentle smile was still there, but her eyes held something else. Worry?
Then she looked at her father. Richard was laughing and chatting with Aunt Lily as usual, but Smiltle noticed that his grip on the napkin was tighter than usual—or maybe her memory was just bad.
Under the table, Lucian nudged her elbow. His eyes gleamed with mischief, but there was a hint of seriousness in them. "You see it, don't you?" he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
Smiltle gave a slight nod. "Of course. Adults are terrible at hiding their emotions."
Just then, a knock on the door echoed through the house.
The room instantly fell into an eerie silence. Aunt Lily quickly stood up, her eyes flashing with caution, and walked toward the door.
Smiltle and Lucian exchanged a glance. Both felt something was off.
The door opened, revealing a tall man in a long coat, his hat pulled low over his face.
"Sorry for being late." His voice was deep and slightly hoarse.
Aunt Lily didn't smile. "What are you doing here?"
Richard set his knife down. "Is something wrong, Lily?"
The man tilted his head slightly. "Just a small exchange."
Lucian's grip on Smiltle's wrist tightened under the table. She held her breath.
Aunt Lily stepped aside, signaling the man to enter. As he did, the atmosphere in the room grew unbearably heavy. One of the children must have wondered if they really needed to be this tense.
Mrs. Vivian still smiled, but her eyes fixed on the man with unmistakable wariness.
The man scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Smiltle and Lucian a little longer than necessary.
Then he spoke. "These two… are they family?"
Aunt Lily replied curtly, "Yes. The boy is mine, the girl is my sister's daughter."
The man chuckled. "They've grown fast."
Smiltle didn't like the way he said that. And she was sure Lucian felt the same because he was glaring at the man.
Richard stood up. "If you have something to discuss, let's talk outside."
The man raised an eyebrow but then nodded. "Fine."
Before leaving, he glanced at Smiltle and Lucian once more.
Then he and Richard stepped outside.
No one spoke for a long, heavy moment.
Smiltle's mother was the first to break the silence. She picked up her glass, took a sip of water, then set it down.
"Smiltle, Lucian." Her voice was gentle but firm. "You don't need to worry about this."
Lucian and Smiltle both opened their mouths to speak, but Aunt Lily silenced them with a sharp look.
"Just pretend nothing happened."
Smiltle narrowed her eyes.
Why did adults always try to keep kids in the dark?
Smiltle knew when to hide her sharpness. Sometimes, playing dumb was the best strategy.
She blinked a few times, then put on an innocent face. "Huh? Where did Dad go?"
Lucian caught on instantly and played along. "Huh? Did someone just come in? Who was that?"
They looked at each other like, That was overkill.
Aunt Lily squinted at them. Smiltle could easily recognize the "I know you're acting" look on her face.
Her mother, however, still smiled, though her voice turned more decisive. "Just an old acquaintance of your father. It's adult business—you don't need to worry."
Smiltle nodded rapidly, acting like she believed it immediately. "Oh, okay! I don't get it anyway!"
Lucian followed suit, nodding so hard he almost hit the table. "Same! Adults are so complicated!"