章節 28: First spell. - End.

After Katarina said this, Arthur looked at her in surprise, and stared at her for several seconds without reaction, until he abruptly asked. - Cousin?

- Yes, you're my cousin... Hmm... - Katarina put her hand on his chin and a thoughtful look appeared on her face, and after a few seconds it turned into a mischievous look for a few moments before she replaced it with a gentle smile. - You're my cousin, but since you're so young I'll call you what my aunt calls me.

- What does your aunt call you? - Arthur was stunned at the moment, this question came out almost automatically, he was still completely confused by this idea, after all, since his mother died he hadn't met any of his relatives, he didn't even remember his own father, let alone if he had any relatives or what they looked like; now, when he was in an ambulance someone claimed to be his cousin, he was not only confused, but also a little expectant, even though Arthur is responsible and takes care of his sister, he will still be eight in a few months, hearing that he now has a mother and an older cousin too he gradually forgot that he had just fallen from the sky, and couldn't help looking at Katarina with some expectation.

- Didn't you hear? Julia just called me the same thing. - After she said it, she looked straight into Arthur's eyes. Arthur didn't notice, but Julia saw that Katarina had completely ignored the mark, it didn't even seem to exist, there wasn't the discomfort she felt in her expression, and remembering that the man who had examined Arthur had also shown a certain discomfort, she was surprised; looking closely at Katarina's reaction, it was clear that instead of discomfort there seemed to be a slight expectation, an expression that was a little reminiscent of when a child is about to unwrap a present.

Arthur, looking at her expression, was a little confused, but decided to ignore it and just thought about what she had just said, remembering the conversation Katarina and Julia had while he was scared, Arthur's expression changed a little, from excited and full of expectation, to reluctant and confused, and after a few seconds it became bitter and forced, an expression identical to when a child receives socks as a present; even though he didn't want to show that expression in front of them, he couldn't help it, after all, he had been looking after his sister for three years, and he had a similar image of himself an adult, and now he would have to be called "Little Arthur", it made him upset. Looking at Arthur's expression, Julia and Katarina couldn't hold back the involuntary giggles that came, Julia avoided laughing provocatively as Katarina was doing and contented herself with just messing up Arthur's hair, after all, even though he was small, he was now Clare's son so she wouldn't tease him too much, however, Katarina thought differently, and after Julia stopped messing up Arthur's hair she pinched his cheeks while saying. - Little Arthur is adorable. - After having his cheeks pinched by Katarina, Arthur's expression became very unhappy, and a trace of anger appeared on his face, but before he could say anything he was hugged by Katarina who said. - Auntie must have adopted you for that. - Said Katarina as she hugged him and smiled like a happy child.

Arthur was upset to hear this, if what Katarina said was true he would be treated like a child every day, he had spent three years of his life looking after his little sister, and had even worked for one of those years, so he was really unhappy at the thought of being treated like a child, but Unfortunately for Arthur, the more upset he appeared, the more Katarina teased him.

- That can't be the reason! - Arthur raised his voice to the point where it sounded like he was shouting.

- How do you know? - Katarina stopped hugging Arthur and looked at him with a smile as she asked.

- Who would adopt someone just because they're adorable? - Arthur's tone of voice was much lower now, he didn't sound like he was talking, he sounded like he was whispering to himself in order to convince himself.

- Normally people wouldn't do that since we're constantly at war, but... Clare, I think she could do it. - Julia commented in a natural way, it seemed like she was just thinking to herself, but for Arthur it was like a bucket of cold water.

After speaking without thinking, and seeing Arthur's expression, Julia was a little embarrassed, and intended to cheer the boy up, but before she could say anything Katarina asked. - How old are you?

- Almost eight years. - Arthur replied in a sulky and direct manner.

- Hmm... You're still a child, so... What's wrong with treating you like a child? - Katarina asked the question with a gentle smile as she knelt down to stare at the little boy.

-... - Arthur didn't know how to answer her question, he really was a child, but he had forgotten that for a long time, ever since his mother stopped waking him up, ever since he had to console his sister who was learning to walk through physiotherapy, ever since he was taken from his old home which had been seized and thrown into an orphanage, ever since he had to start working to help his sister distract herself in hospital, among countless other events had made him gradually forget his real age; after being silent for several seconds he said. - I can't be a child. - When Arthur said this, without realizing it his eyes filled with tears and his voice became hoarse.

Katarina looked stunned at Arthur, and Julia who was staring at Arthur just had a sad look on her face, remembering some of the things Clare had told her about Arthur's past she knew that he probably hadn't been able to act like a child for the last three years; Julia knew the reason for Arthur's hoarse voice and why he said he couldn't be a child, but Katarina didn't, seeing Arthur's reaction she was a little stunned, she thought he would just say some nonsense like "I'm all grown" and various derivations of that, just like she did when she was a child, but the answer was beyond her expectations, she stared at Arthur not knowing what to say, but seeing a tear running down her cheek she ended up speaking without thinking. - Why can't you be a child?

- I need to get big fast... Sophie... My sister needs me. - After saying this, Arthur sniffled to stop the phlegm from flowing, but he still couldn't hold back the tears.

- But what about your parents? They... - Just as she was about to question Arthur's parents, she realized that something was wrong, then she remembered, to be his cousin he had adopted. Katarina looked at Arthur and after pondering for a moment she stroked his hair to try to comfort him and asked in a calm tone. - Where are your parents?

Arthur lowered his head for several seconds, and only after several seconds had passed and he had managed to hold back his tears did he reply. - I don't know what happened to my father, I only managed to speak to him once three years ago. - Arthur paused after saying this with his voice still a little hoarse, and then he looked into Katarina's eyes, her eyes were still watery, and her expression was heartbreaking, but he still managed to say with a forced smile. - My mother died, she... Three years ago, she saved us from a demon. - After saying this Arthur lowered his face and muttered something, but it was so low that Julia and Katarina couldn't hear.

After hearing Arthur's reply, Katarina stood still in place just looking at the little boy in front of her, and after several seconds she hugged him and spoke. - I'm so sorry.

- ... - Arthur didn't reply but returned the hug with his free hand while trying to hold back the tears.

Katarina continued to hug Arthur for a few seconds, and after waiting for him to calm down, she asked. - Was it difficult growing up?

- ... - Arthur still didn't answer, but the grip on Katarina's shoulders tightened.

- It's okay, I know it wasn't easy..., But it's okay now, you're not alone. - After hearing this Arthur increased the strength in his arm and could no longer hold back his tears, so he just cried like the simple child he was while hugging Katarina.

"This is already the second chapter where the last paragraph has disappeared when viewed on cell phones. To avoid this, I've decided to duplicate this message at the end of each chapter, hoping it will resolve the issue. If you're reading this, I apologize if it's intrusive, but it's a better solution than leaving the chapter incomplete."