Hannah, who was sitting outside chatting and coaxing both sisters, stood up and went inside the House Mother’s office.

  She first bowed to Bella Noll and then respectfully asked, "What do you need me to do?" She wondered what Bella Noll and Eric were chatting about for so long.

  Bella Noll nodded at Hannah’s greeting and then began giving orders without wasting time.

  She first informed Hannah that she needed to take care of both little girls, like Eric.

  To which Hannah nodded with acceptance. She had already guessed it would be so. Either way, she was mostly free and earning money while doing very little, so she was fine with doing some proper work from now on.

  Bella Noll then continued to tell Hannah to do a few other things, such as grabbing clothes for the girls and other miscellaneous tasks.

  Bella Noll paused briefly, then instructed, "After all this is done, take Eric with you to the town’s library and register him in your name. From now on, get him the books he wants. Don’t worry; you can use my name as your guarantee."

  Hannah nodded hesitantly. She knew the old librarian, Paul, wouldn’t like this, as he was infamous for not tolerating children in the library. Still, she was surprised Eric had managed to convince Bella Noll to let him borrow books.

  Eric and Hannah stepped out of the office. The same two little girls sat waiting, just as before.

  Eric noticed they were much calmer now. A fresh bath, new clothes, and a good sleep would fix the remaining rough edges; then, they would be ready to become princesses.

  He was about to greet them, but Hannah spoke first.

  “Lyria, Livy, this is the boy you saw earlier. From now on, he’s your closest friend. His name is Eric. I’ve already told you girls about this brat’s hobbies, likes, and dislikes.”

  Hannah then turned toward Eric and continued, “The girl with the gorgeous long hair is Livy, and the beautiful amber-eyed girl is Lyria. They are half-sisters and have such unique names—I’m jealous! Hohoho.” She laughed like an old woman.

  Eric was speechless. 'What’s with the introduction? Is that how people are introduced to each other in this world? Also, what did you say to them about me? My hobbies, likes, and dislikes? Why don’t I remember having those?'

  Eric thought he should still properly introduce himself. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Hannah interrupted him again.

  “From now on, both of you can call Eric ‘Little Brother Eric.’ I’m sure he won’t mind.” She then winked at Eric.

  Eric gave Hannah a disgusted look. He would not accept being called 'little brother' by two little girls, even if they were older than him. He had his pride!

  Hannah smiled triumphantly. “What? Both these little beauties are a few months older than you! You should address them as ‘big sisters’!”

  Even so, Eric refused. He wouldn’t call these little girls 'big sisters'!

  He glanced back and noticed both girls seemed to have recovered significantly, all thanks to his heroic sacrifice. They even wore faint smiles on their faces.

  Hannah opened her mouth again, but Eric quickly spoke first. “Hello, Lyria, Livy. My name is Eric. You can call me ‘Brother Eric’ or simply by my name,” he introduced himself with a smile, which he thought could earn some goodwill from little girls.

  But he didn’t expect that to work out so smoothly, as both girls nodded at him with their own smiles. It seemed they were now much more relaxed with him.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Eric turned toward Hannah and reminded her, “You should take them to their rooms so they can rest. Then, go do what Grandma asked you to.” The best way to shut Hannah up was to remind her of her work—he had learned this technique long ago.

  Hannah recalled she had lots of things to do and many places to visit. She smiled gently. “Lyria, Livy, this big sister needs to get you new clothes and a few other things. For now, follow me. I’ll take you to your new room.”

  Hannah grabbed both Lyria and Livy’s hands without their consent, dragging them along.

  Lyria and Livy turned back simultaneously to look at Eric. Neither spoke; they just stared, waiting for him to catch up. Only when Eric began following did they face forward again.

  'Children...' Eric rolled his eyes.

  Eric followed, or rather, he was heading toward his own room.

  Watching Livy’s back, Eric noticed her hair was very long, reaching almost to her knees; the color was lavender with slight purple at the ends. Overall, it was the most beautiful natural hair color he had seen. Her eyes were also lavender, which was very pretty.

  Eric’s gaze then shifted to the other girl, Lyria. She had a big-sister-like vibe. From the beginning, she had been far more composed and steadier than Livy.

  Lyria’s hair was also long, reaching down to her back. She had dark brown hair, which looked beautiful and was tied into a ponytail, unlike Livy, who wore hers loose. Her large amber eyes had a glow of their own and were stunning.

  Both girls were very tall, just slightly shorter than him.

  Eric shook his head and laughed inwardly at checking out two barely-eight-year-old kids. Then he recalled he was also the same age... 'Damn.'

  Eric was nearing his room when he noticed Hannah, who had taken the same route, standing in front of his door.

  Eric froze. His voice quivered as he asked, “H-Hannah, d-don’t tell me what I think is what you’re going to say.”

  Hannah blinked at Eric with pure innocence and tilted her head cutely. “What are you thinking, my dear little brother?”

  Eric raised his hands and pointed at his room. “Why are you stopping in front of my room?” he asked.

  “Oh, is it only your room? Are you so sure about that? I’m sorry to inform you that from now on, you have new neighbors! Congratulations, my dear little brother—you’re finally not alone!” Hannah spoke in a voice that seemed genuinely well-meaning, as if she were very happy for him.

  Instead of replying to Hannah’s teasing, Eric turned and bolted straight toward Bella Noll’s office. He was absolutely not going to share his room with anyone—boys or girls, it didn’t matter!

  Hannah’s expression changed. If Eric actually reached Bella Noll’s office and complained about her little prank, she would definitely get scolded harshly for giving her little brother a minor heart attack.

  So she quickly yelled after him, “Hold on, Eric, you misunderstood! It’s the room beside yours! Not your room!”

  Eric skidded to a stop, his shoes screeching against the floor.

  Although neighbors with little girls were still not ideal, it was at least acceptable.

  Eric laughed and turned around with a knowing smirk, sauntering back.

  “H-Haha, I was only joking. What are you panicking about? Of course I knew where their rooms were. Grandma had already informed me! Now move aside—let me go inside my room. I want to finish my beautiful sleep that you deprived me of this early morning.”

  After saying this, Eric ignored Hannah’s disdainful look and entered his room.

  He suddenly recalled something, so he turned his head toward Hannah’s smug face and reminded her, “Inform me when you’re done with your chores. After breakfast, we’ll head to the library. Good day!” With that, he slammed his door shut.

  Hannah’s smug expression melted, and she chuckled softly. She then took Lyria and Livy to their room.

  Both Lyria and Livy looked confused by Eric and Hannah’s pointless banter, but they wore silly smiles on their faces.

  The room was simple: two beds, two wardrobes, two study tables with their respective chairs in front of them, and one window.

  Hannah opened the window completely, and the fresh morning breeze, along with the sweet fragrance of flowers from the garden below, wafted inside, transforming the air and atmosphere into something pleasant.

  After filling her lungs with fresh air, Hannah turned around and smiled at the sisters.

  “This will be your room from now on. Every second day, someone will come to clean it. If you have any requests, you can go downstairs and ask any of the workers—they’ll help you. Of course, you can also seek me out anytime. The washroom and bathroom are at the end of the corridor. For now, you cuties can take a short rest here. I’ll return within an hour or so, and then you girls can take a fresh bath and rest properly.” She gently patted both Lyria and Livy’s shoulders and then walked out of the room.

  Just as Hannah was closing the door behind her, she recalled something. “Right, if you ever need help or have questions and I’m not around, you can seek out Eric. Although he puts on a ‘mature’ attitude, he’ll definitely help you if you’re in trouble. See you both later, then. Don’t fall asleep yet—wait for me.”

  Hannah then closed the door and went downstairs to inform the chefs to prepare two more plates of food from today onward. After that, she headed toward the clothes store that Bella Noll owned in town. There were many places for her to visit this morning.