Chapter 245: Hugging Lys is free of charge
The four of them stayed wrapped in the hug for a long minute. Elara’s arms held tight around Lys, her face pressed against his shoulder. Mira squeezed from behind, putting a bit too much strength into it like she always did when she got emotional. Lys tapped her arm lightly with one hand until she loosened up with a small laugh. Selene fit right in the middle, her body warm against his side.
No one said much. The afternoon light from the window lit up the room softly, and the only sounds were quiet breathing and the occasional sniff from Elara.
A little away from here, in the staircase leading up to the second floor, Tresta stood half-hidden in the shade. She watched the scene with a soft smile on her face. The way they held each other made something warm settle in her chest. It reminded her of what a real family looked like, stuck together no matter what the world threw at them. She shifted her weight quietly on the stairs, to back away quietly, not wanting to interrupt.
Then she felt someone behind her. Tresta turned her head fast. And as her body was quite weak right now, suddenly getting startled like that, her foot slipped on the edge of the step. She started to lose her balance, arms waving for a second.
Mitsu caught her arm just in time. “Careful,” Mitsu said, keeping her voice low.
Helga stood right behind Mitsu, one hand steady on the railing. It seemed both of them had been watching the hug too, peeking from the same shaded spot on the stairs as Tresta, where they were barely noticeable from the big kitchen room down below.
Tresta straightened up, her heart still beating a little quicker from the near fall. “What are you two doing here?” she whispered.
Helga gave a small shrug, her eyes still fixed on the group downstairs. “Same thing you’re doing. Watching these sweet moments.”
Mitsu let out a quiet giggle. “Hehe, calling them sweet things sounds funny coming from you, Miss Helga.”
Helga smiled a little wider. “What? I’m not wrong, am I? Just watching them fills your chest up, doesn’t it? They really are adorable like that.”
Tresta turned her gaze back to the hug. Mira was still squeezing a bit hard, making Lys tap her arm again. The small struggle looked playful. “Yeah,” Tresta said softly. “They are very adorable. And a happy family at that.”
The three of them stayed there for another short while, shoulders close together as they observed the quiet scene.
Down below, Elara started to pull back from the hug. She wiped her eyes and said something about heating up the stew. The group began to separate.
Lys turned slightly as he let go. His eyes swept across the room and landed straight on the staircase. He froze for a second, then narrowed his eyes to look clearly if he saw right.
Tresta, Mitsu, and Helga all tried to pull back at the same time. Mitsu bumped into Helga. Helga grabbed the railing. Tresta nearly slipped again. The sudden movement made the old wooden stairs creak loudly.
Lys’s voice carried up clearly. “What are you guys doing over there, sneaking like that?”
Selene turned to look where he was staring. She spotted the three of them and raised her eyebrows. “Sneaking?”
Mitsu straightened up fast, trying to look innocent. She put on her best straight face. “Sneaking? Who says we were sneaking? We were just coming down to the table, right Miss Helga?”
Helga nodded quickly, though her cheeks looked a little red. “Yes. Exactly. Coming down to prepare dinner.”
Lys crossed his arms, a small grin starting to form. He looked straight at Tresta. “And you?”
Tresta opened her mouth, then closed it. She glanced at Mitsu and Helga, but both of them had already started moving down the stairs like they suddenly remembered important chores to do. Mitsu even waved vaguely toward the kitchen. “I’ll help with the bowls, Miss Elara!”
Helga followed right behind her. “Oh, then I’ll check if the clothes outside are dry or not.”
Tresta stood there alone now, caught in the open. She let out a long breath, knowing there was no way out of this one. The other two had left her to take the fall.
Lys waited, still waiting for her answer, though he somewhat knew what they all were up to, as were everyone downstairs. Elara and Mira turned to watch too, both of them looking amused. Selene covered her mouth with her hand, clearly trying not to laugh, seeing how Tresta was struggling to come up with a reasonable excuse.
Tresta walked down the rest of the stairs, her steps slow. “Alright, fine,” she said when she reached the bottom. “We were watching. All three of us. It just looked really nice, the way you were all hugging like that. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I stayed on the stairs. Then these two showed up and joined me. We weren’t trying to spy or anything. It just… happened.”
Mitsu peeked back from the kitchen doorway. “Hey, speak for yourself! We weren’t spying!”
Helga’s voice came from the same direction. “Yeah, weren’t you the one who was sneaking from there? Why are you dragging us with you?!”
Tresta shot them a look, but there was no heat in it. She turned back to Lys and shrugged. “See? They abandoned me the second we got caught. But yes, I was watching too. You all looked so happy, and I was about to go back silently, but these two…..!.”
Lys shook his head, the grin still there. “Huhhhh……You three are something else.”
Elara chuckled softly from the kitchen. “Come on over then. There’s plenty of stew for everyone. No harm in having a second lunch. No Tresta….. Next time there is no need to hide on the stairs, sneaking…..” She couldn’t finish the last part and let out a giggle, while covering her mouth.
Mira grabbed extra bowls with a laugh. “Yeah, next time just join the hug. There’s always room.”
Selene smiled and moved closer to Lys again. “Yeah, hugging Lys in this house is free of charge, don’t be shy!” she said quietly.
Tresta walked over to the table and sat down, her face still a little warm from getting caught. The others joined one by one, too, as if forgetting the fact that all of them had their lunch before.
The room filled with the sound of spoons and light conversation as Elara served the little stew they had left from lunchtime.
Lys took a bite and looked around the table. The earlier heavy emotions had lifted, replaced by this easy warmth. Even with everything going on outside the walls, moments like this made the house feel like home.