Fu Lin furrowed his brows, shook his head, and muttered to himself,
"It's not my imagination… it must be someone Otto sent to observe Kiana..."
However, before he could think it through, Kiana☆ rolled over a snowball and excitedly tugged on Fu Lin's sleeve, urging,
"Fu Lin, come on! Let's build a big snowman together!"
Fu Lin looked at Kiana☆'s innocent (adorably silly) smile, and all his doubts melted away. He nodded and responded with a smile,
"Okay."
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[ (Chapter 404 doesn't exist, so here's 405 (˙︶˙)☆*° [dog head]) - Note from Original Author ]
One day, Siegfried was sitting at the dining table, wolfing down the food in his hands. Suddenly, he paused, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at the approaching Fu Lin.
"You little brat, why is it that ever since I started eating your cooking, the time it takes me to pass out and how long I stay unconscious keeps getting shorter?"
Siegfried furrowed his brows, completely puzzled.
Fu Lin's mouth twitched slightly, speechless in his heart.
He had originally thought Siegfried was just joking that day, but unexpectedly, it was real.
For the past year, he had been in charge of cooking, and Siegfried had been eating at least one meal every day.
Hearing Siegfried's question now, Fu Lin helplessly replied,
"Maybe it's because you've gotten used to it. Your body has developed resistance to my cooking."
"I see!"
Siegfried nodded in sudden realization, a trace of melancholy flashing through his eyes.
After stuffing the last bite of food into his mouth, he put down his bowl and chopsticks with satisfaction, rubbing his chin and laughing heartily.
Kiana☆ curiously chimed in from the side, "Could it be that Dad's poison resistance is maxed out?"
Kiana☆ blinked her big eyes, her face full of disbelief. Fu Lin also nodded in agreement.
Siegfried grinned proudly and said,
"As long as there's nothing more toxic than this brat's cooking, then probably yes."
As he spoke, Siegfried patted his chest confidently.
"Alright, I'm heading to bed. Kiana☆, don't stay up too late. We've got a mission to do tomorrow."
Then Siegfried stood up, rubbing his slightly sore shoulder, then patted Kiana☆'s head and walked toward his room.
Over the past year, the once cramped wooden cabin had been continuously expanded and had become a luxurious small house with three bedrooms and one living room.
Each person had their own room now—no more squeezing onto one bed.
The kitchen had been built dozens of meters away from the house on an empty patch of land, becoming a separate space.
After all, over the past year, Kiana☆ had burned down countless cabins while learning to cook. Each fire was shockingly destructive.
After Siegfried left, Fu Lin also stood up and headed inside, saying as he walked, "Ha~ I'm going to bed too. See you tomorrow, Kiana☆."
"See you tomorrow..."
Kiana☆ looked at Fu Lin and said instinctively. Then she furrowed her brows and, in a voice not too loud or too soft, just enough for Fu Lin to hear, said, "...Fu Lin, not playing chess tonight?"
Fu Lin stopped in his tracks and turned to look back,
"Next time. Make sure to sleep early. Early to bed and early to rise is good for your health."
With that, Fu Lin walked into his room and closed the door.
"Hmph!"
Staring at the closed door, Kiana☆ snorted, plopped down on the sofa, pouting as she muttered,
"Fu Lin, that big jerk. 'Early to bed, early to rise'... he's the one who wakes up the latest every day."
Despite her grumbling, Kiana☆ obediently got up, ready to go to her room and sleep.
However, at that moment, a breeze drifted in, causing the curtains to flutter gently.
Kiana☆ was drawn by the breeze and unknowingly walked to the window, looking up at the night sky.
In the Siberian night sky, stars scattered across the sky, dazzling and brilliant.
Kiana☆ stood quietly in front of the window, immersed in the peaceful atmosphere. She let out a gentle sigh, a faint feeling of loneliness welling up from deep inside.
"Sigh..."
She then looked at the empty living room, pouted, stomped her foot, and muttered,
"I'm going to my room too."
With that, Kiana☆ closed the window, turned around angrily, and went back to her room, slamming the door shut.
Outside, the wind howled, whistling through the air.
Kiana☆ lay lazily on her soft bed, pulling out a manga. Propping her chin with both hands, she read with great interest, muttering,
"Sleeping early is impossible. Reading manga is way more fun."
Just then, a faint sound came from outside the window—like someone lightly tapping on the glass.
Kiana☆'s heart skipped a beat as she was absorbed in her manga.
She lifted her head, eyes landing on the window, and with a hint of caution and confusion in her voice, asked,
"Who's out there?"
No one answered.
Kiana☆ cautiously stood up on tiptoe and slowly approached the window.
Every step was taken with extreme care, as if she were afraid of startling the unknown presence.
Finally, she reached the window, extended her hand, and gently pushed it open, sticking her head out to look around.
But aside from the pitch-black night sky and the howling wind, there was nothing. Kiana☆ furrowed her brows, her confusion deepening.
Could the sound have just been the wind?
Just as she was about to turn and go back to bed, she suddenly caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the window out of the corner of her eye. She stopped, staring curiously at her reflection.
The reflection looked identical to her, but gave off an indescribably strange feeling.
It was like looking into a mirror and realizing that although the person inside looked exactly like you, their aura and expression were subtly different—as if they came from another world.
Kiana☆ studied the reflection carefully and suddenly noticed something small—the eyes.
Yes, the eyes were different.
Her eyes were clearly a pure blue, clear and bright like the sky. But the reflection's eyes were golden with a cross-shaped star glow, like burning flames—mysterious and deep.
Those eyes gave off a cold and distant feeling, completely different from her usual lively and cheerful self.
"My eyes… why did they change like that?!"
Kiana☆ rubbed her eyes. But when she opened them again and looked at the reflection, the golden star-cross pupils were still there.
Then, the reflection in the window began to subtly distort. She saw the reflection curl its lips into a strange, eerie smile.
Kiana☆'s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her. Her hair stood on end, a chill ran up her spine, and fear surged through her like a tidal wave.
She wanted to scream but found her throat too dry to make a sound. Her body backed away involuntarily, her mind going blank.
Time seemed to freeze, the only thing still moving was the whistling wind outside the window, like the whispers of a demon.
Kiana☆'s heart pounded wildly, her breathing became rapid, and cold sweat poured from her forehead. After a long moment, she snapped out of it, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the window again.
This time, the strange reflection was gone—only her own terrified expression remained.
Kiana☆ took a deep breath, patted her chest, and tried to comfort herself,
"I must be seeing things... That must be it..."
Even as she said that, fear lingered in her heart. She decisively pulled the curtains shut, blocking out the outside world completely.
Then, like a startled kitten, she dove into her bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself, hoping to hide her fear.
However, the sound of the wind outside never ceased, making it impossible for Kiana☆ to calm down. Even with her eyes closed, the scene from earlier replayed in her mind.
Every gust of wind against the window sent her nerves taut again, keeping her from falling asleep.
Kiana☆ tossed and turned in bed, filled with anxiety and fear. She tried to hide under the blanket, but the wind noise still pierced through, as if trying to consume her.
Finally, unable to endure it anymore, Kiana☆ jumped out of bed, grabbed her pillow, and walked out of her room.
Knock knock knock...
The knocking echoed clearly through the silent night.