It's been very long since the last time I wrote on . Well, I had much to do and when I got time to do some stories, I just didn't have the right , or perhaps, the best ideas, and so, I didn't write. But, today, I got something inside my mind and pretty much hoped to share in here. So, here I go...

Please forgive me if there are mistakes in grammar (I feel like I'm new to writing due to my long break).

"Quick! Shut the gate!" the captain exclaimed. "All soldiers, prepare yourself!"

It was not one of the usual peaceful days in the Karbelnikoff's territory. The soldiers were having serious faces on them rather than the usual relax face. They were running from their barrack to the manor's assembly point. The briefing wasn't long due to the situation they now faced, the captain only gave them one simple order: Defend the Karbelnikoffs and get rid of the enemy.

"Yessir!" they all answered.

"Now, go!" the captain said and all the soldiers went to their own post in a hurry.

Meanwhile, inside the Karbelnikoff's manor...

"Brother, what's happening here?" Anissina asked her brother as she prepared her cannonball. "Help me with the preparation."

"Have you forgotten that we're the last Karbelnikoffs, Anissina?" Densham asked her as he did what she told him to.

"Why now?" she asked, or rather exclaimed. "We never got attacked before."

"Did I forget to tell you that we're on crisis right now?" Her brother laughed as he pushed the machine nearing the window. "Remember, the last expedition was a failure."

"Don't laugh, you silly big brother!" Anissina exclaimed, she gazed sharply at his brother and then said, "I'll save you this time."

She got her cannonball ready and shot it to their enemy's direction, then, she murmured, summoning her magic and thunder suddenly stroke the enemy.

And then, they could hear the soldiers screaming "Yay! We win!"

"Anissina!" her brother, Densham, looked at her with glass-like blue eyes. "Thank you, dear sister! I know I could count on you!"

"Next time, you defend your own manor yourself, dearest brother!"

Anissina entered her lab with a frown in her face. She couldn't believe that her brother was such an idiot, and how he could become the head of the Karbelnikoffs with that little intelligence. She did respect her brother's luck (and perhaps, calculations) in business, but he didn't really have all the things a leader need to preserve a territory. He could only do business, a pure businessman. Perhaps, this was the end of the Karbelnikoffs as nobles, because she was not into politics as well.

Densham and she were the last of Karbelnikoffs. The rest of their kin had died for the sake of attaining the glory of being nobles, in a war that happened about five hundred years ago. That was long before Anissina and her brother were born. It was the era when their father was only a businessman looking for an easier and better way to do business. Suddenly business turned into war, and even though their kin won the war, only their father survived until old age because most of them were assassinated by their enemies. It could be concluded that the Karbelnikoff's territory was not really safe for the Karbelnikoffs. So many people wanted to kill them to be the next noble family. Because unlike the other nobles that had been nobles for a long time, the Karbelnikoffs were new to the nobility and they were only merchants before they became one of the nobles, that would explain how the other nobles sometimes didn't consider the Karbelnikoffs as a noble family.

But, Anissina had always wondered why her brother, her father and herself were never really exposed to that danger. She never even realized that her life was ever in danger before her father died. It was always so peaceful, except

"I see, that's why father always brought me to the Gwendal's territory," she said to herself while taking her screwdriver from her toolbox. "Or the Blood Pledge castle." She put away the screwdriver, changing her mind, then, she took a pencil and a piece of paper and went to her desk, drawing her new project. "And father said, I would save the family, if anything should happen, I wonder if he could foresee what I am doing now." She continued working while talking to herself. "Or did he mean I should become the head of the family? My women emancipation movement could be the reason for that," she said and frowned. "I guess, no."

Anissina put her pencil away. She took a deep breath and stood up, 'I guess, I need to talk with my brother,' she thought. 'Before the worst happens.'

Anissina didn't knock at her brother's door, she opened the door and went inside, finding her brother sitting on the side of his bed. His face, though still looked as mischievous as before now had a worried expression.

"Why didn't you knock?" he asked.

"Did I ever knock when I come here?" she asked him back.

"Ah, right, I forgot. It's because you're rarely around," he smiled.

"You're worried," she said as she walked closer to her brother. Densham looked away from her. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said that to you."

"That's okay," he said. "I wasn't as strong as you anyway. The head of this family should be you, you're smart and you can use your magic," Densham said. "The enemies are attacking us, knowing that it'd be super easy to defeat me, a noble without magic."

"Brother," Anissina murmured as her icy cold expression earlier turned into a sad one. "I'm sure father pick you as his successor because he was sure that you are capable to be one."

Densham looked at her sister for a moment and turned his eyes away again. Avoiding her gaze and didn't say anything.

"You remember," Anissina continued after a moment of silence, "when father died, he left us that letter, the one he said we should open if any dangers should occur in this land."

Densham eyes widened and she looked at Anissina with eyes full of hope.

Anissina smiled and said, "I think now is the time."

'Dear Densham and Anissina,

I hope both of you are doing well now, but I guess you two are facing a dire situation if you're reading this letter now. I hope, by opening this letter you could find a way to deal with your situation, but before that, I want to tell you the story of our family. I actually want to tell you directly myself before I died, but looks like the time was never right. So, I'll tell you really quick, so both of you would understand and perhaps, you could get out of your bad situations. '

"I could hear father laughing at us," Anissina said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Densham nodded at her.

'So, when I was young, I wanted to be the greatest merchant in Shinmakoku. I'm sure you both knew about that. And that time, Shinmakoku had just conquered a new land and wanted to have a new noble family who could be trusted to rule that land. That new land had a crowded harbor, a real good market and people, and it was also near my birthplace, so, I sent a letter to the Maou, hoping that I would pass the requirements to be one of the nobles. I didn't know why, but looks like that Shinou was on my side, the Maou interviewed me and I passed. I became a noble, all of our kin became nobles. We were very happy and we build a manor for ourselves not long after that.'

"I didn't know it was very easy to become one of the nobles," Densham said as he took the second page of the letter.

'But, even though we had gained support from most of the people, there were some people who didn't like us. They all gathered in a group called 'anti-Karbelnikoffs' and tried to attack us. Knowing that, the Maou sent the head of von Voltaire, the most fearsome of the nobles, to protect us, that was Gwendal's father. He was really strong, all of our enemies were frightened of him, but they were too proud to just give up because of that one man. During his stay here, von Voltaire and I became friends. He was certainly not the type to talk much, but I got a feeling that he really cared about us. That's why sometimes I regret using him as my shield to save our family.'

Densham and Anissina looked at each other and began to read the next part of the paper.

'Our enemies then began to turn their attention to von Voltaire. They knew they must have him killed before they could kill us. And I don't know whether it was luck or fate, I dropped von Voltaire's glass of wine and when the cat licked the wine, it died. His glass was poisoned. He thanked me for saving his life and promised me I could ask anything from him. I told him that he must shared twenty percents of his territory's income with us and if danger should come again to our house, he must save our family in a way that would profit him and I.'

"How?" Anissina asked, as if she was asking to her father. She took the next piece of paper.

'So, I ask for his son to be my daughter's fiance if I should ever have a daughter, and if the danger should occur in the next generation, the agreement will still be valid too for our grandchildren. I thought it would be good for my business and the future of our family would be secure to have his blood within us if we ever need it. We would become the real noble family with noble blood within us. And he was delighted that all of them were such an easy request. So, that's it. Anissina, that was how you were betrothed to Gwendal, but this agreement only valid if we should face a dire situation, or you would be free to choose your love. If you marry him, all things would be secured, Densham and your lives and our position as nobles. The last piece of paper is the agreement between von Voltaire and I. It has our signs, so, show it to Gwendal and it would go as I had planned. And Densham, my advice for you is do your business well next time. Love, father.'

"What..." Anissina murmured. "Whattt!?" she exclaimed. "I never knew of this. Father never told me!"

"Well, if you asked me, I didn't know about this too, sister," Densham said. "Why don't we ask Gwendal about this? He might know something."

Anissina nodded. "I'll send him a letter."

"No, I think, you should go see him," Densham said. "Letters take too much time. Take the agreement with you."

And so, that's how all these twists began.

TBC

Well, another story of my favorite couple, Gwendal and Anissina. In this story I want to explore more about the Karbelnikoffs and I hope you guys are as curious as I am about the family. I gues this story won't have too many chapters cos the holiday season is nearly over. Though it's a bit late, I wish you a merry little christmas and though it's a bit early, happy new year!

I'm looking forward to read your reviews, if you have the time to write one. :)

Well, see you on the next chapter.

Bye! :D

~Pheria~