Hey everyone, I'm here with another chapter! Before you guys ask, in-game, Klaus rarely (if ever) talks about his family. So, I'll take liberty and try to expand on his background! ^^

Thanks for following this story and I'm very glad to read your reviews! ^^

Candied Snowflakes: I'm not gonna lie, I will put that scene in this story (and if I don't have a change of mind, it'd be a milestone for KlausxRaelyn). Actually, I didn't think much about the 'rivalries' part, but since you brought it up and I think it's marvellous, I'll see what I can do about it! ^^ Thanks for the idea teehee~

BubbleFettTea: *le gasp* I hope your head is okay and I'm guessing you're thinking of things with Eda as well?

"The doctor said, you would have a little sister."

"Really?"

"Really…"

He blinked that memory away and saw the pinkette in front of him. Her earlier question echoed in his head.

"If you say you want a sister like me… why don't you call me 'Raelyn'?"

It was an, needless to say, unexpected offer. However, knowing her kindness, he wasn't so surprised himself. She was being herself. He didn't know how long had passed since she muttered the last syllable of her question, but judging by the faint frown on her face, it seemed that some time had passed.

He smiled. "Raelyn, then," he told her, deciding to leave his thanks for her kindness to stay between the lines. "I'll see you around."

Klaus wrapped the flowers he procured from Giorgio carefully with a black ribbon. He had been doing these for the past ten years that it had become some sort of muscle memory. He didn't even need to see the calendar to know that it was the day.

He met Iris in front of his house. She glanced at the flowers and her face looked gloom. She put her right hand above her left elbow. "The bridge, then?" she asked with a low voice.

"Yes."

They walked in silence to the bridge leading to the hillside farms, where Giorgio and Fritz were staying. Klaus threw the tied flowers to the river and watched them being carried away by the current. He clasped his hand together and closed his eyes. He could picture them in his mind: his father, stern but kind and then his mother, ever so gentle, and there was this lump in her mother's belly—what could had been his sister. As always, he kept those visions short because the longer they stayed, the bitterer they became—short and sweet, right? So he opened his eyes, cutting it short, and turned around to find Iris standing slightly behind him. "Let's go back to the town," he said.

Returning the favor, he accompanied Iris to the Trade Depot. It seemed that the newest trader, Marielle, had some yarns and cloths with her. Iris usually did some needlework in her free time, so this new addition to the Trade Depot pleased her. "Oh, right," she suddenly pointed out. "I recalled seeing Raelyn a few days ago. She was looking for yarns to knit Madam Eda a scarf."

Klaus nodded; he was not surprised at all by that. By now, everyone in the town knew that Raelyn was very close to the elderly farmer. It wasn't unusual to see Raelyn running errands for Madam Eda, most typically shipping her harvest.

"She's such a sweet girl, don't you think?"

"Yes, I think so too."

Iris finally decided on the yarn and made her purchase. They started to walk back to the town. "Speaking of Raelyn, you said you thought of her like your little sister?"

Klaus nodded. He had indeed told her about it, just like everything else about him. "I think that's the best explanation."

The novelist chuckled. "Well…" she trailed off. "She does give off the little sister vibe—an adorable one at that, actually."

"She'd make a terrific protagonist in a romance novel!" she added excitedly.

Klaus chuckled. "And what kind of story you have in your head with that kind of heroine?"

She glanced aside and her eyes glinted playfully. "Why don't you give me some ideas, Klaus?" she asked coyly. "You'd make an alluring protagonist yourself, matched with the right kind of heroine."

"I'd take that as a compliment."

Iris stopped walking abruptly and pointed forward. "Klaus, what are they doing?"

Klaus looked at where she was pointing and found Raelyn stood on the platform just above the pile of lumbers next to Gunther's shop. She was trying to balance herself and there was Fritz standing behind her, cheering her on.

"What the…"

The next moment, the young woman jumped towards the pile of lumber. He had no idea where she was trying to land, but her feet ended up slipping off from the top layer of the blocks of lumber.

"Raelyn!" he dashed towards her

If he were trying to catch her before she hit the ground, he failed. She fell sideways, grazing the stone road with her arms bent protectively around her head. Two of the lumber blocks slipped to the ground as well, but luckily they didn't land on her. She rose to sit on her legs shortly and Klaus crouched so that their eyes met. She blinked in disbelief when she noticed him. "M… Mr. Klaus?"

"Are you all right?"

She looked down, avoiding his eyes, but nodded.

He stood up and offered her his hand, which she took gingerly. After helping her stand, Klaus watched as she dusted off her skirt. That was the time when Iris and Fritz caught up. Corona came out as well, most probably because of the loud sound of the lumbers falling down. "What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"May I ask what were you trying to do, jumping on the stack of lumber?"

Raelyn glanced sideways, to the nervous-looking Fritz. "I… I was told that I might get some… interesting things while doing that."

"Interesting things?"

Raelyn nodded. "Irons, glass stones… things like that."

"K-Klaus, I can explain!" Fritz butted in. "It really happens—sometimes things got slipped between the lumbers!"

Klaus folded his arms in front of his chest and squinted slightly, making his eyes looked even sharper than ever. "Are those equivalent to your own well-being?" he asked. "I know you're still very young and injuries do not hurt much, but it doesn't mean you can go around recklessly."

"R-right…" Raelyn murmured, her head bowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Klaus."

"I'm sorry…" Fritz echoed, clearly feeling guilty himself.

Looking at their guilt-ridden faces, Klaus couldn't help but to feel bad himself. He didn't mean to come across as harsh as he might have turned out to be to her and Fritz; Fritz wasn't well-known for his common sense, after all. However, he couldn't just stand there and watch for whatever it was worth.

"In any case, it's good nobody is hurt badly!" Corona chimed in, easing the tension off. "Fritz, why don't you help me to put back the lumbers?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Fritz nodded meekly.

"You should go to the doctor, Raelyn," Corona added. "Next time, I'll ask Gunther to check for the lumbers more carefully."

"You should accompany her, Klaus," Iris whispered. "I'll see you later."

Klaus nodded and walked with Raelyn to the clinic. Thankfully, besides some minor bruises on her arms and being hit with Angela's sharp tongue, she was fine. However, she was silent throughout the examination.

Perhaps I was indeed too harsh…

"Raelyn," he called when they had exited the building together.

Raelyn raised her face and looked at him. "Yes…?"

"I apologize if I came across to be harsh earlier," he began. "It's just that… I'm worried."

He could see that she didn't see that one coming. After some moments to gather herself, she smiled as her cheeks turned to a faint shade of pink. "It's okay, really," she assured him. "I just… forgot, for a moment back then, how my brothers were around me."

She turned her whole body to face him and bowed politely. "Thank you for reminding me about that, Mr. Klaus," she said sincerely. "I'll be more careful from now on."

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^