The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (42) The Man Who Lost His Treasure ~

The late afternoon sun invaded the simple living room, illuminating the area with its natural light.

Gathered around the room was a small family. The young teen girl was sitting opposite to her grandparents. Her back touched the fluffy green cushions that gave her comfort on that rush seat chair.

A few meters from her seat, a chimney could be seen. Arisa sensed the scent of burnt wood from the previous night.

"Ouch." Arisa dropped a cloth, examining her finger.

She sighed in relief when she didn't find any drop of blood in it, although she still felt the stinging pain of the needle.

"Maybe if you tied that long hair of yours, you would have less stinging incidents," teased a gentle voice from across the room.

Arisa gazed at the woman sitting on the sofa a few meters in front of her. As Arisa, her grandmother was busy knitting a cloth, her dark hair tightly tied into a braided bun. Sitting by her grandmother's side was her grandfather, who was lost reading a newspaper.

"I don't think it's because of my hair," said Arisa, trying to knit again. "I'm just not good with this."

"Don't be hard on yourself," her grandmother comforted her. "You're still thirteen and you recently learned how to knit. With time, you'll gain experience."

Arisa exhaled, checking the white cloth her grandmother was knitting. She admired how her grandmother easily placed those beautiful flowery details that garnished the item. Arisa examined the material she had sewn so far. The flowery detail she tried to add was out of place.

She sighed again, trying to maintain her mood in this complicated activity. A minute after she resumed her task, the sharp needle stung her finger again.

"Ugh," Arisa complained, patience reaching her limit. "I give up."

"Aw, but you just started," said her grandmother.

Arisa placed the fabric and the sewing materials back in the box. "I think knitting isn't for me."

Arisa exhaled as she finished putting away the remaining stuff. Out of everything her grandmother had taught her, knitting was the only activity she found challenging.

"You should master this activity, my princess," teased her grandmother. "Who else is going to knit my grandchildren's clothes?"

"My husband," replied Arisa.

Her grandmother burst into laughter. "I'm looking forward to seeing the lucky man you'll force to do this."

"I'll be sure to call you when that happens." Arisa winked.

Arisa smiled as her grandmother's laugh filled the room with joy.

Her grandmother slowly calmed down."I wonder who you'll end up marrying, my princess. Will it be Kazuya or Zen?"

This time Arisa was the one that exploded into laughter. She didn't understand why her grandmother kept setting those two as potential future husbands.

"Why would I marry one of those two?" asked Arisa, trying to calm down. "I mean, one always finds a new way to make fun of me and the other one, despite being friendly is full of himself. Besides, we're friends; there's no way I could fall for those two."

Her grandmother raised a brow, gazing at her doubtfully.

"I'm glad to hear that, Arisa." Her grandfather's words pulled her gaze away from her grandmother. "If you develop strong feelings for that boy, I will never forgive you."