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Elayne cooked a delicious al and placed it on the table. Little Hope and her friend Mary ca running as soon as they heard Elayne was cooking, eagerly sitting down next to Lisette to enjoy the food.
"Wow, Lisette! Hi! Are you going to beco my friend now?" asked Little Hope.
"Eh? Ah, I wouldn’t mind!" Lisette smiled.
"Hey, Hope, you can’t just go around telling her to beco your friend..." Mary said. "That’s sothing that just happens!"
"But I want to beco her friend... and yours too!" Lisette nodded. "I want to make lots of friends..."
"Well, if you insist..." Mary replied with a nod.
"Anyway, let’s enjoy the food before it gets cold, everyone," Elayne said, sitting down next to Mark and beginning to eat.
As they ate, the conversation quickly shifted toward Lisette and his origins. He had to speak up—he wouldn’t be let off the hook until he addressed the elephant in the room.
"So tell , dear," Elayne said. "Please, can you tell us where you ca from and why you joined us?"
"Well..." Lisette sighed. "I belong to the Nether Ghost Castle..."
"I knew it!" Yaga snapped. "Boy, don’t you understand the implications of this?! You ran away from your family, and now they’re going to look for you everywhere—giving them yet another reason to chase us!"
"Yaga, calm down," Elayne sighed, glancing back at the boy. "Go on."
"The White Ghost Princess is... my big sis..." Lisette muttered, pouting as he held back tears. "Uuuhh... I’m sorry for lying... I just don’t want to go back with her..."
"T-The White Ghost Princess is your big sis?! No way!" gasped Mary.
"Isn’t she... very important?" Mark asked.
"She is!" Yaga confird. "She’s one of the highest figures of authority within the Nether Ghost Castle—only below her mother, and her mother is only below her husband, the White Ghost King!"
"So that’s a big deal, huh?" Elayne mused, still calm. "The Nether Ghost Castle... do they truly have full authority over the Labyrinth Territory?"
"As far as I know, they used to govern a vast portion of it," Yaga explained. "But other races still live here and have their own territories. Still, the White Ghost Race is the single most dominant one. Below them is the branch of the Nether Dragons—the Black Spectral Dragon Palace."
"Hm, so those are the two top dogs of the Labyrinth Territory," Mark nodded. "Ah, Lisette... why did you co with us?"
"I already said it! It’s because I don’t like living there..." Lisette began to cry. "Mom and Dad are never ho... and Big Sis is an to ! And when I tell Mom and Dad, they say she’s just training ..."
"Hm, so your parents are absent most of the ti, and you have an abusive big sister," Elayne nodded. "I guess there’s no helping it then. I dislike when children have terrible families that don’t love them... you can stay with us, Lisette."
"Really?!" Lisette’s eyes sparkled like two stars. "Thank you! Thank you, Auntie! I love you, Auntie!!!"
Lisette turned intangible, phasing through the food and the table before hugging Elayne tightly, letting her know how much he loved her.
"Oh dear, what am I going to do with you? You’re such a spoiled boy," Elayne giggled as Lisette sat on her lap and refused to let go. "You’re so clingy the mont soone shows you kindness... I guess you haven’t really been loved that much, huh?"
"No..." Lisette sobbed.
"Damn it, Elayne, we can’t keep him!" Yaga snapped. "By having him around, you’re risking the entire cult!"
"Yaga," Elayne said, glaring at the old woman with respect—but also with a touch of authority. "You’re forgetting that we’re all fugitives from the Demon King of Death’s Army anyway. He’ll send his n after us in droves, and we’ll just have to fight them off. Isn’t it going to be the sa either way? I doubt those two big houses in the Labyrinth will let us roam freely. They’ll try to capture us regardless. Having Lisette here or not... doesn’t change that fact."
"...!" Yaga clenched her teeth, realizing she may have overstepped. "I... I apologize. I might’ve lost my mind and ended up yelling too much."
"It’s fine," Elayne smiled, holding her smaller hand and gently caressing her wrinkled skin. "We love and appreciate you, Yaga. We know you’re worried about us, but... I simply can’t abandon this child."
"...I understand," Yaga nodded. "I suppose when I chose to follow you, I also chose to go along with whatever whims you have... Hah. But you do have so... I guess it’s called morality. I’ve forgotten what being a good person feels like."
"That’s fine... it’s clear as day that this world breaks people," Elayne said. "It’s hard for anyone to hold onto morality. I just choose to keep mine, even knowing it might not always be the smart thing... it’s my way of life."
"And that way of life is what’s given everyone here hope," Mark smiled. "So don’t worry, Elayne. We’ve got your back—just like you’ve got ours."
"Yeah!" Lisette cheered.
"Now tell , Lisette," Elayne said. "Were you with your sister back then? I don’t rember seeing you."
"I was with her in that arena, but she didn’t let watch..." Lisette sighed. "However, once Auntie’s magic activated, everyone was shaken—even my big sis fell to the floor, struggling to move as she was covered in mushrooms! Everyone except ... so I chose to run away and flew into the dark pit that was glowing with a pillar of light."
"I see," Elayne nodded. "Your sister showed so interest in and even said sothing about keeping an eye on when I left, but she didn’t seem particularly threatening. It’s strange."
"My big sis is weird—she’s a total psychopath!" Lisette cried in desperation. "Please, Auntie, don’t try to be friends with her! She loves seeing people suffer... I rember once when a maid served her tea that was slightly bitter, and she whipped their back a hundred tis..."
"I’ve heard the White Ghost Princess was eccentric but... is that true?" Yaga asked, raising an eyebrow, visibly shaken. "How terrifying it must be to live with soone like that—especially without your parents around. I suppose it’s for the best that you left her..."
"Yeah..." Lisette nodded. "Hm, I’m hungry. What’s this, Auntie?"
"Ah, I tried cooking potato chips," Elayne explained. "I managed to extract vegetable oil from the Umbral Flower, though they turned a sinister purple color."
"Hm...!" Lisette took a bite. It was crunchy, slightly sweet, salty, and incredibly comforting. "Woooow! What’s this?! It’s so yummyyyyyy! I love this!" the boy exclaid, eating happily.
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