A Will Sovereign Chapter 7: Chapter 7— Departing for Astravele.

Read chapter 7 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

By the time Soldret left his inner world and opened his eyes again, dawn had already arrived. Soft golden sunlight spilled quietly through the curtains. Soldret instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. Perhaps because he had remained within his consciousness for too long, the sudden brightness felt strangely unfamiliar. Not long after— he heard light footsteps approaching his room. Knock. Knock. The door slowly opened. A small figure cautiously peeked inside. It was Lyanna. The moment she saw Soldret awake, her eyes immediately turned red. "Big brother!" She rushed toward him and tightly hugged him before he could even react. "I thought you weren't going to wake up anymore…" Her voice trembled as tears quickly spilled down her cheeks. Soldret blinked slightly before softly patting her head. "Silly." "I should be the one worrying about you." "You were the one that…" He paused briefly. He did not want her remembering what happened at the shack again. Instead, he lightly smiled. "See? I'm perfectly fine." He stretched his arms dramatically. 'In fact…" "I think I became even more handsome after waking up." Lyanna stared at him blankly for a second before immediately pouting. "What nonsense." "You still look like a potato." Soldret snorted before pulling lightly at her cheeks. "And that's coming from someone with a runny nose." Lyanna instantly froze. Then quickly wiped her nose in embarrassment. "Y-you…" "That's because I was crying for you!" "Hm? Really?" Soldret looked suspicious. Lyanna angrily grabbed part of his blanket before loudly blowing her nose into it. "Hmph!" She crossed her arms proudly. Meanwhile, Soldret stared at the blanket in horror. "…You little..." Lyanna burst into laughter after seeing his disgusted expression. And for the first time since yesterday— the gloomy atmosphere around her finally began fading away. Soldret quietly smiled. This was much better. Lyanna suddenly remembered something. "We're leaving for Astravale tomorrow!" Soldret was not surprised. Honestly, this was the outcome he had hoped for from the very beginning. If anything— he was more worried they might already be leaving too late. Still— leaving was far better than staying. "You don't look surprised at all," Lyanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me you already knew?" Soldret calmly nodded. "Mom and Dad told me last night." "Dad has some business that needs tending to back in Astravale." Lyanna puffed her cheeks slightly. "What business?" "You're all just using it as an excuse." "I'm not a child anymore, you know." She muttered under her breath Soldret suddenly lifted her effortlessly before placing her onto his lap. "See how light you are?" "One wouldn't expect something this chubby to weigh so little." Lyanna's face immediately turned red. "I'm not chubby!" "And regardless of what you think…" Soldret poked her nose lightly. "You're still a kid." He paused briefly before smiling softly. "A cute one though." Lyanna froze slightly. Then immediately jumped off his lap in embarrassment. "S-stop flattering me!" "And stop calling me chubby!" She quickly moved toward the door before turning back and sticking her tongue out at him. "Breakfast is ready." "Mom and Dad are waiting for you." Then she immediately ran away while humming happily to herself. Soldret quietly watched her leave before softly smiling. At least she was smiling again. Soon, he got out of bed, changed into fresh clothes, bathed quickly, and headed downstairs. ——— The dining hall was already prepared. Seraphina and Caelon had originally planned to carefully cheer Lyanna up during breakfast. But surprisingly— by the time she arrived, she was already smiling brightly again. The two exchanged slightly surprised glances. Not long after, Soldret also entered the dining hall. The moment Seraphina noticed him, relief subtly appeared in her eyes once more. "Come sit," she said gently. Soldret nodded before taking his seat beside Lyanna. Then— Seraphina suddenly gestu