But no matter what Luca thought about it was still no use as he still needed a lot more details and little more poking around to find out what really is going on.

"Okay…" He said slowly. "So, regarding your mother—I officially have no clue what's going on. It's going to take some effort figure her out."

Then he looked at Nyx, who stood nearby, smiling innocently at Julius as if nothing about this situation was wrong.

"But what about her?" He asked, nodding toward the aunt. "Your Aunt Nyx definitely doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd play nice with the enemy. Especially not with how protective she acts toward you guys."

"So why is she acting so sweet and cheerful with your father? She's practically adoring him."

"It's...weird."

Luna exhaled softly and gave him a small, tired smile.

"Honestly? I don't have an answer for that either."

She hesitated before continuing.

"Even when everyone figured out that my father wasn't who he seemed to be, Auntie Nyx still acted affectionate toward him. She always talked to him with that sweet tone, as if she was his favorite sister-in-law. She never showed anger or disgust. And because of that, the village started talking again."

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Oh, the rumors. You wouldn't believe the things people say."

Luna chuckled. "They started saying she was in love with him. That she'd been in love with him first, before he ever married Mother. That she was the one who loved him all along."

Lulu leaned closer to Luca and whispered like it was a dark secret. "And some even say they had an affair."

"An affair?" Luca said, wondering if he was in a romance drama.

Luna looked uncomfortable but nodded.

"That's what the rumors say. That Auntie Nyx and my father had an affair during the time of the marriage and that's why Mother changed so drastically."

"That she discovered the betrayal and became cold and distant because of it. That her resentment for everyone came from that heartbreak."

Luca blinked, speechless for a moment, before finally sighing and muttering.

"This family gets messier by the minute…"

Then he looked back at the sisters and asked dryly,

"And do you actually believe any of that? About your Aunt?"

"Of course not!" Lulu placed her hands on her hips, her expression fierce. "Auntie Nyx is amazing! She's strong, confident, cool, and smart. And someone I want to be like someday. So, there's no way she'd ever fall for a loser like our father."

"I totally agree with Lulu." Luna chuckled softly. "Auntie Nyx is too rational for that. Even if—maybe—she had feelings for him long ago, the moment she realized what kind of person he really was, she would've stopped. She's not the type to stay infatuated with someone who's proven unworthy."

She looked over toward Nyx, who was still standing near Julius, laughing politely at something he said.

"But still...I can't explain why she acts so sweet toward him. It's baffling. Maybe she's pretending? Maybe she's doing it for a reason we don't know."

Luca chuckled dryly.

"Well, whatever it may be, let me get this straight." He said, folding his arms. "Your mother's cold and obedient to a man who betrayed her. Your aunt's sweet and cheerful to the same man she supposedly hates."

"Both of them are acting crazy and you two have no idea why."

Both sisters nodded without hesitation.

"Wonderful." Luca muttered sarcastically. "Two nutcases doing things for reasons no one understands. And I'm apparently the idiot who's going to have to figure it out."

He looked between Luna and Lulu and raised an eyebrow with one more doubt in mind that he hoped would favour him.

"Alright then, what about you two? I can tell the female elves can't stand your father or the males anymore. But what about you? Do you still love him, even after all he's done?"

Both sisters scoffed at the same time, almost in perfect unison, as if Luca had said something completely absurd.

"Love him?" Luna repeated flatly, raising an eyebrow. "Not at all."

"At least while I was growing up, Mother was always around. She wasn't affectionate or gentle, but she was present. She disciplined me, guided me, and made sure I never strayed off the right path."

"Even if she was cold, she was there—right beside me when I needed direction. That's why, even without warmth, I still felt like she was my mother. But Father…"

Luna shook her head, her eyes hardening.

"He was never there. Not when I was a child, not even as a baby. He'd always be with the male elves, or tending to his duties, or simply...gone. He barely even looked at us."

"When we crossed paths, he'd greet us like we were strangers, not his daughters. To me, he's nothing more than a polite acquaintance who happens to share my blood."

Lulu, on the other hand, was far less restrained. Her ears flicked with irritation as she clenched her fists like she wanted to punch her father in the face.

"I don't care about him one bit!" She declared loudly. "Actually, scratch that—I hate him! He's not a father, not to me. Never was. He never cared about me, or Luna, or Mother. All he ever cared about was himself!"

Her voice grew sharper as she continued, her anger brimming over.

"He tricked Mother into marrying him, pretending to be some kind of good, kind man. Everyone thought he was a saint—but he was just a liar! A coward! He betrayed Mother, betrayed the entire clan, and left us all to suffer for his so-called ideals!"

She stomped her foot on the ground and huffed.

"I don't even consider him my father. He's just the man who made our lives miserable!"

Surprisingly, Luna didn't interrupt her or try to calm her down. She simply stayed silent and from the way her eyes shimmered slightly, Luca could tell she agreed with every word her sister said.

That made him grin. A big, proud, almost fatherly grin and he was happy about this that he reached out and patted both of their heads affectionately.

"Ah, you're such good girls." He said warmly, his voice light with amusement. "I thought maybe you two would be struggling with mixed feelings just like your mother and aunt."

"But no—you actually hate him just like you should for everything he's done. I'm so proud of you both for being strong about it and not confusing me as well."

Lulu immediately grinned, puffing up her chest proudly.

"Of course I am! I'm not just a good girl—I'm the best girl in the world!" She said triumphantly before pulling a lollipop from her pocket and popping it into her mouth with a proud little hum.

Luna, on the other hand, shot Luca a glare from the corner of her eye.

"You know I'm not a child, right? You don't have to pat my head like one." She muttered under her breath.

But despite her protest, she didn't move away. If anything, her shoulders relaxed slightly as she secretly enjoyed the gentle patting, her lips curving in the faintest, nearly invisible smile.

Luca chuckled softly at her reaction but then leaned back, looking thoughtful.

"You know." he said, rubbing his chin. "I've heard a lot about your history, but I'm still trying to piece the timeline together."

"When exactly did all of this happen? From what you've said, it sounds like most of it started around the time you two were born."

Luna nodded. "That's right. Everything went downhill around then."

He tilted his head. "And...how old are you two, exactly?"

Luna surprised by the question quickly answered saying, "Me? I'm forty-two years old."

Lulu raised her hand quickly. "And I'm also forty-two! But since I was born a few minutes later, I'm the little sister!"

Luca stiffened, his eyes eyes twitching as his brain caught up with what he'd just heard.

"Wait—forty-two?!" He repeated, almost choking on his own words. "You're—both of you—forty-two years old?!"

The twins exchanged glances before bursting into laughter at his expression.

Luna smiled gently. "You forgot, didn't you? We're elves, Luca. We age differently. By human standards, our appearance doesn't match our years. We stay young far longer than you do."

Hearing this a look of realisation appeared on his face as let out a chuckle.

"Right...right, elves. Of course. I should've known. You two look barely twenty, but you're actually four decades old. Yeah, that tracks."

Luna nodded patiently before saying to help him figure things out,

"To give you some perspective—by elf standards, our mother is a hundred and twenty years old, and Auntie Nyx is a hundred and eighteen. If you converted that to human years, they'd look about thirty to thirty-five. As for us…"

Lulu chimed in with a grin. "We'd be like nineteen or twenty in human years! Basically just entering adulthood!"

Before Luca could comment, Lulu leaned forward with a sly grin, lollipop stick wagging between her teeth.

"So, what do you think, Luca?" She teased. "You've been treating me like a little kid all this time—giving me candy, patting my head, acting like some big brother—but I'm way older than you think. We both are."

Luca raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly. "Is that so?"

"Yup!" Lulu said proudly. "You probably can't even compare. I mean, look at you—you try to act all grown-up, but you totally look like you're in your twenties. You're just a baby compared to us!"

She leaned closer with a mischievous smirk.

"So tell me, baby boy—how old are you, really? Nineteen? Twenty?" She giggled and started teasing him in a mock baby voice. "Goo goo ga ga, huh? You need your bottle, little one?"

"Lulu, don't tease him." Luna rolled her eyes but couldn't help chuckling softly at her sister's antics.

But still, she was also very curious as well so she asked,

"Still...I have wondered. You do seem quite young. How old are you, Luca?"

He met their gazes silently for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, a small, vague smirk curved his lips.

"Let's just say…" He murmured, his tone low and cryptic. "I'm older than you think I am."

Both sisters blinked, surprised.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lulu demanded. "You can't just say that and be all mysterious! Are you saying you're in your thirties? Forties? You look young, but—"

Luca just turned away slightly, his smirk widening, refusing to answer.

Luna sighed softly, shaking her head. "He's embarrassed." She whispered teasingly. "He probably doesn't want to admit he's just a boy compared to us."

Lulu giggled and nodded eagerly. "Yup! That's definitely it!"

But neither of them realized the truth—that the quiet man standing before them, who looked no older than twenty-five, was far, far older than any elf in this clearing.

Older than their mother.

Older than their grandmother.

Older even than the forest that surrounded them.

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