On the final day of his first month at the wizarding school, Leoric eagerly anticipated the long-awaited holiday. Students at this esteemed institution were mandated to reside on campus and were forbidden from leaving without express permission; there were no seasonal reprieves, neither winter nor summer breaks.

  The only respite they enjoyed was the last day of each month, when they were granted the liberty to venture beyond the school grounds and savor a taste of freedom.

  For Leoric, this meant that during his arduous five-year journey to graduation, he would only catch a glimpse of Leovena once a month. The remainder of the time, he was left to grapple with intricate incantations, peculiar spell components, professors with stern visages, and classmates who were predominantly aloof and distant.

  Hailing from a humble family of small merchants, Leoric found himself at a significant disadvantage in the rigidly hierarchical world of Shadowdale. This disparity made it an uphill battle for him to forge camaraderie with his peers.

  Thus, this day held a special significance for him.

  Aware of Leoric's impending return, Leovena had meticulously prepared a lavish lunch well in advance. Since their parents' untimely demise, Leovena had shouldered the responsibility of nourishing their small family—just the two of them. A paragon of intelligence, she had swiftly honed her culinary skills, often conjuring up exquisite dishes through sheer ingenuity and self-taught methods. Leoric had initially harbored intentions of assisting his sister, but it soon became evident that his presence in the kitchen was more of a hindrance than a help.

  As he sat at the table, engrossed in Leovena's gentle inquiries about his school life, a warm sensation enveloped Leoric, as if she were enveloping him in her care, embodying the essence of a protective older sister. Though difficult to articulate, this profound emotion was palpable in her actions.

  Overcome with affection, he leaned in and planted a swift kiss on Leovena's cheek.

  Taken aback by his spontaneous gesture, Leovena momentarily faltered, her train of thought derailed. Gazing at Leoric, she smiled tenderly and ruffled his hair. "You naughty boy, always playing tricks on your sister."

  "But it felt like an eternity since I last saw you," Leoric protested, "my longing for you was so overwhelming that I couldn't resist."

  "It hasn't been that long," Leovena replied gently, "just a month."

  "To me, it felt like a decade," Leoric insisted.

  From the moment of their birth, the siblings had been inseparable, never spending a day apart. Now, even though a month was a relatively short span, the separation felt interminable.

  "After today, I won't see you again for another month," Leoric lamented, his gaze fixed on Leovena.

  A tinge of melancholy crept into Leovena's expression as well. Since their parents' passing, they had no other kin or friends in Shadowdale; they were each other's sole source of solace and support.

  "Be good at school," she urged, her voice tinged with a note of finality.

  As twilight descended, Leovena retreated to her bath, while Leoric, adhering to his usual routine, sneaked into her bed and burrowed beneath the covers, awaiting her return.

  However, an unexpected twist unfolded.

  Emerging from the bathroom, Leovena toweled her long tresses dry as she entered the bedroom. Spying the lump beneath the covers, she knew Leoric was ensconced within, and with a shake of her head, she delivered a playful yet firm pat to the quilt.

  "Come out."

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  Leoric peeked out, his eyes pleading. "Sister."

  "Return to your own bed," Leovena instructed.

  "Why?"

  This news struck Leoric like a bolt of lightning, and he struggled to come to terms with it. For the past month, lying alone in his dormitory bed, despite its plush comfort and immaculate cleanliness, he had been plagued by insomnia, feeling an emptiness without the warmth of his sister beside him.

  At last, the end of the month had arrived, granting him the respite to return home and rekindle his sweet dreams...

  "We've grown up," Leovena explained, her tone resolute, "and it's no longer appropriate for us to share a bed."

  "There's no such rule," Leoric argued, his voice tinged with desperation, "I... I love you, Sister."

  "I love you too, but we're older now, and it's just not feasible."

  "What inconvenience? I know—you don't like me anymore!"

  Leoric resorted to his tried-and-true tactic of playing the adorable younger brother, albeit with a hint of exaggeration... and surprisingly, it still held some sway.

  "Don't say that, how could I not love you..."

  "You obviously don't. Before, you let me hug you every night. Now, it's only one day a month, and you refuse..."

  "You were younger then. Now you're a student, a budding wizard. You can't keep clinging to your sister's bed."

  "There's no law stating wizards can't embrace their sisters... And after just one month, why has my status plummeted so drastically? No! No! No!"

  As he spoke, Leoric began to writhe and throw a tantrum on the bed. Faced with his unreasonable antics, Leovena reluctantly conceded.

  "Fine, fine, I surrender. We can sleep together, but no more shenanigans, alright?"

  "What do you mean by shenanigans?" Leoric feigned innocence, his eyes wide with curiosity.

  "You know exactly what you did last time... If you keep it up, I'll toss you out the window!"

  "Wow, it's freezing out there, I might catch a cold."

  "So behave yourself! Otherwise, I'll throw you out, and you'll be a block of ice by morning."

  Leovena attempted to maintain a stern demeanor, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, betraying her amusement.

  "Okay, I understand."

  Having secured a relatively satisfactory outcome, Leoric obediently agreed. Seizing the moment while Leovena's guard was down, he reached out from beneath the covers and pulled her onto the bed.

  "Sister, it's late, we should get some sleep."

  Enfolding his beautiful sister in his arms, inhaling her familiar scent, Leoric felt as though he had been transported back in time. He sighed contentedly, "Sister, I missed you so much."

  Leovena's smile softened, "I missed you too, little guy. I worry about you every day at school."

  Though they addressed each other as siblings, born on the same day and at the same time, their pecking order was unclear. Yet, Leovena always assumed the mantle of the elder sister, affectionately dubbing Leoric "little guy," and he gleefully played along.

  "It's okay, I just really missed you."

  "Mmm, good, let's sleep. I'm exhausted."

  Leovena appeared weary, the weight of managing the household at ten years old evident in her demeanor. Previously, she had Leoric's assistance, but now the burden fell solely on her shoulders—housework, cooking, gathering materials, processing, selling—all tasks she handled with unwavering determination.

  The soft glow of the streetlamp filtered through the window, casting Leovena's face in a gentle shadow, accentuating her beauty and serenity. A hint of resilience lingered in her expression, honed through years of independence. Leoric sat up in the darkness, gazing at his sleeping sister, a slight frown marring his brow.

  Initially, he had planned to tease Leovena tonight, granting her another moment of sweetness. However, given her unwavering stance, it seemed an unlikely prospect. Leoric had no desire to defy her wishes outright.

  As Leovena had said, they were siblings... and sibling intimacy was viewed as incestuous, a taboo universally condemned in any civilized society. Whether in China or abroad, ancient or modern, all enlightened cultures strictly prohibited such unions. In the enchanting realm of Faer?n, this moral principle held true as well.

  Leoric was acutely aware that Shadowdale was not a bastion of virtue, harboring countless evils beneath its orderly fa?ade. Even within Shadowdale's borders, the notion of sibling incest was unthinkable.

  But Leoric loved Leovena.

  Leovena's declaration today, though abrupt, was not entirely unexpected. Due to their parents' untimely demise and the lack of proper guidance, she possessed only an instinctual understanding of moral norms, sensing that such closeness between siblings was inappropriate. Especially those "shenanigans" that were never meant to be.

  This couldn’t be hidden forever; as she grew older, Leovena would naturally understand that siblings couldn’t be as intimate as ordinary lovers. Although she wasn’t fully aware now, it was only a matter of time.

  Of course, part of the allure lay in the forbidden nature of sibling love. Otherwise, loving one’s sister would be no different from loving any other woman.

  All in all, it was a headache.

  Leoric sighed, kissing Leovena’s face. "No matter what, I will have you," he whispered, sliding under the covers and holding her waist. With her soft, warm body in his arms, a sense of security enveloped him, soothing his tension, anticipation, and anxiety from the past month. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.