Page 62 of I Dated a Retired Hero

Chapter Ten

Amber ate a littleand then went to the ice cream bar. A woman near it smiled. “The music and display were beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“I am Lidiya. I am Sergei’s sister. Our half-sister is around here somewhere. We are your family now as well.”

Amber smiled. “You are? I thought Litha was all I had.”

“No. She has married into a very boisterous family with many arms. So, her new sister is now your new sister. Her new mother is now your new mother.” Lidiya smiled. “May I hug you?”

“Oh. Certainly.”

Amber hugged the woman who was offering herself as a new relative. The hug was warm, and Amber smiled. “Thank you.”

“You are such a tiny thing.”

Amber nodded. “I was on ice for a while, and apparently, that has an effect on the pituitary gland. The therapies that have been tried have been unsuccessful.”

“Have you talked to Khytten?”

“I can’t talk to animals.”

Lidiya stared. “Where are you from?”

“The capitol. I had to sneak over here for the day.”

The older woman laughed. “Why don’t you move to Aksalla?”

“I can’t get a visa. There are actives that need protection. I just want to move.”

“The prefect is right over there. Why don’t you ask her?”

Amber faded to soft grey. “I can’t do that. It’s not my place.”

Lidiya looked at her in astonishment. “You are fading to invisible.”

“Oh.” Amber pulled herself back. “The food is really good.”

The other woman nodded. “It definitely is.”

As if she had been willed over, the prefect walked up to them. Amber looked at the ice cream bar and moved away. “Apologies.”

“No, miss. It was you I came to speak to.”

“Oh.”

“Was that solid illusion?”

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