"So, my dear brother, are you back at your old trade again?"
Evelyn handed Mori Tsukisa a cup of steaming black tea, then stood up with her hands on her hips, looking at the cowering man before her with a face full of dissatisfaction.
The two girls, one big and one small, were like a relay race; first, Mori Tsukisa had escorted Jonathan back by his collar, and after greeting the curator who was already used to it, Evelyn took over, throwing her unlucky brother completely into the museum.
Only by keeping an eye on him at all times could Evelyn breathe a sigh of relief.
"I... I couldn't help it."
"You couldn't help it?!" Evelyn's eyes widened in anger. "Is that what men love to say most?"
"'I couldn't help it'?"
"'I'm sorry'?"
"'Oh, how was I'?"
Jonathan peeked up and carefully added, "And 'Was I good'..."
"Shut up! Jonathan!"
Evelyn stomped her feet as she paced around the empty museum. Mummies and golden coffins were neatly arranged, torch-like fake lamps stood on both sides of the walls, and at the very end sat an expensive miniature model of the Sphinx.
"You...!" Evelyn was fuming. "How am I supposed to explain this to Mama?"
"Tell her that her son was arrested for theft?"
Jonathan retorted in a low voice, "I wasn't caught."
Mori Tsukisa giggled, covering her mouth as she watched the drama. She kicked off her high heels and curled up comfortably in a large chair, hugging her knees and rubbing her chin against them.
Evelyn glanced back at Mori Tsukisa, and when she turned back, she was even more annoyed. "You've even corrupted Little Sen! My dear brother, I'm preparing to continue my studies at university; I don't have time to visit you in prison!"
"You can visit me during the holidays..."
"Jonathan!"
"Corrupted Little Sen? Last time she almost broke my arm..." Jonathan nodded and then shook his head. "I know, I know, Eve. Look, why are you always getting angry with me? I'm your brother..."
In the eyes of this always-confident man, he was several years older than his sister, and this was his specialty; it would be sacrilegious not to call it 'brilliant' or 'top-tier.' If not for Mori Tsukisa's interference, he could have pickpocketed everyone in the restaurant from start to finish.
The charming and alluring Miss Afawaf was no more attractive than those pot-bellied merchants.
"Because I don't want my brother to become a thief!"
Jonathan walked to the table, poured himself a cup of black tea, and strolled away with the cup under his sister's furious gaze.
He picked up the scepter from the Pharaoh's hand and twirled it absentmindedly in his palm.
"My career will take off one day." The jewel-encrusted scepter continued to spin. "And then, you'll realize your brother was right."
"Career?" Evelyn repeated mockingly. "You call this a career?"
"Of course. Maybe it'll even bring you a surprise. You know, we're in the home of mummies—" The proud man twirled the scepter. "Mummies... mummies, you know those—"
By accident, the scepter slipped from his hand.
"Mummies—Ouch!"
Clack.
Mori Tsukisa suddenly leaned forward and caught the expensive and fragile jewel-encrusted item with one hand.
Then, she stood up and walked past the man gracefully, placing it back into the Pharaoh's hand.
Evelyn's gaze returned, her lips pressed into a line.
"Alright..." Jonathan moved his hand, seemingly a bit embarrassed by his slip-up. "I promise..."
"You promise?"
Jonathan's face fell. "I promise... to try."
He was her brother after all, and Evelyn really couldn't do much about him—she could only pull the wallet from Jonathan's lining and walk out huffily.
"I'll give it to the Police. And if you do this again..."
Clop, clop, clop.
The roar of high heels faded into the distance.
Silence returned to the dim museum.
Slurp, slurp—
Mori Tsukisa took small sips of her black tea and, appearing from nowhere, produced a few square, pale yellow sweet biscuits, eating and drinking contentedly.
"Little Sen, my sister is terrifying." Poor Jonathan gulped down his black tea, walked over to a golden coffin in his leather shoes, and hopped onto it.
"Evelyn doesn't want to see you in prison." Mori Tsukisa took a bite of a biscuit with a 'crunch,' her small white teeth showing.
Jonathan sighed and rubbed his lining a few times. "My career will take off sooner or later."
"You really should fix your habit. It's not like you're short on money."
"But we're not rich either."
"So you want to rely on theft to give your sister a better life?" Mori Tsukisa played with her long nails absentmindedly. "To be honest, Jonathan, Eve is already very dissatisfied. She's not joking. You don't want to cut ties with your sister one day, do you?"
Jonathan grinned cheekily. "How could that happen? Just a little bit more..."
He gestured a tiny gap with his fingers. "Once it's enough for her to attend that school she likes, and roughly enough to buy her a big house, I'll stop."
Mori Tsukisa swallowed the biscuit slowly and took another sip of tea, holding the cup with a half-smile.
"I don't just steal randomly," Jonathan jumped off the coffin with a thud, his face full of excitement. "We're in the home of mummies. Once I find the map to Hamunaptra, or... something else, like a sea of gold coins and a river of flowing jewels, it'll all belong to my sister!"
"Evelyn doesn't need those things, Jonathan." Mori Tsukisa had a headache from this sister-obsessed man's monologue and massaged her temples with her index finger. "She wants to prove the legends are true, the sun golden scripture—"
Jonathan waved his hand abruptly. "Of course, who doesn't want to prove the legends are true? Don't you?"
The man looked at Mori Tsukisa, a flame seemingly dancing in his dark eyes. "What do you like? Heh, you're probably about to crawl into bed with those books'Sacred Stone' and 'Legend', aren't you?"
"You want dragons. You want those little things that were still active in the sky thousands of years ago."
Mori Tsukisa's expression flipped; her eyes went round, and she raised her hand high. "I want a pet!"
Jonathan rolled his eyes and scratched his chin. "I remember 'Legend' mentioned that people back then didn't treat dragons as pets. They were partners, partners who lived together!"
Mori Tsukisa waved her hand. "Then... I want a partner!"
"Whatever you say." The man tapped his leather shoes grumpily and wagged his finger in front of his eyes, looking dissatisfied. "Anyway, you two just wait. When that day comes, you'll have to give me a proper compliment."
Mori Tsukisa lowered her arm and put on a look of disdain, her cuteness vanishing instantly. "I hope... it's not in a Police station."
"That's impossible! Hey, you've seen my brilliant technique!" Jonathan made a pickpocketing motion.
Mori Tsukisa rose and left leisurely, her dress shimmering and swaying under the lamplight.
"Yeah, that day, you almost ended up disabled."
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!