Chapter 36: A Family That Keeps Growing
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Elisa was completely shocked to see a random puppy suddenly appear out of nowhere while she was having breakfast, as if the unexpected visit from the girl this morning had not already been surprising enough.
"Oh, I forgot about him. He was sleeping on the sofa earlier. Sorry," Riven apologized for not introducing the dog sooner. "He’s the family’s new pet. He’s an Abyssal Wolf, a strong little one. He’ll take care of the house when I’m not around. I just have to make him a bit stronger inside the Gates first."
Elisa panicked for a moment as the small pup attempted to jump onto her legs. Then it succeeded, landing softly and immediately beginning to lick her face with enthusiastic affection.
"Ew, you smell... Hahaha!" She ended up laughing as she hugged the warm little creature tightly against her chest. "It’s so warm and fluffy... but it definitely needs a bath!"
"Well, I’m glad you like your present," Riven said with a small smile.
"T-Thanks," Elisa replied, still smiling as she gently stroked the pup’s starry black fur. "Ah, right, Daniela. Sorry, I just... got completely distracted for a moment..."
"It’s fine," Daniela answered with a soft smile of her own. "It’s a really cute puppy. What’s his name?"
"Hmm, we haven’t decided on one yet," Riven admitted. "How about... uh, Blackie?"
"Blackie sounds fine—"
"What a terrible name! He is Mister Noir The Third!" Elisa declared firmly. "His name has already been decided."
"..."
"..."
It seemed the queen of the house had already spoken, and neither of them could really go against her... particular sense of naming.
"Okay, but why Noir the Third?" Riven asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? Because his father was Noir the Second," Elisa explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And his grandfather was Noir the First."
Riven thought about it for a moment.
That would mean Fenrir was Noir the Second and Loki was Noir the First.
He sighed quietly and shook his head, deciding to simply let his wife say whatever she wanted.
"Alright then. There’s still a lot to do today, I guess?" Riven asked, turning toward Daniela. "How about we get those papers done for your adoption? It can’t be instant, of course. It’ll take a couple of days, maybe even a few weeks..."
"It’s fine..." Daniela nodded. "Um, can I...?"
"Yes, you can move in here if you want," Elisa said. "Though I hope your brother is well-mannered, because I’ll have to stay with him whenever you two go hunting..."
"He is a very kind and sweet boy, I promise!" Daniela nodded quickly. "He’s smarter than I am too...! His grades are always perfect! He’ll have a bright future, I assure you!"
"Is that so?" Elisa wondered, a gentle smile forming on her lips. "Well, if that’s the case, I don’t mind him at all."
Thus they spent the next couple of hours getting everything ready, from filling out digital forms to gathering the necessary documents. It was surprisingly easy to complete more than half of the process online.
"It’s done..." Riven finally said, leaning back in his chair. "We’ll still need to go to a child protection office where you’ll have to speak about what happened to your mother and... well, where you’ll voice your wish to stay with us. Your brother has to be there too and agree to everything."
"I see..." Daniela said quietly. "I just hope they don’t decide to take us to an orphanage instead..."
"Well, with the names of our families alone..." Elisa sighed. "They’ll likely accept the request almost instantly— Huh?"
Suddenly Riven’s phone began to ring.
He answered it quickly.
"Yes? It’s me... Hm? Today? Oh... the boy is still at school," he said. "You say you’ll wait for us? Well, that’s... very kind of you, sir. I’ll call you back once we’re finished here."
Riven was left momentarily speechless as the call ended.
"Who was it?" Elisa asked.
"The child protection people. The man said he already wanted to grant us custody of the children," Riven sighed. "He basically told me that if it was a favor for our family, he would gladly push everything through as fast as possible."
"Oh my god, it even works like this? How corrupt are our families?" Elisa facepalmed lightly.
"Eh?" Daniela tilted her head in confusion, not fully understanding the implications.
And just like that, several more hours passed. When the time finally came, they drove to pick up Daniela’s brother. Riven sat behind the wheel while Elisa rested comfortably in the backseat.
The boy was adorable at first sight. He stood waiting near the school gate with slightly focused blue eyes, tanned skin, short green hair, and an innocent, almost angelic face.
"Uh? Big sis?" he wondered, tilting his head. "What’s... huh?"
"Carlos!" Daniela called out happily and pulled him into a tight hug. "We got adopted!"
"...Eh?" Carlos looked completely confused as he noticed two very rich-looking adults waiting for him inside the car.
It almost felt... completely outside of even his wildest fantasies.
"You must be Carlos," Riven said, removing his sunglasses. He wore a simple black shirt and white jeans, and greeted the boy with a gentle, fatherly smile. "I’m Riven Claymore."
Elisa, who was wearing a beautiful blue dress with a white ribbon and had her long hair tied into a neat ponytail, greeted him with her dazzling blue eyes. "Hello. I am Elisa Frostbane. It’s nice to meet you, young man."
"I met Riven inside a dungeon! He saved me from my abusive party and we made a lot of money together!" Daniela explained excitedly. "They’re so kind, and we’re rich now too and—"
"Big sis, calm down," Carlos said smartly, placing a hand over her mouth. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "A-Are you sure this is real? Are they not scammers? Or maybe kidnappers?"
"E-Eh? No, why would they ever be...!" Daniela sighed in frustration. "Carlos, don’t be so suspicious of everyone!"
"...It’s just that with such a klutz for a big sister, I always have to think a little ahead..." he sighed.
"W-Who are you calling a klutz?!" Daniela gasped. "I-I’m so sorry about this. He’s not usually like this..." she forced an awkward smile toward Riven and Elisa.
It seemed her younger brother was more of a little troublemaker than they had initially expected.
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