After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Beginning of the End

"Hmm." Althea hummed. And although her tone seems non-committal, her bright eyes expressed her firm belief. Then, she turned her head to the older woman. "I'm glad you're here, nanny."

Althea said so sincerely. Now that their parents were dead, her husband was also missing, and her brother would inevitably have his own life..., she didn't know what would have happened if Nanny wasn't here.

The older woman smiled warmly.

It was at this time that they heard the sound of the front door unlocking. They simultaneously turned their heads to look at who entered, and they ended up seeing a familiar redhead smiling at them.

"Sister, Nanny."

Althea's eyes warmed at the sight of her brother. "Ansel? You're back," she said, finally putting down her small feet to give the newcomer space to sit next to her.

Ansel naturally sat down next to her, handing her the small box of snacks he brought for her.

He had grown his dark red hair a little below the ear. A few buttons were also left open to show off his collar, and his overall temperament emitted a playboy charm.

Of course, this was for outsiders. In front of her, her husband, and Nanny, he just looked like a childish little boy dependent on his older sister.

"Good morning sister." He grinned, showing his perfect teeth. "Long time no see~"

Althea laughed at him, habitually patting his hair. "You were here two days ago."

"Forty-eight hours, to be exact." He said childishly, squeezing his voice a bit.

Althea helplessly shook her head as she looked at the cute snacks he brought with him.

It was a box of varied fruit pastries that she liked. It happened that it went well with milk. She hurriedly ate one and took another with her other hand, familiarly putting one in Ansel's mouth.

He naturally opened his mouth to take it, looking like that cute little hamster that he was when he was a kid.

Ansel might be her adoptive brother, whom she had grown up with since she was around 9 years old, but they were closer to being real siblings than other blood relatives.

After all, they—including her now-husband—had been through precarious situations together as children.

It was this event that made Ansel imprint on her a bit, and he often acted like a child around her (to her husband's great disdain).

Looking at him opening his mouth again for another snack, it was obvious that growing up so big didn't do much with his maturity.

It was much like how former high school classmates, even after decades, would act like teenagers again when they were together at a reunion. Ansel would act like a kid when he was around her. It didn't matter if he was ten or twenty years old.

She looked at the next cute pastry that she got her hands on. It was a cute little smiling cartoon dog. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"A store opened so early?" She asked as she placed it in her mouth. She took a quick glance at the floating digital clock above the television. It wasn't even 8 a.m. yet.

"Well, the owner is an ex." He said, shrugging.

Althea rolled her eyes. This guy changed girlfriends every few weeks. His exes could literally line up along the neighborhood. More than once, she and her husband saw him making out with a different girl around the house. _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

Nanny (who was now rolling her eyes) had nagged him about it every day. Of course, depending on the vulgarity, her husband would sometimes drag him off to 'train' (e.g. beat him up) in the backyard afterward.

She tried to remember what 'independence-strengthening' activity she threw him to before this started but she couldn't figure out how he turned out to be such a player. Fortunately, all his exes were mysteriously still his (platonic) friends, otherwise she'd have beaten him up herself.

Sensing her judgemental stare, Ansel shrugged. "I can't help it; I'm too charming."

Instead of dignifying him with a response, Althea just wore an exaggerated disgusted expression and patted her stomach, as if comforting them. "Don't look down on your uncle too much," she told her unborn children, "He just lacks attention."

Ansel fake-gasped and held his heart as if in pain. He leaned over to whisper to the bulging stomach. "Your uncle is too charming, he can't help it. Here, let me bless you with my amazingness.

"My little nephew and my little niece. Are you behaving well today?

"Uncle already bought you toys..."

"Uncle..." Ansel continued on his soliloquy and Althea rolled her eyes.

"Stop teaching them bad things. Prenatal education is too important. You know, Mom once said—" Her voice was cut off as a thought came to mind: It would be so good if their parents were here.

She felt a little emotional to the point that she teared up a little. Damned pregnancy. Making her think of weird tangents. Again.

But alas, the hormones couldn't be controlled. "Mom... Mom used to say that my birth parents must have given me the best prenatal care since I turned out so well."

Ansel frowned, his goofy expression morphing into a serious one. Althea was sad, but Ansel's heart was torn to pieces. Those were his biological parents after all.

The three of them, along with Nanny, didn't speak for a while... letting a moment of silence pass by in remembrance of the loved ones they lost.

...

Ansel's parents were both very kind people. Mom was a professor of History at a top University, while Dad worked at a pharmaceutical company as a top researcher.

They gave all three of them the best they could provide, whether it was material things or love. Unfortunately, they were some of the people who perished during the weird radiation wave that shook the entire globe, taking down the plane they were in.

It was one of the tens of thousands of planes that were flying at that moment. It was also the first sign that the sun was dying quicker than expected, although it wasn't announced to the public at the time. Althea had always felt that her husband's top-secret mission was related to this event.

After some time, Althea calmed down and wiped her eyes, feeling guilty for reopening the wound. She pursed her lips and looked at her brother, realizing he was wearing a formal attire. "The deal is today?"

Ansel paused for a bit before nodding with a weak smile. He took the change of topic in a stride. They were very used to Althea's mood changes. At first, it made him panic when she suddenly sobbed, but at some point, he just learned to live with it and not let the stress kill him.