A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

When he was a kid, Ulysses only liked Calliope for a short while. But honestly, he didn't know what Calliope was like when she was just a baby—when she crawled around with a bottle in her mouth, babbling "brother" in her tiny voice. He never knew what it felt like to hold little Calliope in his arms.

People said it was the best feeling. They said she was adorable, like a porcelain doll, and when they took her out, everyone wanted a turn holding her. But all of that was just stories to him.

They said she grew up into a lovely young woman, graceful and sharp, became the famous "Miracle Doctor"-the one people talked about all over the country.

They talked about how hard she studied, how many things she learned, how talented she was.

Ulysses listened, really listened, and it hit him hard-how much about Calliope he'd missed.noveldrama

Sure, she hadn't grown up at home with them, and they'd had to miss her childhood. But even after she came back, even with her right there, they still missed her.

He could remember every one of Lisette's birthdays, every cake and candle. But when it came to Calliope's birthdays, he drew a blank. He couldn't remember a single one.

He only realized now, painfully late, that he didn't really know anything about her at all.

Ulysses felt stunned, a little sick to his stomach. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

It didn't help that he'd always been kind of annoyed by Calliope. But the Calliope everyone talked about? She sounded wonderful-cute, brilliant, kind. Why had he always felt so distant from her?

Horatio showed up silently, rolling his wheelchair over to Ulysses' side. He didn't say a word; just sat there with him, quietly listening.

Then, suddenly, the private dining room door burst open. Both of them froze, caught in the act.

"Is eavesdropping that much fun?" Calliope shot them a look, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you guys supposed to be eating?"

"Just passing by," Horatio said, cool as ever.

"Yeah, just passing by!" Ulysses blurted, his face turning red.

"Passing by for this long?" Calliope gave Ulysses a pointed look.

"Callie—” Horatio started, realizing there was no way to explain this away.

"No need," Calliope cut him off. "We're having dinner. Don't interrupt."

And with that, she shut the door in their faces.

Inside, Calliope went right back to sharing dinner with her brothers.

Ulysses and Horatio just stood there outside the door, completely lost.

"Horatio..." Ulysses started, voice thick with regret. "I feel awful. I suddenly realized I can't remember any moments with Callie, not really... She's our sister, but all I can think about is Lisette."

Every time, if Lisette needed something, he'd drop everything and help her. Even if he wanted to talk to Callie, Lisette always seemed to interrupt. He'd never thought much of it before, but seeing Calliope getting close to the others now, it stung. He finally saw how unfair he'd been. He loved both his sisters, or at least he thought he did. But he'd

never once treated them the same.

"She doesn't want anything to do with us anymore," Horatio said, sounding uneasy too.

They trudged back into their room.

Valerian and Lisette were waiting for them.

Valerian raised an eyebrow. "What were they doing out there? Talking smack about us?"

Ulysses shot Valerian a complicated

look, his mind heavy with all the ne

things he'd never noticed before.