Rio didn't know how to respond to his little sister's playful comment, so he simply smiled and walked inside as Rose led them. The first floor seemed empty, leaving him wondering where everyone else might be.
Rose informed them, "Mom is in the kitchen, preparing a meal for us."
As they began ascending the stairs to the second floor, Rio heard faint voices.
Furrowing his brow, he stopped to observe what it was. As Rose noticed, she said, "That's Grandfather..."
Rio turned and asked with a stiff voice, "What happened to him?"
"You should see for yourself," Rose suggested as they descended the stairs and approached the room where the voices were coming from.
When Rose opened the door, Rio saw an elderly man sitting on the floor, cradling two dolls in his lap – one boy and one girl. The old man seemed like a child playing with toys, engaging in a make-believe game with the dolls.
In a high-pitched, childish voice, the old man said to the boy doll, "My little child. Did you have a good time playing with your friends today?"
He then turned to the girl doll and asked, "And you, little Lily, did you learn something new at school?"
Holding the dolls close, he continued, "Oh, I'm so proud of both of you! Let's have a little tea party, shall we?"
The old man then pretended to pour tea for the dolls, saying, "Careful now, it's hot! Blow on it gently, like this."
He blew on the imaginary teacup and continued the conversation, "So, what do you want to be when you grow up, my little ones?"
After a moment of silence, he replied to himself, "A warrior and a teacher? How wonderful! I know you'll both be amazing at whatever you choose."
Rose, Layla, and Rio all observed the old man's deteriorated mental state.
Rose explained, "The doctor said that Grandpa couldn't handle the truth and the guilt of treating his own grandson so poorly. It caused his mind to become this way as a security mechanism to fight the guilt he was feeling."
Rio couldn't believe what he was seeing. Second Mother had asked for mercy for the old man, but Heaven didn't seem to feel the same way. Ambrose Havenglow had been punished for his bad actions. This was the man who had separated Rio from Layla, and there was a time when Rio had wanted to kill him. Now, he realized that the old man's life had become worse than death. Rio was left speechless at the outcome.
As his gaze moved to Layla, he saw the complicated emotions in her eyes – sadness mixed with iciness. She, too, didn't know how to face this reality. Rio placed his palm on Layla's face and, locking eyes with her, said, "Let's forget about it for now. We should go see Second Mother."
The girl nodded, and they turned to go back upstairs. Meanwhile, the old man's giggles and playful chatter faded into the background, a haunting reminder of the consequences of his actions.
As they climbed to the second floor, they entered a hall with a large dining table. Rose gestured for Rio to follow her, and they all took their seats.
The sound of approaching footsteps filled the air, and Rio turned to see the blue-haired lady, Second Mother, coming in with a maid carrying the food she had prepared.
Sitting down beside the boy, Second Mother apologized, "I'm sorry, Little Rio. I couldn't be there for you when you needed me most."
Aliyah was saddened that she couldn't protect her child from her own father, who believed that Rio was of lower birth and wanted to separate Layla from him. She had wanted to protect Rio from the danger, but her efforts had backfired and ended up hurting him instead.
Despite Dhovrix now knowing about the boy, they were cautious not to make any moves against him. Rumors were circulating that the young boy had defeated one of the strongest humans on earth, causing them to be even more wary of this hero's child.
"That was probably for the best," Rio replied, considering how he had met his mother because of the events that transpired that day. He didn't want to blame her, as she had always treated him well, and now that he knew she was his real aunt, he felt even closer to her. She was like a second mother to him, and he didn't want their relationship to be tainted by the actions of the old man.
Rio valued Second Mother greatly. In his sixteen years of life, he had learned the importance of family, something he had never experienced before.
He understood that both heroes and villains usually have a sad backstory, but the difference between them is that villains choose to hurt others to make them feel how they felt, while heroes make sure they don't harm anyone and not make them go through the same pain.
Rio chose to forgive Second Mother instead of holding a grudge against her or hurting her, as he knew that forgiveness was the better option for both him and his family.
As Rose observed their interaction, she couldn't help but mumble, "Why do I feel like Mom loves Big Brother more than me?"
Overhearing her, Aliyah said with a soft smile, "You know Rose when Rio was still in Big sister's womb, I used to tell her I'd steal him away and care for him like he was my own child. She even teased me that if I loved her child so much, my future kids would be jealous. Who knew it would come true?"
"Hmph... So Auntie already knew," Rose huffed, pretending to be annoyed by Aliyah's words. Deep down, however, she knew that her mother loved her so much.
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
