Lady Callista looked at the five-year-old with a surprised look on her face.
For a brief moment, she thought that she had gone back in time and that she was looking at her son, Gerald, whom she missed dearly.
Because of this, she tried to stand up to go to his side, forgetting that her legs didn't have the strength to support her body.
She nearly toppled over, but thanks to Hans' and her Personal Maid's quick actions, she was caught in time. The two assisted her back in her wheelchair.
"My Lady, are you alright?" Hans asked in a worried tone.
"Yes, Hans," Lady Callista replied, feeling very embarrassed by her actions. "It was a spur-of-the-moment move, and my emotions got the better of me. I apologize for troubling you."
"You can trouble me as much as you want, My Lady," Hans said. "But, please, be more careful."
"Understood. You're such a worrywart, you know?" Lady Callista shook her head helplessly before shifting her attention to the five-year-old, who reminded her very much of her youngest son.
Although Thirteen didn't look exactly like Gerald when he was his age, there were enough striking similarities between them that made Lady Callista think that she had gone back in time.
"Come here, child," Lady Callista said with the sweetest voice that she could muster. "Come to Grandma."
"Yes, Grandma," Thirteen replied and walked towards the old lady, who was sitting in the wheelchair.
Earlier, she looked quite exhausted, but now, she looked extremely happy.
Clearly, Thirteen's presence put the old lady in a good mood, making Hans and the Maid, Trisha, look at her with smiles on their faces.
Thirteen stopped walking when he was only a foot away from his grandma, but the old lady motioned for him to come closer.
She then wrapped her arms around his body, sighing in happiness as she embraced her grandchild, whom she was only seeing for the second time in her life.
The first time was soon after Zion had been born. Since then, she never had the opportunity to see him again, until today.
Thirteen, who had just been hugged by the old lady, felt a soothing warmth wash over his body. It was as if Zion's body was reacting to his grandma's touch, which its previous owner hadn't been able to experience.
As someone who had been living his life as a System for thousands of years, his emotions weren't really on the empathetic side.
The only thing he cared about was his Hosts, not even giving a damn to their loved ones.
Thirteen was broken in his own way. It wasn't because he wasn't empathetic enough, but because the concept of Human emotions was alien to him.
When he felt the unfairness of the world toward his Hosts, the only things he felt were anger, frustration, and the need to do something for them.
There were very rare occasions when he felt genuinely happy. However, this happiness always revolved around his Host, and never to himself.
Right now, as he was being hugged by Lady Callista, these unfamiliar emotions that he wasn't familiar with rose to the surface.
He felt as if he was safe and protected, being held by the old lady whose health was failing her due to the poison in her body.
Before Thirteen could even stop himself, he also wrapped his arms around the frail lady's body, holding her gently.
It was at that moment that he decided that no matter what happened, he would cure his Grandma.
That way, Lady Callista could also hug his siblings like this and make them understand what a grandmother's love was like.
"You hold me so gently, Zion," Lady Callista said as she lightly patted the young boy's head. "Am I that precious?"
"Yes, Grandma," Thirteen replied. "You are very precious."
"So you say, but you came here to celebrate your grandfather's birthday, right?"
"I didn't come here for him, Grandma. I only came here for you."
Lady Callista felt as if her heart was melting when she heard her grandson's soft and childish voice. It had been a while since she last felt this happy, and she even wondered if it was her birthday instead of her husband's.
"You will come with me to the party, okay?" Lady Callista said as she reluctantly pulled back, and cupped Thirteen's face. "You'll be good at the party, won't you?"
"I will be good because that's what Grandma wants," Thirteen replied, which made Callista give him a loving kiss on his forehead.
"Hans, I can't take it," Lady Callista said as she held Thirteen close to her chest once more. "Can I keep him?"
"I'm afraid it's not possible, My Lady," Hans replied with a bitter smile on his face. "The Young Master Gerald would probably storm in here to get Young Master Zion back."
"That unfilial child should at least let my grandson stay here for a few days," Lady Callista complained sadly. "It has been so long since I felt this happy."
Thirteen pulled back and held the old lady's smile before looking at her straight in the eye.
"Don't worry, Grandma," Thirteen stated. "I'll ask Mother to let me visit you as often as I can. I'm sure she will agree if Mr. Hans were to personally pick me up on the days that I'm allowed to come see you."
"Hans, make sure to pick Zion up two… no, three times a week!" Lady Callista said. "Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, My Lady," Hans replied.
At that moment, Thirteen glanced at Hans and made eye contact with him.
Understanding his motive, Hans lightly cleared her throat and bowed respectfully to the old lady, who was holding the five-year-old without the intention of letting go.
"My Lady, I have stumbled upon someone who might be able to cure you," Hand stated. "Of course, I know that you have already lost hope, but can you just cooperate with me? I just need a drop of your blood."
"Hah… Hans. You still haven't given up?" Lady Callista sighed as she lightly patted Thirteen's head. "All the most powerful specialists in the world have already checked my condition. There is no hope for me."
Seeing that Lady Callista seemed to be uninterested, Thirteen went to work and lightly tugged at her clothes.
"Grandma, is Mr. Hans trying to find ways to cure you?" Thirteen asked.
"Well, he hasn't stopped looking for quack doctors to take a look at me," Lady Callista replied.
"Grandma, I want you to be healthy, so I can visit you more," Thirteen stated. "Also, once you are feeling better, you can visit our house. My brother and sisters would love to see you. Especially my little sister, Remi. She's only two years old, but she's very cute and very obedient. Grandma will definitely love her!"
Hearing Zion's words, Lady Callista's heart softened a bit. Seeing those innocent and hopeful eyes, she was unable to say anything that might disappoint him, so she relented and allowed Hans to get a drop of her blood.
The Butler took out a small vial that contained a purple liquid in it.
He then gently poked the tip of Lady Callista's fingertip, drawing blood.
With a simple flick of her finger, Callista sent the drop of blood inside the purple vial, which Hans immediately sealed with its lid.
The small wound on her finger healed almost instantly, making the old lady sigh.
"Zion, I think we should go," Lady Callista said sweetly to her grandchild. "The party has probably started, and soon, my husband will make a speech. It will be best if we arrive early."
"Okay, Grandma." Thirteen nodded like an obedient child.
He then gave the vial that was still in the butler's hand a side-long glance, paying close attention to the color of the liquid inside it.
The purple liquid had turned completely black after Lady Callista's blood had merged with it.
Knowing that his grandma was suffering from poison, Thirteen carefully created a substance that would be able to tell him what type of poison and how severe it was.
'The poison has spread throughout her entire body, and it's eating up her lifespan,' Thirteen thought. 'This explains why she looks her age.'
Wanderers aged very slowly because their bodies were very strong.
A two-hundred-year-old man could easily look like a middle-aged man once they reached the rank above Champion, which was called Thrones.
Lady Callista was only seventy years old, but she was already a Champion. With the level of her Rank, her looks should only be that of someone in her late thirties or early forties.
However, the Poison had already spread throughout her entire body, so her strength had diminished, making her look like her age, which was that of a seventy-year-old woman.
'Although it's difficult to cure, it's not yet to the point of no return,' Thirteen thought as he held his Grandma's hand, walking beside her wheelchair.
Lady Callista's personal maid was pushing it from behind, but she purposefully slowed down the pace, making sure that the five-year-old could keep up with his Grandma, whose smile that came from her heart made her look at least ten years younger.
