Chapter 155 – Family Necklace (1)
Hir opened the door, his eyes zeroing on the plate of cookies Lila was holding. He couldn’t tear his eyes off the sweets despite knowing he needed to lessen his sugar intake.
“Mother, did you make these yourself?”
“No. Jane made these for you.”
“Oh… Jane.” Hir nodded. He fidgeted on his spot like he didn’t know what to do with himself. All he did was circled around Lila like a puppy who just got reunited with his owner after being separated for a long time. Unsure where to look, he glanced at the cookies once again and Lila found him rather adorable as she flashed him a warm smile. Maybe Hir wants to eat them now, Lila thought.
His energy must be depleted by now after his swordsmanship training, and it’s only normal that he’s growing hungry for sweets. Lila decided to give it to him upon seeing him subtly lick his lips.
“Should we take our seats here?”
“Yes!” Hir responded in excitement.
Lila unfolded the small foldable table in Hir’s room. A small yellow bird was drawn on the tabletop and it greatly reminded Lila of Hir. His eyes followed the plate of cookies as she placed it down in front of him.
“You can have one first.” Lila urged with a smile.
Hir shook his head, “No! You should try one first, mother.”
“Should I?” Lila usually let Hir have one for himself first, but she decided to get one per Jane’s instruction. It was a warm, freshly baked cookie with lots of chocolate pieces in between, the melted chocolate staining her fingers as plopped it in her mouth.
It’s good. She nodded approvingly, finding Jane’s baking skills improving as the days went by. She grabbed another cookie and handed it to Hir. “It’s really good. Try one, Hir.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Hir stuffed the cookie in his mouth, his cheeks puffing as he chewed softly.
Lila was so endeared she felt like she would actually cry. His cheeks were moving every time he chewed and Lila couldn’t help but look at him with fond eyes.
Hir looked up at her and asked, “Mother, why aren’t you eating? Did you lose your appetite?”
“Oh, it’s not that. I was just looking at you since you seem to like the cookie. Seeing you eat so well makes me happy.”
At that Hir flushed, his cheeks growing red. Hearing Lila’s words made him feel shy and flustered. He quickly finished the cookie and grabbed another one.
“Here!” Hir said, extending his hand with the cookie towards Lila.
Lila blinked, “Hm?”
“This is yours.” Just like how Lila gave him a cookie earlier, he reciprocated her kindness by giving her one himself. He also made sure to choose the roundest, presentable cookie on the plate.
“Here, open your mouth!” He said excitedly and brought the cookie close to her mouth.
Lila was touched at the gesture. Hir really was a kid with a heart of gold.
“Hurry!” Hir prodded.
Lila obediently opened her mouth and did what she was told. “Thank you. The cookie tastes even better because you’re the one who gave it to me.”
And she meant it. The cookie tasted sweeter because of Hir. They finished sharing the cookies and it didn’t take long until the plate’s empty. Just like what Jane said, Lila made sure to eat half of the cookies. But she knew that even if Jane didn’t tell her to eat half of it, Hir would still give her the cookies nonetheless. It was just Hir’s personality. She pushed the empty place aside and a comfortable silence ensued between them. Then after a short pause, Hir spoke,
“By the way…”
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t…” Hir stopped, seemingly lost for words before he continued, “Why didn’t you visit me for so long?” He said hesitantly, like he didn’t want to make Lila uncomfortable in any way. Then as if he couldn’t rein his emotions in, he added, “Why didn’t you pay me a visit? You used to come here quite often…”
“Is that why you’re upset?” Lila asked with kindness in her voice.
Hir didn’t say anything, only dropping his head to his chest and sighed. He must’ve been really upset.
While Lila knew he would be displeased, she didn’t expect him to be this sad over her absence. Hir was a soft-hearted kid, so she could imagine how disappointed he must be when she didn’t visit him as much.
But she couldn’t tell him the truth since it would only hurt him in the end. She had no choice but to think of something else and fortunately, she had something that could make him feel better.
“Hir, look at this.”
Hir raised his head, “Yes?”
“Tada!” Lila took a small jewelry box out of her pocket and showed it to Hir. Hir’s eyes widened at the box, not having any idea what’s inside.
Hir blinked a couple of times. “What’s… what’s this?”
“This is my gift for you. Would you please open it for me? I’ve been really busy making this.”
“So you were busy because of this?” Hir asked quietly.
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Lila nodded, “I hope you’re happy with my gift.” She expected Hir to smile at her brightly upon seeing her gift, however, his eyes started to pool with tears as he looked down.
Her shoulders dropped instantly. “Seeing you sad breaks my heart, Hir.”
“B-but… You’ve been busy because of me. Thinking about it makes me feel bad.” He shook his head in dismay.
“You’re a good kid, you know that?” Lila then took Hir’s hand and placed the box on his palm. Instead of opening it right away, Hir held it close and rolled the box from one hand to the other, examining it closely. He wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt and opened the box.
“Wow!” His eyes widened, the tears brimming his eyes were now gone. A few of Lila’s rings were fluttering inside the small-sphered jewel. It was an enchanting piece, and Hir couldn’t look away.