Chapter 83 – In Mother’s Arms (1)
The room would soon be unoccupied after she gets married and moves to Lacias’ manor. Lila had this room made because it didn’t dawn on her that she would get married so soon. If she only knew that things would go so smoothly, she wouldn’t have this room made at all.
“It’s here!” The sound of Hir’s voice snapped Lila out of her reverie.
“It’s so nice.” The playroom was warm and cozy. Jane did a pretty great job in selecting furniture that suited the place well, all carefully chosen to exude warmth and comfortability. Lila went inside and felt how soft the carpet was beneath her feet.
“There are a lot of books.” Lila scanned the books that seemed to stretch from end to end. The cup of hot chocolate was still warm on her hands.
“Yes! And I’m going to read them all!” Hir exclaimed in confidence.
“That’s good to hear. Do recommend some interesting ones later, okay?” Lila beamed.
“I will! Just trust me.”
The determination in his voice made Lila smile, feeling like she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from smiling at the boy’s cheerful disposition. He lifted her spirits up without realizing it. She sat in the middle of the room, and Hir took his place beside her.
“What else did you do?” Lila asked.
“I played with toys.” Hir answered as he fiddled with his fingers.
“What sort of toys?”
“Toy blocks, one that you have to assemble. But it was too easy… I mean it was interesting!” He quickly changed his words after seeing Lila’s face drop. It seemed like she wasn’t able to restrain her disappointment when she heard the discontent in his tone. Lila sighed.
“I guess you aren’t satisfied with what I prepared. You’re right. It is too easy for your liking. I will ask for something more challenging, don’t worry.” Lila said in a sure voice, wanting to appease Hir as much as possible.
“You don’t have to..” Hir responded shyly.
“How about you show me how you did it?” Lila said, quickly shifting the conversation in a lighter tone.
“Uhm.. Okay.” He was a bit surprised at her request, but brought the toy out anyway. It was a simple butterfly puzzle made especially for toddlers but Hir played with it just as earnestly.
She knew that Hir was making a show of not knowing how to do it in order to assuage her, even pretending that he’s having fun with the puzzle. Lila told him to finish it so they could go play something else.
“Like what?” Hir asked.
Lila made a mental note to tell Jane to take all of these out and replace them with more challenging ones. “What’s your favorite? The one you enjoy the most doing?” Lila asked as she placed the blocks back to its box.
“My favorite..?” Hir repeated, thinking what she meant exactly. Lila waited for him to go on and after pondering for a few seconds, Hir raised his head and responded. “I really like to read.”
“Is that so?” His answer made Lila extremely proud. She waved towards the bookshelves and urged him to choose one from the pile.
“What are the books you haven’t read yet?”
“This and that..” Hir pointed to specific shelves. It seemed like he had not read most of the books yet, and Lila wondered if Hir was even allowed to read fairytales before. Maybe he wasn’t, and Lila decided that she would try to make up to him in a way Madame Marshmell didn’t.
“So what do you want to read?”
“This one!” Hir skimmed the spines and took out a volume that had a lot of animal prints and names, and handed it to Lila. She threw him a smile as Hir glued himself to her side while she read the book in a soft voice.
*
The boy beside her grew quiet as she read on. She glanced at him and saw his eyelids drooping down heavily as he tried to keep himself awake. She couldn’t blame him since he waited for her the whole night, had dinner so late and sitting in front of the fireplace lulled him into drowsiness. It didn’t help that Lila was also stroking his back up and down while she read him the book.
“Hir, are you sleepy?” Lila asked him softly.
“Yes..” Hir muttered. He adjusted to a much comfortable position by leaning his head on her knees. Lila quietly closed the book and brushed his hair off his forehead until his breathing grew deep and heavy.
He looked calm and at peace. She wanted him to sleep much longer but the cup of hot chocolate he sipped from reminded her that she shouldn’t, not until he brushed his teeth. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. “Hir, wake up.”
Hir mumbled incoherently. Already slipping out of consciousness. Jane would surely scold her when she lets Hir sleep, and Lila would not let that happen.
“Hir, I’m sorry to wake you up but you need to brush your teeth first. You don’t want to have cavities, do you?” Hir scrunched and peeled his eyes open, which are still glassy from sleep.
“I’m wide awake.” Hir yawned as he sat upright. Lila felt sorry for having disrupted him from his slumber.
He made his way towards the bathroom with light steps. He brushed his teeth and washed his face with warm water before patting his face dry. Hir may have a difficult time going back to sleep, Lila worriedly thought. But the sudden tug on her sleeves distracted her from her thoughts. “Mother..” He said, peering up at her.