Chapter 110: Just for a Little While

I decided to enjoy the scenery around this place. My eyes focused on a green peacock right in front of me. My face brightened as I saw its tail feathers spread so beautifully.

I intended to walk closer to the enclosure, but suddenly Reno ran over to us, breathing heavily.

"Father, Abel refuses to get down from the elephant’s back unless Father accompanies him around for a moment. He keeps whining there," Reno said while pointing toward the elephant ride.

Kenn nodded slowly, then walked away without saying goodbye to me. "Wait here for a moment, don’t go anywhere," he said briefly before leaving.

It was truly annoying.

Reno then turned to look at me. "Mother, does your leg still hurt? Earlier it seemed like Mother was walking with a slight limp."

"Oh, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Don’t worry about it," I replied quickly.

Because of Kenn’s indifferent behavior, I almost ignored the sincere concern from Reno.

Reno smiled when he heard my answer. I looked at him with a slight furrow in my brow. As far as I remembered from when we first met, the tumor on Reno’s head was not this big.

"Reno, does your head hurt?" I asked softly, making sure of his condition.

Was I mistaken?

Reno shook his head slightly, as if hiding his discomfort.

"It turns out what Abel said is true," Reno said afterward.

"What do you mean, Reno? What did Abel say?" I adjusted my sitting position, turning slightly to face him fully.

"He said that Mother is a very kind person and also beautiful," he said while smiling innocently.

His gaze shifted forward now, avoiding my eyes.

"I’m happy to see you all. One day, if Reno has to go far away, Reno will feel at ease if Frel and Kenn are always by Abel’s side. You will protect him, won’t you?"

My chest felt as if it were struck by a huge stone upon hearing Reno speak as though he were delivering his final message.

I shook my head hard, trying to drive away that bad thought. A second later, I realized the form of address he rarely used for me. Instantly, my eyes widened.

Reno turned his head, facing me again with a gaze far too mature for a child his age.

"Please forgive us for calling you Mother and Father. Frel, would you be willing to hear the reason why we give those titles to you and Kenn?"

I nodded reflexively, even though my mind was now filled with overwhelming worry about his health condition. "Of course, say it. I will listen to you."

"Frel and Kenn have sincere hearts. The way you look at us already explains everything," Reno said in a tone that sounded steady and firm.

"We both have always hoped that one day we would meet parents like you. Even though our biological mother did not want Abel and me, because of you, we feel as though we truly have real parents," he continued. "Especially with you, we always feel at ease. Please, don’t forbid us from calling you Mother, okay? Just for a little while is fine."

Without realizing it, my cheeks were already wet with tears. I did not notice that my tears had been flowing nonstop as I listened to the honest confession from Reno’s small lips.

I do not know, maybe because I was moved by his words, or simply out of pity. But perhaps it was also because of our shared fate, that we were both unwanted by our own biological parents.

I think the last possibility was the most accurate.

I kept wiping away the tears that continued to pour down, then pulled Reno into my embrace. Kenn was right, they needed something real to hold on to and support them.

"Don’t talk like that, Reno. Forever, you can call me whatever you want. I will never forbid it," I whispered into his ear.

I held his small body even tighter, as if wanting to share all the strength I had so that he would not have to bear such a heavy burden alone. Reno fell silent in my arms, but I could feel his small shoulders beginning to tremble violently.

"Thank you, Mother," he whispered in a broken voice.

He slowly released the embrace, then looked at me with reddened eyes that shone with sincerity. "Reno always prays that if one day Reno has to sleep for a very long time and cannot wake up again, Reno wants Reno’s last memory to be your smile, Mother. Not the pain in this head."

My crying grew even more uncontrollable. I grasped his small fingers, which felt cold. "Reno, don’t talk about leaving. I’m here, I won’t go anywhere."

Reno wiped the tears on my cheeks with his small thumb, a gesture so gentle that it pierced my heart.

"This world is so vast, isn’t it, Mother? But in a place this vast, only you look at Reno as if Reno is the most precious child in the world, not a sickly child or a burden."

He took a long breath, trying to hold back the pain that seemed to strike him suddenly, yet he still forced himself to smile.

"If one day Mother feels lonely, remember that somewhere, there was once a little boy named Reno who was very proud because he got to call you 'Mother.' You are the most beautiful miracle God has ever sent to me and Abel."

I was no longer able to say a word. Beneath the bright sky and before the grandeur of that peacock, I realized that gratitude cannot be measured merely by wealth, but by the sincerity and love of someone that make us strong and worthy.

Like the sincerity of a little child as strong as Reno and his simple dream.

A family and also a mother.

.................................