Volume 3: Chapter 33 - Only Family, Lia (Part l) (Extra)

(Lia's Perspective)

When Brother Robert returned back home, I could no longer contain my tears.

When I first heard the news of his death, I felt sky had collapsed. When I heard the news of him being alive, I felt happiness and relief beyond what words could describe.

Now that I have seen him, I can no longer suppress the intense emotion within my heart.

After two months, Brother Robert seems to have matured even more. I couldn't control my pounding heart and tugged on the corner of his sleeve.

This was my signal for wanting to be pampered, as it had been for many years.

But just when I was having a happy time with him, a maid came and took Brother Robert away.

Looking at the back of that maid, my eyes turned cold.

Couldn't she have come later? Doesn't she knows I want to spend more time with my Brother? Should I get rid of her?

Forget it, I can't be a bad girl. Brother would be angry if I did that and he might even dislike me. I don't want that.

Besides, I had already guessed that father would definitely call for Brother. It's just I never expected it to be so fast.

For a moment, I couldn't help but feel worried because I knew that father never thought good if Brother.

Fortunately, Brother didn't stay with father for long and soon came back.

Suppressing the worries in my heart, I trotted over and tugged on his cloth again.

Brother Robert smiled and gently placed his hand on my head, stroking it back and forth tenderly.

"Were you lonely while I was away, Lia?"

"Yes."

I hugged his hand tightly to my chest, fully embracing Brother Robert's unique tenderness.

Under Brother Robert's palm, I felt as if I was in a pink, enchanting wonderland, completely intoxicated.

"Do you like the doll I gave you?"

"Yes, I take it with me whenever I can."

"Is that so? As expected, Lia is cutest when holding a doll."

For clarity, is where the author publishes this chapter; it was copied here without consent, and reading there supports them.

"Hehehe."

Being praised as cute by Brother Robert, there was no happier moment in the world than this.

"However, if Lia starts school, you won't be able to carry your doll all the time, or other classmates might make fun of you."

"Do people not bring dolls to school anymore?"

"Maybe some girls might, but they wouldn't hold them like this in front of everyone. At most, they'd do it in their private rooms. People always grow up, and Lia wouldn't want to be thought of as a childish kid forever, right?"

I didn't quite understand. If Brother Robert praised me as cute, I didn't care what anyone else thought. In this world, it was enough to have only Brother Robert watching over me. Oh, Sister Aisha must be there too.

In fact, the first time I saw Brother Robert, I felt he was a very gentle person, because the way he looked at me was just like my mother.

I was only five years old at the time, curious about everything. But after actually interacting with my family members, I instinctively felt afraid.

Whether it was my other brother Lucius, or my Sister Aisha, or their mother, or even my biological father.

Even if I approached them, all I got were impatient responses, and none of their eyes showed the same loving emotion as my mother's.

I even had to wonder, were they really my family? When I asked my mother this, her expression was very complex.

I didn't understand.

Until I met Brother Robert, only his reaction was different from everyone else's. I vaguely felt that if I approached him, he wouldn't push me away like Sister Aisha.

It turned out to be true.

Although I wanted to play with Brother Robert and talk more, my mother didn't allow it, so I had to give up.

Mother was always right; I could only convince myself of that.

Until the day I met Brother Robert again. This time, no one came to stop us from playing together and I had a lot of fun creating the thing called Origami, with Brother Robert.

But after I returned, I saw mother waiting for me.

Mother said she knew about me and Brother Robert but unlike the last time, she didn't say anything to stop me from playing with Brother Robert, instead, she smiled and gently rubbed my head, telling me to do whatever i like.

So, after that day, I went to see Brother Robert almost everyday. Sometimes I found him, other times, I didn't find him. Many times, I had to ask mother about Brother Robert.

Those were one of my happiest days.

Until...

The day my mother disappeared...

No one told me why; my mother just suddenly vanished from this house.

I cried for a long time, probably shedding all the tears I would ever cry in my life.

My dearest mother, my gentlest mother, would never return to my side. How was I supposed to live then? No one told me the answer. I only knew that from then on, my world was no longer in color.

It took a long time for me to remember that there was still one person in this house who might love me.

Now that mother was gone, it's okay to find Brother Robert. After all, Mother said that I could find Brother Robert whenever I liked.

But before I could go out, Brother Robert came to find me. But a scary looking Auntie without a hint of warmth came with him.

That day, even though I wanted to talk to Brother Robert, I couldn't help but run away.

After that day, it took a long time for me to muster up my courage to look for Brother Robert again.

But another accident happened. I heard Brother Robert was kidnapped.

Hearing the news, I couldn't help but collapse. Now even the last person who might love me was about to disappear.

Fortunately, Brother Robert was brought back a few days later.

Now, I could go out to meet him.

Sneaking out of my room and going to Brother Robert's room. But what I saw when I opened the door made my heart…

Ah, poor Brother Robert.

Although I didn't know exactly what he had been through, he was clearly on the verge of collapse, looking completely different from when I had seen him before, making it unbearable to look at him.

I had to do something, I had to do something…

...