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"Mitri, you're coming too." Valentine, who had begun walking out of the room with Valentine in his arms, reminded.

Yuzhen cheerfully cheered as he prodded Dimitri, "Yes! — Will big brother show me around?"

Dimitri, who had only climbed down from the bed, nodded in confirmation. Before following Valentine down to the living room.

Lucatiel was already waiting next to a clear wall without anything hung on it or placed near it. A bright smile appeared on her previously calm expression at the sight of her dear son's cheerful countenance, as she asked, "Want to see something cool, dear?"

Yuzhen's eyes sparkled in delight as he quickly nodded.

Lifting her hand, Lucatiel elegantly snapped her fingers as a mysterious passageway connected to a spiral staircase was revealed leading down the house had suddenly appeared from the wall, the entrance wall-lights lighting up. Unable to contain his curiosity and excitement, Yuzhen ran towards the railings of the spiral stairway, as he looked down below the stairwell in awe. He couldn't even see the bottom due to the pitch black darkness.

"Do not forget safety first dear!" Lucatiel worriedly warned her son. Yet her words seemed as if it did not reach his ears.

Cheekily glancing at his mother, Yuzhen began running down the stairway as his giggles and footsteps echoed throughout the stairwell. Dimitri quickly ran behind, but was unable to catch up to Yuzhen's back. The wall-lights lighting up as Yuzhen passed each one.

"Mitri! — Let's have a competition!" Yuzhen, who was focusing at his feet, hurriedly suggested.

"Yuzhen! Stop running so quick, it's dangerous!" Dimitri worriedly reminded, yet his words fell on deaf ears as Yuzhen merely giggled as he continued running.

Once Yuzhen was close to the end of the stairway, he quickly jumped off his step and onto the bottom floor. Landing with a backflip before elegantly bowing towards Dimitri who was quite close to the bottom.

"I win!" Yuzhen cheerfully congratulated himself as he raised his arms high up in the air.

Yuzhen slowly explored the bottom floor as he found three peculiar things: a pitch black gate leading to nowhere, but had inscriptions engraved on it; a well-painted painting of a dignified, regal, handsome man and in front of this painting was a table filled with a myriad of objects.

Dimitri slowly descended to the surface as he gazed at Yuzhen, his sudden thought of scolding him had instantly disappeared. He could not bring himself to scold such a cheerful boy.

Dimitri could only shake his head in exasperation.

It did not take long for both Valentine and Lucatiel to also reach the bottom of the stairway. Lucatiel rushed towards Yuzhen as she pinched his cheeks and scolded, "Has my child become an ungrateful disobedient son?"

Looking up at his mother's disappointment, Yuzhen could not help but look down at the floor as he tried avoiding her gaze, "No..."

"Then why did you not listen?" Lucatiel, having calmed down, gently questioned.

"I wanted to have fun..." Yuzhen mumbled softly, as he began gripping tightly onto the ends of his shirt.

Lucatiel began gently caressing Yuzhen's cheeks, "I am not mad at you Yuzhen. Just make sure to promise me one thing, okay?" he slowly gazed up at his mother's wise emerald iris' as she continued, "Do not ever explore alone, is that not too hard?"

Yuzhen's bright expression had long since disappeared; what replaced it was a pitiful forced smile as he tried to let the words out of his mouth, yet he simply couldn't. Tears started forming at the corners of his eyes, his throat felt sore and weak. The harder he tried to speak, the faster the tears formed — until a single teardrop fell to the floor below.

He did not understand this powerful pain he was feeling in his heart — he could not.

Lucatiel's eyes widened open in surprise, as she anxiously began hugging Yuzhen to her chest, "Mother is not mad at you dear! Mother does not want promises." Before gently whispering into his ear, "—Let mother handle everything.—"

Yuzhen began sobbing uncontrollably on his mother's chest, he could not understand why his heart suddenly became so fragile, so vulnerable. He couldn't control it — he didn't want to worry his mother; yet he couldn't do anything to stop his tears from gushing uncontrollably.

Lucatiel felt guilty — she made her own child cry. The heartache of a mother, was an unbearable thing to handle. This heartache, which only became more powerful as Yuzhen began trying to apologise, only for his voice to crack every time.

Valentine who was standing in shock quickly collected himself, as he walked towards his sobbing child; and knelt beside him. Yuzhen's tear-stained face turned towards his father's face, as he tried to hold in the uncontrollable emotions trying to escape.

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Valentine softly gazed at his son's fear-stricken face — a bright smile forming on his face, as he asked, "Do you want to see something, — amazing?" Yuzhen weakly nodded as he curiously gazed at his father's right-hand which was being lifting close to his face.

"Make sure to not tell a soul." Valentine gently warned, before putting his left-hand's index finger on his lip — as he directly pulled out a handkerchief out of thin air

Yuzhen became mesmerized, at awe, and even curious. The magical sight of a handkerchief appearing out of thin air caused his heart to skip a beat as he forgot about the reason why he was crying. Yuzhen closed his eyes slowly as he savoured the warmth of his father, gently wiping his tears away before opening his eyes to his father's bright smile once he was done.

"Yuzhen, do you know what I would do if I saw your mother crying?" Valentine suddenly asked.

Yuzhen sniffled slightly as he shook his head; until his expression suddenly froze. Turning his head towards his mother's face, he finally took notice of a single fact, — she was crying like him; yet silently.

Valentine stood from his kneeling position before elegantly bowing towards his darling wife as he outstretched his hand towards her, "May this humble peasant request a dance — with your majesty Lucatiel?"

Lucatiel sniffled slightly as she chuckled weakly at his words, before mischievously mocking, "That is not the proper etiquette to ask a royalty to a dance."

Carefully separating herself from Yuzhen, she walked towards her darling husband before kneeling in front of him. A dignified regal expression appeared on her face as she gazed up at her darling husband — yet within the depths of her eyes, was endless love, "Correction — may this humble peasant request a dance with your majesty, Valentine?"

Valentine moved his hand close to Lucatiel's lips, as he cheekily grinned, "Of course, such a bewitching maiden asking this majesty to a dance? — How lucky."

Lucatiel gently lifted his hand close to her lips and kissed his knuckles, before rising back up as she grasped his hand within her own. She then forced her darling husband to follow her own forceful tempo as they danced in a circular motion, "A mere peasant should not overstep his boundaries."

"If a mere peasant should not overstep his boundaries, then I will become your shining knight in armour." Valentine tenderly threw back at his darling wife.

Lucatiel shot him a disdainful look, "Even as my knight, your hand will never be allowed to touch my skin."

With a grin, Valentine put a stop to Lucatiel's forceful tempo as he slid his arm behind her waist. Lucatiel raised an eyebrow at his actions before her eyes widened open in surprise as he moved onto her; forcing her to bend backwards, — his silverly-blue iris' interlocking with her gem-like emerald iris'. Valentine's gaze softened as he softly spoke, "As long as I can protect you — that is all that truly matters."

Lucatiel scoffed as she forced Valentine back into her own tempo, "Why live such a virtuous life? I am sure a gallant man such as yourself has many beautiful maidens that would give up everything to be with you."

Valentine smiled softly, as he answered, "Because I am infatuated."

Lucatiel derisively jeered, "Infatuation is short-lived."

Valentine fluidly kept up with Lucatiel's tempo, while not truly giving her freedom of his movements, "My infatuation for you is as still as a lake, and as endless as the depths of the ocean — you are my love."

Lucatiel questioned suspiciously, "What is so special about me that you would believe I would follow your selfless sense of love? Is it my beauty? My wealth? My status?"

Valentine gently shook his head as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

Lucatiel angrily demanded, "Then what is it? Tell me!"

Valentine slowly had the dance come to a halt, as he kneeled on one knee and nuzzled his cheek on the back of her hand as he explained, "I simply believe, as long as I selflessly love you, you would return it in your own way."

Lucatiel smirked derisively, her hand slowly snaking down to his throat as she gently gripped it, "How do you know I would not shatter your heart?"

Lifting his head up to gaze into his darling wife's eyes, Valentine outstretched his right-hand up towards her as he lovingly answered, "Because you have already given me your own."

Lucatiel gazed at Valentine's hand in disdain as she mocked, "Does that not mean you would shatter my own, after I shatter yours?"

Standing up from his kneeling position, Valentine gently gazed down at his right-hand before using his left-hand to gently caress the space above it as if there were a heart there, "No, it only means once you shatter my heart — I will continue cherishing your own, until I am forced to return it." Before he outstretched his hand towards his darling wife.

Lucatiel gazed down at the outstretched hand in incredulity as she asked out of bewilderment "Why?"

Valentine smiled gently at his darling wife, as his arm slid behind her waist once more, before pulling her body close to his, "Because I still believe that you love me." as he added, "Even if you condemned me to heartache."

A smile blossomed on Lucatiel's face, as she snuggled against her darling husband's neck, "And this is why I chose to love you." before adding, "Because I feel the same way."

Valentine swivelled his gaze at his son, who was watching the both of them in fascination, "Do you know what I was trying to show you, my dear Yuzhen?"

Yuzhen went through over his parents words and actions, before shaking his head, "I'm not sure..."

Valentine grinned, "Even if you aren't sure, your answer is still important."

Yuzhen pondered for a few more moments before answering, "That love should be selfless?"

Valentine smiled slightly as he shook his head, "When you see someone important to you crying, in pain, or hurt — you don't cry with them. You smile brightly, and show them that there will be a brighter future ahead."

Yuzhen still felt confused at his father's words, "But... What if you're also feeling pained? Who will show you a brighter future?"

Valentine smirked as he answered, "I will create my own bright future." Hearing this, Lucatiel quickly pinched his hips, as she corrected him, "I will show you the brighter future, darling."

Although her pinching was painful; Valentine cared very little — for he is grateful enough that his wife is no longer feeling heartache. Valentine gazed down at his adorable wife's pouting expression, as he grinned happily, "Of course, of course."

Yuzhen ruminated over their words, as he suddenly asked, "Then who will show me a brighter future?"

Valentine chuckled at his dear son's question, as he slowly walked towards him before kneeling. With a single wave of his arm the dimness within the bottom floor had disappeared, replaced with complete brightness.

With a relaxed smile on his face, Valentine softly answered, "I will be the one to hide the darkness away."

A wide grin slowly formed on Yuzhen's face as he embraced his father tightly — resting his face on his shoulder.

Dimitri, who had been watching this scene could not help but smile slightly as he silently made a promise with himself — that he would also hide the darkness away for Yuzhen.

Love, it was a powerful yet soft emotion.

Every human seeks love in some form.

Or else, they would only wallow in despair.

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