Lyon POV:

“Leo, why don’t you play with the other children?”

I sat opposite my mum at the dining table as she rested her hand against her cheek. I glanced at dad, but he was too busy chewing on a large chicken leg.

“I have you and Dad. That’s all I need.”

My cheeks rose as I grinned widely. Collecting firewood, helping out with the fields and doing other tasks was more than enough for me. I wanted to ease their burdens—to spend more time with them.

I couldn’t put it into proper words, but seeing them smile made me smile too. If they were happy, then I was happy.

My mother stared at me quietly for a while. Her soft blue eyes shimmered faintly as I barely made out the buildup of tears she was trying to blink away.

‘!’

I immediately got up from my seat and rested my hand against hers. My dad put the meat down and narrowed his eyes; his usual grin nowhere to be found as the room fell deadly silent.

“Mum, what’s wrong?”

Her lips spread into a short smile while she stroked my cheek gently.

“Leo, I’m sorry for not giving you a sibling. It would have been wonderful if you had a younger sister.”

My eyes widened at her words. I didn’t understand it properly at the time—why would my mum say something like that? It didn’t make sense.

‘If mum had me, why couldn’t she just have another child? What was the problem?’

I shifted my gaze to my dad who finally stood up. He bent down and kissed my mum’s forehead, causing her cheeks to go a faint shade of red.

“Leo would have definitely been a great older brother! He’s so dependable, right Lia?”

My father grinned cheerfully as he crouched down, pulling us both into a big hug. I couldn’t hide the wide smile forming on my face while I squeezed them both.

“Right! I’d look after her! I’d teach her many cool things and we’d all be happy, because we’d all have each other!”

“That’s right. My son is very cool.”

She laughed lightly as her hand rubbed my back softly. We stayed like this for a few minutes before moving back to our seats. We talked amongst ourselves; my dad constantly making us laugh with his silly jokes.

And just like that, time passed by. I said my goodnights before crashing down into bed, and after a few agonizing minutes of going over the Sea Dance, I turned my attention back to what my mum had mentioned.

‘A sister...’

I envisioned myself taking care of her, consoling her whenever she hurt herself. I lost myself in the thoughts of all the activities—of all the fun we could have together before letting out a small sigh.

“It’s fine.”

My lips curved into a wide smile because even without another sibling, I was happy. I was super happy. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

A few weeks flew by and I currently sat beside my mum in a room. She had told me that Dad would be busy for the next few hours away from home, so it seemed like I’d be helping out in the kitchen again.

“Mum, can I brush your hair for you?”

She raised her eyebrow slightly before chuckling. I watched her go to a drawer and take out a brush before handing it to me.

“Leo, will you do the same for your wife one day?”

“W-wife??”

I felt my cheeks get slightly hot as I looked away. Before my thoughts could even start, I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.

“I don’t know, Mum.”

She chuckled again while I gently brushed her hair. I focused on starting lightly from the very ends, getting rid of any tangles to avoid unnecessary breakage.

“Mhm, I knew you’d remember what I taught you.”

“Of course!”

I puffed out my chest as she smiled softly. My mum’s hair was well-kept, so it didn’t take long for me to finish the initial brush. I went much deeper into the hair the second time around, combing it all the way down until there was no significant resistance.

My mum kept her back perfectly straight while I worked away. It took around ten minutes of brushing before I stepped in front of her with the comb in my hand.

“Hmm...”

I put my hand to my chin and cocked my head to the side. I tilted it the other way as I pretended to evaluate my mum’s appearance. She put her hand to her mouth, laughing in response to my act.

“Oh no, do I not look good enough for your father? What if he doesn’t like me anymore? What should I do, Leo?”

I folded my arms, narrowing my eyes at the seriousness of this problem. A glint of light flickered through them as I raised one finger towards the ceiling.

“Dad... loves meat. So, if you make your usual tasty meat, Dad will be happy.”

“Ehh..., but my appearance? Is meat more important than me?”

A large drop of sweat formed on the side of my forehead while my mum pretended to cry before looking at me with large eyes.

“Ahem... Actually, there’s a solution to this problem.”

“Oh? What is it?”

I pointed my finger towards my mum and grinned brightly.

“Dad is super in love with you, Mum!”

She cocked her head to the side before laughing again. I wondered if there was something else I could have said, but that was the best I could do.

“How sweet. Thank you for brushing my hair, Leo. Let’s start dinner early today.”

“You’re welcome, Mum and alright!”

After placing the brush back in the drawer, she left the room and I followed behind. We moved to the kitchen, quickly organizing tonight’s meal as I spent time with my mum.

This was my life and I loved it.

Once dinner was finished, Dad took me to the lake as usual where we would practice the Sea Dance.