The next afternoon.
Roderick picked up the cub and went to the hospital, bringing a stack of contracts and documents for Catriona to sign and stamp. The street where Catriona worked was a bustling area of Capital, with high expenses and rental costs.
Catriona had heard him mention it briefly yesterday but hadn't taken it seriously, not expecting Roderick to actually follow through.
Cedric stood by the bed, sipping from a milk bottle, his big, dewy eyes fixed on his mom. On the way, his dad had shown him where his mom needed to sign and stamp her fingerprint.
This was a gift for mom.
That's what dad had said.
Watching his mom in silence, he took a sip of milk, then pointed his little finger at the first page's signature spot on the contract. "Mom, here, write your name."
Catriona looked at her son, his little round face full and soft, radiating a sweet, milky warmth. His lashes were long and straight, his pupils glimmering with hints of gold. He was still so small, knowing so little of the world, with a lifetime of experiences ahead of him.
Sylvaine's words echoed in her mind once again.
"Whatever Roderick gives you, take it. You're entitled to it, and even if the emperor comes along, you should say it's only right for him to give it. Once it's in your hands, it'll be for little Cedric."
"Roderick isn't married now, but a man of his status will definitely have more children later—or maybe he already has some. You see those other wealthy families, some have twenty or more kids, both at home and outside."
"The more inheritance he has, the better off he'll be. You should secure more for little Cedric. He's too young to understand the value of money now, but he'll thank you for it one day."
Sylvaine, being the youngest and easygoing, is content with her share: a few buildings, some hotels, and bars, leaving the bulk of the family business to her older brother.
Catriona looked at her son, so innocent and unaware. Of course—how had she not realized it sooner? What Roderick was giving her was really for their son.
Without much thought, she lowered her gaze and signed her name.
She accepted it.
Roderick watched her slender figure as she sat on the hospital bed, long hair draped around her, pen in hand. A warm, sweet satisfaction slowly spread through his chest.
She accepted, which was a good start.
The previous two attempts to give her a card had failed, leaving him with some hesitation.
The past two days, Cedric returned to Luna Palace to drink the cold spring water, and his father would bring him back to the hospital. He was very attached to Catriona and didn't want her to be alone in the unfamiliar hospital.
Once the cold spring water left the ice room, it would quickly warm up within minutes, so bringing it from Luna Palace to the hospital wasn't realistic.
There was an extra room in the hospital for family members to rest in, and for the first time, Cedric refused to sleep with his mom, looking serious. "What if I touch Mommy's wound?"
He voluntarily slept in the family room, and that bed was very large for a four-year-old cub.
The first night, Catriona was worried and quietly checked on him in the middle of the night to see if he had kicked off his blanket, fearing he might catch a cold.
Good thing she did.
On the big bed, the little one had long since kicked the blanket aside, his small belly exposed. His tiny hands were placed above his head, revealing his little wolf ears as he slept soundly, breathing in soft, contented snores.
Capital was a famous summer resort, never too hot throughout the year, and it would start snowing in late August.
Now it was mid-June, and the nights were already chilly.
Catriona had heard Black and the others say that werewolves liked to stay in Capital because it was cool, as they preferred the cold and disliked heat.
Catriona covered her son with the blanket.
The next morning, she woke up early, checked his room, and found the little guy had kicked off his blanket again.
When Roderick arrived at the hospital early to take the cub to school, he overheard the conversation between mother and son.
"You shouldn't kick off the blanket; you'll catch a cold."
Catriona extended her index finger and gently pressed on her son's round belly. "Kicking off the blanket is one thing, but exposing your belly too? What if you catch a cold?"
"Okay." Cedric looked down at his belly, grabbed his shirt with his small hands, and tugged it down. "Mommy, I'm covered now."
"Of course, you're covered now. You should sleep with Mom at night; I don't feel at ease."
"No." Cedric furrowed his little brows, his face serious. "I'd rather kick off the blanket than touch Mom's wound."
Catriona pursed her lips. "...Still thinking of kicking off the blanket?"
Cedric mumbled softly, "I won't."
"How about you go back to Luna Palace and sleep with your dad? He can watch over you."
Cedric shook his head firmly, protesting, "I want to stay with Mommy."
Hearing this, Roderick's dark eyes shifted, and he spoke up, "I'll stay here the next couple of nights too. I'll watch over the cub."
Catriona glanced at him. "If that's convenient for you, Mr. Nightblade, then that would be great."
Her son didn't want to go back to Luna Palace to sleep with his dad, nor would he share her bed at the hospital, and on his own, he kept kicking off the blanket. Really...
Her son was always obedient and sensible. While this reassured Catriona, it also made her feel a bit heartbroken. She usually didn't force him to do anything or make decisions for him, always respecting his wishes, and she couldn't bear to be stern with him.
Roderick was similar in this respect. As the cub's father, he never imposed any demands on him, a trait quite different from the human fathers Catriona had encountered.
Since Roderick had spoken up, the arrangement was set.
So then.
On the second night at the hospital.
The hospital room had a bathroom and a washroom, both outside the family room. Roderick bathed the cub first, then took care of himself. After washing up and changing into his pajamas, he came out and walked straight toward Catriona's bed.
Nighttime, pajamas, a room, an adult man and woman.
Unexplainably, the two adults felt a bit awkward.
Luckily, the cub served as a buffer.
Catriona held a storybook, with Cedric lying beside her, his cheek resting on her leg, one small hand playing with a strand of her hair as he listened to the story.
Roderick quietly passed by and sat on the sofa.
He appeared to be looking at his phone, but in reality, he was listening to Catriona's gentle and soothing voice as she read.
"...The little hippo lost its friend, lost it forever. Its friend would never return."
"Every day, the little hippo sat by the riverbank, waiting for its friend to come back, crying as it waited. An old crocodile passing by asked, 'Little hippo, little hippo, why are you crying so sadly?'"
"The little hippo replied, aggrieved, 'I made my friend angry. I hurt its feelings, and it left. I don't know where it went, and I can't find it.'"
"The old crocodile tried to comfort it, saying, 'Our lives are long, and we'll have many friends along the way. Don't cry. Your new friend might already be on its way.'"
"But the little hippo shook its head, tears falling like heavy rain. 'No, I don't want a new friend. My friend was one of a kind, irreplaceable. I only want it.'"
"The little hippo never left the river, convinced that if it just waited, its friend would come back. But it was disappointed—its friend never returned."
