Roderick looked at the round little wolf cub and scoffed.
"Lie down on the bed and drink the cold spring water."
So big already, and still cuddling up to his mother.
No matter how he looked, he found the cub annoying.
Catriona, holding the heavy little cub, placed him on the bed. The little wolf pup rolled around on the large bed for a moment before shifting into human form. He then took the cold spring water from his father's hands and, cradling it himself, began drinking it greedily with loud gulps.
He finished the water in just a few gulps, then, with a hint of lingering thirst, he licked his lips.
Turning his back, he stuck out his little rear and deliberately avoided looking at his father, twisting his head to the side.
Roderick barely perceptibly furrowed his brow.
This little cub.
After Cedric fell asleep.
The room was extremely quiet.
Roderick still hadn't left.
Catriona glanced at him. "I'm going to rest."
Roderick, without a hint of embarrassment, said, "I want to look at the cub a bit longer."
"..."
Catriona was speechless, thinking, aren't you not even looking at him?
Afraid of waking her son, she lowered her voice. "Visit him tomorrow."
Roderick gazed at her, his eyes deep. "Just a little longer."
Catriona's breath hitched, and her ears turned warm.
No matter how slow she was, she understood Roderick's implication.
"Take your time." She strode out onto the balcony, ignoring him.
Roderick glanced at the sleeping cub on the bed, then walked over to the balcony as well.
"Aren't you looking at the cub? What are you doing over here?" Catriona asked irritably, with a hint of sarcasm.
Night had fallen, and Luna Palace was rather quiet.
Looking up, they could still see the stars.
A gentle breeze blew through, carrying a chill. Catriona wore a black-and-white pajama set, with long sleeves and pants, the top buttoned all the way to the collar.
Roderick, inhaling the faint fragrance of her post-bath scent, caught the sharpness in her gaze and heard the hint of irritation in her words.
He lowered his deep voice. "What do you think I'm here for? Who do you think I'm looking at?"
"I'm looking at you." He stared at her and said, "I want to spend a bit more time with you."
Catriona scoffed, thinking, so he's finally admitting it. She hadn't seen it before, but now she understood.
This guy often used their son as an excuse.
She looked toward the lawn's streetlights, feigning indifference. "Suit yourself."
"All right."
Catriona:...
Catriona felt that the quiet, indescribable atmosphere was strange, and Roderick's presence was overpowering. She didn't know what to say, but her heartbeat was hard to ignore.
She looked up at the starry sky, noticing which stars were brighter, which ones were smaller.
"Oh, there's a plane," she couldn't help but exclaim.
In the dark night sky, a plane blended among the stars, its lights blinking as it flew visibly fast.
Roderick looked up for a moment, then back at her. "Do you like planes?"
Perhaps because the night was so quiet and the stars so beautiful, Catriona spoke softly, "Not especially. My grandma's house is on the edge of Capital, and you can see the stars there too."
"Back then, on every hot summer night, we'd be on the balcony, Grandma lying in her lounge chair and me sitting on a little stool, watching the stars. And we'd always see passing planes, blinking lights as they flew by."
Catriona's tone suddenly brightened. "One time, we even saw a meteor—a real one, just once. It was just like on TV, a streak of light flying quickly across the sky above us. We all made wishes."
As she looked up, her chin lifted, revealing her fair, slender neck. She was so happy that even her eyes curved with joy.
Roderick gazed at her neck, licking his sharp, pale teeth, his eyes darkening. But his tone remained calm and steady. "So, did your wish come true?"
Humans making wishes upon meteors... it must be some kind of spiritual comfort.
Catriona's voice softened, the light in her eyes fading. "I'd say it half came true."
Roderick's thin lips parted slightly, his heart trembling for a moment. "There are no meteors tonight."
"But, Catriona, can I be your shooting star?"
Catriona's eyes widened, stunned, as she turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
Roderick said, "That wish you made, the things you want—could you tell me?"
"I want to be the shooting star you see. And make your wish come true."
Catriona stared at him for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"Right now, I just wish for my child's good health. As for anything else, there's nothing more."
"Is there really nothing more?" Roderick looked at her, his voice softening. "For example, would you like to go back to school?"
Catriona's eyes widened in shock as she shook her head forcefully. "I—I don't want to. I can't go back..."
"You can go back." Roderick's voice was deep and resolute, carrying an undeniable strength. "As long as you want to."
Her lips trembled as she clasped her hands together.
Whenever she was anxious or frightened, she would instinctively clasp her hands, restlessly fidgeting as if hoping someone would reach out and pull her back. But that person never came. She was left to pull her own hands, her own self, together.
School... University...
The dream she had left unfinished.
She had convinced herself to forget it.
But Roderick brought up that dream again.
