In the light drizzle.
Catriona drove into the street where her apartment located, glancing at the dark, spacious underground parking lot.
After finding a parking space, she slowly brought the car to a stop.
"All set, you can get out now."
Cedric unbuckled his seatbelt by himself, and as Catriona opened the car door to step out, the little rascal mischievously hopped out of the car too. His tiny shoes made a crisp sound as they hit the ground.
When Roderick was around, he would get out first and then carry his son out of the car.
Cedric didn't mind indulging his dad's habits.
But with Mom, he would get out on his own. He wanted to do things by himself and help her whenever he could.
For instance, now, in the dimly lit parking lot, Catriona opened the trunk and began pulling out large bags of clothes. Cedric ran over with little pattering footsteps, standing on tiptoe as he grabbed his own big toy bag with both small hands, trying to carry it out too.
"Oh, you don't have to..." Before Catriona could finish, Cedric had already lifted his bag of toys with ease.
"Mommy, give me that bag of clothes too. I can carry it." After months of drinking cold spring water, his strength had noticeably increased.
A few dozen pounds of clothes and toys didn't feel like much to him.
But although he had gotten stronger, his body was still that of a cub.
With the large bag of clothes as a backdrop, he looked even smaller. To someone who didn't know them, it might look like Catriona was making her child carry too much.
She couldn't bear to let her son carry it.
Even though she knew he could handle it.
Catriona hadn't packed the clothes in a suitcase, feeling the bag held more.
"I'm strong now, Mommy." Cedric looked up at her, his eyes serious.
Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Catriona nodded.
She usually didn't refuse her son when he wanted to do something unless it was truly dangerous.
A sense of participation was very important.
"Alright, just help Mom a little, then." Catriona lifted one bag in each hand, and Cedric ran to her side, holding on to one of the bags. Together, they headed to the elevator.
They entered the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor.
Before long, they reached their floor.
Cedric grabbed the bag of clothes and stepped out of the elevator first.
There were three households on the sixth floor. As Cedric exited the elevator, he saw a slim woman, around thirty, waiting for the elevator. She exclaimed, "Wow, this child is so strong!"
Cedric nodded politely. "Hello, Lady."
"Hello to you too, little one."
Catriona, holding the bag of toys, also greeted the woman.
Cedric had already reached the door, standing on tiptoe to enter the code and open it.
"Mommy, hurry."
"Let me see your hand." Catriona walked over and looked at her son's little palm—it was red, just as she expected.
She gently blew on it. "All red already. If the walk had been any longer, you'd have blisters on these little hands."
"I'm not scared." Cedric pulled his hand back, frowning. "They went red on their own. Mommy's hands are red too, right?"
She went into the room.
Mother and son started cleaning.
"Cedric, you wipe the table, okay?"
"Okay."
Cedric took the damp cloth from his mom and began wiping the tables, chairs, and TV cabinet. He swapped for another cloth and continued cleaning the fridge, dining table, and the kitchen.
Even the higher places didn't stop him; with a little jump, he could reach them.
"Ah!!" Suddenly, Catriona's voice came from the bathroom, filled with surprise.
"Mommy!" Cedric furrowed his little brows and quickly ran over.
"Don't come over!" Catriona shouted. "There's a centipede on the mop! I'll... take care of it." But her voice was trembling.
Cedric pursed his lips, calmly slipped a bag over his foot, and walked in.
Catriona swallowed nervously, her body stiff. "That's... strange. I just saw it on the mop, but now... where did it go... Close the door quickly, or it'll get into the living room!"
Just as she was starting to panic,
"Mommy, I already stepped on it," Cedric's calm voice came from behind her.
"What?"
Catriona's eyes widened as she quickly turned around.
"It's under my foot, Mom. You don't need to look," Cedric said seriously. "You can go out; I'll handle it."
"You—" Catriona was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reminded herself not to think of her son as an ordinary human child!
This little guy was a hunter who ate rabbits!
She let out a breath, praising him. "You're amazing, Sweetie!"
"What's so amazing about that?" he said, but his lips definitely curved upward a little.
"It seems there are more little bugs around. Clean up, spray some insecticide, and then leave."
In the end, Catriona put on a mask and took the insecticide. "You go out first and wait for me, Sweetie."
Cedric obediently went out the door.
Catriona started spraying the insecticide over and over again, finally slamming the door shut.
The empty flowerpot on the balcony was finally about to welcome its blossoms.
Out on the busy street, cars and people were bustling everywhere.
"Sweetie, what do you want to eat?"
Cedric countered, "What do you want to eat, Mommy?"
Catriona blinked and smiled, "How about we go have some rabbit?"
Cedric's eyes lit up.
So...
Ten minutes later.
The mother and son arrived at an upscale restaurant and were led to a private room by the waiter.
"Half a roast rabbit, please, with just a touch of salt. Nothing else."
"And half a plain rabbit, and..."
"One moment, please." The waiter nodded and left with a smile.
Catriona looked around at the lovely private room, where they could even watch TV, with various juices and drinks on the table.
She felt completely at ease and said, "Ah, it's been so long since I had a meal alone with you."
As soon as she said that, she paused.
So it turns out, for the past half-year, Roderick had always been with them when they ate out.
When she packed her clothes, where had he gone?
He had said angrily last time that he didn't want her to leave, not just for their son, but for her as well...
So, he wouldn't do something like... take their son away or refuse to let them leave, would he?
Then she felt reassured.
After the food was served, Cedric gnawed on the rabbit meat, enjoying it immensely.
Catriona's phone rang. She glanced at it, hesitated, and then answered.
"Where are you?" a deep voice asked.
Hearing the familiar voice, Cedric stopped mid-bite.
Catriona noticed her son's reaction and pressed her lips together. "We're eating out. We might be back this evening."
"What are you planning to do after eating?"
"I was thinking of taking my son to do some shopping..."
"I'll come over now," the man replied, his voice dropping. "You don't mind, do you?"
Catriona looked at her son's little face and gave a soft response. "No, I don't mind."
Then she saw her son's face light up, and he tore off a big piece of rabbit meat, his cheeks puffing as he ate.
They hadn't even finished their meal.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a tall man dressed in black appeared in the doorway, with strikingly handsome features.
Cedric shifted a bit, clearly excited to call out "Daddy," but something seemed to cross his mind, and he restrained himself, greeting him in a calm voice, "Dad."
Roderick closed the door and stepped inside.
Catriona asked, "Did you eat? Do you want to..."
"No need." Roderick cast a deep look at Catriona before continuing to the cub's side and sitting down.
He stroked the cub's fluffy black hair with his large hand and asked, "Is it good?"
Cedric nodded.
Roderick took out a handkerchief, wiped the corner of the cub's mouth, and said calmly, "If it taste good. We may come again next time."
Cedric seemed to freeze for a moment, immediately looking at Catriona.
Is there...
... a next time?
As Roderick spoke, he also looked at Catriona.
Catriona found herself being stared at by both the young one and the elder. The little one looked like he was hopefully asking if there would be a next time, while the older one's narrow, deep-set eyes seemed to question her insistently if there would indeed be a next time.
She cleared her throat. "If Cedric wants to eat, then of course we should come regularly."
Roderick looked away, reached out to adjust the cub's collar, and said in a low voice, "Did you hear that? Your mom said we can come to eat anytime."
Catriona stuffed food into her mouth and stayed quiet; she wasn't oblivious—she could hear the underlying message.
However, she didn't mind dining with Roderick; they were Cedric's parents, and it was all for the happiness of their child.
Just because she had moved out of Luna Palace didn't mean she had to cut off all ties with Roderick. She didn't mind interacting with the Nightblade—they were her son's family, people who loved him.
They were... the family she never had.
After dinner, as evening set in, the three of them strolled leisurely down the street.
Cedric suddenly started clinging to Roderick.
He was either being held by his father or walking hand in hand with him.
It seemed he thought he might never see his dad again.
As if he were saying a final farewell.
