Chapter 16: A mother who wants to be a mother.

After a night of torment, Sylvia finally relaxed. She felt extremely sleepy. Not long after closing her eyes in her daughters’ arms, she fell asleep, her breathing becoming soft and faint.

The two small figures squatted beside the sleeping Sylvia, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Aelia was the first to break the silence. She lowered her voice, afraid of waking Sylvia, who had only just calmed down.

“Mom… is she really asleep?”

Aelia waved her finger gently in front of Sylvia’s face. There was no reaction.

“She’s really asleep,” Sophia confirmed. She looked at their mother’s small face, which remained tightly furrowed even in sleep, and whispered,

“Let’s move Mom to the bed.”

“Okay!”

Aelia responded immediately. The two little girls positioned themselves on either side of Sylvia and carefully lifted her body. The First Embrace had not changed Sylvia’s petite frame—she was still just over 1.4 meters tall, small and thin.

For two ten-year-old children, carrying an equally small adult was strenuous, but not impossible.

Slowly and carefully, they moved Sylvia onto the bed covered with dry grass and tattered blankets.

Aelia placed her hands on her hips, looking proud of their accomplishment.

“Mom is so light~”

“It’s because you’re too strong…” Sophia replied calmly, breathing a little heavily.

After settling Sylvia down, the two little girls squatted side by side at the edge of the bed, quietly watching their sleeping mother.

Under the moonlight, Sylvia’s silver hair spread across the worn blanket, emitting a soft glow.

Her small face was pale and delicate, with long, thick eyelashes. However, her brows remained tightly knitted, as if she couldn’t escape those terrible memories even in her dreams.

Aelia tilted her head and stared for a long time before suddenly asking, “Sister, was Mom also a mom when she was little?”

Sophia was stunned. She turned to look at her younger sister with an expression that seemed to say “What are you talking about?”

“Of course not.”

Sophia explained patiently,

“When Mom was little, she was also someone else’s baby. She grew up and became a mom, just like how we will grow up and become moms one day.”

“Oh…” Aelia nodded thoughtfully, then turned her gaze back to Sylvia’s face.

“Then, when Mom was little, did she also squat by the bed like this and watch her own mom sleep?”

Sophia fell silent. They knew very little about Sylvia’s past.

Mom never talked about her childhood or her parents. In Aelia and Sophia’s world, Mom was simply Mom—the person who would always come back and always protect them.

It was as if she had been born a mother.

“I don’t know,” Sophia finally answered softly.

Aelia didn’t ask any more questions. She reached out and, imitating the way Sylvia had comforted them countless times, gently stroked Sylvia’s silver hair with her small palm—once, and then again.

Her movements were clumsy, but very gentle.

Miraculously, Sylvia’s tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. The tension on her small face finally eased a little under her daughter’s touch.

Aelia’s eyes lit up.

“Sister, look! Mom isn’t frowning anymore!” she whispered excitedly, feeling like she had done something amazing.

Full of enthusiasm, she reached out again and gently pinched Sylvia’s cheek. It felt soft and cool.

Aelia stared at her mother’s face for a long time before sincerely sighing,

“Mom is so soft… and so cute.”

Aelia waited for her sister to agree, but Sophia didn’t respond. Confused, Aelia turned her head to look at her older sister.

Sophia was staring straight at Sylvia’s sleeping face, unblinking, as if her soul had been stolen away.

Sunlight fell on the side of Sophia’s face, creating a faint halo. Her expression was so focused it was almost… entranced.

“Sister?” Aelia waved her hand in front of Sophia’s eyes.

No reaction.

She waved again. Still nothing.

“Sophia!” Aelia couldn’t help calling out.

Only then did Sophia snap back to reality. She trembled slightly, as if caught doing something guilty. She turned her head and met Aelia’s curious emerald-green eyes.

“Ah, what? Haha, yeah.” Sophia’s voice sounded flustered, and her expression was strange. Under the sunlight, Aelia clearly saw a faint, suspicious blush rising on Sophia’s cheeks.

“Mom… is very cute,” Sophia tried hard to make her voice sound normal, then hurriedly added,

“It’s getting late. Let’s go to sleep.”

Seeing Aelia’s skeptical look, she quickly continued,

“I was just a little too tired and spaced out.”

“Ohhh—— really——”

Aelia dragged out her words, her tone full of suspicion that clearly said “Do you think I’ll believe that?”

She tilted her head and stared at Sophia’s reddened cheeks for several seconds, almost making Sophia turn her face away.

But in the end, exhaustion won over curiosity. Aelia let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes.

“I am pretty tired too…”

After a whole night of torment—fear, waiting, crying, hugging, and fright—for a ten-year-old child, the day had carried far too much. Her eyelids began to droop, and her small body swayed unsteadily.

Sophia promptly supported her sister and whispered,

“Go to sleep. We’ll sleep next to Mom.”

The two little girls carefully climbed onto the narrow bed, one on each side, pressing close to Sylvia.

Aelia fell asleep almost the moment her head touched the pillow. Her small breathing soon became steady and even.

Sophia, however, lay on Sylvia’s right side with her eyes open, quietly gazing at her mother’s profile.

Sylvia’s pale, delicate face glowed softly in the sunlight. Her tightly knitted brows had finally relaxed, and her breathing was calm and deep.

Lying there, she no longer looked like their mother, but like a tired, small girl who needed to be protected.

Sophia watched for a long, long time.

Then, Sophia made a firm decision—she had to become stronger quickly. She couldn’t be as powerless as she was today, only able to watch as Mom was taken away.

She had to grow strong fast, even if it meant answering that terrifying ancient voice in her heart.

After making up her mind, Sophia quietly reached out, imitating Aelia’s actions. She gently stroked Sylvia’s scattered silver hair and lightly pinched her cheek.

The touch was cool and soft. She wished she could keep touching her like this forever. She wished she could become Mom’s mom and comfort her.

Sophia was startled by the bold thought that suddenly popped into her mind. She quickly withdrew her hand, turned over, and buried her burning face into the worn blanket with her back to Sylvia.

In the darkness, she could hear her own heartbeat—thump, thump—much faster than usual.

Why… was it like this? She had no answer.

Exhaustion finally surged over her like a tide, drowning out that brief flutter and confusion. In the small wooden house, the three thin figures huddled tightly together and fell into a deep sleep.