Chapter 3

But before I could finish, Darius suddenly leaned in and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"By the way, where did you put that protective amulet you acquired for Theo? Is it in the study? Milo has weaker magic, so he needs it more. I am going to let him wear it for a few days."

Without giving me any chance to refuse, Darius barged straight into the study, grabbed the amulet, and rushed out without looking back.

The heavy bronze doors slammed shut.

Darius was gone.

I stared at the doors for a long time.

Then I softly finished the sentence that had been interrupted earlier. "Actually... Theo and I haven't needed you in our lives for a long time."

There were less than two days left until the bond completely shattered.

By midnight, after sealing all the enchanted bags, I collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.

The messaging crystal lit up. It was a message from Darius.

Milo absolutely loves the amulet. Cassia asked me to express her gratitude on her behalf.

It was the dead of night, and my partner was actually thanking me on behalf of another goddess.

A bitter smile formed on my lips. I could not even bring myself to be angry. Perhaps because I had stopped expecting anything long ago, that familiar stinging pain was gone.

I replied, No need to thank me. I didn't pray for it for her sake anyway.

That amulet is Theo's most precious charm. He cannot sleep soundly without it.

After sending the message, I walked into Theo's small bedroom. His brows were furrowed in pain in his sleep. He was sleeping terribly.

I rested my head beside him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

As for what Darius would think when he saw the message, I didn't care at all.

The next morning, in a rare move, Darius returned to the estate bright and early.

He walked in, took off his cloak, and froze when he saw the row of packed bags in the living room.

"You are just going to tour other realms. Do you really need to pack so much?"

He strode into the bedroom without even setting his cloak down. There was a hint of panic in his voice.

I was wholly focused on helping Theo put on his brand new winged boots, and didn't even turn my head.

"We are going somewhere very far away."

He immediately looked at Theo. Theo gave him a firm nod. Only then did Darius's expression relax.

He draped his cloak over a chair and pulled out three enchanted passes engraved with starbursts.

"Didn't you always complain that I never took Theo to see the Starlight Dreamscape Festival?"

"I managed to get passes for today. The three of us can go together as a family."

He laid the passes out in front of us like trophies, his face full of pride and doting affection.

For a brief second, I thought there was something wrong with my ears.

It had been almost a month since that argument, and he was only just remembering it now?

Then I suddenly remembered the dense cluster of unread messages that flooded my crystal when I turned it on this morning.

Hah. So he was coming to make peace.

I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down and continued tying the straps on Theo's boots.

However, Theo jumped up in excitement, looking straight at me.

"Mom, I want to go!"

My eyes softened.

Before I could even speak, Darius stammered, "But there is one condition. I have picked up Milo from the Divine Academy a few times, and now all the gods there think he is my own flesh and blood. If other gods see us painting a family portrait, it might reflect badly on him. So let's just cancel the portrait for now."

He looked incredibly guilty as he said this.

He used to tell me he never wanted Theo to become arrogant just because he was the Lord's son. That was the reason he had never once picked Theo up from the Academy.

But now, not only was he making a huge public show of picking up Cassia's bastard son, he was even forcing Theo to suffer silently for that child's sake.

Theo froze. The light in his eyes visibly dimmed.

"Oh..."

He slowly lowered his little head, his eyes turning red with grievance.

Darius did not notice his son's distress at all. "This is just a trivial request from Cassia. I didn't think it was a big deal at all."

"We can paint the portrait later. Right, Theo?"

He had absolutely no idea that Theo and I were leaving tomorrow.

This was his very last chance.

But neither of us said anything. We just nodded in silence.

"Okay."

"Sure."

Darius visibly let out a long sigh of relief. "Great. I am going to send Cassia a message. We will meet at the Starlight Dreamscape at three this afternoon."

He stood up and walked to the door, then turned back around.

"My Lady, my son. You two are what I cherish most."

Theo and I said nothing.

After he left, Theo jumped off the bed and dragged his pre-packed little bag out of the wardrobe.

"Mom," he said softly. "I do not want to see Lord Darius anymore. Can we leave early?"