Chapter 50

On the next morning, Taria woke up to see Ray sleeping peacefully beside her. His cute small body holding her arm as a toy, his warm breath giving her chills, and his hair shining under the sunlight. Taria smiled unconsciously, she ran her fingers through his hair gently, trying hard to hold herself not to hug him as he seemed so cute, yet her body moved without her permission and hugged him tightly.

"Mommy, good morning", Ray said, rubbing his eyes and trying to break free from her arms

"Good morning, sweetie. Did you have a good dream?" Taria said, patting his hair

"I dreamt of the sea, and mommy was there with me", Ray said

"Well, we can go to the sea if you want to. How about mommy take Ray to the sea with uncle Ve and aunt Josephine?" Taria said

Ray stayed silent for a while, then he got out of the bed that was higher than him and said "yeah, it will be good"

After that, Taria and Ray went to the dining room to have breakfast with the others, normally as if nothing happened at all last night. Everyone showed a happy face, yet they all hid broken hearts and souls. Taria who was insanely worried about the future of her one and only sunshine, that sunshine who killed a man while he was still a child, and Ve, who was the most hurt person of them all, however, they all were brave enough, strong enough, and loved enough to smile again.

"I have something we need to discuss", Ve said after they finished eating, forcing Taria who was wiping Ray's mouth softly to turn around and face him

"I think that Ray is ready to start his practice. He is smart, brave, and strong enough to hold a pistol and kill a man to save his mother, so I ..."

"STOP IT. I WILL NEVER ALLOW THAT. We agreed to start his practice a year later, why would he start it now? Ray is still a child, and I can never let him do such dangerous things", Taria shouted, slapping the table madly and looking straight into Ve's eyes who was as calm as ever

"I agree with uncle Ve. The family has no one to keep it safe other than uncle now as my father is dead, and as we saw yesterday, no one is safe like this. I have to get stronger if I want mommy to stay safe, and that's why I will start my practice this year", Ray said calmly

"No, no no no, sweetie it's not your responsibility to keep me safe. I am the one who should keep you safe", Taria said

"Taria. Your son's words are not those of a mare child. Ray is special, and I know you know that better than me. He is still three years old yet he is better than kids much older than him", Ve said

Taria couldn't deny the fact that Ray was more than special compared to his peers, yet in her eyes, he was still a little child who needed to be taken care of. She didn't know what to say or what to do, so she left the room fast, and went to the graveyard as she used to do when she feels bad.

She sat by Tian's grave, holding her necklace with her hand, and looking at the blue sky above her. She laid down and made a ring with her fingers, then she pointe it towards the sky, yet for the first time, it didn't work at all

"Sigh, three years have passed, yet I still feel empty without you. I wish you were here", she said, then she shrank at herself trying to decide what would be the best thing to do.

Taria went back to the house, then she asked the maids about Ve and Ray and she was told that they went to the training yards not long ago, so she went there too. Ray was holding a wooden sword and trying hard to stab Ve who was avoiding the hits perfectly. He seemed tired, and he was covered with dust from head to toe, yet the strong look in his eyes was enough for Taria to feel at ease. She knew that it would be better for Ray to get stronger fast, not to take care of her but to keep himself safe, and she also knew that the Leo's blood running through his veins would make it impossible for him to stay out of that deadly net, but a deep part of her felt hurt to see him holding a sword heavier than his body.

Ray fell down, cutting Taria's thoughts and forcing her to run towards him

"Are you ok, Ray?" she asked

"Yeah, it's just a scratch", Ray said, then he looked back at his uncle and started fighting him again

At that exact moment, Taria smiled, knowing that her son was mature enough to make such a big decision by himself, and to stick to his beliefs even though he is still a mare child. She held her necklace again, then she sat down and watched Ray fighting strongly and bravely just like the main character of a story

After a while, Ray was finally done with his training. He seemed exhausted and his body was shaking, yet his eyes were sparkling as they never were. He sat beside his mother, then he laid his head on her lap, and she started playing with his hair softly

"You did a great job today, sweetie", Taria said

"I can do this everyday. I won't give up", Ray said, then he fell asleep

"That boy is astonishing, I admit it", Ve said

"Of course he is, he is my son after all", Taria said boastingly

"You hate it, don't you?" Ve said, and the look in her eyes became sharper

"He is special, and that is a good thing, yet he is way above average. I'm afraid this would put him in danger a lot, but that doesn't mean I hate it", Taria said

"Until the day I die, I will keep this child safe, even if it means my death. It's a Leo promise, Taria", Ve said

Taria believed every word Ve said. She believed that her son would be safe as long as his uncle is with him, but she hated the way Ve stated that using the words die and death

"I don't want to lose you too. Ray is my priority, but you are an important person that I can't afford losing. If you dared do as you brother, I will kill you", Taria said coldly, but Ve smiled, forcing her eyes to sparkle again

"Killing a dead person is impossible, idiot. But don't worry, I will stay with you until you don't need me anymore", Ve said, patting her head gently