Mom will definitely protect you

Letia didn’t want her daughter to spend much time with Lily.

Even if Lily needed to feed her, it was only for that necessary moment.

As soon as the child was full, Letia would carry her away, giving Lily no chance to bond.

Lily protested with teary eyes.

She wanted more time with her daughter, but Letia refused.

To Letia, Lily was nothing more than a tool for feeding.

Not wanting to fight in front of Emi, Lily forced a smile as she looked at her daughter, pouring all her love into the few moments they had together.

Seeing Lily’s expression, Letia felt a little guilty.

She might dislike Lily, but Lily’s love for her daughter was real.

Letia slowly came to believe that Lily had the right to be with her child.

And their daughter Emilia also had the right to receive Lily’s motherly love.

The next afternoon, Letia came to Lily with a reluctant face and a voice cold and impatient.

“From today on, you can spend three hours with our daughter each day.”

“What?”

For a moment, Lily didn’t understand. Why was Letia being so generous?

She thought it might be a trap, but Letia wouldn’t scheme with her daughter involved.

If Letia wanted, she could simply force things her way without plotting.

Perhaps her sincerity had reached Letia, or perhaps their daughter needed her mother—whatever the reason, Lily now had more time with her child.

Since things had been decided, it was worth redecorating the room.

Letia was skilled in “creation magic,” able to shape raw matter into useful forms.

With endless stone inside the cave, making furniture was effortless.

Stone tables and stools, a wardrobe, and even a bathtub appeared in Lily’s room.

Though there were no bars, her space had felt like a dungeon.

Now, slowly, it began to look a little like a home—something Lily hadn’t expected.

“And, you need to bathe every day.”

Letia pulled a blue crystal from the air and set it into the bathtub’s wall.

“This is a water-element stone. Touch the edge to fill it with water. Touch again to stop.”

She thought for a moment, then tossed a black crystal into the base of the tub.

“This one is space-element. Touch it to drain the water.”

“You even prepared a bath for me…”

Her room did have a square pit, but Lily rarely used it.

Only when Letia was in a good mood would she fill it with hot water.

That meant Lily usually bathed only once a week, leaving her dirty most of the time.

“I can’t just let you look after her. Sometimes you’ll need to hold her too.” Letia said as if it were obvious.

“If you’re filthy, you’ll make her sick.”

“You’re being… kind?”

“At least you still have some use. Now hurry and bathe.”

With that, Letia walked away, returning to her “room.”

In truth, it was nothing more than another branch of the cave.

Lily made a face at her retreating back.

No matter what Letia provided, Lily would never thank her.

Letia had dragged her into this hell, and even if the living conditions improved, it was nothing more than what Lily should have had to begin with.

Inside the cave, there was no day or night.

Only the glowing colors of the magical ore decorated the darkness.

Lily woke from sleep, rubbing her eyes as Emi’s cries echoed in her ears.

Her face filled with surprise.

“Am I dreaming?”

Letia would never leave her daughter with Lily.

Their time together only came during those three feeding hours.

But Emi’s cries were so clear, Lily quickly realized it was real.

She leapt from her bed and found a crib placed beside it.

That crib was supposed to be in Letia’s room—so why was it here?

Could it be that Letia regretted everything and had finally relented?

“No way. Letia’s nothing but a cold-hearted villain!”

Still, Emi’s cries continued.

Flustered, Lily picked her up carefully.

Strangely enough, whenever Lily held her, Emi immediately stopped crying.

“Are you hungry?” Lily slipped a strap off her shoulder, readying herself.

“Do you want to eat, Emi?”

But Emi showed no response, so hunger wasn’t the reason.

Lily checked her daughter’s clothes, but they weren’t wet either.

In fact, Emi had never wet the bed.

Once, she had shaken her head and whimpered as if to explain something, though Lily couldn’t understand until Letia explained—Emi had wanted to use the washroom.

It was incredible—an infant who already knew to hold it in.

Maybe the daughter of a dragon was simply more clever than human babies.

But that wasn’t the real issue now.

Why was the crib here, in her room?

Had Letia gone away?

That couldn’t be.

Even if she left, she would never abandon Emi.

Letia wasn’t insincere.

Clumsy though she was, she had always tried to ensure their daughter grew strong and healthy.

The more Lily thought, the stranger it seemed.

Holding Emi close, she crept toward the cave’s side passage.

Peeking into Letia’s room, she found it empty.

The crib had been moved, leaving the place even lonelier.

“Emi, do you know where Mama Letia went?”

“Mama Letia”—that was how Letia referred to herself with the child.

She always told her: “I’m Mama Letia!”

And Emi would babble in reply: “Ma-ma!”

It always made Letia smile.

A pang of sadness struck Lily.

How wonderful it would be if she and Letia had truly loved each other.

Emi seemed to understand.

Her chubby little finger pointed toward a direction.

That way led to the cave’s entrance.

Lily had never gone there, but she had sometimes felt fresh air blowing in.

“Did Letia go outside? Could it be something urgent?”

Lily was at a loss, when suddenly a deafening noise erupted.

Boom!—

The entire cave shook violently, as if swept by crashing waves.

Lily fell to the ground, clutching her daughter tightly.

Thankfully, Emi landed safely in her lap and wasn’t hurt.

Panic filled Lily’s eyes as she looked toward the cave’s entrance.

Disaster was coming—someone must have invaded, forcing Letia to fight!

She held her daughter close, heart racing.

But Emi remained calm.

Even with danger near, she didn’t wail.

That steadiness helped Lily find her own.

She kissed her daughter’s forehead and spoke with determination.

“Mommy will protect you. I will never let anything happen to you.”