Inside the villa, Dorothy sat on the living room sofa, a book from the library cradled in her hands. She idly turned the pages, listening to the rain patter against the windows.
A fresh pot of tea sat on the table, though the steam had long since dissipated. The cup remained full, a clear indication that the brew’s owner hadn’t taken a single sip.
Beside the teacup lay an open communicator. Dorothy, engrossed in her book, would periodically glance at it. Each time she found no new messages, a wave of irrepressible disappointment washed over her.
The early spring rain carried a faint chill. The magical fireplace in the living room burned quietly.
Receiving no news, she restlessly put down her book and gazed blankly at the dancing flames within the hearth. The dim, yellow light illuminated her lost expression.
‘Had Celia calmed down by now? Had she eaten and slept on time? Away from her, would she do something foolish?’
A profound worry permeated her heart. She picked up her book, intending to return to her room.
Just then, a crisp *ding-dong* of the doorbell broke her reverie.
‘It’s so late; the only person who would visit me now must be Chiling, right?’
The thought flashed through her mind as she walked to the living room door and slowly opened it.
However, standing at the threshold was a blonde girl she had not expected at all.
The rain had thoroughly drenched her, crystal droplets clung to her long eyelashes, and golden strands of hair plastered to her face, making her appear exceptionally disheveled.
“Celia?”
Dorothy instinctively covered her mouth as she uttered the name. She then noticed that the girl before her wasn’t merely soaked by the rain.
As if she had crawled through a thorny thicket, her dress was covered in mud, and parts of it were torn, revealing patches of skin. Many fresh bloodied scratches still marred her.
Her golden hair was also stained with grime, and faint marks on her pale cheeks indicated where mud had been wiped away.
“What happened to you…?”
Dorothy froze, her earlier anxieties surging. Yet, just as she was about to inquire what had transpired, Celia tightly gripped the hem of her skirt and bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry!”
The apology choked Dorothy’s words in her throat. She reached out, pulled Celia inside, and used magic to dry her body and dress, simultaneously healing the intricate wounds on her skin.
During this process, the itching from the healing wounds made Celia instinctively want to scratch, but Dorothy stopped her each time. The girl’s faint gasps of pain, however, pained Dorothy deeply.
After completing all of this, she looked into Celia’s eyes and asked, “Where did you get all these injuries?”
Celia’s breath hitched. She averted her gaze, hesitating before replying, “…I fell myself.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“…I was just chased by the student council for a short while, it’s nothing.”
As if to alleviate Dorothy’s worry, she flashed a brilliant smile. Yet, Dorothy knew that to come and see her, Celia had likely pushed herself to the very limit.
She was still just a freshman; how could she have escaped the student council so easily? The numerous scars on her body told the full story.
Dorothy’s expression hardened, understanding Celia’s current thoughts. A rare hint of sternness appeared on her gentle face.
“Leaving the freshman dormitory late at night is forbidden, isn’t it? What you did was far too dangerous.”
“But if I didn’t come, you would have insomnia, wouldn’t you, Senior? I don’t want to see you lose sleep because of me.”
Celia’s words made Dorothy stare at her, momentarily stunned. Then, her previous sternness melted away, replaced by a soft sigh.
“Insomnia is nothing. Your safety is what matters most.”
‘Senior…’
Celia bit her lip, her guilt intensifying with Dorothy’s words.
“Go take a bath first; your clothes are all dirty.”
Dorothy pinched the corner of Celia’s dress, her brows furrowing at the stains. Then, she assessed Celia’s figure, a flicker of apology in her eyes.
“I’ll get you a new outfit, though I’m not sure if it will fit.”
Over a decade had passed, and Celia had grown into a graceful young woman. Dorothy’s own clothes might not necessarily fit her perfectly.
Having said this, Dorothy was about to return to the bedroom to pick out clothes for her, but Celia caught her wrist, stammering somewhat.
“Senior, before that, I… I want to apologize to you…”
“Is it about what happened before? It’s alright, I haven’t taken it to heart.”
Seeing her demeanor, Dorothy naturally understood what she intended to do.
Though she didn’t know what Celia had experienced, she didn’t want an apology for the past. The fact that Celia could understand and no longer resent her was already deeply satisfying.
As a mother, she could not be overly harsh with her own daughter.
“Even so, I still want to apologize to you.”
At times, Celia could be as stubborn as an ox, unyielding once her mind was set. She bowed again before Dorothy, her golden hair falling past her ears but not concealing her face, which was filled with remorse.
“I’m sorry! I said many foolish things back then, and I hope you can forgive me. I actually… I knew deep down that Senior loved me, but I just… I just couldn’t let go of the past…”
“Later, I realized how much you had sacrificed for me, yet I knew nothing. I was cared for by you, but I still hurt you…”
In truth, even without Aurora’s reminder, Celia knew Dorothy loved her. After all, their interactions over the past six months couldn’t be false; every little detail proved it all.
However, the shock of the truth and the accumulated grievances from the past had subconsciously blurred her perception of that love. Resentment had once gained the upper hand, prompting her to utter those hurtful words.
After her apology, Celia did not look up, but instead waited anxiously for Dorothy’s response. The next second, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
What she didn’t realize was that Dorothy felt as if she were dreaming at that moment, as if she had worried about Celia too much, leading to a hallucination, imagining that Celia would personally come here and say these words…
Only by holding Celia tightly, feeling the softness and heartbeat in her arms, did Dorothy truly know that this moment was real.
Stroking the head of the girl in her embrace, Dorothy spoke with a mix of tenderness and apology, “We are family, aren’t we? How could I not forgive you?
“It was indeed my fault for abandoning you. I just hope you can give me a chance to make amends, alright?”
This time, it was Dorothy’s heart that grew anxious.
The cold from the heavy rain seeped through the window cracks, invading the living room. The firelight in the magical fireplace swayed with the faint breeze, distorting their shadows.
When Celia’s answer did not come for a long time, Dorothy’s heart gradually sank. She suddenly felt that perhaps she had been too hasty, that perhaps if she gave Celia a little more time…
“Mom… Mama.”
A faint voice, tinged with shyness, rang out from within her embrace. Her delicate body trembled, and the disappointment in her eyes instantly transformed into joy. Her arms tightened around Celia even more forcefully.
“Mama, I… I can’t breathe a little…”
In Dorothy’s embrace, Celia’s face flushed red, and her breathing became exceptionally rapid.