Norella’s tone softened instantly, her gaze shifting to Raiden as her lips curved into a warm smile. “Raiden, look at these books Astrella is planning to throw away. What a waste! If we used these to educate Reaghan, maybe he’d turn out as impressive as you one day!”
Raiden glanced at the bamboo basket, wiping his hands slowly. “No need. We weren’t raised with books back then and didn’t we turn out fine? Don’t trouble yourself over it.”
At his words, Norella’s eyes suddenly welled with tears, her voice thick with emotion.
“Raiden, are you still upset about me leaving to study abroad? I never said goodbye, leaving you to bear the pain alone. It was my fault. I came back to make it right. Please, let me do more for you.”
Raiden was slightly startled. His gaze dipped and his lashes, dark as crow feathers, trembled ever so slightly.
It seemed like his mind wandered back to that year, the year his mother passed, his father abandoned them and the weight of tuition had been too heavy to bear, leaving him a shell of himself, drifting without purpose.
“Forget it. You had your reasons.” His voice softened as he gently wiped Norella’s tears away. “Given everything, I can understand.”
Astrella, however, felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. She glanced at the clock on the wall, slipped on her coat and moved to leave.
“Where are you going now?”
Raiden frowned, his gaze sharp with confusion. This wasn’t like her.
In the past, she always told him where she was going. If he ever said he didn’t like it or didn’t want her to leave, she’d quietly listen and stay without question. But now, it felt like she had turned into someone else entirely.
Norella quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, forcing a gentle smile. “Astrella, I know this talk of the past must be difficult for you. Why don’t we go out and clear our heads a little?”
Astrella made her way to the night market, a determined air about her. She spread an old bedsheet on the ground and boldly scrawled a sign. [2 dollars per item, nothing left behind!]
Raiden’s expression darkened as he watched her set up the makeshift stall. “Astrella, what are you doing? Are you trying to embarrass me? Do you think I can’t afford to take care of you?”
Before Astrella could respond, Norella tugged at Raiden’s arm, her voice calming, “Raiden, don’t be upset. Let’s walk over to the candied hawthorn stand instead.”