Blanca's bedroom--
"Honey, I was wrong. I'll punish myself with twenty strokes."
On the other end of the call, after slapping himself twenty times, the blue-haired man with a somewhat bruised face covered his aching cheeks and said,
"Little Griseo even came running over just now to ask why I was slapping myself... Uh, I really have no way to explain that. Anyway, Blanca, just look at how sincere I am... Or do it for little Griseo's sake. Forgive me for the stupid thing I did last time. I really won't dare do it again..."
"Hmph..."
Clearly, even though her man had already slapped himself twenty times, Blanca was still furious. After all, she knew that her man could take a beating better than anyone. He was only putting on a pitiful act now. If he really went all out, let alone twenty slaps—even two hundred would be nothing serious.
Thinking this, Blanca was just about to say something that would make Hen swear never to do it again when her expression suddenly changed.
That was because on the other end of the call, a little blue-haired child was running toward Hen with something held in both hands.
As she ran, the little girl seemed to trip over something. Her entire body toppled forward uncontrollably, and she was about to fall face-first onto the ground.
Blanca's eyes instantly widened as she cried out,
"Griseo!!!"
"Hey!"
At the critical moment, Hen suddenly dropped flat and stepped backward, catching the little girl with his body before disaster struck.
"Mm...?"
Caught by Hen, little Griseo lifted her head from his arms. Her violet eyes were still somewhat dazed, as though she had no idea what had just happened.
"Ha... Oh, man..."
Seeing that Griseo was safe and sound, Hen broke out in a cold sweat. He gave a relieved smile, then grabbed little Griseo by the back of her collar and lifted her up.
"Hey, you little rascal, why do you keep causing me so much trouble every day...?"
Before little Griseo could answer her "Daddy," an angry female voice came from the other end of the call—
"Hen!!! How many times have I told you not to hold Griseo like that?! You'll hurt her neck!!!"
"Huh?? Oh, oh!"
Hen was startled so badly that he hurriedly held Griseo properly again and placed her on the sofa in the room.
"...Huh?"
Only then did the three- or four-year-old Griseo realize what had happened. After looking at her flustered "Daddy," she asked in confusion,
"Daddy... was that... Mommy's voice just now?"
"Uh... Yeah, yeah, yeah! It was your mom... No, your mommy... No, your mother."
Hen nodded repeatedly, then brought over the phone he had been using for the video call with Blanca and showed Griseo the screen.
Blanca did not waste any time. She spoke angrily from the other end,
"Griseo, has Mommy ever told you not to run around in the room? What would happen if you fell? You could get hurt!! Do you understand?"
"Mm..."
Hearing Mommy's scolding, little Griseo lowered her head. Blanca thought Griseo was trying to avoid responsibility and grew even angrier, but what Griseo did next left her speechless.
Little Griseo timidly raised a tube of ointment from her arms. She had been carrying it toward Hen just now.
"Mm... Mommy said that when people get hurt, it hurts a lot... So after getting hurt, you have to put on ointment. After you put on ointment, the injury won't hurt anymore."
Little Griseo was only three or four years old, and her pronunciation was still unclear. But as she held up the ointment in her hand, she spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Daddy was... hitting himself just now. I was scared... But... Daddy got hurt, so... mm... he needs ointment to get better faster..."
"Uh..."
Hen stood to the side, his face filled with embarrassment. Could he really say that if little Griseo had taken any longer to bring the ointment, the injuries on his face—which were mostly there to make Blanca feel sorry for him—would have already healed?
"Ahem!"
Regardless, Hen felt this was a good opportunity to change the subject. He sat on the sofa, picked up little Griseo, and placed her on his lap. Holding the phone in his right hand, he said,
"Blanca, what Griseo means is... she really misses you. I've taken leave from the army for our wedding, but look at me... I'm a grown man, and I'm rough around the edges. If you leave me alone at home to look after Griseo, there are bound to be oversights. Besides, I had to pull a lot of strings to get this leave... Sigh. In short, Griseo really misses you. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Mm..."
Little Griseo was still too young to understand what her "Daddy" had just said, but she more or less understood the words "really misses you." She looked toward Blanca on the other end of the call and said,
"Mm. 'Daddy' is right. Griseo hasn't... hasn't seen 'Mommy' for such a long time. I want... 'Mommy' to hug me!"
Seeing little Griseo call her "Mommy" over and over, Blanca felt her heart melt. Her anger vanished without a trace, and genuine tenderness and affection appeared in her violet eyes.
"Okay... Okay. Griseo, Mommy promises you that she'll put aside her work here and come home to see you right away. Until then, you have to listen to Daddy and be careful. Don't do anything dangerous again, all right?"
"Mm..."
Little Griseo nodded, seemingly understanding and yet not quite.
"...Sigh."
Holding little Griseo, Hen pondered for a moment before letting out a similarly solemn sigh and saying to Blanca on the other end,
"Blanca, I think I need to remind you again... My leave is limited, and little Griseo is almost old enough to start school. Don't you want to take her on a proper trip while she's still young?
"And about the place where you work... Sigh! I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your work, but the doctor you work for is really..."
"Shut up."
Blanca cut Hen off directly and said with a serious expression,
"Dr. Mobius isn't as evil as the outside world claims. She doesn't care what other people say. But I have personally witnessed her efforts and sacrifices. As my man, I won't allow you to speak of Dr. Mobius that way."
"Blanca, you... Sigh."
It was obvious Hen still had more to say, but under his wife's pressure, he could only turn all his thoughts into a silent sigh.
"...Huh?"
At that moment, little Griseo, who was in Hen's arms, seemed to notice something. She raised her little hand and pointed at Blanca on the other end of the call.
"Mommy... you have white hair now..."
"Ah... Ah?"
Blanca froze, then smiled helplessly at little Griseo.
"Yes... Mommy isn't young anymore. I'm getting old, so I'm growing white hair... Griseo, when you grow up, make sure you keep your eyes open and find yourself a good man. But remember, never find someone like your father, who spends all day in the army and barely calls home a few times a year. Understand?"
"Uh..."
Hen's face was full of embarrassment. There was nothing he could do. He was now the commander of the Fifth Squad of the Fire Moth's Combat Department. His position was even enough to qualify him for the rank of general in any country under the Fire Moth's influence. And generals ultimately had to put their country first. Finding even a brief moment to visit their families once a year was extremely difficult.
Not to mention that Hen's current leave had required countless connections and more than two years of preparation before it was finally granted.
"Hmph, I don't care."
Blanca had naturally seen Hen's expression. She simply folded her arms over her chest and said,
"In any case, when little Griseo grows up, I'll respect her freedom to choose whom she loves. But she absolutely cannot marry a soldier from the Fire Moth!"
"Uh..."
Hen scratched his head and looked at little Griseo in his arms.
"Griseo, what do you think of what your mother said?"
"Mm..."
Little Griseo scratched her cheek, not understanding what was going on, then said,
"I... I'll listen to 'Mommy.' As long as... 'Mommy' comes home soon... mm..."
"See, Blanca."
Hen spread both hands.
"Even little Griseo knows we've gotten off topic. So... back to the original question: When are you coming home? This time, I hope you can give me a definite answer."
"I..."
The conversation had once again returned to that question. Blanca opened her mouth, then hesitated again.
"Mm..."
Little Griseo seemed to notice Mommy's predicament, and her mood immediately fell.
"'Mommy'... can't come home...? It's okay. Griseo... is already a big girl. I can learn to take care of myself..."
"Ah... Ah? No, no. Mommy was just distracted for a moment."
Blanca panicked. In her haste, she took a wrinkled resignation letter from her arms and showed it to little Griseo.
"Look, Griseo. Mommy has already written her resignation letter, okay? Mommy really only needs a little more time... Seven days, seven days at most. In seven days, I'll finish handing over all my work and come home to see you on time. Little Griseo, make sure you wait for Mommy, all right?"
"Really...?"
Hearing that Mommy was coming home, little Griseo's large violet eyes filled with hope.
Looking at Griseo like that, Blanca rubbed her suddenly aching nose and forced a smile.
"Of course it's true. When has Mommy ever lied to little Griseo? Right? Stay at home and wait for Mommy for the next few days, okay? Mommy will be back very soon."
"Mm-hmm, okay~"
Little Griseo's childish voice came from the other end of the call.
Amid the laughter of a happy family, Blanca ended the call.
Blanca looked at the resignation letter in her hand, wrinkled from being folded and unfolded repeatedly. After taking a deep breath, she still put it back into her pocket and murmured,
"Let's wait a little longer... At the very least, I need to teach Xu Ziling some of the most basic methods for organizing experimental data..."
Thinking this, Blanca raised her head again and looked at the ceiling of the room. Smiling, she said,
"Griseo, wait for Mommy..."
With all her thoughts focused on her family, Blanca naturally failed to notice that a pair of cyan eyes was watching her through the crack in the bedroom door.
Outside the bedroom, Mobius stared at the wrinkled resignation letter in Blanca's arms and sank into a long silence.
Before you continue