After dinner, Leon and Eli stood by the crystal lake, watching the moon and the stars shine brightly.
"Was the food to your liking, my Lady?" Leon took Eli's cloak again and gently covered her from the back, his arms wrapped around her waist as he leaned close to feel her warmth.
"Indeed, how come you know of my taste in detail? I am really amazed, Your Highness." Eli teasingly replied. Only the two of them knew that they knew each other's preference because they have been living together.
Leon let out a light chuckle, "I wonder too…"
"Things like this, it's nice to experience more often. I never knew that there are places like this that are beyond beautiful…" Eli looked at the lake that mirrored the starry skies.
She touched Leon's arms that were wrapped around her waist and caressed it tenderly, "Thank you for bringing me here, Leon."
"In the future, there will be more like this. When everything is in place, let's take a look at the beautiful places around Prasinos. You and I, our child… together." Leon whispered as held her tighter. He leaned down and kissed her cheeks.
"I look forward to a future with you, my Love…" Eli closed her eyes to feel Leon's warmth as she touched his cheeks closer to his.
The picture of two people deeply in love under the moonlight, not minding the problems and the turmoils that may happen in the future.
For a moment, they just focused on their present, where they had each other.
–
Eli and Leon still ended their dinner date quite early, as they knew that Little Han might still be awake.
Teleporting into the cottage, the first thing that they noticed was the sound of crying and the anxious voices of the bunch who was trying to appease him.
"Nuuuuu! Waaaaah! Mommi! Daddi!!!" Little Han rolled on the plushie playground as he wiggled his feet and hands.
"..." Eli and Leon were dumbfounded, this was the first time they saw Little Han throw a tantrum.
"Ah, Master! Madame! You are finally here… the young master has been crying hard because he was looking for the two of you." Baobao and the Blades finally noticed their presence. They looked at the couple as if they had found their savior.
"Baby…" Eli immediately rushed towards the crying Little Han while Leon followed closely.
She remembered that Little Han had a tendency to hurt his throat while he was crying too much. Hearing that it happened again, she immediately scooped him in her arms and appeased him lovingly.
"Sush… my little love. Mommy and Daddy are here, sorry for making you wait."
"Hmm… *sniff* Mommi… Daddi… *sniff*" Little Han immediately calmed down upon realizing that Eli had already carried him to her embrace.
"We're really sorry, Madame, Master… We tried to carry him to let him calm down but he vigorously wiggled. We were afraid that he would hurt himself and so we opted to let him be on the cushioned mat of the playground…" Olivier reported rather guiltily. "A-also… he refused to eat his dinner nor he did not take any milk…"
"No worries, thank you for putting up with Little Han. I'm sorry for troubling you guys." Eli looked at them gratefully as Leon also dismissed them early for sleep.
"I'll take Little Han to the bedroom to change his clothes. Would you like to prepare his dinner?" Leon looked at the mother and son, before suggesting calmly.
"Would you be alright? You have been so busy today…" Eli looked at Leon worriedly, aside from his Imperial duties, she knew that Leon also took the effort to organize the date today. She thought that Leon would want to retire early to bed after a long day.
"No, it's fine. Besides, it's our son." Leon shook his head as he smiled gently. He stretched out his arms towards Little Han which the little bun sheepishly accepted.
"Alright then, it would be too late if Little Han would eat a full meal, I'll just whip something light for him before bedtime." Eli nodded and immediately went to the kitchen.
Meanwhile. Leon brought Little Han into the bedroom and carefully changed Little Han's clothes. After that, he pulled a chair and sat in front of the little guy who was still looking down sheepishly like a guilty child.
"..."
"..."
The two were in awkward silence as they stared at each other.
"Daddi… souweee…" Little Han still hung his head low, too embarrassed to meet his dad's stare.
"*hic* Mommi… Daddi… Johann miss… *hic*" As he sat on his crib, he tried to explain himself with his limited vocabulary. Soon his tears started to fall down again as he cried with guilt.
Leon remained calm as he watched his son's crying. If he could be honest, Johann was the exact opposite during his childhood.
Although both of them seemed to have mature minds beyond their age, Leon was the type who chose to hold it in and take everything for himself. As for Little Han, he would try to express himself as much as possible.
This difference alone made Leon think twice as he interacted with his son. Sometimes he was hesitating on how to treat him as he knew what it feels like to be a gifted child.
But then Eli would always remind him that no matter how Little Han appeared to be more intelligent than his peers, he was still a one-year-old child.
He still has things he could not understand.
He still had a lot of things to learn from the adults around him.
"Don't cry…" He stood up and took Little Han from the crib. He then let the little bun sit on his lap as he gently wiped his tears. "It's mommy and daddy who is sorry for not letting Little Han know that we will be late."
"My son, your mommy, and daddy have a lot of things to do… Because we want a safe place for you and for the family."
"Maybe in the future, we will be busier than before… but we are trying our best not to leave you behind. So... I'm sorry if mommy and daddy cannot be with you as often as before."
"But know that mommy and daddy love you to the heavens. We really do."
"If we could, we will stay in this cottage and be with you until you grow up… But we really couldn't."
"So, will Johann forgive mommy and daddy today?"
Leon knew that Little Han might not even understand what he was saying. But as he has already decided in his heart how he will care for Little Han moving forward, he will not get tired of communicating things to him properly so that he would understand someday.
"Daddi wuv Johann?" Little Han looked at Leon with his bright crystal blue eyes finally looking at him.
Leon could not help but smile, his little son who was gifted by the heavens to bring him and Eli together. How could he not dearly love him? In fact, why would he even need a reason to love his child?
"Yes, Daddy loves you dearly. Mommy loves you too…" He patted his son's head as he replied sincerely.
"Jiheehee…" Little Han seemed to have been satisfied with his words as he giggled with contentment. Then he stretched his chubby arms and hugged Leon with all his might, "Johann, wuv Daddi!"
"How about me?" Eli happened to witness the heartwarming scene and teased the father and son.
"Johann wuv Mommi!" Little Han looked at Eli and smiled happily, then he leaned over to kiss Eli sweetly on her cheeks.
"Alright little one, time for your dinner." Eli then took over and had Leon finally go and take a shower to refresh himself.
Leon's heart was overflowing with joy and contentment as he saw his little family doing well even when they were not on the luxurious castle walls. In the future, he hopes that their relationship will grow deeper.
When the time to sleep came, Leon looked at Little Han who was now looking at him with pleading eyes.
Little Han was standing in the crib, with his hands on the rail, he wore a pitiful expression as he looked at Leon then at the big bed that He and Eli shared every night, then at Leon again. "Daddi…." He pleadingly called his attention.
Leon found it hard to decline his request, it was his fault in the first place why Little Han cried a lot today.
And so with a helpless sigh, he took Little Han out from the crib and placed it at the bedside. Then he also took his favorite pillow in tow.
"Oh, we are sleeping together?" Eli, who had just finished showering, looked at the father and son who were now preparing the bed. She immediately ran towards the two to join the fun.
"Your hair is wet, I'll dry it first." Leon worriedly looked at Eli who wanted to sleep excitedly.
"Alright then…" Seeing that Leon had already taken a towel to dry her hair, Eli allowed her to do what he wanted.
When Little Hand saw this, he also stood up and took his little blanket and tried to try a portion of Eli's hair too.
Thus the father and son worked together to dry Eli's long silky black hair before they went to sleep.