It had been a week since Arion had the exciting and nerve-wracking experience of being left alone with his father. Now Arion was less tense when he was with Arsen again.
Arion was currently lying on his parents' bed with Hana on his left side, comforting him as usual. Meanwhile, Eric slept peacefully on his right side.
Natalie? She was doing something on the sofa. Arion had no idea what she was working on, but it seemed to be paperwork. Probably one of her duties as a queen.
Hana's cheerful expression suddenly changed to a frown, but her eyes looked a little sad, which Arion noticed immediately.
He looked at her confused, 'What's wrong with her? A moment ago she was very happy, but now she looks sad. Did I do something wrong?'
Hana turned to Natalie who was still seriously working on her paperwork. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to call her.
"Mom?"
Natalie turned her head when she heard her daughter's soft call, "Yes?"
Hana swallowed nervously, "Do babies usually not smile or laugh much?"
Natalie blinked in confusion, but she replied calmly, "Not really. I remember Hana smiling and laughing a lot when you were a baby." She said with an amused laugh, "You were like a little sun."
Hana had always been a ball of energy as a baby, while Eric was the opposite. If Hana was like the sun, Eric was like the moon. They complemented each other in appearance and nature.
Hana leaned on her hands with a sad frown, "Then why doesn't Arion ever smile when I make funny faces at him?"
Natalie was silent. Her words jolted something inside Natalie. She couldn't help but glance at Arion with concern.
Arion looked at Hana in confusion, 'Is that what you think?'
He didn't know what to think. He did not think that his sister was sad just because Arion didn't smile at her.
Natalie forced a smile, "Every baby is different, dear. For example, not everyone likes to smile, like Daddy."
Hana thought for a moment before nodding in agreement, "That's right."
Arsen lacks expression and smiles. Of course, he smiled when he was with his family. But his smile was very small compared to Natalie's.
"It's possible that Arion just doesn't want to smile yet because he wants to give us a surprise later." Natalie continued to try to be reassuring, whether it was for her daughter or herself.
Deep inside, she was worried too. Hana's question awakened Natalie to something she had been trying to deny all along. Something that she thought would be fine as long as Arion was healthy.
"So that's why I never saw Arion smile," Hana said with a sigh of relief. All traces of sadness were gone from her eyes and replaced by her usual joy.
Arion couldn't help but feel guilty, 'Sorry...'
Natalie gave her a puzzled look before a thought crossed her mind, "Do you think Arion doesn't like you?" She asked in a teasing tone, finally knowing what her daughter's question meant.
Hana stammered before shaking her head nervously. Natalie smiled before getting up from her sofa. She walked over to Hana and sat down beside her.
Natalie rubbed her daughter's cheek, trying to give her the courage to say what was on her mind.
Hana squeezed her hands nervously, "When I comforted him by making funny faces, Arion just waved his hand at me. I guess he didn't like it."
"Does Hana remember Mom and Dad saying that babies' bodies are very soft and fragile?" Natalie's question was met with a puzzled look from Hana, but she still nodded.
"That also means they have very limited and weak movements. Arion mostly just sleeps, right?" Natalie asked patiently again.
Hana tried to remember again before finally nodding. Arion was usually asleep when she and Eric came to visit him. Even if it was early in the morning.
Natalie giggled before she lightly pinched Hana's chubby cheeks, "But if Arion is gesturing back, it means he likes you. He must be going out of his way to thank his big sister for comforting him and inviting him to play."
Hana paused and looked at her mother expectantly, "Really?"
"Yes!" Natalie replied confidently, happy to see her daughter's face brighten again and not cloudy like before.
Hana's face brightened and a cheerful smile returned to her lips. She looked at her mother enthusiastically, "Then what can babies do?"
"They mostly just sleep and cry."
Hana blinked, "So that's why Arion often sleeps even when it's still morning," She muttered after successfully understanding the situation. She breathed a sigh of relief as all her worries disappeared.
Arion grimaced, 'That's true but also wrong.'
Baby's body gets tired very easily. Not to mention, he was thinking a lot about a plan so that they wouldn't suspect him. Although it seemed like he wasn't doing it very well.
"Hana used to cry a lot." Natalie teased with a smile, wanting to see her daughter's cheeks that would surely get bigger.
Hana blushed, "I'm not!"
Natalie covered her mouth to stifle the laughter that was about to come out, "Sure."
Hana pouted and looked at her mother who was clearly holding back her laughter. But then she made a confused face, "But I've never seen Arion cry either."
Arion sighed tiredly. Earlier about never smiling and now about never crying? What is so interesting about that?
Although Hana mumbled in a low tone, Natalie could still hear it clearly. The smile on her lips almost faded, but she managed to keep it.
Hana didn't notice the change in her mother's expression and continued, "Are they crying because they're hungry?"
Natalie composed herself before answering her daughter, "Yes. Since babies can't talk yet, they let us know when they're hungry by crying. The same goes for when they poop or get tired."
Hana snapped her fingers as she realized something, "Because Mom always gives Arion milk quickly, that's why he never cries. Is that so Mom?"
"That's right!" Natalie replied confidently. But her eyes several times glanced anxiously at Arion.
Arion felt his mother's anxious gaze. He didn't bother to turn his head to find out. He could tell what that look was after experiencing it the last few days.
'She looks at me worriedly, again.'
Arion had noticed the same look on his mother's face for a few days. But most of the time she would stop staring and act as if nothing had happened. This time seemed to be different.
Arion looked down at his small outstretched hand, 'There's no way I'm crying just because I'm hungry or because I pooped.'
Arion's thoughts turned bitter, 'I know it makes them suspicious because I'm a baby who never cries. But even if I try, I never succeed. I can't help it.'
He began to think that the reason he could not cry was because his soul was too tired to cry after everything that had happened in his first life
He paused, 'And as for smiling...'
Arion remembered his first life. Ignored by his mother, beaten by his father, bullied at school, and considered non-existent by people who saw his injuries. All these things flashed through his mind.
He suddenly remembered the strange words of his old boss, his good uncle, his savior in the past.
"Why don't you smile a little?"
The sudden question caught the past Arion, meaning Rion, off guard. He almost slipped while carrying some heavy boxes. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance and looked at his boss in confusion.
"Pardon?" That was all Rion could say. He was too confused by his boss's sudden question that came out of nowhere.
Rion swallowed nervously and put down the box he was carrying, giving his full attention to his boss, "Is there a problem?"
He suddenly felt nervous and a bit scared. Did he make an unintentional mistake?
His boss waved indifferently, "That's not it. You know, I'm sure if you smile just a little, you'll look more handsome. And more customers would come."
One of his colleagues laughed, "Boss! Don't take advantage of young people like that!"
His boss just snorted in annoyance, "Come on! I'm just teaching him not to waste that handsome face."
"I'm sorry, but I..." Rion's speech was cut off because he didn't know what to say.
His boss realized this and looked at him guiltily, "Don't take what I said too seriously, boy. I was just joking."
"That's not it!" Rion's high voice startled him a bit, as did some of his colleagues. They gave him a curious look but didn't ask anything out of respect. They went back to their work as if nothing had happened.
"Rion?" His boss called worriedly. Rion looked up and found a worried look in his boss's eyes. He swallowed nervously and looked away.
"I just..."
Arion's eyes glazed over slightly as he remembered his old boss. His worried look was similar to the one his mother was giving him now.
Arion closed his eyes in despair. He clutched his clothes tightly. It wasn't that he didn't want to smile, that was the truth. But for Arion, it felt impossible. The reason was simple.
Arion opened his eyes, feeling bitter for himself, 'I just don't know how.'