"Mommy, look! I got first place in art class, and the teacher says I'm a talented kid!" exclaimed the excited six-year-old boy, carrying a canvas with a picture in his small hand.
With sparkling eyes, he directed the canvas in his hand toward the beautiful, mature woman who stood in front of him, her face expressing indifference.
Upon hearing the boy's words, the woman frowned slightly, lazily taking the canvas from his hand as she looked at the picture.
"Ploop!"
The woman slammed the canvas down, her cold expression staring indifferently at the boy.
"How many times have I told you not to waste your time on useless pursuits like this? You are the heir of the family, and indulging in such pointless activities will not benefit your future. Why are you still engaging in these futile endeavors, Leon?" The woman spoke harshly, scolding the boy, causing his face to instantly pale.
His happiness and innocent smile were instantly shattered, replaced by a profound sadness.
"I... I..." The boy faltered, his body trembling as if he were attempting to hold back tears that had already welled up at the corners of his eyes.
"Enough! I've had my fill of this, and I expect you not to repeat it in the future. This is the final instance, and you ought to focus on learning something more worthwhile as a deserving heir to the Orion family." The woman raised her hand, silencing him and preventing the boy from responding.
With a cold and indifferent expression still etched on her face, the woman turned away, leaving the boy with his head bowed and tears in his eyes.
The day swiftly passed, and tomorrow arrived in no time.
"Mommy, the exam results are in, and I secured first place in class!" The boy approached the woman with an innocent smile, expressing his excitement.
Despite the sadness from yesterday's incident, the boy did not succumb to despair.
He still approached his mother with enthusiasm, hoping for her praise.
However, the woman retained her indifferent expression, offering only a fleeting glance in his direction.
"It's good, and there's nothing surprising about this result; it's expected that you get first place." Her dismissive response and lack of genuine appreciation caused the boy's smile to diminish, and sadness once again clouded his small face.
"Ring~ Ring~"
The sound of a ringing cell phone suddenly emanated from the woman's handbag, and swiftly, she retrieved and answered the call.
"Hello... Have you arrived? Hahaha, well, please wait for me for a moment..." She rose from her seat and answered the phone with evident joy, paying no attention to the boy whose face wore a pale, teary-eyed expression.
After a five-minute phone conversation, the woman powered off her phone and turned to the boy with an emotionless expression.
"I won't be back tonight, and you can have dinner by yourself. I'll ask the servant to prepare it later." After uttering those words, the woman swiftly turned around and walked away, leaving the boy frozen in place, gazing at her retreating figure with disappointment.
His small hand reached forward as if he wanted to grasp the woman's back, unwilling to be left alone.
Unfortunately, his hand felt heavy, and the sound in his throat abruptly ceased, as if something were strangling him.
He could only watch as she gradually faded from his sight.
Subconsciously, he lowered his head, and the unstoppable tears finally cascaded down his cheeks.
"Hiks~ Hiks~" He cried so softly, almost as if he were afraid someone might witness him in this vulnerable state, especially the woman.
"Hiksh... Mommy..."
...
"Ugh... Was it all a dream?" Leon slowly opened his heavy eyes and mumbled.
Pain surged through his head, prompting his brow to furrow before gradually subsiding.
"That dream left me feeling extremely uneasy." He closed his eyes again and whispered softly, reclining lazily on the bed.
However, after a minute, he opened his eyes again, and an unfamiliar sight of the room's ceiling immediately greeted him.
"Wait a minute... Something seems off?" Leon blinked absentmindedly and tilted his head, studying the unfamiliar room around him.
A dressing table, a large wardrobe at the end of the room, and a very comfortable king-size bed that he was currently using... Hmm, nothing seemed to be wrong at all. Was it just his imagination?
Leon paused for a moment, experiencing profound confusion for a few seconds.
Shortly afterward, his handsome face turned as pale as a sheet, his memory gradually returning.
"F***! Damn it! Shouldn't I be on the battlefield!?" Leon exclaimed, jumping up and screaming hysterically with fear.
Cold sweat inundated his body, and he had no idea why he found himself in this unfamiliar room.
"Am I still dreaming? Yes, definitely! This has to be a dream, and I have no clue where I am." After entertaining a few reasonable guesses, Leon nodded his head like a chicken and quickly lay back down, closing his eyes in the hope of awakening from this strange dream.
Unfortunately, after a few attempts at closing and reopening his eyes, he remained in the same place!
"Hey! It's not a dream!" He quickly sat back down, letting out a fear-stricken cry that sent shivers down his spine.
For the first time since becoming a hero, he experienced a profound sense of terror.
"This... This... What is this? Where am I, and how did I get here?" His voice trembled, laden with uncertainty and astonishment.
He couldn't comprehend how this could have happened; he distinctly recalled being on the battlefield, engaged in fierce combat against the Demon Emperor in the desert of chaos.
So, how could he have been abruptly transported to this unknown room?
"Ughh..." The stinging pain once again surged into his head, making him extremely uncomfortable.
His eyes, which once radiated vigor and calmness, now appeared haggard and weak.
"Damn it... What the hell is going on?" He whispered in despair about his current situation, which made absolutely no sense.
"Tap! Tap!"
Just as fear and a headache overwhelmed him, a sudden sound of footsteps outside the room and the rattling of the door handle quickly snapped Leon out of his daze.
"Is someone there?" Leon furrowed his brows, becoming highly alert to the sound.
"Clack!"
The sound of the doorknob turning was soon followed by the door slowly opening.
Suddenly, the person who opened the door came into Leon's line of sight, causing his handsome face to turn as pale as a corpse that had been dead for 30 days.
"Nani! It's you!"
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AN: Cough! Please support, dear readers, and I'll do my best to update with another chapter if possible! Thank you, and stay tuned! o(〃＾▽＾〃)o