Book 3: Chapter 123 (1) |
Carolyn let out a soft sigh, lowering her eyes, the warmth in her tone gradually turning to disappointment,
“But I haven’t heard from him in so long. They say five years ago, he lost a battle, and the Empire branded him a traitor. At the height of it, his wanted posters were plastered all over the Empire’s streets and alleys. Sigh…”
This long sigh carried a tangle of complex emotions.
Did Teacher Carolyn silently believe in Leon deep down, or was she disappointed in this once-outstanding student she’d taught…?
Leon couldn’t decide at the moment.
As if realizing she’d said too much, Carolyn quickly changed the subject, putting on her earlier kind smile and saying,
“Judging by your appearances, you two must have been married not long, right?”
*Emmmm… does five years count as long?*
“Not too long.”
Leon said, “We were just wandering around and heard the sound of children playing here, so we came to check it out.”
“Do you both like children?”
“Yes, my wife and I are quite fond of kids.”
So fond that in just five years of marriage, they’d already had three kids.
Carolyn smiled, slowly turning to look at the children in the courtyard,
“If all parents were like you, there probably wouldn’t be these poor little ones in the world.”
Having been a teacher at the welfare home for decades, Leon knew Carolyn’s sentimental side.
She loved children but had never married in her life.
Beyond her identity as a nun, there was another important reason: she knew that if she had her children, she wouldn’t be able to give her love and attention equally to every child in the welfare home as she did now.
These children were already abandoned, pitiful souls, and the welfare home gave them a chance and the courage to face life again.
But that process required the nun teachers to fill it with their love.
So Carolyn had never had children of her own.
Or rather, every orphan in the welfare home was her child.
“Teacher! Teacher!”
During their chat, a young nun came jogging over.
Leon followed the sound, then opened his mouth in slight surprise.
“Sharon…”
Roswitha glanced at him.
Was he just saying the young nun’s name?
Judging by Leon’s expression, she seemed to be an old acquaintance.
Roswitha wasn’t jealous, as Leon’s look and tone carried only the shock of reuniting with an old friend, not some *dramatic return of a first love* vibe.
“What’s wrong, Sharon?”
The young nun named Sharon stopped in front of Carolyn, “Teacher, we’re still short on paper lanterns for the Thousand Lantern Festival in a few days. The director said we need to hurry.”
“Alright, I’ll go help right away.”
“Mm-hmm, then I’ll—”
As she spoke, Sharon’s peripheral vision caught the couple nearby.
The beautiful black-haired lady was unfamiliar.
But this man…
Sharon narrowed her eyes, “Wait, sir, haven’t we met somewhere?”
Before Leon could respond, he felt a sudden pressure on his hand.
Turning his head, he saw Roswitha.
The queen activated their *team voice chat*.
[*Well, well, darling, have you two met somewhere?*]Not jealous, sure, but she still needed to clarify who this acquaintance was.
[*Didn’t I tell you about my glorious feat of taking down a vicious dog barehanded at age five?*] [*Yeah, to save a little girl, right?*] [*She’s that little girl.*] [*…*]Roswitha rolled her eyes in exasperation.
*The world’s so small, fate’s so wild.*
After explaining to the queen, Leon denied it as he had before,
“I don’t think so. I must have a common face—Teacher Carolyn mistook me earlier, too.”
Sharon nodded in realization, “Oh, I see… I thought it was Leon-bro coming back.”
The phrase “Leon-bro” made the pressure on Leon’s hand intensify.
But on the surface, he had to act like nothing was happening.
*Sigh, I should’ve done good deeds anonymously back then.*
“You mistook him for Leo,n too?”
Carolyn gave a helpless smile, “I wonder how that kid’s doing now… He hasn’t been caught by the Empire, has he?”
“No way!”
Sharon, being younger, spoke bluntly, “Leon-bro would never get caught. And besides, I never believed he was a traitor from the start.”
Carolyn glanced at Leon and Roswitha, quickly pressing Sharon’s wrist and giving the couple an apologetic smile,
“Sorry, Sharon’s just speaking nonsense.”
Since they couldn’t be sure of Leon and Roswitha’s identities, it was best to avoid topics like treason if possible.
Though Carolyn missed that child dearly, living in this country meant following its rules.
“It’s fine.”
Leon said, “I overheard Sharon mention you’re preparing paper lanterns for the Thousand Lantern Festival?”
“Yes.”
“Does the welfare home take on such tasks too?”
Though the Thousand Lantern Festival was a major Empire holiday, in Leon’s memory, the welfare home never made paper lanterns—they always bought them from shops.
“Well, it’s out of necessity, trying every way to earn some money.”
At this, Leon frowned slightly.
Since when did a Mid-District welfare home have to resort to making paper lanterns to *“subsidize expenses”?*