TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK!
Several pairs of feet tapped impatiently against the ground, the rhythm sharp and agitated.
"These bastards are late!" Sasha roared, her voice echoing through the courtyard with barely contained fury.
"Hmm... I'm getting a little worried..." Mother Ariana said softly, her eyes fixed on the entrance as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously.
Everyone gathered there was worried. They'd been waiting for quite a while now, and with each passing minute, the tension in the air grew thicker.
Gaaahhhhh! Shampoo bastard! Miss Emmy screamed internally, her face carefully neutral even as her mind raged. Do you think this woman has so much time to wait around for you?! I have to start preparing food for the little ones! If you don't come back right now, I'm never gonna let you set your dirty foot in here again! Grrrr!
Despite her mental tirade, her fingers fidgeted nervously at her sides, betraying the worry she refused to show on her face.
After few minutes suddenly they heard some voices.
"Hahahaha! I told you he did that!"
"Hehehe!"
"Brother Oliver, you're way too funny!"
"Gaahhh! Don't poke me!"
The sound of several happy voices drifted in from the front entrance, growing louder as the group finally arrived.
Hearing this, all the ladies present instantly calmed down, relief washing over their faces as they smiled. But when the group came fully into view and they saw that several of them were injured, their eyes widened in shock—though they remained somewhat calm since everyone seemed to be laughing and joking around despite their wounds.
"HEY, YOU TROUBLESOME KIDS! WHERE WERE YOU ALL THIS TIME?! AND WHAT'S WITH THESE INJURIIIIEEESSS?!" Mother Veny's voice thundered across the courtyard as she and the other ladies ran toward them—everyone except Mother Silja and Miss Eva, who hung back.
"Guhhh! Oliver, what happened to your shoulder?!" Mother Ariana reached him first, her hands immediately moving to examine the wound with practiced care. "Blood is still coming out! Did you not treat it properly somewhere?!"
She carefully peeled back the torn fabric, her breath catching when she saw just how deep the gash was. Miss Emmy rushed over as well, standing beside him in shock. She desperately wanted to do something—anything—to help, but she didn't know what would be useful. So she just kept fidgeting, her hands moving here and there uselessly, her expression filled with panic.
Mother Veny also joined them, gently checking Oliver's wounds with worried eyes.
Oliver smiled warmly despite the pain, seeing all three of them fussing over him. He reached back and patted Miss Emmy's back reassuringly. "Mothers, I'm fine—don't worry. It just stings a little, nothing much. I'll be okay soon." He pointed over at Alfie with his good arm. "I think Alfie is more injured than me. You should take care of him first."
Alfie, seeing Oliver point directly at him, roared internally, GUUAAAA! Don't point at me, you bastard! I can't deal with these mothers!
He cried in his heart as he was quickly surrounded by the concerned ladies, all of them talking at once.
Oliver smirked victoriously, then looked back at Emmy's now slightly calmer face and continued patting her back gently. "So... what do you think? Am I still handsome with this wound?" He sighed dramatically, his hand going to his chest. "I spilled my blood for a beautiful lady, you know. Ow... my heart hurts even more seeing Miss Emmy not worried about me."
He finished with a playful wink in her direction.
"Huh! If you can still speak this much nonsense, then clearly you're fine," Miss Emmy said in an irritated voice, though she never stopped staring at the wound, her fingers clenching tightly at her sides with barely restrained worry.
"GLOOOMMYY! MY POOR BOY! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Mother Veny's loud voice rang out again as she spotted Gloomy. "AND FIA! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BRUISES ON YOU?! GUUAAA! YOU LITTLE TORNADOES CAN'T KEEP STILL FOR A SINGLE DAY, HAAN?! LETTING THIS WOMAN WORRY HERSELF TO DEATH! LET ME CHECK BOTH OF YOU!"
She frantically examined Gloomy and Fia, her hands moving quickly over them to assess their injuries.
"Hmm... his wounds aren't as deep as Oliver's, but there are still many grazes all over his body," Mother Ariana said softly as she approached Alfie. "He's still so young—this must hurt a lot. My poor Alfie."
She stepped forward carefully and lifted Alfie down from Zack's back, pulling him into a warm, protective embrace. She held him gently for a long moment before letting him go and turning her attention to Zack.
"You look a little roughed up too—but I suppose you're fine, Zack boy," she said kindly, her voice warm with affection. Mother Ariana reached up and ruffled his hair, then checked him over with the same practiced care she'd shown the others.
"I'm fine, Mother Ariana," Zack reassured her gently, his voice steady and calm. "You should take care of Alfie. I'm good."
"WHAT?! FINE?!" Mother Veny whirled on him, her eyes blazing. "YOU LITTLE RASCAL, LOOK AT THE MESS OF YOUR CLOTHES! CLEARLY, YOU FOUGHT TOO!"
SMACK! She slapped the back of his head firmly.
"OW! Mother Veny, that hurts!" Zack said with an embarrassed laugh, rubbing the spot she'd hit.
Mother Ariana smiled at the exchange and moved over to Fia and Gloomy. "Hmm, Gloomy, it looks like you're just tired—nothing seems seriously hurt. Hmm, good job protecting Sio." She patted his back affectionately and helped him down from Fia's back, setting him gently on the ground.
"No, Mother Ariana..." Gloomy's voice was filled with sadness as he looked down at his feet. "Sio still cried a lot. I couldn't protect her properly. I'm sorry."
"Hmm, you cried a lot?" Both Mother Ariana and Mother Veny immediately grabbed Sio from where she'd been standing beside Big Guy and began checking her body thoroughly, their hands moving over her with motherly concern. "Hmm, she is indeed hurt a little, but everything looks fine overall."
They examined her carefully, turning her this way and that.
"Hey, hey! Don't touch me everywhere!" Sio protested, squirming in their grasp. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Something just happened, that's all—don't worry, Mothers! This Sio is good!"
"Hmmm..." Both mothers studied her face carefully for a moment longer, then, seeing her bright expression, reluctantly let her pass the inspection.
Mother Veny stood up after finishing with Sio, then—PAP! PAP! PAP!—she slapped Fia's rear three times in quick succession.
"YOU BIG GIRL! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! CAN'T YOU BE LIKE A LADY FOR ONCE?! WHAT ARE ALL THESE CUTS AND BRUISES?! PAP! PAP! CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN BODY! YOU'RE LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKE YOUR FATHER! SMACK! SMACK!"
"OW! OW! MOTHERRR! Don't hit your own injured daughter!" Fia yelped, running away and hiding behind Mother Ariana for protection.
"Hey, hey, calm down!" Mother Ariana said, placing herself between them. "She's a strong girl—let me check her properly."
She turned around and began examining Fia thoroughly. Mother Veny, still fuming but slightly calmer now, joined in the examination again.
"She's good!" Mother Ariana declared after a moment. "I told you, right? She's a strong woman—don't treat her like you, who'll break away in the wind."
She smiled teasingly at Mother Veny, unable to resist the taunt.
"Grrr!" Mother Veny growled in frustration. SMACK! She hit Fia's thigh one last time for good measure, then walked away with purposeful strides.
Mother Ariana continued speaking with the other children, making sure each one was accounted for and relatively unharmed. Meanwhile, Mother Veny strode ahead with long, determined steps.
SWOOSHHH!
Her arms moved like striking snakes—fast, precise, and utterly unstoppable. In one fluid motion, she grabbed Big Guy by the ear and yanked him downward with surprising strength, forcing the massive young man to his knees. At the exact same moment, with flawless precision, she reached around his large frame, caught the hiding Maren by her ear as well, and pulled her straight out toward her.
"OW! OW! Mother, it hurts!" Big Guy whimpered like a little kid, his eyes welling up with tears despite his size.
"OUCHH! OUCHHH! OUCHHH! Mother Veny, stop! Stop! Why are you grabbing my ears?! Ow, ow!" Maren cried out, struggling uselessly against the iron grip.
"YOU BOTH LOOK OKAY!" Mother Veny shouted, glaring between them. "BUT WHY DOES THIS BRAT SMELL SO FISHY?! YOU SMELL LIKE A WOMAN, BLAKE! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned her glare on Maren. "AND YOU, BRAT! IN ALL THIS CHAOS, YOU LOOK COMPLETELY FINE! SO I KNOW IT WAS ALL YOUR PLAN!"
"OW! OW! Mother Veny, just because I look good doesn't mean I didn't do anything!" Maren protested desperately. "I had to use my body to gain good momentum, you know! Those filthy men made my skin crawl! OW! OW! MOTHERRR!"
"Geez, Maren dear, I guess you also had it hard, haan?" Mother Ariana said more gently, coming over to pat Maren's back and make sure she was genuinely unharmed.
SMACK! Mother Veny gave Maren's rear a sharp slap as well. "Shut up, brat! Stop making excuses! You had a lot of fun out there—don't take your mother for stupid!"
"OW! OW!" Maren yelped as she finally cleared the inspection after receiving her fair share of smacking.
"AND YOU, BIG GUY!" Mother Veny turned back to him, pulling his ear even harder. "CARE TO TELL ME WHAT THAT DISGUSTING SMELL IS YOU'VE GOT ON YOU?! ARE YOU BEING REBELLIOUS?!"
"Yes! Yes, Mother Veny!" Sio suddenly blurted out, peeking from behind Mother Veny's back. "He... he did bad things with a woman!"
"HUH?!"
The word hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Hearing that, Mother Ariana stormed over with heavy, furious steps and stopped right in front of Big Guy, glaring absolute daggers at him. Beside her, Mother Veny tightened her already painful grip on his ears even more.
"YOU! ARE YOU CHEATING ON MY LITTLE SIO OR WHAT?!" Mother Ariana's voice was ice-cold and deadly.
"HEY, BIG GUY! CARE TO TELL ME WHY YOU DID THAT?! WERE YOU THE ONE WHO MADE MY DAUGHTER CRY?!" Mother Veny added, her eyes blazing with maternal fury.
Both mothers stood over the kneeling Big Guy with terrifying expressions on their faces. Big Guy's face had gone pale as he thought in despair, Huh? When did I become a cheater? And Sio already cried before I even met her today...
He sighed deeply and looked up at the night sky, wondering how his life had come to this.
Sio, despite being the one who'd just called him out, suddenly rushed forward and threw herself over Big Guy's back protectively, covering him with her small body. "Wait! Wait! It's not like that!"
Everyone else quickly gathered around as well, calming both furious mothers down and explaining—in brief, hurried summary—exactly what had actually happened during their mission.
Slowly, very slowly, both mothers began to calm down. They listened to the full story, and eventually, with reluctant understanding, they forgave Big Guy.
Suddenly, Gloomy's face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds. He'd spotted something—or rather, someone—standing far away at the edge of the courtyard, not daring to come any closer.
Gloomy's smile grew impossibly wide, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "EVERYONE! SHE CAME! SHE CAME! MY MOTHER CAME! LOOK! LOOK OVER THERE! ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL?!"
He laughed joyfully and ran toward his mother, who had finally come outside to meet his friends.
"Hehehe!" Gloomy stopped in front of her, practically vibrating with excitement. He turned to his fidgeting mother and said proudly, "Mother, did you like the dress I brought with Mother Veny? Did you like it? Look! Look! These are my friends!"
Mother Silja nodded silently as she listened to Gloomy introduce his friends one by one, reciting each of their names carefully. But she didn't hug him. She didn't pat his head. She just stood there, stiff and uncertain, listening to her son introduce the people who'd become his family.
The others approached slowly, respectfully. Seeing them come closer, Mother Silja immediately bowed deeply to everyone—so deeply it looked almost painful. She kept bowing for a long while, her body trembling slightly.
The girls—Sio, Fia, and Maren—rushed forward and wrapped their arms around her warmly. "Mother Silja, welcome to the family!" they said in unison, their voices bright and genuine.
The boys also came forward and surrounded her, each of them nodding in acceptance and greeting her with warm smiles.
Mother Silja's eyes filled with tears. She bowed again and again, overwhelmed by the kindness being shown to her—kindness she'd never expected, never thought she deserved.
"Wow, Gloomy's face is so shiny right now!" someone commented. "Should we change his name?"
"Huh? Don't worry—it'll go back to being gloomy after a while!" another voice chimed in.
"Yes! He'll have to rest a lot after this much talking! Hahaha!"
"True, true! Oh, Miss Eva! Hello! Sorry for all the commotion we're causing!"
"Big Guy, you nearly died today, haan?"
A lot of talking and laughter was going on, filling the courtyard with warmth and noise, when suddenly...
"EVVVVERYYYOOONNNEEE! SHHHUUUTTT UPPPPP!!!"
"MOTHERS! YOU GO AWAY AND SIT OVER THERE!"
"YOU GUYS! STAND IN LINE RIIIGGHHTTT NOOOWWW!!!"
Sasha, who had been silently watching everything until now with her arms crossed and her jaw clenched, suddenly exploded. Her voice boomed across the courtyard like thunder, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at everyone present.
The mothers immediately stepped back, startled. The entire courtyard fell deathly quiet as everyone instinctively huddled together like frightened kittens. Without even discussing it, they all pushed Zack to the very front of their group, silently hoping he could somehow calm Sasha down.
"SO MUCH TALKING WHEN YOU'RE ALL HURT!" Sasha roared, pointing at them accusingly.
"YOU, FIA! WHY DID I LET YOU GO WITH THEM?! YOU GOT YOURSELF IN A MESS BECAUSE OF THIS MAREN!"
"AND YOU, BITCH!" She whirled on Maren, her finger jabbing through the air. "ACTING ALL INNOCENT! YOU COULD HAVE PULLED HER OUT EARLY, BUT YOU GOT OVERBOARD AND LET FIA FIGHT WAY MORE THAN SHE NEEDED TO!"
"AND YOU, GLOOMY!" Her gaze shifted to the boy. "WHY DID YOU TAKE HER FROM THERE LIKE THAT?! DON'T BE SO ABSENT-MINDED ALL THE TIME! MAKE SURE TO LOOK AROUND WHILE YOU'RE WALKING!"
"SIO!" Now it was the little girl's turn. "STOP BEING SO NAÏVE! IF YOU JUMP TO HELP EVERYONE YOU MEET, THEN YOU CAN'T LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE!"
"AND YOU TWO!" She gestured at Oliver and Alfie. "CLEARLY, ONE OF YOU COULD HAVE INFORMED LEADER REMEK BEFOREHAND WHILE THE OTHER KEPT FOLLOWING THEM AT A SAFER DISTANCE! BUT NO! YOU LET YOUR ANGER TAKE CONTROL OF YOU AND GOT YOURSELVES IN SUCH A MESS!"
"AND BIG GUY!" Her eyes landed on him. "YOU'RE WAY TOO SOFTHEARTED! YOU COULD HAVE MADE HER UNCONSCIOUS THE MOMENT YOU ENTERED THE ROOM ALONE, THEN SEARCHED FOR IT IN HER ROOM AT YOUR LEISURE! STUPID! STUPID!"
Finally, her gaze landed on Zack, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "AND YOU! MY LITTLE BROTHER! DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID?! IT'S FAINT, BUT I CAN SMELL SOME WOMAN'S SCENT ON YOU! ACTING ALL SAINT-LIKE! LET ME TELL YOU RIGHT NOW—EXCEPT FOR NATLIA, I WON'T TOLERATE ANY OTHER WOMAN!"
Sasha continued scolding everyone thoroughly, her voice echoing through the courtyard. At first, they were genuinely scared, shrinking back from her fury. But then, slowly, they all looked toward Zack—who had tilted his head back to stare at the night sky and started whistling innocently.
"Huh? Look at that—using your sexy body to seduce women," Maren smirked from the side, her voice dripping with teasing. "Tsk, tsk. Bad boy, aren't you?"
"Brother Zack, I see you and I are the same!" Big Guy said with a wide grin, patting Zack's shoulder companionably. He too looked up at the night sky, joining Zack in his innocent whistling act.
Everyone else just shook their heads in exasperation, seeing this ridiculous nonsense unfold.
"GUUUHHHH! ANNOYING!" Sasha threw her hands up in frustration. "AND YOU, EMMY! DON'T JUST STAND THERE FIDGETING LIKE A WORRIED WIFE! GO INSIDE! PREPARE THE BASIC NECESSITIES! START WITH ALFIE FIRST!"
She pointed at each person in turn. "EVERYONE, START COMING ONE BY ONE! GEEZ! MAKING ME WORK SO HARD RIGHT WHEN I FINALLY GOT SOME TIME TO REST! I'M ALREADY TIRED! TSK! SHUT UP AND GET INSIDE!"
Sasha roared one final time, then turned on her heel and stomped inside with angry, purposeful steps.
Behind her, the group exchanged glances and then, despite everything, they all smiled. They lined up obediently like children waiting for their turn with the school nurse.
Miss Eva had been watching this entire scene silently from the sidelines. She smiled softly to herself, thinking, Hmm... the way I see it, you're the strongest and most important person here, Sasha.
"Geez, what a mess," Miss Eva said in a low voice, then turned and called the mothers over to sit down and relax while the kids were being treated.
"KYAAAAAA! BROTHER ZACKKK! BIG SISTER FIA! GLOOOMYYY! BIG SISTER'S HUSBANNDD!" A chorus of high-pitched voices suddenly rang out as a swarm of little kids came running from inside the house. They covered the big kids completely, climbing over them, hugging them, playing with them excitedly.
"HAHAHA!" The mothers burst into laughter at the adorable sight, their earlier tension melting away completely.
Mother Silja stood watching it all from the edge of the courtyard, her heart filling with a warmth she'd almost forgotten existed. She smiled softly, a genuine smile, and thought to herself, What was I doing hiding in there for so long?
Before her was a beautiful scene—mothers laughing together, big kids and little kids gathered in a happy chaos, and the occasional roar from Sasha echoing from inside the house, keeping everyone in line.
Slowly, everyone got treated. Zack went last, as he always did, and when he entered the treatment room, he saw Sasha sweating heavily from all the work she'd done. Miss Emmy had just left, leaving Sasha alone with Zack.
Seeing her like this—exhausted, drained, but still standing strong—Zack smiled warmly. He grabbed a clean towel from the side table and gently placed it on her forehead, dabbing away the sweat.
"Good work, my beautiful Big Sister," he said softly, his voice filled with genuine appreciation. "If you weren't here, they'd all be in way more trouble."
"Huh! Of course!" Sasha said, though she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "Do you think you guys could survive until now if not for this beautiful lady?" She paused, then added with a pout, "And I'm still angry, you know!"
"Hahaha! My beautiful sister!" Zack just laughed and wrapped his arms around her from behind, swaying her gently left and right in a playful rhythm.
"Guuhhh! You still smell fishy!" Sasha complained, though she didn't pull away. "I'm not going to ask what happened—I don't want to know what you saw or did! Humph!"
"Don't worry, Sister—I didn't do anything to them," Zack assured her, still swaying them both gently. "They just, you know, pounced on this handsome brother of yours. But I said to them, 'Sorry, girls, my beautiful sister is way more beautiful than you, so I can't spend the night with you since my BEAUTIFUL SISTER must be waiting for me!'"
He tried his absolute best to deliver the line smoothly, with all the charm he could muster.
"Huh? Stop speaking nonsense!" Sasha reprimanded him, but her tone was much calmer now, almost fond. "Don't stay around that Oliver too much."
"Hehe, okay, okay!" Zack agreed easily. "Anyway, yes—I'll go to Natlia from tonight onwards and stay there to protect her. Alfie will probably join me, but for tonight, I'll just tell him to rest. You girls are staying here tonight?"
He continued swaying her gently as he spoke, the motion soothing and comfortable.
"Hmm, I already told them to stay," Sasha confirmed. "You go to Grandpa first. Bring him some food, inform him about what happened, then go to the Queen's Palace."
"Hmm, okay, okay." Zack smiled and slowly released her from his embrace.
"ANNNDDD..." Sasha turned around to face him, a knowing smirk on her face as she tapped his hand lovingly. "Are you sure you're going there to protect her? Or are you feeling a little guilty about something?"
"Hmm..." Zack looked away, clearly embarrassed. "What are you saying? What guilt? I'm just going to protect her, nothing else!" he insisted, still looking sideways and refusing to meet her eyes.
"Hmmm, fine, fine. I believe you," Sasha said with a teasing smile. "Now come here—let me heal you properly."
She gestured for him to sit down, and as Zack settled into the chair, Sasha began the healing process. Her hands glowed softly with energy as she worked, filling the small room with warmth and the quiet sound of their breathing.
Outside, the night continued—children laughing, mothers talking softly, and the stars shining down on a family that had been forged not by blood, but by choice, loyalty, and love.
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END OF CHAPTER
There's a particular kind of love that shows itself not in soft words, but in fierce scolding—the kind that pulls you into line because someone cares too much to watch you bleed. The mothers' fury, Sasha's roaring anger—none of it was really anger at all. It was fear dressed in shouts, relief wrapped in slaps, and devotion hidden behind every harsh word. That's what family is: the people who'll hit you upside the head for being reckless, then bandage your wounds with trembling hands.