“If you knew that, why did you come here?” Zachary shot back.
“Would I find you if I didn’t?”
Zachary raised his brow. “Don’t ever come here if it’s not important.”
Barzel glared at him with a boyish stubbornness but said nothing else as he turned to leave.
Zachary watched as he left, thinking to himself that he would not even have bothered if Barzel’s parents did not save Diarmuid.
It was obvious that Barzel was quite the rebellious child!
Zachary headed back inside his house, and the instant he did, he heard Tommy complaining, “Mommy, you said you’d keep me company! Why am I studying Zidonian and poems?”
“What else would we do? Do you think you can survive without Zidonian?’ Abigail asked in return.
“Why poems?” Tommy asked grumpily.
“Because it’s traditional. Surely you have to know that much when you’re an adult,” Abigail replied.
Zachary had had enough just then-opening the door, he leaned on the doorway and said, “Why are you pushing him? He’s just a kid.”
Abigail said, “Learning starts from childhood. Teaching him when he’s as old as you are is pointless.”
Zachary was speechless for a moment. “Who do you think you’re talking to, Abigail? It’s a little disrespectful.”
Abigail shot him a look. “Not even Diarmuid would interfere with me educating my child.”
Zachary was speechless again, and he remembered how his own mother had forced him to study when he was a child.
If his father had tried to say something, his mother would scold him too!
‘Mothers all have high hopes for their children, do they not? And could I get upset about it?’
He remembered how kind and mild-mannered Abigail used to be, too-how did things turn out like this?
“You’re not adorable at all now, Abigail,” he said.
“I don’t need you to feel that way,” Abigail shot back.
“But Diarmuid won’t like it either,” Zachary retorted.
Tommy smartly echoed, “That’s right! I love Mommy when she’s kind, and Daddy wants a domestic goddess.”
Abigail stared at her own son, speechless. “Where did you learn that?”
Zachary beat Tommy to it. “You know how advanced the internet is. Did you ever restrict his access?”
Abigail could not say anything against that, knowing very well that she did not spend much time with her own son and family before.
But she had already resigned from work to spend more time with them, and she was now doing her best.
What more did she want?
Turning toward Zachary, she asked, “Could you not butt in while I’m educating my son?”
“Look, I’m not meddling,” Zachary said, “but I should point out that you’re already planning to live here permanently. Even the private tutor you hired was meant to teach him Franconian, which means he’s attending a local school, isn’t he? That begs the question-would the schools here teach him Zidonian poetry? Clearly not-’
“Even if he studies here, he should not forget his Zidonian roots,” Abigail retorted. “I’ll teach him everything, from poems to idioms from our country, and it’s not like we migrated here because I like it here. I’d admit this is a great place, but he’s Zidonian and shouldn’t be ignorant about his homeland’s culture.”
Zachary was left dumbstruck.
Shrugging and pursing his lips at Tommy, he said, “Do your best and listen to your mommy. She’s right, and I can’t save you.
Just study well.”
And with that, he left without a care, leaving Tommy alone and staring into Abigail’s eyes.
Tugging at Abigail’s sleeve, Tommy said, “Okay, Mommy. Let’s study.”
He had certainly learned to be nice, but that is children for you-once they realize no one has their backs, they become docile and compliant!
Abigail sat down. “I told you to practice writing your name yesterday. Now, show it to me.’
Tommy tamely did so, but it was not at all nice since he just started out. Abigail therefore did not criticize him. “Good, you can write your own name. It’s not that pretty, but I’m sure you can do better soon enough.”
Tommy’s eyes lit up from the praise. “You think it’s good, Mommy?”
Abigail patted his little head. “Of course.”
Tommy smiled happily.
On the other hand, since Abigail had not brought any books over from Zidonia, she copied some poetry online and had them printed and laminated so that Tommy could refer to it just like a book while she taught him how to read and memorize the poetry.
“Is there anything you want to learn, Tommy?” Abigail asked.
She personally believed, as an adult, that what she was teaching Tommy was necessary, but she would also respect the boy’s opinion, supporting whatever it was he wanted to learn!
Tommy tilted his little head in thought.
After thinking about it for a long while, Tommy eventually said, “I want to learn how to shoot.”
Abigail was speechless while Tommy continued, miming firing a gun. “I saw it on TV. They were like-whoosh!-and hit the bull’s eye.
That’s so cool!”
His little round eyes lit up as he spoke.
Boys would always be boys!
Still, Abigail asked, “Don’t you think you’re too young? Maybe wait another year?”
Tommy shook his little head. “I can use something small.”
“Alright, I’ll ask around,” Abigail said. “Let’s see if there’s anything children like you can learn.”
Then, her tone changed as she said, “Alright, let’s start today’s lesson!”
“Aren’t we going to learn how to shoot?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know how to do it, so I cant teach you. I’ll ask some people later, to see where you can learn,” Abigail explained patiently, watching him. “You have to learn what I teach even after you learn how to shoot. You’d have less time to play.”
Tommy’s little eyes widened. “I’m just a kid. This is so stressful.”
Abigail smiled. “You have a little brother, and that makes you a big boy, so you should act like one!”
“But I’m only this tall,” he said and compared his height with Abigail.
Abigail patted his little head and picked him up to let him sit on her lap.” You’ll grow up to become a big man, and you’ll have to protect me later. Or do you not want to grow up?”
Tommy quickly replied, “Yes.”
Abigail sighed and gave him a bear hug.
Children do yearn to grow up quickly, but when they are adults, they would miss the carefree life of their younger days and the bliss of ignorance.
It was as if troubles came with adulthood.
“Are you sad, Mommy?” Tommy asked, looking up at her just then.
“Nope,” Abigail replied, kissing his little cheek.
“I’m sleepy, Mommy,” Tommy suddenly murmured, rubbing his eyes.
Abigail stared at him for a moment.
Already? He was just brimming with energy just now.
Why did she feel skeptical?
“No slacking off, Tommy. I played every trick you played before—can’t fool me,” Abigail said, putting him in his seat at the table.
“No going to be until you’re done with today’s lessons.”
Abigail certainly knew that he was pretending. Was he trying to trick her now?
Tommy simply did not understand that adults were children once and would have done what they were doing now.
Naturally, they would see through them immediately!
Unable to say anything, Tommy turned and asked, “When is Daddy coming home?”
Who knew? Maybe Mommy would not keep her eyes on him 24/7 if Daddy was around.
Abigail stiffened for a moment and sighed ever so subtly—she had no idea how Diarmuid was doing, after all.
Tommy then said, “Mommy, you should call Daddy! I miss him.”
Abigail stared at the boy. “Did you think you wouldn’t have to study if I did?”
Tommy was speechless. What gave him away?
He reluctantly opened the book Abigail made for him, and she taught him the words he did not recognize.
Bzzt…
Her phone suddenly rang just then, and she took it out to see that it was Stan.
Since Diarmuid could not see, they were basically keeping contact through Stan.
“Is it Daddy?” Tommy asked.
Abigail had no idea, and she certainly hoped it was.
Answering the call, she asked, “Hello?”
Stan said, “It’s me, Mrs. Althoff.”
Abigail’s eyes lowered slightly and said flatly, “Yeah.”
“The crisis is over for now,” Stan continued. “You can move back to the castle.”
The mastermind, Hector, had been deported back to Zidonia and would be sentenced to death in no time at all since he was responsible for a handful of deaths.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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