At bedtime, Ye Muo dragged his little pillow stubbornly to the door of his room. Norton’s room was next door.
Adlet was a bit surprised that His Little Highness still remembered. It seemed like he had to reign in the jokes from now on.
Norton stood beside him. Ye Muo stared at the door for a long, long time before finally stating, “Muomuo will sleep alone! I’m brave!”
Still holding onto Norton with one hand, he tried to reach the door handle on tiptoe. It swung open, but only because the Grantz palace AI detected him and acted.
It was quite dark inside. Although this was His Little Highness’ room, no automatic lights had been installed because it was in a constant state of disuse. Ye Muo was already hiding behind Norton, but he still inched his way inside.
How brave of you, Your Little Highness.
Adlet could only go to the neighbouring room to grab his beloved blanket, nightlight and bottle.
Perhaps he should bring along His Highness Norton’s bedding as well. Ye Muo’s room only had bedding for toddlers, so he might not be able to sleep well.
Adlet returned with Theodore in tow. The little robot had been recharging himself in Norton’s room. Both were carrying quite a few items. The room was quickly rearranged.
Ye Muo quietly watched Adlet place a pillow that was obviously not his beside his little pillow. He was too nervous to say a word, as if everyone would remember his declaration to sleep alone if he did.
Then Adlet said, “Can His Highness Norton stay with you until you fall asleep, Your Little Highness? Although you’re very brave, I think you’re still at the age where that would be appropriate.”
Ye Muo immediately took the offered out. “Okay!”
Adlet turned off all the lights aside from the nightlight before slipping out.
The room became quiet. Ye Muo curled up in Norton’s arms while hugging the little lion. He kept sneaking the occasional peek at the recharging Theodore. It didn’t take long before his eyelids started drooping, but he still mumbled, “Muomuo still can’t sleep.”
“En.”
Norton gently patted him on the back. “I’m here.”
Ye Muo didn’t respond. He had drifted off at some point.
……
Ye Muo didn’t linger in bed for once the next day. Normally, he would stick out his arms with his eyes closed so someone else could dress him, but today he shot up to a seated position and forced his eyes open.
Once he spotted Norton, he lay back down and wriggled into the man’s arms.
Norton was already awake. He was in a half-sitting position, looking down at the child curled up by his side.
Ye Muo slept a little longer before gradually waking up. He looked up at Norton. “Muomuo slept by, by himself last night, right?”
Norton nodded a fraction as he tidied up Ye Muo’s hair. For once, he didn’t openly praise the child.
Ye Muo looked at him expectantly. “Did Muomuo grow up a little?”
Norton sighed and pressed their foreheads together. Then he leaned down a bit more and pressed his ear to that tiny chest.
He could hear a slightly faster heartbeat than his own as he quietly replied, “There’s no need to be in a hurry to grow up.”
Ye Muo reached own to hug Norton’s head, but all he could manage was one hand in the man’s hair and the other cupping his cheek. “When Muomuo grows up, Muomuo can go see the lions.”
“Then there’s no need to grow any bigger.”
Norton nuzzled him lightly. “You can already go see the lions.”
Ye Muo: ?
He dragged his little blanket and bottle back to Norton’s bedroom before breakfast. Theodore silently trailed after him with the little lion and his pillow.
Muomuo slept by himself last night! He was already really capable!
Muomuo could hardly wait to announce to everyone that he was already big enough to go see the lions, that Daddy had said so.
Sylvia was especially enthusiastic. “Really? Muomuo is so capable.”
Adlet was already giving it some serious thought. “Should we bring some apples to feed the pride? We can have an outdoor picnic for lunch. There are several suitable locations over there. The rooms there with balconies offer some great scenery as well.”
Ano was the only one unhappy. Last night, he sensed Big Brother’s psychic power before even opening the door and turned tail. Now, he felt like he had been deceived.
However, when Adlet asked for his opinion, he still quickly said, “Of course I’ll go, ah. Don’t take any pictures of me, Big Sis Aria. If you really have to, keep the flash off.”
That way, would the others even know he had been photographed?
……
Norton carried Ye Muo with one hand and a basket of apples with the other.
Ye Muo was holding onto an apple with both hands. There were already several sets of tiny teeth marks on its surface. He couldn’t bite a chunk off, but the juice was crisp and sweet. He was smart enough to lick and suck the places he bit into like a lollypop.
He’s been to the gardens countless times already. Despite their intimidating size, the Grantz palace gardens didn’t stretch as far as the eye could see. Manicured shrubs and trees separated each scenic spot, and it was bordered by a mountain range. Past the mountains was a plain. Ye Muo hadn’t even finished touring the gardens yet.
He just remembered one time where he kept staring ahead from Norton’s arms, so the man kept walking down a side path. The next thing Ye Muo knew, he woke up to Norton catching him from rolling over in bed.
But Norton didn’t seem interested in going into the depths of the garden today. He just stepped across the lawn and stopped by a small creek.
The others trickled over in small groups as well.
Norton adjusted Ye Muo and turned him precisely in a certain direction. Ye Muo blinked in confusion at the trees, shrubs and flower bushes on the other side. Then the shrubs rustled.
He suddenly realized something and perked up. “L-little lion?”
Then a giant golden head poked out of the shrub, causing a branch to snap off, before quickly ducking back.
Ye Muo quickly corrected himself, “Big lion!”
Pangzhua cautiously peered out. Moments later, it poked its head out again from another, closer shrub.
It had been lured all the way over here by a drone carrying an apple. In the end, not only did it not get the apple, it was caught and forced to bathe and have its teeth brushed. It hadn’t been let go until its fur dried.
Pangzhua was questioning its lion life right now. The last time it had been lured over using an apple by Adlet was when it had snapped an apple tree in two. Then, it was forced to repent in front of the remains of the tree while its head was whacked, and eventually it had to take a bath as well.
Pangzhua was thinking of turning tail and fleeing, but an inexplicable courage suddenly took hold. What was there to be afraid of now that the bath was over? Thus, it lingered in the area until now.
However, it soon locked eyes with Ye Muo on the other side of the creek.
There were no more shrubs to hide in. After a second of thought, Pangzhua swiftly leapt over the creek and affectionately rubbed against Norton’s leg.
Pangzhua was so big that Ye Muo felt like it could bite him just by raising its head. His legs curled up in an equal mixture of surprise and fear, so Norton lifted him slightly.
“Muomuo, I’m Muomuo.”
Ano made his way over after depositing the box he had been carrying by Adlet’s side. He took the basket of apples from Norton as he introduced Pangzhua, “This is Pangzhua. It likes to eat apples.”
“Well I, I like–“
The memory of the roast goose came to mind, then the cupcake from Adlet that was so soft Ye Muo couldn’t bear to eat it. Eventually, he recally even non-food items, like the marbles from Adrian or the plush from Sylvia…
There were so, so many things he liked. How could Muomuo have so many things?
Before, Ye Muo would easily be able to list off everything he liked. He only had so many things, after all. The candies he couldn’t bear to eat, the songs Theodore would sing for him late at night…
Yet in the blink of an eye, he suddenly had so many good things, too numerous to even list off.
After a prolonged pause, he loudly announced, “I like Daddy holding me, I like Theodore singing to me, I like Ano…”
He even forgot about the apple he was holding as he counted off his fingers to make sure he didn’t forget anyone.
Pangzhua immediately caught the falling apple in its mouth.
Ano stared dumbly at Ye Muo before frantically blurting out, “Do you want an apple?”
Ye Muo, who had tried to take a bite several times to no avail, covered his mouth. “Muomuo’s mouth’s tired.”
Adlet set the basket down on the already spread picnic mat. “Perhaps the apple can be sliced into thin pieces, but he’s just eaten. Perhaps he can play for a while first.”
Pangzhua picked up on the keywords and reluctantly dropped the slobbery apple onto the lawn.
Norton took a slight step back.
So Pangzhua, feeling both aggrieved and happy, chomped down on the apple again and swallowed it whole.
Ye Muo gasped before exclaiming, “Nice, Pangzhua!”
Ano held out another apple which Pangzhua skillfully licked into his mouth. It chomped down once before gulping the fruit down.
Ye Muo gasped again. He forgot about protecting his feet and leaned over to watch Ano feeding apples to the lion.
Adlet was taking out the contents of the basket. He happened to glance over and saw Pangzhua gulping down apples like no tomorrow. “Sometimes, I wonder if apple intoxication is possible…”
Ye Muo had already gathered the courage to try feeding apples himself. Norton slowly crouched down while Ano grabbed the back of Pangzhua’s fluffy mane to make sure it didn’t get overly excited.
However, Pangzhua seemed to understand the need to treat cubs gently. It was still young, but it wasn’t a cub anymore. It’s been a babysitter for its little brothers and sisters in the pride before. It knew to put its sharp claws away around those fragile lifeforms, to treat them with the utmost gentleness, and to never let down its guard even when asleep.
It gently licked the apple Ye Muo was holding with both hands into its mouth. Then, it couldn’t help but get a little closer and nuzzle his feet with its big head.
Ye Muo wasn’t afraid of it anymore. He even insisted on standing on the lawn on his own to touch Pangzhua’s golden fur.
Pangzhua ever so slowly lay down, its body half-curling around Ye Muo as its tail lightly swayed.
Ano took a seat on the lawn, as did Norton. He unceremoniously leaned his back against Pangzhua while Ye Muo carefully pet Pangzhua’s stomach beside him.
The other Grantz gradually gathered around. Jacob settled down next to Ye Muo with a fishing rod. He even bought a miniature version and was waiting for Ye Muo to join him after he finished playing with the lion. In the meantime, Adrian was fishing with the smaller rod in Ye Muo’s place. Theodore was checking the water quality beside him.
Aria was sharing the photos she took with Sylvia. Helene and Dylan were tussling nearby like they always did. Bert was snapping away with Aria’s flash-enabled camera.
A breeze blew past. Adlet closed his eyes briefly. “What good weather today.”
Author’s Corner
Pangzhua: a good boy who never wastes food
Muomuo: a good boy who doesn’t mind Pangzhua
I have ideas about the main story I’m about to act on, but it felt a bit chaotic to switch back and forth with this intermission, so I’ll separate them. I’ll probably only manage to upload once a day from now on (wow, there’s actually come a day where I’m able to say that). I’ve really grown up. Yet, for some reason, it feels like for every main story chapter I write, I write up two chapters about Little Muo to reward myself…
