"Mommy, look! I got first ce in art ss, and the teacher says I''m a talted kid!" eximed 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 indifferce.


    Upon hearing the boy''s words, the woman frowned slightly,zily taking the canvas from his hand as she looked at the picture.


    "Ploop!"


    The woman mmed the canvas down, her cold expression staring indiffertly 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 befit your future. Why are you still gaging in these futile deavors, Leon?" The woman spoke harshly, scolding the boy, causing his face to instantly pale.


    His happiness and innoct smile were instantly shattered, reced 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, silcing him and prevting the boy from responding.


    With a cold and indiffert 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 ce in ss!" The boy approached the woman with an innoct smile, expressing his excitemt.


    Despite the sadness from yesterday''s incidt, the boy did not sumb to despair.


    He still approached his mother with thusiasm, hoping for her praise.


    However, the woman retained her indiffert expression, offering only a fleeting nce in his direction.


    "It''s good, and there''s nothing surprising about this result; it''s expected that you get first ce." Her dismissive response andck of guine 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 suddly 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 momt..." She rose from her seat and answered the phone with evidt joy, paying no atttion 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 itter." After uttering those words, the woman swiftly turned a and walked away, leaving the boy froz in ce, gazing at her retreating figure with disappointmt.


    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 oped 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, recliningzily on the bed.


    However, after a minute, he oped his eyes again, and an unfamiliar sight of the room''s ceiling immediately greeted him.


    "Wait a minute... Something seems off?" Leon blinked abstmindedly and tilted his head, studying the unfamiliar room a him.


    A dressing table, arge wardrobe at the d of the room, and a veryfortable king-size bed that he was currtly using... Hmm, nothing seemed to be wrong at all. Was it just his imagination?


    Leon paused for a momt, expericing 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 eximed, 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 tertaining a few reasonable guesses, Leon nodded his head like a chick and quicklyy back down, closing his eyes in the hope of awaking from this strange dream.


    Unfortunately, after a few attempts at closing and reoping his eyes, he remained in the same ce!


    "Hey! It''s not a dream!" He quickly sat back down, letting out a fear-strick cry that st shivers down his spine.


    For the first time since bing a hero, he expericed a profound sse of terror.


    "This... This... What is this? Where am I, and how did I get here?" His voice trembled,d with uncertainty and astonishmt.


    He couldn''tprehd how this could have happed; he distinctly recalled being on the battlefield, gaged in fiercebat against the Demon Emperor in the desert of chaos.


    So, how could he have be abruptly transported to this unknown room?


    "Ughh..." The stinging pain once again surged into his head, making him extremely ufortable.


    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 currt situation, which made absolutely no sse.


    "Tap! Tap!"


    Just as fear and a headache overwhelmed him, a sudd 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, bing highly alert to the sound.


    "ck!"


    The sound of the doorknob turning was soon followed by the door slowly oping.


    Suddly, the person who oped the door came into Leon''s line of sight, causing his handsome face to turn as pale as a corpse that had be dead for 30 days.


    "Nani! It''s you!"


    ------------


    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