Larissa crouched in front of Aster and held his hand, calmly reasoning with him, saying, "Mommy can't take such a long holiday, so I can't go to Kailadon with you. Instead of wasting this spot, it's better to give it away to another student instead."

"But …" Aster pouted, his face filled with disappointment.

It was not that he did not know that his mommy was busy with work, and it was not that he could not understand—he had long known from a young age that Mommy and Godma only wanted to give him a better life by working so hard. But compared to what they saw as a "better life", he desired their companionship more than anything.

"I want to go with you …" His voice became very small, and it was filled with hurt.

Larissa pressed her lips tightly together. She felt bad for him, and she felt guilty too. She knew that she had not spent much time with him over these years. While other kids were vacationing all over the world, having fun at carnivals and amusement parks, he was usually alo