Chapter 49: The Lost Little Puppy

Seeing that Merorin was still hesitating, Cassie hurriedly used her ultimate weapon—acting cute.

She pounced over to Merorin’s side, almost burrowing into her arms, and said in the most aggrieved voice, “Sister Merorin, please… Mom Irina clearly promised she’d accompany me today to test my new invention. If Sister Merorin doesn’t come, I’ll really, really be heartbroken. I might even cry all day long!”

Hearing Cassie say this and seeing her on the verge of tears, Merorin couldn’t help but feel a wave of softness and guilt rise in her heart.

She raised her hand and gently stroked Cassie’s hair, smiling tenderly.

“Cassie, do you really want me to go test inventions with you that badly?”

When Cassie heard this, hope instantly ignited in her heart, and all the disappointment from before vanished.

She immediately straightened up and nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes, of course it’s true! Sister Merorin, please! I promise I’ll show you the very best inventions!”

Seeing the hope return to Cassie’s face and hearing Merorin’s gentle response, the last trace of hope in Sevia’s heart was extinguished, and everything suddenly felt bleak.

She lowered her head and sighed inwardly.

“Could it be… that today I really won’t be able to spend time alone with Merorin-chan?”

Seeing Sevia looking so dejected, Cassie felt smug inside but also wanted to ease the atmosphere, so she smiled and suggested, “Big Sister Sevia, there’s no need to be so sad. At worst, you can come to the laboratory with us too! The more people, the livelier it’ll be!”

Hearing this suggestion, Sevia was just about to say, “But…”

What she longed for was a world of just her and Merorin, not the three of them together.

However, before the words could leave her mouth, she saw the look in Merorin’s eyes—the look of someone about to make a final decision.

She understood then that the outcome was already decided.

No matter how much she argued, it would be useless, so she could only accept the ending helplessly and swallow all her disappointment in silence.

Merorin looked around at the two girls who were competing over her and had already made up her mind.

She turned her head toward Irina, who had been standing quietly to the side, and said to the tall dragon woman, “Irina, today you should go accompany Cassie. After all, she really needs you as her mother.”

When Cassie heard Merorin say this, she couldn’t help but jump up from her seat in excitement, waving her hands in the air.

“That’s great! Sister Merorin is coming—!”

But she soon sensed something was off.

The gentle smile on Merorin’s face seemed to carry another meaning.

Cassie immediately stopped, tilted her head, and asked with a puzzled expression, “Sister Merorin, what do you mean by that?”

Hearing Cassie’s question, Merorin smiled and shook her head.

“Cassie, didn’t you just say that you really want Irina to accompany you to test your inventions?”

“So, in order not to delay Irina, let her accompany you today instead. She won’t need to attend to me.”

“After all, whether or not someone accompanies me doesn’t really matter.”

After hearing this, the excitement on Cassie’s face instantly froze, replaced by an indescribable sense of loneliness.

She lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers, her voice sinking.

“Oh… so that’s how it is.”

Hearing Merorin’s decision, the gloom in Sevia’s heart was swept away, and she was instantly overwhelmed with joy.

She immediately hugged Merorin’s arm even tighter, resting her cheek against Merorin’s shoulder as she said sincerely, “Merorin-chan, you’re really the best. I love you the most!”

Hearing such a straightforward confession, Merorin turned her head and gently flicked Sevia’s nose with her fingertip, returning a warm smile.

“Sevia, I love you too.”

Yet in her heart, she thought quietly, “After all, what I’m going to do today has a great deal to do with you—with every single one of you.”

Hearing this, Sevia’s face flushed with a blissful red.

Like a pampered kitten, she rubbed her cheek lightly against Merorin’s, then planted a kiss on her cheek, leaving a mark behind.

Seeing this scene, the sense of loneliness in Cassie’s heart deepened even further.

She sat off to the side in low spirits, her eyes dim, like a little dog forgotten by its owner.

Merorin noticed Cassie’s expression and immediately moved closer, once again patting her head gently and speaking softly.

“What’s wrong? Is it hard for you to part with us?”

She kissed Cassie’s slightly puffed cheeks—swollen from disappointment—and said indulgently, “Cassie, you’re really like a little child. It’s okay. Tonight, we can still sleep together, just like last night.”

Hearing this, Cassie’s mood finally improved a little.

She lifted her head and looked at Merorin’s gentle smile.

Though still somewhat dissatisfied, she pouted and muttered softly, “Alright then… it can only be like this.”

Seeing her finally smile, Merorin turned to Irina beside them and said with a smile, “Irina, you should give Cassie a bit more gentle hugs and affection in everyday life. Don’t always keep such a blank expression. She needs more love.”

Hearing this, Irina still maintained her rigid and respectful posture, lowering her head slightly as she replied, “Understood, Lady Merorin.”

Seeing her unchanged expression, Merorin couldn’t help but feel speechless inside.

“It seems you don’t understand at all what I really meant… sigh, forget it.”

Hearing Merorin’s concern for her, Cassie felt warmth spread through her heart.

She nestled into Irina’s embrace like a small beast that had found warmth and looked up at Merorin.

“Sister Merorin, Mom Irina is usually very good to me. Please don’t say that about her, okay?”

Merorin looked at Cassie and Irina, at their seemingly happy but carefully woven image of mother and daughter.

A complex emotion flickered through her heart.

“If one day Cassie were to regain her past memories, would she still be willing to lean into Irina’s arms like this and call her ‘Mom’?”

The thought made her heart tighten, but she quickly shook her head and dispelled the unsettling idea.

“Forget it. There’s no point thinking about that now. I should focus on what’s in front of me first.”

Soon, the three of them finished breakfast.

Guided by Irina, Cassie gradually moved farther and farther away from Merorin.

She lowered her head, her eyes filled with disappointment.

Irina said nothing, only gently took her hand and led her toward the corridor leading to the laboratory.

At the corner, Cassie finally couldn’t help herself.

She quietly turned her head and took one last look at Merorin.

Merorin’s gaze met Cassie’s in midair, and she immediately understood the reluctance in those eyes, smiling as she gently waved at her.

When Cassie saw that Merorin had noticed her, her face instantly flushed red.

Like a startled little rabbit, she quickened her steps and shyly followed Irina as they disappeared around the corner.

Once Cassie’s figure had completely vanished, Sevia immediately turned around and pulled Merorin tightly into her embrace.

She buried her face in Merorin’s hair, took a deep breath, and said in a voice full of happiness, “This is wonderful! Merorin, for the rest of the day, you belong to me alone!”