Chapter 156: Dora and Lara’s small talk

Dora followed behind Lara’s friend.They left the noise-filled feast and made way towards a tent some distance away from the site.

As Dora walked behind Lara’s friend, she asked, "Why did she call me?"

Lara’s friend turned her head towards Dora, her lips formed an amused smile, and she said, "Shouldn’t you know why your mother called you?"

Dora chuckled, folded her hands on the back, and slightly leaned her head forward.

"I just said it for fun," she said while flashing a foolish smile.

Lara’s friend chuckled. "I don’t know why she called you."

Dora nodded, looked at the tent and mumbled. "It’s been a long time since I’ve met her..."

Lara’s friend nodded, aware that Dora was a descendant of god and thus a part of the Redwood Den.

"She probably wants to talk about the high commander," Lara’s friend said with a thoughtful look.

Dora glanced at her with a surprised expression and thought, ’Maybe that’s why Rion pulled that stupid stunt...’

"I believe so as well... I didn’t think she would be so direct, though," Dora commented.

A chuckle escaped Lara’s friend. "She won’t be Lara if she wasn’t direct."

Dora smiled faintly, and both of them reached the tent.

Just as they stepped inside the tent, Dora’s vision fell on Lara, who was commanding others and was making sure that there was no problem with her son’s feast.

Hearing the tent flap, Lara turned towards them and saw Dora.

They smiled, and Lara said, "Tanya, I have already told them what to do. Just help them in my place, I have to go for some time."

Tanya nodded, smiled at Dora and walked towards the others.

Lara walked over to Dora, grabbed her hand and said softly, "Follow me."

"Okay..." Dora whispered shyly.

Lara let out a gentle chuckle and walked out of the tent.

She continued to walk for a few moments and stopped by a fallen log.

"Sit," Lara said softly as she let go of her hand and sat down on the log after placing a cloth on it.

Dora sat beside her, lowered her head and thought while fidgeting her fingers, ’What should I say? I don’t even have anything to talk about...’

Lara watched her with a curious gleam in her eyes. She smiled and asked, "Why do you like my son?"

Dora’s mind froze for a moment, and she answered the first thing that came to her mind, "Because he is mine."

"What?" Lara muttered with a tilted head.

Dora quickly waved her arms and stammered, "W-Wait! That’s not what I meant..."

Lara furrowed her brows and pressed, "What did you mean then?"

Dora used all of her mind to prepare for an answer, but her body had decided to be braver. "I hate it when some other girl buzzes around MY Rion."

Lara blinked a few times and thought, ’This girl... I don’t remember her to be like this... What did you do to her, Rion?’

Dora came out of her thoughts and finally said, "I don’t have a fixed reason to like him... don’t you think it would be worse if I had a reason? Why do I need a reason to like him? I like him because he is Rion. That’s it."

Lara smiled slightly and remarked inwardly, ’That’s the Dora I know.’

Her lips parted, and she asked, "There has to be a reason for you to like him. What makes him different from others?"

Confusion covered Dora’s face, and she mumbled, "Different?" She shook her head and added, her voice laced with quiet obsession, "No. He is not different — he is simply better."

’That’s not the Dora I know,’ Lara remarked again and concluded inwardly, ’It happens whenever she gets defensive about Rion... she doesn’t just love him. She is obsessive...’

Lara had no words to say, so she decided to change the topic.

"What do you plan to do in the future?"

Dora tilted her head and asked, "What?"

Lara looked in her eyes, pressed a finger to her heart and added, "You are the descendant of God of Travel, Rion is also a descendant of god... You must be aware how rare siblings are for Dhaevrak, yes?"

Understanding dawned on Dora; her eyes rippled with an emotion that Lara didn’t fully understand, but it seemed to be sadness. She leaned forward and said with a wide smile, "You won’t have to worry about it."

Lara frowned and questioned herself, ’What was that?’

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice unknowingly sharp.

Dora’s smile widened even further, and she added, "I can’t tell you yet... You’ll understand in the future."

Lara’s frown deepened even further. She lifted a finger, and her lips parted to ask further, but Dora’s words halted hers: "I’ll be fine, mother."

Lara’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she mumbled, "Why are you crying?"

Dora lifted her hand, touched her wet cheek and said, "Ah... I got too happy while talking with you."

She began to wipe off her tears, and Lara watched her with a silent gaze.

She didn’t believe her words for a moment, but for now, she decided not to press her any further.

Dora yelped as Lara pulled her. Dora’s lips parted, and she asked, "What—" but Lara stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

"Shhhh."

Dora fell silent and stared into Lara’s eyes.

Lara smiled, began to caress her head and said, "You should know that Rion is different from us."

Dora’s eyes turned sharp. "No, he is not— Ouch!"

Lara slightly pulled her ear and whispered, "Listen to me."

Dora nodded with tears gathering at the edge of her eyes, and Lara continued, "Rion is different, and he knows it. That is why he keeps others at a distance, because above everything, he fears losing what is his."

A motherly smile creased her lips. "He won’t truly commit unless he is sure of not losing the person..."

’That’s why it hurts so much...’ Dora thought, closed her eyes and mumbled in a steady voice, "I know..."