“Cocolia… um. . . . mom?”

“Nope! I don’t want to!!”

The former was Sin Mal’s hesitant voice, while the latter was Kiana’s firm and resolute refusal.

Sin Mal was somewhat unaccustomed, but since it was Sigurd’s order , she would do her best to carry it out.

Kiana, on the other hand, had an inexplicable intuition. She could accurately distinguish between what was important and what was not. When it came to important matters, she could be obedient. But this time was different. Whether it was important or not, she just didn’t want to, and from the depths of her heart, a resolute phrase emerged—I don’t want to.

“I have a mom, even though… Even though I don’t remember her anymore, I know that I  have a mom, the best mom in the whole world. Sigurd, I don’t want to call her mom, that’s all there is to it!”

Kiana stammered, looking a little pitiful, grabbing Sigurd’s clothes and looking at him with eyes shimmering with tears.

She herself didn’t understand why she felt so aggrieved and resistant to his word. It was just an inexplicable surge of emotions that made her look at Sigurd, the only one she could rely on, with pleading and dependent eyes.

Sigurd was taken aback for a moment, gently wiping away her tears with his thumb and patting her head with his other hand, saying:

“If you don’t want to, then we won’t call her that, okay? We won’t call her that, alright?”

Sigurd’s tone was very gentle, and his expression matched it.

Kiana was on the verge of tears. This cognition made Sigurd completely at a loss for a moment, as if his heart was being squeezed.

“Okay.”

Kiana sniffed and nodded.

The intense and inexplicable emotions appeared and disappeared quickly. After Sigurd made a non-forced promise, she quickly regained her composure.

And so, with tears in her eyes, Kiana smiled.

“Is it a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

Sigurd patted her little head and handed her the last piece of cake on the table.

Kiana took the cake, and in a few bites, she finished more than half of it, completely wiping away any traces of tears.

Only then did Sigurd let out a sigh of relief.

Just don’t cry, just don’t cry… Sigurd repeated in his mind, but was interrupted by Cocolia slamming the table.

Smack!

“Hey! Explain to me, what does this mean?”

“The letter also said that I want you to adopt two girls. You have an extreme personality, but you’re genuinely caring toward children. Let Sin Mal and Kiana call you ‘Mom,’ establish an emotional bond, and provide some insurance for our cooperation.”

Also, when Otto tries to target Kiana, Cocolia may also become part of the help that can prevent that from happening—Sigurd didn’t mention this reason because it was too complicated, even involving Kiana’s true identity.

Cocolia squinted her eyes.

“…Is it really okay to be so straightforward about it?”

“My intentions are clear, there’s no need to hide them. Based on my understanding of you, I believe you’ll agree.”

Sigurd answered casually, occasionally looking at Kiana to make sure her emotions didn’t fluctuate again, feeling somewhat relieved.

Who knows how much of this is Sirin’s emotions and how much is Kiana’s, but in any case, it’s good that Kiana doesn’t want to cry anymore.

Bang!

Cocolia suddenly smashed the table with her fist, and asked coldly:

“So, you’re making them call me ‘Mom’ just for this?”

Then, Sigurd finally diverted his attention slightly towards her, paused for a moment, and said:

“Not just for that.”

“What else then?”

“They’re both children who lost their mothers very early in their life. If they can have another mother’s love during their growth, their lives might be more complete, don’t you agree? That’s what I think at least.”

Sigurd looked at Sin Mal and then at Kiana, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Cocolia let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

“At least that’s something a human would say.”

“As you can see, Kiana is unwilling to call you mom, so it’s enough for you to just adopt Sin Mal… Oh, by the way, Sin Mal, do you also not want to? You don’t have to force yourself. If you don’t want to, just refuse. It won’t have much of an impact .”

Realizing that he couldn’t be so overbearing, Sigurd came back to his senses. After all, when it came to such a sensitive and important matter as a mother, the child’s wishes couldn’t be ignored.

“Well…”

Sin Mal hesitated for a moment and asked, “If I agree, will it be helpful to you, Sigurd?”

“To be honest, it will be. But you don’t have to force yourself. Compared to your own wishes, that’s not important.”

“Do I have to be separated from Sigurd?”

“No, I’ll be living in the orphanage afterward, so we can see each other every day. And there’s also Bronya, she’s Cocolia’s adopted daughter too, so you can see her as well. But that has nothing to do with whether you agree or not, so don’t worry about that.”

Bronya too?

Stars began to twinkle in Sin Mal’s eyes.

If she could see Sigurd and Bronya every day, her life would be complete. And on top of that, if she could help Sigurd—it wouldn’t be a problem even if she called Cocolia “Mom” or even “Grandma Cocolia”!

“Mama Cocolia, I’m Sin Mal, pleased to meet you. I’ll be very obedient and well-behaved, so please like me!”

Sin Mal held the edge of her dress and gracefully performed a ladylike curtsy.

It was the etiquette taught to her by her despicable foster parents, with the goal of leaving a good impression when meeting Cocolia for the first time.

Although Cocolia had already seen her once before.

But upon seeing her again, and without that disgusting couple this time, Cocolia softened her expression. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and ruffled Sin Mal’s hair.

“Alright then, starting today, you’re my daughter. You can tell me any troubles you have in the future, rely on me if you encounter any difficulties. I… am your mother. Also, when did I agree to let you live in my orphanage?”

Cocolia turned to Sigurd, her face cold as she questioned him.

Without hesitation, Sigurd decisively answered, “It’s a condition of our cooperation.”

“No way, forget it unless…”

“Unless?”

“Unless you also call me… Mama Cocolia!”

“Gasp (OдO?)—”

This gasp came from Kiana, who had finished her cake.

Goodness, she actually wanted to be Sigurd’s mother? Kiana had never seen anyone so bold in her life. Has she always been this courageous?

“Didn’t you say you’re only adopting girls?”

“I’m not just adopting girls. I’m adopting children who have been affected by the Honkai and its corruption. And the ones who manage to survive are mostly girls. These children, who are destined to face threats from the Honkai and conspirators, are trouble-prone. Besides me, who else can protect them?”

That was Cocolia’s original intention, and it sounded good, but she had strayed from her path. Sigurd glanced at her lightly. If Otto was the root of all evil in this world, then she is the flower that blooms from it.

She’s much better than Otto, but not to the point where she can’t be called as a bad guy.

“I refuse, unlike them, I am emotionally mature and don’t need another mother figure. The three of us will stay in your orphanage, and you can’t make any strange requests.”

“Only my children can live there, do you understand?”

Regarding this matter, Cocolia took a firm stance without any compromise.

Sigurd glanced at Kiana and then turned back to Cocolia. At this moment, he had lost his patience for the slow negotiations.

Whoosh!

A laser beam shot at Cocolia’s feet, leaving a small black hole the size of a finger.

Sigurd rested his hands on his knees, supporting his chin, and raised his eyes, icy and frosty, as he looked at Cocolia.

“Do you forget who holds the initiative here? Or do you think that if I wanted to harm those children, you would have the power to stop me?”

“You…”

Sigurd’s cold gaze made Cocolia shudder. Yes, because of the change in atmosphere, she almost forgot that he was someone who could instantly deal with her guard forces.

“I don’t deny that you have a maternal side, but at the same time, you’re a despicable human who’s not worth keeping alive. Don’t think that me allowing you to adopt them is for my own benefit. It’s to protect you so that I don’t lose my temper and kill you directly one day.”

The indifferent tone and the genuine sense of danger sent chills down Cocolia’s spine.

Sigurd wasn’t joking, and she realized that.

“If… if you dislike me so much, why did you let me adopt them? Didn’t you say you wanted them to have a mother’s love?”

“Being a bad person and a good mother are not mutually exclusive.”

Even if Cocolia was a bad person, as long as Sigurd managed her well, the future that happened in the game wouldn’t happen. And furthermore, despite everything, Cocolia’s maternal love was genuine.

“Give me a solid answer, either agree or die. You are not my only choice; I just thought this place was suitable.”

“Will… will you harm my children?”

“They have great potential and are worth nurturing. They can be useful to me, at least better than your reckless actions.”

“Fine…”

Cocolia finally gave her response. Sigurd had clearly shown his intentions regarding the children, and as long as they were alive, she could keep an eye on them and intervene when necessary. Dying here and risking him killing her children held no value.

Cocolia gritted her teeth but didn’t reveal any resentment because, besides increasing the risks, it would be meaningless.

Sigurd looked at her, understanding her mindset, but simply nodded silently.

Then, he withdrew his overly cold demeanor, turned his head, and gently ruffled Kiana’s head.

“?”

Kiana looked up with a spoon in her mouth, her eyes filled with question marks.

“I’ll make something delicious for you tonight.”

“You’ll cook it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Yay! Wait, is there some kind of conspiracy?”

Kiana’s excitement quickly turned into suspicion. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with Sigurd before, so she didn’t realize that Sigurd was making it up to her.

Sigurd rolled his eyes.

“Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll eat it! Simbala, let me tell you, Sigurd’s cooking is so delicious. He’s just lazy and hasn’t cooked in a long time, that’s all. You’re in for a treat tonight. Thank Miss Kiana!”

Kiana jumped up and patted Sin Mal’s shoulder, feeling proud. She found a way to tease Sin Mal because she had eaten Sigurd’s cooking many times while Sin Mal hadn’t.

Victory!

Kiana cheered in her mind.

“It’s Sin Mal! You foolish grasshopper!”

Sing Mal frowned and said, “If Sigurd wasn’t watching nearby, she would have used her pretty little boots to kick Kiana’s ass hard and teach her a lesson!”

Then the two girls started exchanging words, but they stopped at verbal arguments and didn’t resort to physical violence.

Sigurd watched the scene and felt slightly relieved.

The conversation with Cocolia didn’t end well; it was too rushed and rough. But from the moment Kiana almost shed tears, Sigurd had lost all patience for the negotiation.

And it was the truth.

So, let it be.

Sigurd gazed into the distance, where a vast expanse of white snow symbolized the budding of spring. And finally, he took a big step forward.