CHAPTER 11: THE PACE OF GROWTH

Xiu was a strong-minded girl, so it was actually one of the few moments where Arnold had to bring her up from her dark thoughts.

But he didn’t mind it. For the first, she was his daughter, even if they didn’t share the same blood. He loved her like his own child. And for the second, she was raising his grandson all alone, and she was just twenty-two years old.

Thinking of that, Arnold continued, his voice steady and calm. "You’re wrong, child. You underestimate the value of yourself in his life. He depends on you more than anyone. He loves you more than anyone, including me. You are his pillar of support. Yes, it feels like he’s raising himself because of how sensible he is, but never forget, he is still just a child. There are many things he doesn’t understand. There are feelings he has that he doesn’t know how to express."

He sighed, still patting her head. "You’re thinking like this because you want him to grow up like normal kids. But you’re wrong there. He isn’t normal. He’s special. So why should he grow like normal kids?"

He tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. "He’s running faster than others, Xiu. I’m sure you’ve noticed it too. But you’re still walking at the same pace as everyone else. That’s why you feel this gap, this frustration. It isn’t your failure... it’s his speed."

Xiu’s eyes shook as if she had finally gained enlightenment. She finally understood her mistake, and she was someone who always tried to find her wrongs in order to make herself even better.

"You understand it, right?" Arnold smiled and said. "He’s special, so he needs to be raised in a special way. So what if he behaves differently? So what if he is running faster than anyone else? I don’t think my Xiu was someone who would give up before even trying her best."

"You don’t have to rile me up. I understand everything now," Xiu said, rolling her eyes at him. "But you seem too relaxed about this whole situation. Aren’t you worried about him?"

"I already expected this," Arnold responded. "My other two grandchildren turned out to be normal and took after their father, so I had high suspicions Aegon would take after his mother. And well, you can see I was right. He really did take after her a lot."

"That’s the only thing I don’t like about Sister-in-law," Xiu grumbled to herself. "Still, was she also like this in her childhood?"

"She started talking when she was six months old," Arnold said. "And when she was about to turn one year old, she blew up two of her castle’s halls. It’s a miracle she survived that."

"What the hell? What was her family thinking?" Xiu’s anger flared up hearing that. "Those bloody sons of biscuits!"

"You really think that family would care about anyone?" Arnold shook his head and said. "Stop overthinking and just focus on Aegon. He’s just like his mother, so make sure he doesn’t turn out broken like her."

"As if I will ever let that happen," Xiu snorted. Then she thought about it for a second and asked, "Dad, do you hate Sister-in-law?"

"How can I hate someone who gave me three gems of my life?" Arnold sighed heavily. "It isn’t her fault, so I will never blame her. Also, never bring up this topic. I don’t want to talk about it."

Xiu looked at him and asked, "Can you tell me a bit more about Sister-in-law? Maybe I can understand Little Sun better that way."

"Why don’t you just ask him to slow down?" Arnold suggested, even though he knew she wouldn’t agree. "He’s sensible, so I’m sure he’ll understand."

"Never! I will never become an obstacle to his growth. If I want to keep up with him, then I’ll just learn to run faster and catch up to him."

Arnold smiled lovingly. He knew how stubborn she was, and considering her love for his grandson, there was simply no way she would agree to his ridiculous suggestion.

"Just tell me about Sister-in-law, Elder Old."

"There isn’t much to talk about her," he replied, ignoring her usual jab at his name. "What you see in Little Sun is basically her smaller version, except she was too quiet and yearned for her parents’ and family’s love."

Xiu listened carefully.

"She had very good memory, perhaps just like Little Sun, she could remember everything in her life. Her adaptability was very high, and she also became mature very early. But that was mostly because of her family. They are a strange bunch. She lacked love and care her entire life, so she chased after it. The inventions she created were all in order to gain some love and acknowledgement from others."

"She’s pitiful," Xiu sighed. "I will never let Little Sun feel like this. I’ll love him in place of everyone, including you, old man."

Arnold rolled his eyes at her and told her a few more things he knew about his daughter-in-law. She was a peculiar case, and due to some circumstances, he knew a lot about her too.

After almost half an hour of discussion, Xiu was left in deep thoughts about her sister-in-law. She muttered to herself, "I knew she was amazing, but damn! She’s just..."

She didn’t complete her sentence because, at that moment, she wanted to bring her whole family down on their knees. It was as if the old Xiu was waking up in her again.

She shook off those thoughts and asked, "By the way, how many guests are we inviting for his first birthday banquet?"

"You can decide that. I’m just a retired old man," Arnold lifted the leather-bound cover and waved his other hand dismissively at her.

"You know what I mean, Dad," Xiu narrowed her eyes at him. "Are we inviting the people from the Empire or not?"

Arnold sighed and said, "We are not. There are too many complications in that. Besides, it’s Aegon’s first birthday, not a social event meant for political gatherings. Too much crowd will ruin everything. And if I invite just one, then the others will get offended. Might as well not invite anyone from that damned place."

Xiu hummed in suspicion, but she didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, she asked something else. "What about our neighbours?"

Arnold recalled his conversation with Aegon and smiled. "You can invite them."

"You do know what that means, right?" Xiu asked. "The aftermath will be hard to deal with."

"I am not even planning to deal with the aftermath," Arnold snorted. "Let everyone think whatever they want. It’s my grandson’s birthday, so the only thing that matters is his happiness."