Hera said farewell to Ruth before sunset; they were currently waiting for a coachman to fetch them a carriage, because Hera's grandmother insisted that they go to the orphanage by carriage, otherwise Hera wouldn't be able to go.

“Don't come back too late.” Ruth warned Hera while firmly hugging her before letting Hera climb into the carriage with Emma and the others.

“Lady Ruth, don't be worried. I'll bring Hera back before midnight.” Rayla made a promise with excitement on her face.

“No. No. An hour before midnight,” Ruth compromised.

“Alright. I'll bring Hera back an hour before midnight.”

“Bye, grandma.”

“Bye, granny.”

Hera and Emma both had their heads out of the carriage window as they bid Ruth farewell for the second time.

Ruth adjusted her coat and waited for the carriage to drift out of her sight.

“Milady, it's time for your weekly checkup.” Mrs. Oz extended her hand, took Ruth's hand in hers, and guided the elderly lady back into the mansion, towards the doctor's office.

The Greene mansion wasn't too far from the orphanage. They only had to sit in the carriage for fifteen minutes before they saw the orphanage building behind a large black gate with a large sign board on top of it.

Hera helped Emma out of the carriage and, holding her hand, they followed a hidden path to the orphanage's backyard.

Some of the orphanage caregivers had already begun gathering logs and stacking them in the middle of the backyard for their bonfire.

Several children ran towards Hera as soon as they saw her arrive, while several grown-up children immediately surrounded Rayla.

Freya, who was at a loss for what to do while the two ladies were occupied with the children, decided to help the caregivers by organizing their supper before the bonfire celebration.

The sky grew darker when the children finished taking their bath and supper. They started to gather around the bonfire, which began to flare up, illuminating the darkness around them and warming their chilly night. 

“Psst…” Emma snatched Hera's arm and forced her to kneel alongside her. “Everyone is looking forward to making a seashell crown with you later, Sis Rara. They also enjoy the macarons that we bake together.” Her eyes gleamed in the dim light from the fire as she spoke sweetly.

Hera laughed and smiled. “Just don't get them too excited about it. I'll go get some more seashells before I return in the spring.”

Emma nodded and began to pull Hera's hand towards the bonfire, where the others had gathered.

Not long after the circle formed around the bonfire, music began to fill the air, followed by the sound of children singing happily.

Everything went perfectly. Soon the kids started to run around gleefully, holding sparklers in both of their hands.

The atmosphere seemed to be lively. Some of the kids began collecting sparklers from one of the caregivers and igniting them under supervision.

“Take a look at this, Sis Rara.” Emma beamed with her flushed cheeks as she waved the blazing sparklers around.

Hera took a step back instinctively without changing the smile on her somehow pale face. After reliving that night's memory, she underestimated the amount of trauma left in her body. Just a tiny little bit of a spark from the sparklers was enough to make her dodge that little girl.

She cursed the decision to seal her memory. There was no way she would have done it if she knew it could be triggered back so easily like that.

The bonfire was somehow fine for Hera. The warmth reached her where she stood, a little further away from the others, covered by one of the caregivers.

The sparkles were something else. The children would recklessly swing around the sparkles, causing a spark of fire to shoot up everywhere. But that's the allure of those sparkles. If you swing them fast enough, they will leave a flash of light in the air, revealing a pattern or an initial you drew before they disappear.

Emma froze for a moment as she watched Hera step away from her. Her eyes welled up at the thought that her sister was upset with her for being overly clingy. That is why everyone who has adopted her returns her to the orphanage. She doesn't want Hera to dislike her like those people.

Hera's heart sank as she saw Emma's dejected look as she dropped the sparkles on the icy grass, which quickly went off. She reached out her hand, drew Emma close, and softly caressed her back.

“D-don't h-h-hate me…” Emma struggled to keep her emotions at bay. Both of her hands were listless on both of her sides as she didn’t dare to touch Hera. They didn't like her when she sobbed like this over such trivial matters. “I-I won't be overly clinging... So, p-please d-don't leave me…”

Hera tightened her hold on Emma's body. Her heart was weighed down by a numb feeling in her chest. What Emma said to her was something she wished she could say to someone in that mansion, but she chose to stay silent because she knew no one would listen.

How should she react when she hears the little girl say words she has never had the courage to say?

Also, Hera heard a few stories about Emma's troubled adoption from the other caregivers. Emma hides a lot of heartache behind her cheerful persona. She isn't used to displaying her vulnerability since she returned the last time.

Hera was faced with a big dilemma. She might have made up an empty promise to all of those people in the hope that they would be too busy to remember it. But how could she do that to Emma, the little girl for whom she had no heart to even make her sad?

“Shhhh... Don't cry... I don't hate you…” Hera let the child slowly embrace her neck and snuggle her head there. Hera felt even more terrible when she heard Emma hiccup after fighting back her tears.

“Th-then... Hic... Why are y-you avoiding m-me?”

“No... I'm not trying to get away from you…” Hera was embarrassed by what she had to say next. “I'm staying away from the sparklers.”

Emma fell silent, moved her body away from Hera, and glanced at her big sister, who appeared embarrassed. “R-really? Isn't it because I was too a-attached?”

“I don't mind you being clingy…” Hera pinched Emma's cheeks and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

I'll never leave you. If only she could say it not as an empty promise. It would be cruel for Hera to do what she intended to do once her purpose in this city was over, especially to Emma.

Everything is indeed changing... Whether for the better or for the worse... But it seems Hera should not have made up her mind about the future just yet.

Hera doesn't worry about Rayla because she has to return to her family in a year. But, with Emma and Freya around, she had to think further if her decision to leave was for the best. But on the other hand, she does not want to be in a place that can be reached by those people.

“Tsk... What a crying baby.” A boy who was slightly older than Emma suddenly appeared in front of them, taunting Emma while stroking the tip of his red nose with his fingers, which were also red from playing in the snow for too long.

Emma's head swung around and squinted her moist and crimson eyes at the boy. “I am not!”

“Yes, you are. You always cry every time…” The boy immediately shut his mouth once he saw tears starting to gather on Emma's eyelids. He then reached out to Emma, holding a ribbon in his hand. “This one's for you. Don't cry any longer, it's ugly.”

Emma averted her gaze and hugged Hera once more, ignoring the ribbon offered to her by the boy who had just taunted her.

But Hera's wide eyes were glaring at the ribbon in the boy's hand. “Where did you get that?” Unknown to her, her tone was so harsh that the boy flinched slightly.

“I-I found it near the forest.” The boy's voice was stammering. “Is this yours?” He placed the ribbon in the open hand of Hera.

Hera let out a long sigh and apologized, realizing that the way she spoke to the little boy was terrible. “I didn't mean to raise my voice at you. It's only... This ribbon belongs to someone I know. This is something she always does. Where did you find it?”

The little boy pointed to a section of the forest near the orphanage's perimeter.

The boy continued to stare at Hera... No, staring at Emma's back, trying to think of anything more to say to the little girl. However, he ended up pointing at Hera with an unhappy expression on his face. “Y-you... You can't have Emma all to yourself!”

Hera was stunned for a moment before she chuckled. “Emma, I believe someone wishes to play more with you.” Hera stroked Emma's back, attempting to pull her away from her. However, the little girl whimpered and tightened her hold around Hera's neck.

“I think Emma was too tired today. She didn't get much sleep in the afternoon and was busy baking macarons. Why don't you show me where Emma's room is? Little boy…”

“My name is Joe.” The little boy, Joe, pouted his lips in annoyance.

“Little Joe…”

“I'm not little anymore....” Joe strode away from Hera, stopped for a while, and looked behind his shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”

Hera smiled as she propped up Emma, who was now asleep in her arms, and followed Little Joe into the orphanage through the back door.

The orphanage has three floors and a rooftop from where they used to view the summer festival's starry sky and fireworks. On the first floor, they had a study room, a kitchen, a laundry room, a living room, and a room for the director's office.

While the children and caregivers use the second and third floors for their living quarters, each floor has four rooms for the children, one for the caregivers, and one shared bathroom.

Emma and the two other girls shared one of the four rooms on the orphanage's second floor.

From where he stood in the doorway, Little Joe pointed to the bed in the far left corner of the bedroom. “We are not allowed to enter the girls' room.”

Hera laid Emma gently on her bed and set her response to Emma's last letter on the dresser next to the little girl's bed. Fortunately, all of the children were already dressed for bed, so Hera just had to take Emma's coat and boots and place them near the foot of the bed before tucking the blanket over the little girl's body to keep her warm.

“So, what are you going to do now? Should we go back to the backyard?”

Not answering Hera's question, Little Joe dashed back to the backyard to play with the other children. Leaving Hera, who was walking in the opposite direction after carefully closing the door behind her, and slowly ascending the stairs to the rooftop.

Hera's face was ice cold in rage; this was the last place she expected that woman's henchmen to appear to take her. In fury, she tugged the ribbons away from the banisters as she ascended the stairs.

A cold breeze blew at her as she opened the rooftop door after yanking the last ribbon in sight. Hera's eyes narrowed as she focused her gaze on the man who was now staring at her with a dagger hidden behind his back.

“Lady Canary…”