A cruise ship sailing from France to Veyra cut through the sea.

"Brother, you can't bully me just because I'm shorter than you! I'm not playing with you anymore! Hmph!"

On the deck, a little girl puffed up her cheeks and pouted in the cutest way, reaching for the gummy bears in the little boy's hand beside her.

She was wearing a pink princess dress. Her black shoulder-length hair framed her face, with soft wispy bangs falling over her forehead. Her chubby little face was full of attitude, and with both tiny hands planted on her waist, she looked ridiculously adorable.

Next to her, the boy was dressed in casual clothes. Under his neat, cropped hair was a pair of deep eyes that looked almost like a starry night. He looked at the girl in front of him with pure doting in his eyes, then reached out and rubbed her little head.

"Okay, okay, don't be mad. I was just messing with you. Alright? Here, all these gummy bears are yours, okay?"

The moment the little girl saw her brother finally lower the gummy bears he had been holding up high, she spun around, snatched them, and dashed off like a tiny thief who'd just scored big.

"Lily! Slow down, don't fall!"

Watching his mischievous little sister run off, the boy could only call out helplessly.

"Ethan, Lily, the wind's strong out here on the sea. Get inside, now!"

A tall woman appeared on the deck. Seeing the two little ones fooling around, she shook her head, though her voice was as gentle as ever when she called to them.

"Mommy~"

The two children lit up the second they heard her voice and ran giggling straight into her arms. She gathered both of them close with one sweep of her arms and kissed each of them once. The picture of the three of them together felt warm enough to melt hearts.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail and had on a floral dress. Her oval face was bare of makeup, fresh and clean, making her look like a college girl who had just graduated.

No one would guess she was already the mother of two.

"You two little troublemakers. If you catch a cold from all this wind, don't come crying to me."

She deliberately lowered her voice and tried to sound stern, but the tenderness in her eyes gave her away completely.

"Lily doesn't believe Mommy would ignore Lily. But you can ignore Brother though~"

The little girl giggled and burrowed into the woman's arms, then kept making silly faces at the boy.

"What a silly girl." Ethan looked utterly helpless. "Mommy would never ignore either of us. But Mommy, do you want to sit down and rest for a bit?"

Ethan looked at the red veins in his mommy’s eyes and felt a sharp ache in his chest. He knew better than anyone how hard Clara had worked all these years, day and night, just to raise him and Lily. At that moment, he seriously wished he could grow up overnight.

"Don’t worry, you little rascal. Mommy’s a superhero."

The woman lightly tapped the boy’s nose and smiled.

How could Clara not notice the worry and heartache in her son’s eyes? But no matter what, she didn’t want her children stressing over her.

"Mommy, when we get back, Lily and I will definitely help you find us a daddy, so he can share your burden!"

Ethan cupped his chin and thought about it like a tiny grown-up for quite a while. In the end, he decided the fastest and most reliable plan was obvious: find a rich daddy.

Since he couldn’t grow up in a flash, then fine—he’d just find someone who already had.

If Clara kept grinding this hard by herself, those dark circles under her eyes were seriously going to turn her into a panda.

"Yeah, Mommy, hurry up and find Lily a daddy, okay~"

Lily immediately backed her brother up, clearly one hundred percent on board with the idea.

The innocent conversation between the two kids quickly drew the attention of the people nearby.

"So she’s a single mom? Wow, those two kids are ridiculously adorable!"

"Whoever marries that woman and gets two cutie-pie kids too, that’s basically hitting the jackpot."

"Come on, quit dreaming. Take a look in the mirror first, will you?"

The chatter from the crowd drifted over.

A faint blush spread across Clara’s pretty face. What did they mean, find them a daddy? That had to be Serena Linwood’s doing.

As their godmother, she really should’ve set a proper example. Instead of teaching them something normal, she’d gone and filled the heads of her two little angels with all kinds of random nonsense.

Right now, all Clara wanted was for her children to grow up healthy and happy. As for a man? No thanks. Totally unnecessary.

Twenty minutes later, the cruise ship finally docked at Veyra Pier.

"Mommy, we’re here!"

Lily stretched out her chubby little hand and pointed at the crowded pier, where people moved past each other in a busy stream.

"Yeah... time really flies."

Clara looked at the familiar place, and a mist slowly rose in her eyes.

After six long years, Clara Whitfield had finally come back.