Chapter 469

Byron gently held her lowered hand and said, "They almost ate all the chicken drumsticks. I'll give you my share."

Theo, still chewing on his drumstick, was speechless. He thought, You're so high and mighty that you stole my chicken drumstick to curry favor with my mommy. You are trying to look good.

Maeve didn't have much of an appetite, but she didn't want to waste the food, so she ate some.

After a short post-lunch break, Byron led Maeve to an empty room for an afternoon nap. Theo and Will were locked outside the door, large question marks appearing above their heads.

"Will, are we isolated by the Great Demon King?" Theo questioned. "What right does he have to take an afternoon nap with Mommy? Can he be as soft and huggable as I am?" He thought, Mommy says hugging me is more comfortable than hugging a doll. The Great Demon King has a hard body. Don't hurt my mommy.

Will rubbed his chin. "Didn't you notice Dad and Mom have been very close recently? Dad has been kicked out of the house by Mom many times, so let's forgive him for this immature move."

Theo pursed his lips. He wanted to speak but remembered the hug on the helicopter. He turned and snorted. "I'm only refraining from causing trouble because of my mommy."

"That's right. Theo, you are the most generous." Will, having learned from Maeve how to coax Theo, smoothly replied.

As expected, he coaxed Theo into forgetting about their isolation. Theo retrieved his toolkit to grind herbs with Will. The external medicine needed to be powdered before application to effectively relieve pain. Gilbert's leg, badly injured after a fall down the stairs, required a dressing change every three hours. Theo rarely let anyone else touch his tools, only Will and Maeve.

The two diligent children sat opposite each other on the carpet, their movements like rabbits, their backs rounded in a charmingly silly way.

Maeve slept soundly until evening. Waking, she found Byron gone and the sky dark outside. Fortunately, the bedside light was on, preventing panic. After calling her uncle and mother to report her safety, she left her room.

Hearing Gilbert had woken up, Maeve's face lit up. She entered the ward with Byron and the others. Gilbert was awake, but his mouth and nose were still connected to a ventilator, preventing him from speaking. Lying like that was agonizing.

Maeve looked at Will and Theo. "Good boys, go and talk to your great-grandfather."

Will and Theo obediently tiptoed to the bed to look at Gilbert. The sight of two identical little faces visibly affected Gilbert; his heart rate accelerated.

"Great-grandfather, I'm Theo, Theodore Reese. I'm Will's twin brother," Theo said softly, holding Gilbert's hand. "Great-grandfather, I heard you're good at fishing. I want to go fishing too. Great-grandfather, get better quickly and take me fishing, okay?"

Gilbert burst into tears. He'd longed for a great-grandson for years. He loved Will dearly, and now, another adorable, sweet-talking great-grandson? The pain in his body was overshadowed by this joyous surprise. He moved his head and nodded slightly, expressing his excitement.

Will said, "Great-grandfather, you said you would buy me a foal. You can't go back on your word."

Gilbert eagerly anticipated taking them fishing and riding horses, wanting to give them everything.

Maeve breathed a sigh of relief as the grim determination on Gilbert's face faded. Looking at Byron, who watched the three of them, she murmured, "Gilbert just learned Theo is his great-grandson and loves him. Why are you always at odds with him?"

"Really?" Byron raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it's interesting to tease Theo?"

"No wonder Theo isn't close to you."

Byron frowned. "Who said so? How is he not close to me?" He thought, He is my son. How could he not be close to me?

Maeve looked disbelieving. "Or do you think he is close to you? Haven't you noticed he hasn't called you Dad even once?"

"Isn't it because he's shy?"

"You're overthinking. Theo hasn't acknowledged you as his father," Maeve stated bluntly. "You were so cold to him, treating him like someone else's child. Do you expect him to suddenly accept you?" She thought, Speaking of which, he has yet to apologize to Theo for misunderstanding him. It's not unreasonable for Theo to not acknowledge him. No wonder Will is so mature. I guess Byron raised Will freely too, making him independent. Her heart ached, and she glared at Byron.

Byron was speechless. He pressed his fingers to his temples. "Let me think about it."

Maeve snorted. "Take your time. I won't give you any pointers." She thought, The grievances Theo suffered have to be compensated by Byron himself for them to reconcile. However, based on their frequent bickering, reconciliation seems unlikely.

Perhaps the presence of his two adorable great-grandchildren lifted Gilbert's spirits and improved his health. The ward's gloomy atmosphere gradually dissipated. While he might not fully recover immediately, his life was no longer in danger.

Theo practiced his songs for the singing contest repeatedly during this time. Will would cry every time he sang, but Gilbert smiled; he loved his great-grandsons. Theo, however, remained distant towards Jason and Ryan, wearing a hat and glasses whenever they visited, unwilling to let them see his face. He still harbored resentment over their past actions towards Maeve.

The Star of Children Talent Competition finals were approaching. The preliminary round had ended before Maeve took Will and Theo abroad, yet Theo's votes mysteriously secured him a place in the finals. He practiced extensively abroad, much to Will's dismay. Interestingly, during the preliminary round, a child from Islaton Private International Kindergarten was hospitalized with diarrhea, prompting the teacher to temporarily replace him with Will, who also advanced.