The village meeting that Patrick attended was short. Upon hearing about the situation, the nobles had made their decisions regarding the village that morning. The village chief, who was fortunate enough to survive, announced their decisions to the survivors with a heavy heart.

  Patrick came back home an hour later and briefed Jonathan, Nathan and Arielle on the situation of the village. "There are four things."

  "First, the Count has decided to evacuate our village and relocate us to a nearby village, Coalville. The journey will be three days long. Once we arrive, we can decide whether to continue farming or find new jobs in the capital." Patrick continued.

  "Second, we can rest easy for the next few days because the knights will be staying here to protect us. Additionally, they sent medical knights here to treat our injuries at no cost." Patrick said.

  "Third, in two days, the Count will send a merchant group to buy our harvest at a fair price. Our taxes for this year will also be forgiven."

  "Lastly, regarding last night. Most of the village's strong and capable men and women, as well as half of the elderly, have been tragically killed. If not for Jonathan and Harold defeating the green-haired bandit and driving them off, the entire village might have been slaughtered. In response, the knights have promised that they will thoroughly investigate the attack and apprehend all criminals involved." Patrick said.

  "Did Mom and Grandma die yesterday?" Arielle interrupted, having an idea why Mom wasn’t home today.

  "Yes." Patrick answered solemnly, firmly, and with grief. He took the chance to tell Arielle about the truth.

  "So we'll never see Mom again?" Arielle asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

  "It's my fault. If I hadn't run to mom, she might have survived." Nathan thought to himself. "But, don’t worry Mom, I promise I will take care of them." Nathan gave Arielle a hug and soothed her as he watched Ashley and Henry playing.

  After a moment, Arielle calmed down. Then, Patrick told the children, "I need to go out. Nathan, Arielle, would you be able to cook dinner tonight?"

  "Sure." They occasionally helped Ana prepare meals. So they knew how to do it.

  "If you can, please also harvest some of our crops, such as the tomatoes and carrots. We will need food for the journey and to survive the winter. I will go take care of the burials for Ana and Emily." Patrick said before leaving home again.

  "I will go harvest with Ashley." said Arielle, being very familiar with harvesting.

  "Okay, I will put Henry to sleep and take care of Dad," Nathan replied, grateful for Arielle's support.

  Arielle took out two straw hats and two baskets, handed one set to Ashley, and then the two of them went outside together.

  "Now, let's get busy." Nathan declared as he looked at the house and palmed his fist.

  Henry just pooped earlier, so Nathan bathed him and changed his diapers. He had some trouble putting Henry to sleep because the toddler wanted Mom. "Mom is not here, but Big Brother is here. It’s ok." Nathan said with teary eyes, trying to sooth Henry.

  It took Nathan a bit more than half an hour to put the toddler to sleep. After that, Nathan began tackling the chores.

  He loaded the dirty cloths into the washing machine and switched it on. Jonathan had a high fever, so Nathan gave some water to his father and placed a cold towel on his forehead. "Thank you, Nathan," said Jonathan. Then, Nathan recharged the house’s Divine Power to keep all appliances running, washed the vegetable and sliced some meat for tonight’s dinner, put the washed clothes into the clothes dryer, made herbal medicine for his father, prepared some fish congee for Henry and Jonathan, put away the clean laundry, etc. After Henry woke up, Nathan placed him in the play yard and let him play by himself.

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  After two hours, Patrick brought back Ana's and Emily’s wedding rings, hair clips, leather armor, shield, swords, and all their valuables, as well as, most importantly, their ashes. Then, he cleaned Jonathan's wound, replaced his bandages, and sanitized the items he had brought home.

  Arielle and Ashley soon came back. They put away the harvest in the cold storage shed, and took a shower.

  Nathan noticed that it was the first time Arielle helped Ashley shower and he thanked her in his mind. After showering, Arielle then helped Nathan prepare for dinner while Ashley played with Henry.

  Everyone was exhausted. Not only did they have a rough night, but they also had a very busy day. The family ate in silence. The dinner tasted just like how Ana would have made it. While it reminded them of Ana, it also felt like a typical dinner when Ana was still around, providing temporary solace.

  After dinner, Patrick gave Emily’s hair clips to Arielle and Ana’s hair clips to Ashley, with a gentle smile. "May the two of them watch over you in heaven." Arielle clutched the hair clip tightly and wept.

  Seeing that, Ashley also started to tear up. "I hope Mom and Grandma can come back soon." She did not understand that people do not return from heaven.

  The family kept on working after dinner, Nathan bathed Henry and then fed him some fruits before putting him to sleep. Arielle and Ashley cleaned up and washed the dishes. Nathan then moved Henry’s crib to his room before taking a shower. After that, Patrick had already changed Jonathan’s bandages again. Patrick fully replenished the house's Divine Power before administering painkillers and sleeping pills to Jonathan. "This is a strong sleeping pill with a sleeping spell in it, you should be able to sleep through the night even under the pain." Patrick told his son.

  Then, the family went to sleep earlier than usual.

  During the day, Nathan kept himself busy so that he wouldn’t think about what happened in the battlefield last night. However, as soon as he had a moment of quiet, the traumatizing scene kept replaying in his mind. After tossing and turning in bed for a few hours, Nathan finally gave up sleeping and heat up some milk for Henry. Just as he finished, Henry started crying. Nathan put a bib on Henry and tried to feed him, but Henry kept saying "Mama, mamaa..." refusing the milk.

  "Ok, let’s go find mom," Nathan said, carrying Henry around the house.

  "See? Mom's not here." Nathan took Henry to the dining room with the open kitchen. Henry looked around innocently. The kitchenware and utensils were placed exactly where Ana liked to put them. She hated it when someone misplaced something in the kitchen, so the children were taught to put things back in their exact places.

  Next, he carried Henry to the living room, where the play yard was. It was silent, dark and felt empty. "Mom's not here either." Nathan said, looking around the tidy play area. Ana had always been particular about keeping things in their proper places, and even though she was no longer with the family, Arielle and Ashley still made sure to put everything away neatly before going to bed.

  Then, Henry tilted his body toward the master bedroom, signaling Nathan to head there. His innocent act only added to Nathan’s pain. Following Henry’s request, Nathan opened the door to Jonathan’s room. The sleeping pill had worked well, and his father was fast asleep.

  "Mom isn't here," Nathan repeated. The bedroom reminded him of how he would go to sleep with his parents whenever he had a nightmare or when there was a thunderstorm. The smell of his parents and their holding his hand were the best lullaby. He wanted his father to give him a hug right now and dote on him. But, after seeing his father’s bloody bandages, Nathan gave up on the thought. He closed the door quietly as he left.

  Then, Nathan returned to his room, closing the door softly behind him.

  "See? Mom isn't here anymore. Now, please have some milk." Nathan said and started crying. He missed Ana very much.

  Henry looked up at Nathan with a concerned expression, as if asking, "Why are you crying?" Seeing that, Nathan stopped crying and gave Henry the bottle of milk again. Upon confirming that Mom was not home, Henry calmed down and let Nathan feed him. After Henry was done, Nathan sang a soft lullaby to help Henry fall asleep, which also added to Nathan’s longing for his mother.

  Arielle was standing outside Nathan’s room. She woke up to Henry's cries and heard Nathan telling him that Mom wasn't there. Each time Nathan said those words, Arielle felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if a dagger had pierced through it. After Nathan had returned to his room and closed the door, Arielle went to Jonathan’s room. Her father was sleeping soundly. Arielle gently took her father’s right hand and placed it on her cheek. The faint scent of her mother still lingered in the bedroom. Feeling the warmth and love from both Ana and Jonathan in the room, she calmed down.

  Afterward, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Then, she sat on the sofa and began reminiscing about the previous night.