Chapter 13 The Little Hero

• Lilibeth scratched her cheek, looking at the wall covered with drawings. “Is this supposed to be me? And who gave it a hundred marks? Does my face look like a triangle?”
• “It was given by Mr. Yandell.”
• Lilibeth pointed at the wall, calling out to Sebastian behind her, “Come here. Explain to me, why is my face shaped like a triangle?”
• Sebastian explained with a smile, “Compared to a poorly drawn picture of your face, a triangle is quite beautiful.”
• Lilibeth had forgotten what she came for. Surrounded by a group of children, alongside the caregivers and teachers who had come out to see her, she had inadvertently become a “celebrity.”
• She became certain that Sebastian often spoke of her in the orphanage.
• And so, Lilibeth was on her guard. She secretly pulled aside a few articulate children. “Tell me, what does Sebastian say about me every time he comes? If you tell me, there will be candies for you.”
• “Mr. Yandell said that when you're angry, your eyebrows would knit together, yet your face would puff up roundly, resembling the belly of a pufferfish.”
• “Also, Mr. Yandell used to say that when you were little, your face was round. As you grew up, your face became more pointed, your eyelashes curled upward, and your eyes always held a twinkle.”
• Lilibeth tilted her head, “Is this what he said?”
• “Mr. Yandell also said that you're the most adorable. Clearly frightened by the night, you stubbornly insist that you're not scared.”‘
• “When you were young, you would secretly feed the vegetables you didn't like to the family dog. Relying on the fact that the dog couldn't tattle, you did this quite a few times.”
• Lilibeth was speechless. How did he know about that?
• The break was only twenty minutes. It wasn't long before the group of children ran off again.
• Lilibeth was sitting alone on the swing when Sebastian came over, holding Damian's hand.
• “What did you find out?”
• Lilibeth turned to glance at Sebastian. “Why did you tell them about me?”
• Sebastian sat next to Lilibeth. Behind the white swing was a backdrop of lush greenery. This was the first time they had sat so close since they had grown up, and Lilibeth didn't seem to mind his presence. “In their hearts, they needed someone lovable to be their hero,” he said.
• “So, I'm the 'Hero', huh?” Lilibeth said, pointing to herself.
• Sebastian looked back, his deep gaze unblinkingly as it met her clear and beautiful eyes. “Mmm-hmm, it's you.”
• Lilibeth's heart skipped a beat, then she quickly turned her face away. Blinking guiltily, she muttered under her breath, “But I never hear you compliment me.”
• After fetching Damian's clothes, she took a moment to admire the succulents that Damian had planted.
• When Lilibeth was about to leave, she was given one of them. In truth, she didn't want it because she had even managed to allow a cactus to die. However, she couldn't bear to dampen Damian's enthusiasm, so she accepted it.
• At noon, while dining at the welfare home, a child began to cry because he didn't like eating egg yolks.
• The caretaker immediately said, “When Lilibeth was little, she loved eating egg yolks.”
• The child was in the corner, fretting over the yolk in his bowl, when suddenly he froze.
• The child's eyes were fixed on her, causing Lilibeth's scalp to tingle.
• With that, in front of the child, she braced herself and took a bite of the egg yolk. As expected, the child then picked up the egg yolk and began to eat it as well.
• Sebastian was usually cold and stern, adopting a harsh demeanor toward his subordinates. He was a man who instilled fear in businessmen and irritated Lilibeth. However, on that day, he was noticeably smiling a lot more.
• Lilibeth's beautiful eyes were ablaze as she glared at Sebastian who seemed to be amused by her actions.
• In the midst of their afternoon nap, a group of children persistently pestered Lilibeth with questions. “Why does Damian call you Mommy Lilibeth? We don't have mommies, so why does he have one?”
• Lilibeth stuttered, “Uh... Because, because.” Yea, why does he do that?
• At that moment, Sebastian walked over and sat next to Lilibeth “Because Lilibeth is my wife.”
• “That's right, I am his wife.”
• The children once again began to ask questions out of curiosity.
• The arrival of Lilibeth excited the children at the orphanage for quite a while, as if they had seen their idol.
• Lilibeth looked at the girl sitting at the end who was born with a cleft lip and palate. She was always covering her mouth. Lilibeth's heart softened. “Actually, I wasn't scared. I was just startled at first glance, but I feel like I might have hurt her.”
• Sebastian looked at the girl. “Ursula, Lilibeth is calling you.”
• The little girl hesitated for a moment, but upon seeing the amusement in Lilibeth's eyes, she mustered up the courage to step forward.
• Lilibeth directly picked her up, prying her hands apart, her gaze fixated on the latter's lips. “You're like a little rabbit. You're quite adorable.”
• During the lunch break, a group of caregivers were just as loud as Lilibeth. “Behave yourselves and go to sleep, or else Lilibeth will get angry.”
• With that, the group of children ran off and peace returned to the room.
• Lilibeth let out a sigh of relief as she turned to look at Sebastian. It felt like she understood his world for the first time.
• “Where are you going on your business trip?” For the first time, Lilibeth inquired about Sebastian's itinerary.
• “Yrinas, to inspect a project. I'll return in two days.”
• Lilibeth let out a sigh. In the afternoon, Sebastian had some matters to attend to and had to leave early. Lilibeth did not accompany him. Instead, she went to the director's office. “Mdm. Earhart,” she asked, “why did Sebastian have to talk about me?”
• Charlotte's fondness for Lilibeth was not only due to the financial support her family provided but also the image of Lilibeth portrayed through Sebastian's words and in the hearts of the children.
• “When you were young, Sebastian would visit the orphanage on his own to see his companions. They all knew that in the family that adopted him, there was a little girl. They were very curious. At some point, Sebastian began to tell the children about you.
• Later on, they all came to know how adorable you were, and how happily you lived. Somehow, a rumor among the children spread that only by emulating you—by being as lovely and beautiful as you—they could win the affection of others and be adopted.
• Lilibeth was moved. I actually... am not as wonderful as the children have imagined me to be.
• Charlotte asked curiously, “Lilibeth, what brings you here all of a sudden?”
• “Oh right, I heard Leticia mention that I had come here when I was little. Sebastian said I came to replace him. What was all that about?”
• Charlotte recalled the amusing incident from the past and burst into laughter. “It was when you were five years old. You had a quarrel with Sebastian and cried your lungs out, refusing to accept him and demanding someone else instead. Old Mr. Montague, at his wits' end, brought you and Sebastian to the orphanage, allowing you to choose someone new.”
• “And what happened after that?”
• Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. “You were so picky about the new boys, so in the end, you didn't take a liking to any of them. All because a little girl saw Sebastian carrying you and wanted him to carry her. You got jealous and started arguing with her, even getting into a fight. You were crying out that she was trying to steal Sebastian from you. In the end, you were crying so hard that you were drenched in sweat. Sebastian and Old Mr. Montague were afraid you might get heatstroke, so they quickly took you home.”
• Lilibeth was rendered speechless.
• No wonder Sebastian didn't finish what he was saying last night. After all, if such words came from his mouth, I would definitely not believe him! However, when those same words are spoken by Mdm. Earhart, I believe her.
• Lilibeth had spent the afternoon at the welfare home, accompanying the children after school. It was only after they had finished their dinner that she took Damian and descended the hill.
• That day, cracks gradually began to form in the wariness Lilibeth harbored, yet she remained blissfully unaware.
• She gave Abraham a call, intending to ask him to come back earlier. However, Abraham thought his granddaughter was calling to argue again. “Unless you and Sebastian give me a great-grandson, I won't return no matter what,” he said.
• “Then you might as well never ever come back.”
• Lilibeth's temper flared up again.
• After hanging up the phone, she immediately threw it aside.
• Damian, in the back seat, dared not speak.