As if on cue, the husbands and the hybrid shared a glance, before excusing themselves from Cleora.
It was clear that even though Coco was happy with the house, a part of her felt guilty for receiving such a thing from her mother and relying on her to start a new life.
From what Coco had shown them, she wasn’t the type to lean on soone for help.
She wanted to be leaned on instead.
Unfortunately for Coco, the recent situation regarding the attack orchestrated by the Baroness, she had no choice, but to accept the help of her mother and flee to the north.
Even though it’s her mother, Coco didn’t like the idea that she would receive sothing as grand as a new house and get her own craftsman to furnish the house to her liking, then possibly be spoon fed for the next couple of weeks by her mother.
She has people she needs to take care of now.
Cleora waited until Zaque and the others had descended the stairs, her eyes glued to the staircase.
When she was sure that they were out of earshot, she turned to her daughter and grasped her hand— her touch gentle and soothing, aiming to make her daughter relax in her presence.
"What did you an by that, Coco?" Cleora asked, squeezing her hand lightly.
Coco’s eyes are glued to the floor, her hand squeezing her mother’s gently. "I appreciate the help, mama. I really do, but.. Isn’t this being useless?"
"Useless?" Cleora repeated and blinked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Goodness, just what kind of thoughts are you having right now, child?"
"I.." Coco mumbled, unable to muster the courage to finish her sentence.
"You?" Cleora urged her, her thumb caressing the back of Coco’s hand, trying to soothe the unease she’s feeling. "It’s okay, dear. You don’t have to tell ."
"No, no, no, it’s just.." Coco sighed heavily and lifted her gaze, eting her mother’s eyes. "How can I repay you for this?"
Cleora tilted her head. "You’re worried about paying ? Your mother?"
"Well, yes..?" Coco muttered, slightly unsure whether she should continue speaking about what’s bothering her due to her mother’s reaction. "I an, I don’t want to depend on you. You already did so much for —"
"And I’ll gladly do more for you." Cleora stated, cutting Coco off with a huff.
Coco pursed her lips, her gaze drifting down to the floor once more, and Cleora imdiately felt her heart squeeze at the sight.
"You’re such a crybaby sotis, Coco." She grumbled, raising her hand to her daughter’s shoulder to pull Coco into a hug. "I’m doing this for you because I love you, okay? Not because I want to be repaid or whatever you’re thinking."
Coco let herself be pulled into a hug, leaning her head into her mother’s shoulder.
"I’m doing this because I want the best for you." Cleora continued, her arms wrapping around Coco. "And did you know? It wasn’t just . Rina doesn’t want you to be in danger, too."
Coco tensed in her mother’s arms, blinking owlishly.
"Rina..? As in Carina? Big sis?" Coco asked, clarifying if they have the sa person in mind. "Where is she? Does she know my situation right now? Does she know I’m here with you?"
She wanted to pull away from her mother’s arms, but Cleora had a gentle grip around her that told her to stay still.
"She knows we’re together." Cleora humd, her fingers carding through Coco’s hair. "She knows what’s happening around you right now. I kept her updated and my last letter to her was just the other night."
"She knew?" Coco gasped, hands flying to grip her mother’s hips and push her away.
"She does." Cleora confird with a small smile. "I ntioned it in passing, but she’s in a pinch right now.. And well, I haven’t got ahold of Corinne’s location just yet, but I know she’s here also."
Coco stared at her mother with wide eyes. "Why haven’t you told ? I would have helped you find Corinne—"
"Unlike you, Corinne has better skills." Cleora stated firmly, her hold on her daughter’s arms tightening. "She’s a hybrid and as far as I know, she’s doing well."
"How did you know?" Coco frowned, pulling away from Cleora’s grasp. "You don’t even know her location."
"Yeah, but Mimi has been informing of what’s happening to her." Cleora retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest instead. "It was a mistake on my part, but I asked for an update about her and ended up with the consequences of not knowing her whereabouts."
"How does that even work?"
"Fairies don’t give anything without a price." Cleora started, shifting her attention to the floor. "I was so heartbroken about your death that I failed to consider your sisters’ feelings."
Coco froze, her face draining of its color. "What are you.."
"It was selfish of ." Cleora concluded without much fight. "But I couldn’t bear the thought of three of you getting taken away from , so I made a deal with the fairies’ mother tree."
Coco’s mind was in shambles, unable to comprehend what her mother was trying to say, but she knew that when the ti ca.. Maybe a day or two later, she would finally understand.
So, she stayed quiet and listened.
"When I got ho that day, I was greeted by the sight of three fairies." Cleora stated, lowering her head as she recalled the day of Coco’s unexpected passing. "They were flying around and were hovering over your sisters’ unconscious bodies."
Cleora passed, taking a deep breath. "One of them, the big brother of the fairy who killed you.. Was shocked that I was able to see him, so he brought to their tree."
"What.." Coco mumbled, trailing off.
Nothing about her mother’s sentences makes sense for her, but Cleora kept talking and her next words shocked Coco to the core.
"Then, I asked the tree to kill both of them."
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