Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 480

As soon as Ariana returned home, she came down with a fever.

Everyone assumed she had caught a chill outside, which led to the fever. Lambert even skipped work to stay by her side for two full days until her temperature finally subsided. During that time, the two younger children were sent to stay with Old Mrs. Stone, leaving only the eldest, Lucian, at home. After all, he was older and had a stronger immune system, making him less likely to catch a cold.

The little ones, however, weren’t so resilient.

When Ariana finally regained consciousness, the sight that greeted her was a quiet scene: the older one calmly peeling an apple by her bedside, while the younger one sat seriously munching on a slice.

Ariana: "..."

Lucian was the first to notice she had woken up. His face instantly brightened as he exclaimed, "Dad! Mom’s awake!"

Lambert immediately moved to her side, pressing a hand to her forehead. "The fever’s gone," he murmured. "How do you feel now? Any discomfort? Need some water?" Even as he spoke, he reached for a glass of water and held it out to her.

Since he had already brought it over, refusing wasn’t an option.

Ariana’s lips twitched slightly before she obediently took a few sips from the glass. The cool water soothed her throat, and she instantly felt better.

Her gaze first drifted to Lucian before she turned back to Lambert. "Why isn’t he in class?"

Lambert lifted his eyes. "Him?"

Ariana sighed inwardly. 'Who else would I be talking about? Is there anyone else in this room who should be in school right now?'

Lucian, quick to catch on, realized his mother was referring to him. "I wanted to stay with you," he explained earnestly. "I was waiting for you to wake up."

Hearing her son’s sweet words, warmth instantly bloomed in Ariana’s chest.

Her hand instinctively reached out to tousle her son's hair as she said with a smile, "Thank you, Luci."

Lucian shook his head earnestly, replying in a serious tone, "No need to thank me."

Ariana couldn't help but chuckle at his adorable response. However, her laughter was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit.

Almost imperceptibly, Lambert edged his way between them, gently nudging Lucian aside as he moved closer to Ariana. His large hand came up to pat her back soothingly. The displaced little boy blinked in confusion, glancing between his parents before asking hesitantly, "Daddy?"

Lambert's expression remained impassive as he stated matter-of-factly, "Mommy's sick. If you stand too close, you might catch it too."

To this, the fearless child simply shook his head, his wide eyes blinking innocently. "But Daddy, you're close too. Won't you get sick?"

"I'm an adult. I won't," came the deadpan reply, leaving Lucian utterly bewildered.

Ariana immediately recognized her husband's playful teasing. She shot him a warning glare, though she knew he had a point - her cold was contagious after all. Choosing not to expose his little game, she instead said gently, "Luci, Daddy's right. Why don't you go downstairs and read for a while? Mommy just needs some rest."

The little boy's lips immediately puckered into a pout. His eyelashes fluttered as he pleaded, "But I want to stay with Mommy."

Warmth flooded Ariana's eyes as her smile softened. "Mommy would love that too," she murmured, "but if you get sick, who's going to take care of your baby brothers?"

This gave Lucian pause. Though barely two and a half years old, the boy had already begun embracing his role as the eldest brother with surprising gravity. Somewhere along the way, he'd learned that "big brother" was an important title to live up to. Whenever he saw his twin brothers still struggling to walk, a sense of responsibility would swell in his small chest. These days, he spends most of his playtime carefully stacking blocks with his younger siblings.

Though his face was dark with irritation, his steps were quick.

It was obvious he was worried too.

When he stepped outside, he saw that Lucian had missed his footing on the last two steps. He had been carefully holding onto the railing for most of the way down, but he’d gotten careless at the very end—and that’s when he took the tumble.

The servants bustled about, hastily applying medicine to Lucian's wound.

The little boy pouted, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, looking utterly pitiful. The moment he caught sight of his father, that pitiful expression deepened even further.

Lambert strode over, his gaze briefly assessing the scrape on his son’s calf before taking the ointment from the servant. With an impassive expression, he began tending to the wound himself.

Lucian sniffled, but true to his budding sense of bravery, he refused to let even a single tear escape, no matter how much rougher his father’s touch was compared to the servants'.

Once Lambert finished, he lifted his head, studying his son’s woeful little face. A flicker of approval softened his eyes. "Good," he said. A real man didn’t cry over a scrape. If his son had burst into tears at the slightest injury, that would have been shamefully weak.

At his father’s rare praise, Lucian's face instantly brightened with joy.

Without another word, Lambert scooped the boy into his arms.

Lucian froze for a heartbeat before eagerly wrapping his small arms around his father’s neck. The faintest hint of a smile tugged at Lambert’s lips as he carried his son back to Ariana’s bedroom. Before leaving, he instructed a servant to call the family’s private physician to examine Lucian’s leg, just to be safe.

The servant nodded hastily and hurried off to make the call.