"Levi..." After Mia called Levi's name, there was silence on her end for a while. However, Levi could vaguely guess what was going on. He responded hurriedly, "Mom, I'm really fine. Don't worry."
Levi had lived for more than twenty years, but he had never seen Mia cry over anything for real. The current situation unnerved him; his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He asked, "Mom, am I not communicating openly with you now? What are you worried about?"
"Levi...." Mia didn't know what she was worried about either. It wasn't like she hadn't been separated from him before. But at that time, she was so flustered; she couldn't hold back her tears the moment she heard his voice.
Levi comforted Mia softly, "Mom, give me another three days. I promise I'll show up before your very eyes three days later. In the future, I will spend more time staying with you. I won't leave you even if you feel that I'm a bother!"
Mia sniffed and forced herself to calm down, replying, "Levi, I hope you'll keep your word. I must see you in three days. If I don't, you aren't my son anymore."
"No matter what you say, Mom, you carried me in your belly excruciatingly for ten months and gave birth to me," Levi said. Finding the atmosphere a little touchy, he said in the same nonchalant tone as before, "Whether you acknowledge me as your son or not, I'll always remember the hardships you went through in raising me."
"Suit yourself. Whatever it is, I'll see you in three days," Mia replied. It wasn't that she was being unreasonable. There was no such thing as rationality in a mother's feelings for her child. She didn't care about glory, wealth, or anything else. She only wanted Levi to be healthy and safe.
"Alright, alright. It's getting late. Let them rest early. He'll be back in a couple of days. Then, you two can chat from sunrise to sunset; no one will stop you," Neil said as he took away the phone from Mia's hands and hung up. "Mia, if you keep going like this, you'll affect his work," Neil reminded her.
"Neil, can I go meet him?" Mia asked. She knew that her request was overbearing, but she was really extremely worried about Levi. She couldn't sit still.
"Mia, stay put at home for the next two days. Don't go anywhere. Do you want to help him or drag him down?" Neil asked. His look darkened and his tone grew more serious. "I assure you, he'll definitely succeed on this mission."
Even with Neil's assurance, the worry in Mia's heart persisted and she couldn't calm herself down. She asked, "Neil... What if... Bah... I'm a jinx."
Neil held her in his arms and stroked her back gently, comforting her, "How about this, I'll take you to Secret Garden tomorrow. Karen will be there too. You two can chat away, it'll take your mind off all other matters."
Mia interjected, "But..."
"Alright, that's the deal. I'll send you there tomorrow morning," Neil interrupted Mia. He had a bad feeling about this state of affairs. After comforting her, he went to the study room and pulled a few strings to contact someone.
The man was none other than the minister Martin Hart, who was heading to the Boulverland for a state visit in the next two days. Seeing that it was Neil who called, Martin greeted him politely, "Colonel Brown." "Hello there, Martin." Over the phone, Neil enunciated each word clearly, "The people who you've arranged to pick Levi up must be well- prepared in advance. I don't want any mishaps to happen."
Martin replied, "Colonel Brown, don't worry. We've already made all the necessary preparations. However, our stay will be short. As long as they arrive on time, everything will be fine."
Neil responded, "Okay."
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