Chapter 272: Visiting Parents
The taxi arrived in Astoria as evening light bathed the neighborhood in warm orange tones.
Compared to Manhattan, the atmosphere was much calmer here. The streets were lined with family homes with modest front yards and neatly trimmed hedges.
Children could still be seen playing outside despite the earlier Rift incident. Caelus quietly looked out the taxi window. The taxi eventually stopped in front of a modest two-story family house.
Caelus paid the driver before stepping out. Sylvia quietly followed him onto the sidewalk. They walked up the front steps together.
Caelus pressed the doorbell. Several seconds passed in silence. Footsteps were heard inside approaching the entrance.
The front door slowly opened. The first person to appear was Caelus’s mother, Elena. She had warm eyes and a naturally cheerful expression.
Before she could greet Caelus, her eyes landed on Sylvia. She froze completely in place.
"Hey honey... Why is the retired superstar Sylvia Reign standing in front of our house?"
Victor Kross was frozen in place just like Elena.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
"...Sylvia Reign?!"
Husband and wife both stared at Sylvia. Neither noticed Caelus standing behind her.
Caelus sighed helplessly. He gently pushed the door open a little further.
"Mom,"
"Dad,"
"I am standing right here." He said helplessly.
The two finally noticed him standing there.
"...Caelus?" Elena asked uncertainly.
Before they could ask anything else, Caelus continued.
"Stop looking so shocked in front of my girlfriend."
Silence fell over the entrance. Both parents slowly looked toward Sylvia, then back toward Caelus, then toward Sylvia again.
Victor stuttered visibly.
"...G..."
"...Girlfriend?"
Seeing Caelus introduce her properly, Sylvia took a small step forward.
She smiled beautifully as she bowed politely toward both of them.
"Hello," she said warmly.
"My name is Sylvia Reign."
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Thank you for always taking care of Caelus."
Elena’s heart instantly melted hearing her speak.
Victor was equally stunned by her politeness. The media had always portrayed Sylvia as cold and untouchable, yet standing before them was an incredibly polite and gentle young woman.
Their first impression immediately became overwhelmingly positive.
Elena suddenly grabbed Sylvia’s hands without warning.
"Come in!" she exclaimed. "Quickly!"
"It is cold outside."
She completely ignored Caelus standing beside them.
Victor laughed seeing this.
"Looks like you have already been replaced," he said.
Caelus sighed helplessly.
"...Mom," he muttered.
They all moved into the living room together.
Sylvia sat elegantly beside Caelus on the sofa. Elena could not stop smiling as she kept sneaking glances at Sylvia.
Victor quietly poured everyone tea. They began making small conversation naturally. Elena asked about the drive from Manhattan.
She asked whether Sylvia had eaten anything. She asked how busy she must have been after retiring. Sylvia answered each question politely with a warm smile.
About twenty minutes later, Elena had completely adopted Sylvia as her own.
She moved next to her on the sofa. She placed fruit into Sylvia’s mouth without asking.
"Eat these fruits, it is good for your health," she said.
Before Sylvia finished chewing, Elena added more.
"Try this too," she insisted.
Elena then gently patted Sylvia’s head, and she lightly pinched her cheek affectionately.
"You are even prettier in person," Elena said. "How are you this cute, my daughter?"
Sylvia blushed slightly hearing her comment. All of this was very new to her.
"Thank you, Auntie," she replied.
Elena immediately shook her head firmly.
"No," she said. "Call me Mom."
Sylvia became slightly embarrassed hearing this.
Caelus quietly watched the interaction with a smile.
Elena then began telling Sylvia stories about Caelus’s childhood.
She mentioned how Caelus cried because he couldn’t beat a video game.
She talked about the time Caelus tried cooking instant noodles and nearly burned the kitchen down.
She described how Caelus got lost in a supermarket once. She recalled how stubbornly Caelus refused to eat vegetables.
Sylvia laughed repeatedly hearing each story.
Caelus repeatedly tried stopping Elena.
"Mom... stop that. Not anymore."
Elena completely ignored him and continued sharing more stories.
Victor quietly nudged Caelus with his elbow.
"Marry her," he said seriously.
Caelus nearly choked on his tea.
"...Dad," he replied.
"I am not joking,"
"She is kind. She is polite. She treats your mother with respect," he finished. "Do not let her get away."
Caelus smiled hearing this. That was indeed true. His girlfriend was his treasure.
"I do not plan to. I really love her."
Victor nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.
His son was moving in the right direction. He was going to have a talk with Caelus about relationships soon, but it seemed like that was no longer necessary anymore.
Victor looked toward Sylvia with approval.
"Son," he said. "You did well."
Seeing him genuinely happy today relieved a burden he had carried for years.
Elena suddenly called out across the room.
"Caelus!" she said. "Move over."
"I want to talk to my daughter-in-law."
She immediately pulled Sylvia back beside her. Sylvia laughed happily. Caelus could only helplessly watch them.
Elena began another conversation. She asked about Sylvia’s favorite food. She asked whether she slept enough every night.
She asked whether Caelus treated her well. She even asked whether she wanted children someday. Sylvia answered each question politely and honestly.
Elena grew happier with every answer.
Caelus observed all this quietly.
Watching Sylvia smile while talking with his parents gave him a feeling he had never experienced before.
It was like he was in a safe and secure place, far away from the Enders and everything else.
The evening continued peacefully. Laughter filled the house naturally. Victor quietly smiled while watching his wife and Sylvia get along so well.
Caelus leaned back on the sofa comfortably. He realized this ordinary evening was far more precious than many of the victories he achieved in the Origin Ascension Domain.
Soon, Elena began cooking dinner, and Sylvia went to help her. They both cooked together with smiles on their faces while Caelus and Victor talked a lot about recent activities.
