Chapter 182 Small Feast
Aleshia paced herself as she tried to enjoy her nuts and berries, making sure to appreciate the small feast Em gave her. She glanced at Em and saw she was staring hungrily at the food, clearly struggling to restrain herself.
When Aleshia was on her last few berries, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Em. So, she offered the remaining berries to her. "Here, you can have these. I'm already pretty full," Aleshia said, trying to encourage her to eat, even though she still felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Em accepted the berries without any hesitation and slowly ate them. While nibbling on the berries, Em said, "Thanks. I thought I was going without food for a few days." "What do you mean, Em?" Aleshia asked curiously.
"It doesn't matter," Em replied, clearly trying to hide what she had said.
Not wanting to pry but suspecting what Em meant, Aleshia left her to eat and walked around the house while waiting for Lucia to wake up.
Now that her hunger was somewhat satisfied, Aleshia began to explore the rooms, taking in her surroundings. There were no paintings or valuable decorations, just some flowers and pieces of paper with stick figures drawn on them hanging on the walls. Walking through the space, she occasionally discovered a new drawing every few walls she passed. Looking closer, she began appreciating these creations, feeling the love and care that had gone into the children's messy and scribbled artwork.
After a while, she quietly watched the children as they played or slept. During that time, some older children who had gone out returned, with Ren being one of them.
Aleshia greeted Ren as she approached. "Hi, Ren! You're back! I didn't know you had left." Aleshia must have startled her since Ren flinched at the sudden greeting and turned to face her.
Ren squinted her eyes. When she recognized Aleshia, she said, "Oh, it's you, Aleshia. Your sudden call startled me a bit. I know I brought you here unexpectedly, and I'm not really paying you, but how are you liking it so far?" she asked sheepishly.
"No, it's all right. You don't need to pay me anything. I'm enjoying it here plenty, so please don't worry about me," Aleshia said, trying to reassure her.
"That's great to hear," Ren said, relieved, before quickly reiterating, "I mean, I'm glad you're enjoying this place." While they talked, Ren set down what she was carrying and got comfortable.