7
Eris Coford was born on March 3rd.
At birth, her heart stopped once, and she could not consume formula milk, relying solely on her mother’s milk.
She had a low immune system, and at three months old, she became so seriously ill that she showed no signs of response, almost as if she had passed away.
During winter, she would sleep for eighteen hours a day, and in the rainy season, she suffered from severe fevers throughout, unable to leave the house.
From the age of one, she exhibited symptoms of anorexia, unable to consume regular food.
If she ate something she disliked, she would immediately vomit it.
She showed signs of depression and developmental delays in physical growth.
Additionally, she suffered from numerous complicated illnesses that neither medical nor science could explain.
The medical sorcerer also could not diagnose the cause of Eris Corford’s illness, leaving no known treatment.
The most severe condition appears to be her life force core’s abnormal state.
In a family of sorcerers, a child born would have a magic core, enabling them to excel in magical training beyond ordinary people.
However, Eris’s magic core was linked with all her bodily and mental organs, risking constant frenzy.
Her condition worsened day by day.
Both medical science and medical sorcerers have concurred that Eris Coford might not survive past her fifth birthday.
Currently, the little girl had only one year and six months left to live.
They parted ways without saying another word.
Kariette felt terrible.
Even though they had just reunited, they could no longer face each other.
But knowing Gavin’s character, she thought it was right not to owe each other anything further, yet her heart ached.
After all, he was the man she once loved and the father of her daughter.
She still cared about his feelings.
Gavin was still in shock.
The thick stack of medical documents was not the result of a few doctors’ diagnoses; it was almost as if the Coford family had gathered top physicians from around the world to examine their little girl.
Among them was the name of an old friend of his.
Jokerface, a true genius medical sorcerer, was not only knowledgeable in magical healing but also in scientific medicine.
Gavin, being a competent medical sorcerer himself, acknowledged that no one deserved the title [Divine Healer] more than Jokerface.
‘Even Jokerface concluded that Eris is incurable.
Could it really be hopeless?’ Gavin couldn’t accept the reality.
He stared at the medical documents, reading them over and over again, an utterly futile action.
But as a father who had just learned he had a daughter, he couldn’t accept that she would die in a year and a half.
Gavin’s reaction was no different from Kariette’s.
If one looked closely, the documents had the diagnosis date written on them.
Kariette had invited Jokerface to examine Eris since she was one year old.
Even though the world’s top medical sorcerer advised acceptance, she couldn’t and invited every known doctor to examine her daughter, seeking even a sliver of hope.
Her other hope was Gavin.
Gavin was a genius in multiple fields.
Besides magic, he was proficient in numerous sciences and a formidable medical sorcerer as well.
Though not as skilled as Jokerface, he was among the top medical sorcerers, which was one reason Kariette threw these medical documents at him.
But seeing his reaction, she knew that even the father of the child was at his wit’s end.
Who knew how much Gavin trusted Jokerface?
If Jokerface confirmed it was incurable, then it truly was.
Jokerface was a friend to both him and Kariette.
That doctor would never lie to a friend, especially knowing the child was their flesh and blood.
He would be desperate to cure his friend’s granddaughter if possible.
Gavin spent the night reading the documents fruitlessly.
It was the happiest day of his life for discovering he had a daughter, yet it was also his most unfortunate day.
That night, two people couldn’t sleep: Gavin and Kariette.
The woman cradled her little daughter in her arms, her eyes brimming with tears.
She had always tried to forget, but confronting Gavin brought all those feelings back, haunting her again.
Unable to control herself, she embraced her daughter, seeking comfort.
‘I’m sorry, dear.
I’m so sorry for not being able to give you a strong and healthy life,’ Kariette blamed herself, always thinking that Eris’s unusual health issues were because of her.
“Mommy, I can’t breathe.”
“!” Kariette was startled and released the little girl, only to realize she was just talking in her sleep.
“Mommy…
Mommy,” Eris murmured continuously, calling out for her mother in her sleep.
Kariette embraced her gently and patted her back lightly.
Nobody knew how much Eris had suffered since birth, and no one could be as close to the little girl as her real mother.
How wonderful it would be if, during those long, painful nights, someone could share the burden.
Having relatives was one thing, but they couldn’t replace a real father.
Therefore, she was angry, resentful, and disappointed in Gavin.
From love, she turned indifferent, especially today when he failed to affirm his love for her.
But she was also heartbroken; if she hadn’t brought up the subject, they could have talked normally.
She wondered how they would face each other tomorrow.
Kariette was so troubled that she couldn’t sleep.
That night, neither of them got any rest.
As dawn broke and people began their daily routines, Kariette, who had hardly slept, got out of bed, washed, dressed, and woke Eris.
“Eris, wake up,” Kariette shook the little girl.
“Uh…”
“Good children wake up early.
Don’t you want to be a good girl?”
“I want to be good,” Eris rubbed her eyes, looking adorably groggy, which made her mother smile uncontrollably.
“Where’s Papa?” Eris suddenly became fully alert, looking around.
She had felt her father’s presence beside her as she slept, but now he was gone, so she turned to the only person in the room.
“Where did Mommy hide Papa?” Eris asked innocently.
Kariette gave a tender smile to her naive child before shaking her head.
“Papa is sleeping in another room.”
“Why doesn’t Papa sleep with me?”
“Because Eris snores loudly, Papa couldn’t stand it, so he went to sleep outside,” Kariette fibbed, making the little girl pout.
“I don’t snore loudly!
Papa is silly.
I hate Papa the most,” Eris protested, flailing her little arms.
Kariette laughed and proceeded to bathe and dress her little doll before heading downstairs, where Kurt and Holly were already waiting.
“My dear niece, did you sleep well?
Why such a grumpy face?
Did Mommy squish you in her sleep?” Kurt grinned as his little niece approached.
Eris didn’t reply but puffed her cheeks and looked away, puzzling Kurt.
“Where did he go?” Kariette asked Kurt, clearly referring to Gavin.
“I heard from the servants he went back to his rented place to fetch some things.
He’ll be back soon to cook.”
“We don’t have to wait; I’m starving,” Holly interjected, uninterested in the simple fare that man would prepare.
“Let the chef prepare the breakfast,” Kariette allowed, and Kurt immediately phoned the chef to arrange breakfast right away.
Eris talked to her aunts but remained moody.
She firmly believed Papa didn’t sleep with her because she snored loudly, but she didn’t snore at all.
Papa was mean.
Finally, breakfast was served, a beef soup with a distinctive herbal scent.
The three siblings began to eat.
“Eris, open wide,” Holly scooped some soup, ready to feed her niece.
“Ah,” Eris accepted the soup only to spit it out on her aunt’s face.
Holly maintained her composure, only more disappointed.
“Eris, that’s mean.
Did you have to spit it out on Auntie’s face?” Holly pretended to cry.
Eris became frantic and looked to her mommy for help.
“Eris can’t eat this.
Eris wants to vomit, but didn’t want to make Aunt Holly sad.”
“Hmm…
let’s change it,” Kariette immediately ordered a change, causing the chef, who was standing by the table, to return to the kitchen with a numb face of disappointment.
The young lady was difficult to please.
He had been inventing new menus frequently, always striving for something the young lady would accept.
And even if she found something edible, she would reject the same menu later.
Being the chef here was no easy task!
Then someone stepped into the house.
“Oh, you’re having breakfast already,” Gavin appeared in fresh clothes, drawing everyone’s attention, especially Eris, who felt rather resentful.
“I hate Papa the most!
Eris doesn’t snore loudly.”
“Huh?” Gavin was confused.
Who had been whispering to his little goddess?
“Who said Eris snores loudly?
Eris barely snores.”
“I don’t snore!”
“Yes, yes, Eris doesn’t snore at all.
Then why do you hate Papa?”
“Mommy said Papa doesn’t sleep with Eris because Eris snores loudly.”
All eyes turned back to Kariette, who pretended to be clueless.
Gavin felt unjustly treated.
“Who said Papa doesn’t sleep with Eris because you snore loudly?
It’s Mommy who snores too loudly,” Gavin tossed the hot potato back at its owner.
She glared at him slightly and pretended to ignore him.
She, snore?
She hadn’t even slept last night.
“Eh?
Does mommy snore?”
“No, Papa’s just shifting the blame to mommy.
Mommy never snores.
Eris knows mommy doesn’t snore.”
“Yes, yes, mommy doesn’t snore,” Eris nodded along with her mommy.
Her words were gospel, even though she wouldn’t know if her mommy snored because she always fell asleep before her.
“Eris…
do you hate Papa?”
Gavin looked sad before opening the lid of a hot water pot, releasing the scent of soy milk.
The little girl’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“Papa is sad.
Maybe Papa should go back home and cuddle with the soy milk.”
“No, no!
Eris loves Papa the most!
Eris loves Papa so, so much!”
The little girl instantly changed her mood, amusing everyone around her.
But what truly sparked her enthusiasm was the scent of soy milk.
Could this dish be the cure for the little lady’s lack of appetite?
Holly frowned.
Eris had eaten Gavin’s soy milk just yesterday.
Normally, she wouldn’t eat the same dish twice, but it seemed today was an exception.
Gavin requested two glasses and placed them on the table before pouring the soy milk until the glasses were brimful.
“Have some soy milk first to fill your stomach.
Papa is going to cook now.
I promise you’ll have the most delicious clear soup in the world.”
“Yes, yes.” Eris nodded her head while sipping the delightful soy milk, enjoying its taste thoroughly, not wanting to waste a single drop.
Kariette, Kurt, Holly, and the servants were all astonished, never having seen the young lady so happy while eating.
Did her father possess some magical culinary skills?
Meanwhile, Gavin entered the kitchen and said to the chef.
“Chef, may I use the space here for a bit?”
“Of course,” the chef nodded, inwardly wondering why his dishes couldn’t please the young lady, yet she enjoyed the simple soy milk.
Was this man a master of soy milk?
And now he planned to cook clear soup for the young lady.
The chef was curious if he had such exceptional skills, considering even after decades of experience, he struggled to satisfy her.
However, as Gavin started preparing the ingredients, nothing seemed unusual except for a few seasonings.
He had brought his own carrots and scallions.
But as soon as he picked up the knife, an inexplicable pressure overwhelmed the chef and his assistants.
“Huh…” They gasped, stepping back in shock, their spirits almost fleeing their bodies.
“This atmosphere…
He must be a chef with over fifty years of experience!” the chef panicked, but his assistants looked at him confusedly, thinking, what were you talking about?
This man looked to be in his mid-twenties.
Gavin skillfully handled the ingredients and seasoning, making clear soup was easy but his every movement was like watching art in motion.
Such elegant cooking!
The kitchen seemed to transform into a royal workshop under his command.
If this man had been born a thousand years earlier, he might well have become the imperial head chef, preparing every meal for the emperor.
The aroma from the cooking spread beyond the kitchen, reaching even Kariette and the others.
“This is insane!
What is this scent?” Holly stood up.
As a connoisseur, she had never encountered such an appetizing smell.
“Little sister!
Smell it carefully.
It’s the scent of clear soup,” Kurt remarked.
“Lies!
How can clear soup smell like this?” Holly was skeptical.
“Mommy!
Eris wants to eat!”
“Wait a moment.”
“Eris wants to eat now!”
“Be good, or mommy will throw it away,” Kariette teased, gently stroking her daughter’s head.
“No!
Mommy can’t throw away Eris’s food.
Mommy’s mean.
Eris will tell grandma and grandpa,” Eris feigned tears.
“I was just joking,” Kariette reassured with a smile, and soon after, Gavin brought something to the table.
As he lifted the lid, there it was – clear soup!
Its enticing aroma captivated everyone, especially Eris, whose saliva was already drooling.
“Eris wants to eat now!” The little girl couldn’t hold back any longer.
If not for Kariette restraining her, the little greedy girl would have run to grab the pot and claim it as her own.
“Be good.
Papa has made this especially for you to eat.
You should thank Papa first.”
“Thank you, Papa!” Eris turned to thank Gavin.
“You’re welcome,” Gavin beamed, pleased that Eris showed interest in his food.
Then Kariette served the little goddess, spoon-feeding her carrots, clear soup, and egg tofu.
Eris’s eyes widened like goose eggs, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s delicious!
So, so, so delicious!
Eris has never eaten anything this good before,” Eris praised nonstop, deeply affecting the chef’s ego.
‘Little lady, please have mercy on this old man.
Tone down your reactions a bit,’ the chef lamented internally.
To him, it seemed like the young lady had been eating swill all her life and had just tasted human food for the first time, reducing his pride to mere gravel.
“Delicious!
So delicious!” Kurt, who had been indulging in fine food nearly his whole life, had never tasted something so rich and satisfying.
Could he ever eat anything else again in this lifetime?
Had all the food he consumed over the past twenty-plus years been mere swill?
“Uek.” Holly, witnessing everyone’s reaction, couldn’t resist trying the soup herself and found it overwhelmingly good.
Had she been raised on swill too?
Only Kariette managed to eat without showing much shock, accustomed to such culinary delights for over twenty years in the magical world, all thanks to the skills of this man.
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