Tonight, it was cool as usual in the mountain. What was unusual, though, was the many figures hiding in the dark. A fierce match of strength and wisdom was going on between the two sides of Daisy's troops. The soldiers lurking in the shrubs were waiting for their chance to get an advantage over the false enemy. Victory was supreme glory to soldiers. Each side tried their best to win. The training didn't stop even when they heard the gunshots in the afternoon. Soldiers must follow orders. Before they received a formal order, everything had to be carried out as planned.

  Daisy didn't attend to her injuries. They were too common for her and not serious enough to require her attention. As a servicewoman, she didn't spend much time on superficial things such as clothes and appearance, as other women might do. She hadn't felt bad last time when her face was cut by Jessica. But she had been worried she might not be pretty enough for Edward, whose face was more beautiful than those of most women! Daisy had been cooperative throughout the treatment Tom had offered to help her, just to make sure that when she and Edward were together, they would still look like the perfect couple.

  Edward's face flashed into her mind at night, tempting her. She missed him. She understood why it was so hard for Jessica to let him go. To women, he was like a poppy, seemingly charming yet intoxicating. Once they got close to him, they all hopelessly became enamored and were never able to leave him.

  All humans pursued good things. People tried so hard to get them that in the process they destroyed the very thing they were chasing. Daisy disapproved of that, but she had been lost too once, and had worked hard to make her dreams come true. That was how she got her position in the army.

  In contrast to the cold in the mountain, the city seemed warm at night. Edward sat on the balcony, swishing the contents of his glass as he sipped the wine. The sorrow on his face was evident.

  When Daisy wasn't around, he felt extremely lonely. He was always thinking about her. Only the wine could dispel his loneliness. But this was his life now! Days like this would come and go, again and again in the future. He must learn to get used to them. He had been unable to deal with loneliness before. It used to make him feel suffocated. But after Daisy had come into his life again, he had begun to feel peaceful. Daisy had

  ly, Justin had thought about the possibility that his Mommy knew what he had been doing. But he had chosen to ignore it. Snacks were too appealing to him. As long as his secret was kept, he would still have snacks to eat.

  "You have an answer for everything. Be careful, you might become a fatty one day." Edward didn't think it was good parenting to be too strict with children. He believed strictness only caused rebellion. Children from a strict family tended to defy their parents sooner or later. Hence, he never forbade Justin from doing anything, But he didn't agree with indulging children either. Everything had a limit. There should be a line.

  "How so? Like you, I never get fat no matter how much I eat or what I eat. I have good genes." Justin was an excellent suck-up. To flatter his dad, he lied. He always thought he got those good genes from his mom.

  "Well said. No wonder you are the smart one. Okay, time for bed. You have school tomorrow." Edward got up, carrying Justin in his arms toward his bedroom. Although Justin often acted maturely, he was a kid after all. Kids needed to be loved by their parents.

  "Wait. Daddy, since Mommy is not home today, can I sleep with you tonight?" Justin looked at Edward in earnest. He seldom asked to sleep beside his parents at night. He knew he was already a big boy. But since his Mommy wasn't around these days, it fell on him to keep his Daddy company and take care of him. Besides, there were too many women who were jealous of his Mommy and wanted to steal away Daddy. He had to stay close to his Daddy and protect him from those women.