A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 332: Heart of a Parent

No matter how many times people told him dragons were tough, Qiong Xing could never stop himself from reaching out whenever he saw his child falling.

And every time it happened, fear gripped his heart so tightly it hurt.

"Even though I told Nura to trust our child, I’m the one who can’t do it."

"That’s only natural. You’re his mother. And that’s not a lack of trust, it’s concern. Worrying about your child is what parents do."

Was that really true?

Shouldn’t he be watching over Lingxiao the way Nura and Raon did, believing that everything would be fine because Lingxiao was a dragon?

Would stepping in only hinder Lingxiao’s growth?

The doubts never ended and every day he found himself wondering what the right thing to do was.

"Qiong Xing, if we were about to fight someone, you’d worry about us getting hurt too, wouldn’t you? It’s the same thing."

Joa said it would be stranger not to worry when his child might get hurt right before his eyes.

"I..."

"I told you before, if something’s bothering you, talk about it. Seeing you depressed without saying anything is what scares us."

Joa who was always so strong and dependable said he was scared.

Startled, Qiong Xing looked up and saw Joa gazing down at him with eyes that seemed somewhat lonely.

"...I’m sorry."

He was probably the reason Joa was making that expression.

"A mate is the other half of your soul. To the point where you feel like you couldn’t keep living if that half disappeared. So tell us. Anything. No matter how trivial, no matter how happy. Rui and the others are important too, but to me, nothing is more important than you, Qiong Xing."

Thinking things through alone and reaching his own conclusions had become a habit.

He could honestly admit when he did not know something.

He could ask for help when there was something he could not do.

But the habit of suppressing his feelings and convincing himself everything was fine was much harder to break.

Elias had told him so.

Leander had told him so.

Now even Joa was telling him the same thing.

It made him want to cry at how hopeless he could be.

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry for making you worry."

"You don’t have to apologize. Just don’t forget about us. I’m... we’re your other half. We want to share everything with you. The good times and the hard times."

"...Yes. I’m sorry. Thank you. Thank you for loving me, Joa. I love you too."

With all his heart, Qiong Xing offered his gratitude and love to the one who was his other half.

...

Joa had noticed for some time that Qiong Xing had seemed anxious lately.

As a beastman himself, Joa possessed physical abilities that far surpassed those of ordinary humans.

While he certainly worried about Lingxiao’s reckless behavior, he trusted Raon and the others when they said the young dragon would be fine.

For Qiong Xing, however, things were different.

Every time he saw his child falling from the sky right in front of him, his hands trembled and his face turned pale.

"He’s a dragon. A fall like that won’t hurt him."

"...Yes."

Judging by the fact that Lingxiao could fall from an incredible height without even getting a scratch, it was probably true.

Even so, Joa could see Qiong Xing’s smile fading more and more with each passing day.

That worried him as well.

"...Joa."

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

As usual, Lingxiao was out practicing flying, and Qiong Xing had been accompanying him.

Yet while Joa was working, Qiong Xing suddenly called his name and wrapped his arms around him.

Joa asked what was wrong, but Qiong Xing did not answer.

His head remained lowered, hiding his expression.

This wasn’t good.

Joa immediately lifted him into his arms and headed outside.

As they passed through the yard, Raon looked over with concern and asked if Qiong Xing was alright.

Normally, Qiong Xing would have smiled and assured him that everything was fine.

This time, however, he merely nodded without saying a word.

That alone was enough to convince Joa that he needed to get him out of the house for a while.

"I’m sorry."

Qiong Xing softly called his name and apologized.

But there was nothing for him to apologize for.

If anything, Joa was simply happy that Qiong Xing was willing to rely on him like this.

Knowing Qiong Xing would probably never bring it up himself, Joa decided to start the conversation.

"I told Nura to trust our child, but I can’t seem to trust him myself."

What a ridiculous thing to say.

"Of course you’re worried. You’re his mother. And that’s not a matter of not trusting him. You’re just worried about him. It’s only natural for a parent to worry about their child."

What was wrong with a parent worrying about their child?

Besides, despite all his fears, Qiong Xing had never stopped Lingxiao from trying to fly.

Even when his hands shook with worry, he endured it for Lingxiao’s sake.

Joa worried about Rui and Yue as well.

Even though they were beastmen and he knew their superior physical abilities meant they would probably be fine, he still worried every day.

Would they trip and fall?

Would they get hurt?

Those concerns never disappeared.

Still, because they were the same race as him, his worries were lighter than Qiong Xing’s.

It was precisely because Qiong Xing was human that he could never stop worrying about Lingxiao and the others attempting things he himself could never do.

It was not Qiong Xing’s fault.

Once he seemed to have calmed down a little after talking things through, Joa carried him back home, where the children were undoubtedly still worried about him.

"Come here for a minute."

"Huh?"

When they returned, Iseul was relaxing with some tea, apparently finished with the day’s training.

Joa immediately grabbed him and dragged him into a room.

Figuring Raon should hear this as well, he dragged him along too.