Chapter 296: The Feeling Of Home.

Unfortunately, Kael’s voice came out a little louder than he’d intended, and the others heard him. The conversation around the table quieted as everyone turned his way.

Kael blinked, only then realizing he’d spoken aloud.

But rather than teasing him, the others simply smiled. It seemed they all agreed with him.

Hannah’s expression softened as she looked at her son. After a moment, she reached across the table toward him.

"You made all of this possible, Kael."

He looked at her, something warm settling quietly in his chest at the words.

His mother continued before he could respond.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t able to contribute much to your growth over these past few years."

There was a trace of sadness in her eyes as she said those words.

As their mother, she should have been there for them. She should have watched them grow, helped them through their difficulties, and supported them whenever they needed her.

Instead, she had spent those years unconscious, leaving her children to face everything without her.

But despite that regret, a warm smile soon appeared on her face.

"Still, look at you. You grew up pretty well even without me."

Kael felt something tighten in his chest.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

There were so many things he could have told her, so many emotions he had kept buried for years that suddenly threatened to rise to the surface.

Hearing those words from his mother, especially after everything that had happened in his previous life, affected him far more than he expected.

He wanted to tell her that she had nothing to apologize for.

That simply having her sitting here with them was already more than enough.

But the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.

In the end, all he could manage was a bright smile.

He smiled as widely as he could, hoping it would be enough to hold back the flood of emotion rising in him, especially the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Fortunately, Hannah didn’t press for an answer. She simply smiled back, seemingly content with his reaction.

For a little while, they continued enjoying their meal. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, Hannah spoke again.

"Oh, right. Lyra told me you two only moved into this house recently. Is that true?"

Kael looked up from his food.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I see. That’s good." Hannah nodded before continuing, "She also mentioned that you’re planning to host a housewarming party?"

"Yeah..."

Kael paused.

Now that she mentioned it, he had almost forgotten about that.

With everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, from his mother’s recovery to Ezra finally waking up, the housewarming party had been pushed to the back of his mind.

He had originally planned to hold one, but there had simply been too many other things demanding his attention.

Hannah smiled.

"Oh, that’s nice. Have you decided on a date yet?"

"Not really," Kael admitted.

"Then there’s still some time." She glanced around the dining room thoughtfully. "In that case, I was thinking of redecorating the house a little. If you don’t mind, of course."

"Redecorating?"

"Mm-hmm." Hannah nodded. "Don’t you think the place feels a little cold and dull?"

Kael couldn’t help glancing around after hearing that.

Now that he actually paid attention to it, he could see what she meant.

The house was certainly impressive. The Hunter Association had already furnished and decorated it before they moved in, and there was hardly anything lacking when it came to comfort or convenience.

However, despite all that, something about the place still felt rather impersonal.

The furniture was arranged neatly, the decorations were tasteful, and everything looked expensive.

But it didn’t quite have the feeling of a home.

Of course, that wasn’t something Kael had ever particularly cared about.

As long as the house was comfortable and had everything they needed, he was satisfied.

Still, he could understand why his mother would want to change a few things.

And if redecorating the house was something she wanted to do, he certainly had no reason to oppose it.

"Well, sure," he replied, turning back toward her. "I don’t mind."

Hannah’s smile brightened.

"But don’t overwork yourself," Kael added. "You only just recovered, remember?"

There was a hint of concern in his voice as he looked at her.

After everything they had gone through to finally bring her back, the last thing he wanted was for her to start exhausting herself immediately.

He was more than happy to let her do whatever she wanted with the house.

He just hoped she wouldn’t get too carried away with it.

Hannah couldn’t help shaking her head when she heard Kael’s words.

"Oh, come on. Stop treating me like I’m made of paper," she said with a smile. "Besides, I actually feel even better than I did before my condition. Something like decorating a house isn’t going to be a problem."

"Sure, sure," Kael replied, deciding not to argue with her.

However, her words made him think of something.

Is she referring to her recovered cultivation?

After all, according to Varek, his mother’s cultivation had also recovered along with her vitality. Although Kael hadn’t had the opportunity to properly ask her about it yet, he was curious about just how much of her former strength she had regained.

Unfortunately, before he could think any further, Hannah spoke again.

"Anyway, have you decided on a date for the party?"

Kael considered the question for a moment.

"How about the day after tomorrow? It falls on a weekend, so I think that would be a pretty good time to host it."

"That sounds good," Hannah replied with a nod.

However, before Kael could say anything else, Lyra suddenly joined the conversation from the other side of the table.

"Wait, doesn’t that mean we’ll have to finish decorating the house tomorrow?"

"Well, I suppose so," Hannah answered.

"In that case, why don’t we all do it together?" Lyra suggested, looking rather pleased with the idea. "Since Kael is so worried about Mom overworking herself, he can help us with everything."