Just like now, Sophie was so focused on watching her Karina unnie's move. Master Liu was teaching Karina Kung Fu now. He was teaching her defensive techniques and their proper execution.

Eunji saw that Sophie was having a good time. Layla was also sitting on the sideline watching Karina's training.

She was not unfamiliar to this training set-up as she had seen this before back in their base.

She had witnessed hundreds of children training on how to fight and defend themselves against the other students in the mercenary academy.

So watching a kid's training was quite nostalgic for her.

Layla looked to the right and saw her daughter, Eunji leaning against the wall with arms crossed over her chest.

Eunji was observing Karina's movements and her execution on the techniques that Master Liu was teaching her.

She could see huge beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her training uniform was already drenched with sweat. She looked exhausted but the child was still determined to continue this training.

Eunji decided to do something to her training and she picked up a small pebble and flicked it towards Karina.

If she could avoid this ambush attack, then, she had made a huge improvement but if not, she had to train more.

The pebble traveled at a fast speed after it left her index finger and thumb and then...it hit the strand of Karina's hair.

If she didn't dodge the last minute, it would surely hit her skull.

Karina then looked at the direction where the pebble came from and she saw Eunji with the corner of her lips turned up a little.

Behind her, Angelina almost had a heart attack after she saw Eunji's sneak test on Karina.

Karina looked at her master and then bowed down to her to show respect to Eunji.

"Master!" Karina greeted.

"Good job. Keep it up." Eunji gave her compliments to Karina which was very rare making the child happy.

"But you have to work hard more. Can I expect that from you?" Eunji asked Karina.

Meanwhile, as soon as Sophie saw her mother, she immediately got up from the floor and ran towards her mother with her small arms spread horizontally on the air as she wanted her mother to lift her up in the air and carry her in her arms like usual.

"Mommy! You're back!" Sophie exclaimed as she was being lifted up by her mother in the air.

"Hello baby! Yes! Mommy's back!" Eunji smiled as she looked at her daughter and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I'll try my best Master!" Karina said in determination with her head still bowed down.

She was not discouraged at all. She was even more motivated to train after she received Eunji's compliments.

The kid was even fired up to not let down her master.

She's up for the challenge.

"Then, I'll teach you tech skills when I come back." Eunji said with a smile this time.

"I'll be looking forward to gain that knowledge from you master!" Karina said as her expression lighten up.

"Good!" Eunji said as she beckoned her to go back from training but Master Liu called it a day.

"Training dismissed!" Master Liu said and Karina turned his attention to him and made a bow.

And everyone left the training hall as soon as they heard that their traning had finally ended for today.

Tomorrow would be another story for them.

Karina went with her mother, Angelina as they walked back to her room here in the manor to have a warm bath and change for a set of comfortable clothes for dinner afterwards.

On the other hand, Eunji, Layla and Sophie was left in the training hall.

Eunji then went to Layla and gave her a hug with Sophia in between them. "Eomma, I'm back! Sorry if I came here a day later." She greeted and apologized at the same time.

She then sat down on the bench beside her mother as they talked.

"Welcome back. Did you get enough rest when you came back?" Layla asked her daughter in worry. She knew Eunji's tendency when traveling overseas in a plane.

"I'm fine, Eomma. Don't worry about me." She smiled.

"How about you, Eomma? How have you been during the days that I'm away? Are you okay? Have you adjusted well here? Did Sophie give you trouble?" Eunji bombarded Layla with questions.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She then stood up from her seat and showed her walking away and back to her original position.

"See? I can walk now. All thanks to Master Liu." Layla said with a smile.

"And my granddaughter has been such a good girl. She's very attentive and caring towards her grandma. She's such a sweetheart, Devie." Layla said as she pinched Sophie's cheeks softly.

Eunji smiled as she looked her daughter.

"Say thank you grandma." Eunji told her daughter.

"Thank you, grandma!" Sophie obeyed her mother.

"When are we going to go back to the capital?" Layla asked her daughter.

"About that, Eomma...Can...you and Sophie stay here with Master for awhile longer?" Eunji told her.

"Why? Devie, you're leaving again? You just gotten back from your business trip. Don't overwork and push your body too much, Devie. Have a month of rest in between will you?" Layla lectured her daughter.

Eunji gave her suggestion a thought and then she nodded.

Sophie's birthday's coming. No...more accurately, her children's birthday's coming. And since it's Sophie who was together with her, she would make sure to spend the time with her.

She had also arranged to send gift for her sons for the first time this year.

"Okay, Eomma." She told Layla.

Meanwhile, Sophie frowned as she listened to her grandmother and mother's conversation.

When she heard her mother would be leaving again soon, Sophie's expression immediately turned sad.

"Eomma, you're leaving again?" Sophie asked her mother.

"Yes, but not now." Eunji softly told her daughter.

"Why?" Sophie asked her.

"Another business trip? Aunt Angelina can go." Sophie added.

"No, it won't be a business trip this time." Eunji said.

"Then what, Eomma?" Sohie asked her mother.

Sometimes, Eunji questioned herself if she was talking to a toddler or a teenager.

She knew she had to answer her question now or she might bug her and the others later.

"Eomma has to go somewhere to chase the bad guys away. So Sophie will be safe." Eunji tried to explain to her as simple as she knew how.

"Bad guys?" Sophie frowned.

"Sophie...Princess...remember when I told you once that there are bad guys who are running after eomma and you?" Eunji asked as she looked at her.

"Yes...are we going to run away, Eomma?" Sophie asked her mother.

"No, Princess. We won't be running away. You'll be staying here with grandmother and Master.

And Eomma, Eomma will go and hunt them all down before they could come and get us." She said calmly to her.

"But Eomma, what if you'll get hurt? Eomma, can I go with you? I'm scared!" She said.

"Don't be, Princess. Master will keep you safe here. You'll be safe here. Don't worry about, Eomma. I'm strong. I'll come back alive for you and for our family." Eunji tried to console her daughter.

"But Sophie wanted to come with Eomma! I'll protect you, Eomma! Sophie loves Eomma the most. I'll protect Eomma from the bad guys!" Sophie said.

"No. It's dangerous if you'll go with Eomma. So please listen to Eomma, okay? Stay with grandma and Master and be good." Eunji said as she tried to talk it out with her daughter.

"Eomma, don't you love me?" She asked.

"Where did you get that question? Of course I do love you!" Eunji said but the child shook her head.

"No Eomma. If you love me, you won't leave me alone with Master and Grandma!" Sophie yelled as she freed herself from her mother's arms and ran away.

"Sophia Bai! Come back here, now!" Eunji called her daughter out but Sophie didn't listen to her.

Eunji sighed as she knew it would take time for her to appease her daughter.

Especially if she's like this. It's hard to deal her when she's in a bad mood. Only she could control her daughter.

This was the first time that she's rebelling against her mother. And Eunji was not used to this at all. She's used to her sensible behavior and not the rebelling type.

How old was she? She's not even two yet but she's already acting like this.

Even at such a young age, Sophia had this temper and she knew that it's hard to discipline her in the future if she won't do it now.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her." Layla helped out her daughter.

"It's okay, Eomma. She'll come around." Eunji said.

She knew that Sophie didn't want her to be sad so she hoped she would come back and apologize for misbehaving.

But seems like she had underestimated the matter this time.

Even during dinner, Sophia remained silent. She didn't even open her mouth when Eunji spoonfed it to her.

She was no longer the enthusiastic kid that she used to especially when her mother was around in the dinning table.

The atmosphere in the dinning room turned tense as they observed the mother and daughter.

"Sophie...open your mouth, Grandma will feed you."

"I'm not hungry." She weakly said.

"Let her starve Eomma, if she didn't want to eat." Eunji harshly said.

"Do you think I'll let you drink milk from me tonight? No way!" Eunji spoke in an indifferent tone without looking at her daughter.

"Eomma!" Sophie cried to her mother in protest.

"Don't be stubborn Sophia Bai! Eat your food or I will never feed you any food in the future." She threatened her daughter.

Seems like her threat worked as the child finally opened her mouth and ate her porridge which her grandma fed her.

Seeing her child being obedient again, Eunji sighed in relief.

Layla then let Eunji to feed Sophie.

"Here." Eunji said as she brought the spoon near Sophie's mouth and Sophie opened her mouth and ate the porridge on the spoon.

The dinner ended in silence but still the mother and daughter had not fully reconciled.

"Devie...I think you should talk to your daughter with regards to her father." Layla told her daughter later that night.

As expected, Eunji's expression changed when she heard of the topic.

"You see. Your child's pretty smart. When she saw one of the servant bringing in her child today, the two kids played together. I don't know what happened but when she came back, she started asking for her father." Layla explained.

"I see." Eunji sighed and continued, "Okay Eomma, I'll talk tell her about this tonight."

Seems like she had to tell the truth about her father and siblings tonight.