Jirni was pleasantly surprised to discover that Phloria was still at Lith's bedside, washing his chest and arms with a wet cloth to clean him from the sweat. She knew that Phloria was capable of doing it with magic.
It meant that, even if Phloria herself had yet to realize it, her daughter's affection for him was rooted deeply enough to feel reassured by the physical contact.
Jirni smiled, another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place by itself.
- "I love it when a plan comes together."– Jirni inwardly rejoiced.
"Phloria my dear, you need to rest." She said.
- "Those bags under your eyes and your dedication will surely win over your mother in law."– She actually thought.
"Thanks, mom. I was thinking about taking a nap as soon as I finish here." Phloria's smile was tired, yet she appreciated her mother's concern instead of her usual nagging. Since her visit to the academy, her mother had become as thoughtful as Orion.
"I'll immediately have a warm bath prepared, and fresh sheets placed on your bed. You deserve a good night's sleep." Phloria tensed up, just like Jirni had hoped.
"Thanks, but I think I will remain here." Phloria's voice lacked the earlier kindness and was now filled with the stubborn determination that Jirni had learned to love and hate over the years.
"It's not proper for a lady to sleep in the same room with a young man, even if he is unconscious."
Jirni faked her disapproval while keeping an ear on the approaching steps. According to her estimations, to take advantage of those unexpected circumstances, she needed to buy a few more seconds and poke Phloria once or twice.
"You have gone through a lot, yet you never left his side for almost two days." Jirni seemed to be genuinely worried, even making her eyes watery at will.
"You need to take better care of yourself. Let the medical staff replace you for a few hours, you need some rest. Lith is still going to be here when you wake up."
"I don't give a damn if it's proper or not!" Phloria yelled loud enough that even Captain Locrias back in Lutia could almost hear her.
"I'm not going out of here until he wakes up or his family arrives! I don't want him to wake up in a strange place surrounded by strangers!
I know it's just a superstition, but if there's even one chance in a million that having someone close that cares for him may help him recover, I'm willing to stay here as long as it takes!"
Phloria had yet to give her mother a piece of her mind, but Elina's sudden arrival stopped her in her tracks.
"My little Flower, I only meant that you should at least ask for his family's approval first." Jirni said with an apologetic tone like it was all a misunderstanding.
When a second later Lith's father and sisters entered the room, Phloria realized her mother had played her like a fiddle. She turned pale, emphasizing her bloodshot eyes and the dark bags below them.
Elina reached the bed, remaining horrified by her son's condition. His body looked like a dried up corpse, his hair had turned grey, and wrinkles had appeared on his face and hands. He seemed to have aged decades from the last time she had seen him.
His breathing was ragged, but regular. After Tista triple checked him, reassuring the rest of the family that Lith's life wasn't in danger despite his appearance, Elina turned to Phloria and took her hands between hers, kissing them non stop.
"Thank you so much for being by my son's side all this time. You have no idea how scared I was of him being alone in a moment like this. He is really a lucky boy to have found such a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend."
Then, Elina embraced her, soon followed by the whole family in a long group hug. Phloria had become beet red, not only was she embarassed to death by what she had said in front of Lith's family, but also because she couldn't help but compare herself with his sisters.
Aside from her height, they ran circles around her in every regard. Looks, curves, and even their natural scent were leagues above hers. Tista was the one that crushed her self esteem the most.
Having received Lith's treatments since she was very young, Tista had flawless skin, soft curves in all the right places, and was even almost as tall as Phloria.
Phloria was moved by their gratitude and kind words, but the insecure teenage girl inside her kept nagging at her, quoting Professor Manohar in calling her "a flat beanpole".