Chapter 925
The little boy still had shaggy hair. If the war had not torn his world apart and separated him from his parents, he would be a happy child now. Nina gently patted his head and spoke softly, “Can you tell me your name? You didn’t want to stay at the embassy because of your parents?” “I’ve never seen my parents.” The boy lowered his head, his voice raspy and filled with sadness.
Nina, who had spent five years in Salterra, observing the transition from minor conflicts to major upheavals, understood. If the boy had never seen his parents, it meant they had never been around from the beginning. What a pitiful child! “So, do you not have a name?” Nina pursed her lips, poured him a cup of water, and continued to crouch in front of him, trying to communicate.
The boy neither took the water nor spoke further. He looked like a child who felt deeply wronged and did not know what to do.
Nina’s heart tightened. Another child with deep psychological scars. But living in a war zone, how could any child’s mind be completely healthy?
She had a thought. If she focused on children and the elderly in her reports and rallied peace-loving people from around the world, could she help bring about a ceasefire?
Holding the boy’s hand, she asked, “If you don’t have a name, can I give you one?”
At first, she had thought the little boy, dressed in a white shirt and looking so neat, must be the child of a wealthy Birkhamese businessman. But now it seemed his clothes were probably picked out of a garbage heap.
The boy had likely lost his parents when he was very young. He was probably too young to remember them, leaving him with the memory of never having seen them.
“My name is Orion.”
“Orion.” Nina repeated the name slowly. She smiled and said, “Your parents must have hoped you would shine as brightly as the stars. You can stay with me for a few days, and then I’ll take you to the embassy. But these days might be busy for me.”
The officer had mentioned a temporary ceasefire, but situations could change quickly. If she had a child with her, she needed to make things clear to him.
Orion looked at her with teary eyes, pitifully pleading, “I have… nowhere to go… Can you… keep me?”
Orion spoke very slowly, and Nina realized he could only manage to say a few words at a time. If he tried to say more, his speech would become fragmented and halting. He seemed to be around five years old, and Nina began to understand why he did not want to go to the embassy.
“I don’t have a stable place, and I can’t take proper care of you. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. You must be hungry. Let me see if I can find something for you to eat.”
Many people were worse off than this boy, but her profession demanded responsibility. Keeping a child with her would only hinder her work.
Orion nodded.
Nina quickly brought back two sweet potatoes. “It’s not meal time yet, and conditions aren’t great because of the fighting. Orion, fill your stomach with these for now.”