When Lily Evans entered the courtyard, she saw several soldiers from the Hayes Regiment taking care of the children.
The children ranged from twelve or thirteen years old to as young as five or six. Having just lost their parents, many of them looked heartbroken, sitting in the courtyard and sobbing quietly.
As soon as the children saw Alexander Hayes enter, it was as if they all recognized him. They immediately gathered around, chattering excitedly:
"General Hayes is here to see us again!"
"If it weren't for General Hayes, we would have died in the mountains."
"Our savior is here! Thank you to General Hayes and his men for saving me and my little brother!"
"Thank you, kind benefactor!"
The children's innocent, earnest faces made Lily's heart ache. Seeing their shabby clothes and meager food, she felt a pang of sorrow.
Alexander Hayes smiled and mingled with the children. They both respected and feared the legendary War God General, but were also curious about the beautiful lady he brought with him.
A timid little girl gazed at Lily Evans with envy and softly asked, "Is this beautiful lady General Hayes's wife?"
Lily Evans smiled at her and nodded, "Yes, I am General Hayes's wife."
The little girl's eyes lit up, "General Hayes is a good person, so the general's wife must be a good person too!"
Lily Evans looked at the child's innocent eyes and laughed.
The children then swarmed over, gathering around Lily Evans.
Lily Evans shared the food she brought with the children. The children were as happy as if it were New Year's, eagerly eating what was given to them.
Smiling, Lily Evans said, "Children, though you've lost your homes, General Hayes and I will not abandon you. If you are willing to follow us and work for us, I promise you will have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, books to read, and a future where you can build your own lives."
"Really!" The children, who had been in despair after losing their homes and families, now had hope shining in their eyes at the general's wife's words.
Lily Evans looked at the children and nodded solemnly, "If you are willing to work hard, I will give you the chance to change your fate."
The children exchanged hesitant glances.
They were all children from the same village, familiar with one another. As they whispered together, the little girl suddenly stepped forward and said, "I don't think the general's wife would lie to us! We're all orphans—no parents, no family. The court doesn't care about us, only General Hayes does. We're weak and powerless, we can't fight soldiers. If the general's wife wanted to hurt or sell us, she wouldn't need to trick us, because we couldn't resist anyway!"
Such honest reasoning, coming from the little girl's mouth, was blunt yet genuine. Lily Evans patted the girl's head and asked, "What's your name, little one?"
"My name is Cecilia," the girl replied shyly.
"Cecilia is right!" an older boy chimed in, "If someone really wanted to hurt us, why bother tricking us? They could just use force, and none of us could resist! General Hayes is a good man, and so is the general's wife. They're willing to care for us orphans, and that's our good fortune. I don't care about anything else—I'm going to follow General Hayes and his wife. I don't want my life to end like this; I want to change my fate!"
One child responded, then a hundred voices echoed in agreement!
"Me too!"
"And me, we'll all follow General Hayes and his wife!"
The children, their eyes filled with hope, looked at Lily Evans and Alexander Hayes as if they were seeing a new world.
Lily Evans smiled warmly, and Alexander Hayes nodded with satisfaction. Together, they would lead these children toward a brighter future.