James pouted unhappily.

He had never once mentioned wanting to take care of Victoria, his so-called 'godmother', in her old age.

Even that godmother title had been forced upon him against his will.

Elise remained silent, simply observing the exchange between James and Victoria.

She didn't speak, and neither did William.

Only Victoria and James' voices could be heard in the queue, with Victoria mostly initiating the teasing and James reluctantly playing along.

After what felt like an eternity, their turn finally arrived.

"Should we all ride together?" Victoria suggested enthusiastically.

The Ferris wheel carriage was spacious enough to accommodate eight people comfortably.

"That won't be necessary," Elise declined immediately. "We wouldn't want to interrupt your private time."

"Oh, it's perfectly fine," Victoria said generously.

"There are reporters everywhere," Elise stated bluntly. "It wouldn't look good if they photographed us together."

She had clearly noticed the swarm of media personnel surrounding them.

Victoria glanced toward William, as if seeking his opinion.

"Let's ride separately," he decided.

"Oh," Victoria responded, her expression turning disappointed though she didn't argue. "I just wanted to share the carriage with Jimmy."

"You two go ahead," Elise offered. "James and I can ride by ourselves."

"I want to ride with Mommy," James insisted firmly.

"You ungrateful little thing, after how much I dote on you," Victoria said with affectionate exasperation. "Fine, fine. Ride with whoever you want. When have I ever forced you to do anything?"

James looked thoroughly displeased.

He wasn't being ungrateful—he would never act this way toward someone he genuinely cared about.

Elise took James' hand as they stepped into their carriage, while William and Victoria entered the one directly behind theirs.

The massive wheel began its slow ascent.

The glittering nightscape of Crestwood gradually unfolded before them.

"Mommy, it's so beautiful," James breathed, pressing against the glass window in awe.

Elise smiled and nodded in agreement.

She remembered visiting amusement parks with her own mother when she was young, but the facilities then were nowhere near as advanced, and the city skyline hadn't been nearly as spectacular.

"Mommy, are you..." James suddenly turned with a serious expression. "Are you upset?"

"What?" Elise seemed startled by the question.

"Because of Victoria being here," James whispered softly.

"Not at all." Elise gave a light chuckle.

"I heard that Victoria is going to marry Daddy."

"Yes, she is." Elise confirmed with a nod.

"Doesn't that make you sad, Mommy?" James looked up at her, his eyes filled with concern.

The city's twinkling lights reflected in James' bright, innocent eyes, their pure intensity tugging at Elise's heartstrings.

She couldn't help but pull James into her arms.

She held him tightly against her chest.

James seemed slightly surprised by the sudden embrace.

For some reason, he sensed that Mommy was acting differently today than she usually did.

Was Mommy feeling emotional because Daddy was about to marry someone else?