Jorge wiped the sweat off Benjamin, who was sleeping, and combed through his hair while muttering.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, will surely succeed.”

Meanwhile, Benjamin, who dived into Yurisien’s curse, was being embraced by his mother.

“You’ve grown so much…”

She spoke with an affectionate voice. Her looking-up face was brightly lit with joy. It was exactly the same as the last time Benjamin saw her in his memories. However, the trembling pupils seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion, and the joy felt both happy and somewhat poignant.

“I have to look up like this… You’ve really grown a lot.”

To the Queen’s words, Benjamin, who had been silent enough to close his mouth, hesitated for the first time. The mother who always looked up to him was now looking up to him. This feeling was truly unfamiliar. Benjamin regained his senses.

‘My mother passed away when I was a child.’

So, now that Benjamin had become a proper adult, the Queen had to present the appearance of a woman who had encountered the passage of time. However, the Queen who was hugging Benjamin now looked as young as if she were the same age as him. There was no device to tell Benjamin that what he was seeing now was not reality. Upon realizing it, he felt anger that twisted his insides even more than before.

“To think you believed you could entrap Yurisien with such a simple curse.”

It was unpleasant that Yurisien had underestimated him. Even if Yurisien was tired from a series of events, it was still disgraceful. But what made him angrier was the fact that Yurisien really couldn’t break free from the curse.

‘You’re not just any woman, are you?’

With his fists clenched, Benjamin gritted his teeth. He needed to talk to Yurisien. He would show her reality, dragging her out of the dreamlike curse. Determined, Benjamin released himself from his mother’s embrace.

“Mother.”

“Yes, Ben. It’s me. Your mother, your only mother. It’s me.”

“Yes, Mother. Please don’t do this.”

“…Huh?”

To Benjamin’s call, the Queen, who had been shedding tears of joy, stood stiff.

“If you truly love me, please leave for a better place. Whether it be the wind or the waves, leave the painful memories of the imperial city behind and live comfortably.”

“Ben…”

“Don’t torment me like this.”

Snap.

Gold streaks appeared on the Queen’s face. Held by Benjamin’s grip, the Queen, now that he looked, felt as stiff as a plaster statue.

“If you truly love me, don’t let yourself be violated by a wicked woman, not only in life but also in your soul.”

In the moment Benjamin spoke like chewing the words, dash!
Like a plaster statue, the once-sturdy Queen crumbled, and she turned into a shapeless pile of stones, slowly oxidizing into smoke. As if she had never existed in that place, not even once. Benjamin, holding the empty air, clenched and unclenched his hand. Somehow, it felt like he had rejected his mother, leaving a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue.

“I’m sorry, Mother…”

With a momentarily closed eyes, Benjamin’s shoulders bore the emotions that couldn’t be helped, even if she wasn’t the real Queen. Above Benjamin’s shoulders, someone gently rested their hand.

“!”

Benjamin visibly flinched.

‘No way.’

Eager to confirm the owner of this warmth, this touch, Benjamin’s insides boiled, and his legs trembled. However, a strong thought held him back from opening his eyes. A tender voice whispered into Benjamin’s ears, restraining the surge of emotions.

“You’ve grown into a very strong child.”

Then, everything disappeared. Benjamin, finally exhaling a warm breath, opened his tightly closed eyes. He tried to reach for the shoulders, but there was nothing. Despite the emptiness, there was a peculiar warmth that could be felt.

‘Mother…’

For a moment, Benjamin gazed at the sky, then turned his head abruptly. A soft fragrance of fresh flowers brushed past his nose. Unconsciously, he found himself in the garden of the Windsor Townhouse. And there, he met her.

“Let’s be together. From now on, we’ll be together forever.”

“Mother…”

Yurisien, ensnared by the specter of his mother.