“The nightmare you had due to the side effects of the Marcus herb, was it about your mother?”

Startled, Demian couldn’t deny it. Arasila turned her head to gaze at the dark forest beyond and continued speaking.

“The person who gave me the dress was Baroness Fanning, a friend of the former duchess. Considering these points…”

“…”

“The current duchess deliberately did this knowing that your mother is your weakness. How cowardly.”

How could someone be so cruel to a person who lost their mother at seven years old?

Arasila was enraged by the vile intention of using his mother’s death as a weakness to provoke him.

She felt like challenging the duchess to a duel herself.

Looking at Arasila’s soft profile as she fumed on his behalf, Demian impulsively blurted out.

“Do you know why my mother passed away?”

“Huh? Um…”

Unable to say ‘Because your father was a bad man who had a son with another woman?’, Arasila trailed off vaguely.

Reading her thoughts, Demian laughed briefly.

“Do you also know why I find all memories related to my mother so horrific?”

“…Is it alright for me to ask?”

Arasila hesitantly questioned. Though she lived without minding others’ opinions, she wasn’t the type to carelessly pry into others’ wounds and private matters.

Moreover, given the heavy family history she had heard when he explained his dislike of skinship before, she couldn’t bring herself to dig into him just to satisfy her curiosity.

Demian stared at the cautious Arasila and smiled faintly.

“If you want to hear, you may ask.”

He was no longer afraid to reveal his most vulnerable side in front of Arasila.

It was strange, considering he had lived his whole life desperately trying not to show any weaknesses to others.

Arasila blinked slowly. Her blue eyes, sparkling as if filled with stars, gazed at him steadily.

“Then I’ll ask. Please tell me.”

I want to understand you better. The softly added words tickled Demian on the breeze.

In front of this woman who didn’t treat his family history as interesting gossip, but wanted to understand him, he couldn’t help but be more honest.

Monica Vandermir.

She was the first wife of Alex Vandermir, Demian Vandermir’s birth mother, and the first duchess of the Vandermir duchy.

And she was the beloved daughter of the Ronde Count family, which had imperial blood flowing through their veins.

Monica, who grew up showered with love between her parents and three older brothers, was bright and pure.

She didn’t know how to doubt others, couldn’t grasp people’s true nature, and failed to notice anyone’s hidden malice.

When she accidentally met Alex Vandermir, who had an excellent outward appearance, at a ball, Monica fell in love as if it were fate.

She fell for him at first sight.

Less than half a year after meeting Alex, Monica announced to her family that she would marry him.

But the Ronde Count family opposed the marriage. The reason they rejected such a good match as a ducal family was clear.

“The Vandermir dowager duchess’s love for her son is infamously terrible even in social circles. If you marry, she’ll surely ignore and torment you.”

“The duke has too many women around him! Considering he was once addicted to gambling, it’s obvious he’s weak to impulses and stimulation and will make his wife suffer.”

“Is he truly in love with you? He might treat you well now since you haven’t been together long, but you need to observe a man long-term. You never know how he’ll be later.”

“Dear, Monica. While the position of duchess brings many gains and honors, you’ll have to give up just as much. Your mom and dad don’t want you to live such a difficult life.”

Apart from the Vandermir duchy being a prestigious family anyone would covet, it was clear to everyone that it would be a position where a woman would suffer if she entered.

The Ronde Count family had no desire to do business by marrying Monica off to a high-ranking family. So they tried hard to dissuade her.

But Monica, blinded by love, rejected her family’s opposition and followed Alex to hold their wedding in the Vandermir duchy.

At that time, the person who stood as her marriage guarantor was her childhood friend, Sophie Meyer.

Sophie was a precious friend who became Monica’s emotional sanctuary, uniquely taking her side when everyone opposed Monica’s marriage.

So when Monica left the capital for the Vandermir duchy, she persuaded Sophie to come along.

Sophie was the fourth daughter of the Meyer Viscount family, vassals of the Ronde Count family. Being from a family with many daughters, her position was ambiguous, overshadowed by her sisters above and below.

So she readily agreed to leave for the duchy with Monica. Monica was grateful to her and promised to find her a good marriage match.

She dreamed of a future where they would always be together, by connecting Sophie with someone from the highest-ranking vassal family serving the duchy.

However, reality wasn’t as beautiful as Monica’s imagination.

Everything her parents and brothers had warned about became reality.

The dowager duchess tormented her terribly and isolated her in the duchy, while Alex, whose heart cooled quickly, started roaming outside.

Monica became unhappy in an instant.

Less than a month after marriage, she began spending every night in tears.

She missed her family, longed for the capital, and wanted to meet her friends. But the dowager duchess thoroughly prevented her from returning to her family home.

“Don’t you know that a married woman belongs to her husband’s family? Instead of throwing tantrums, fulfill your duties as a wife! Tsk, it’s unbelievable you still haven’t conceived a child.”

In fact, what troubled Monica the most was the dowager duchess’s habitual last remark.

Despite marrying at a young age, less than a year after coming of age, Monica struggled to conceive. Whether due to her originally weak constitution or not, even when she did become pregnant, she repeatedly miscarried.

The duke blamed rather than comforted her for losing the children.

“If you had been more careful with your behavior, you might not have miscarried this time. When will I ever be able to proudly present a grandchild to my mother?”

It was common for noble ladies who couldn’t bear children to be treated as nuisances within their families.

But Monica, who had grown up receiving only love, couldn’t endure such a situation.

She wanted to confide her worries to her family, but felt too ashamed to bring it up.

Who would welcome her if she now said she wanted a divorce after forcing through a marriage everyone had opposed?

At least with Sophie there, Monica could barely endure in the Vandermir duchy.

To her, Sophie was more than just a friend. She was like a sister, practically her only family in the duchy.

Then one day, Sophie became pregnant.

The unmarried noblewoman, who had neither a lover nor a fiancé, suddenly conceived a child.

Sophie remained completely silent about the child’s father. Monica actively shielded her friend, fearing she might face malicious rumors.

Around the time Sophie entered her second trimester, Monica also became pregnant.

This time, Monica was determined to protect the child.

To avoid stress, she avoided meeting the dowager duchess as much as possible, and worked to establish her position as duchess by meeting with the wives of various vassals and building relationships.

Her efforts bore fruit.

She gained the favor of those around her, creating allies for herself within the duchy, and safely overcame the crisis of miscarriage that had inevitably come.

The child born that way was Demian.

Having given birth to the firstborn son that both the duke and dowager duchess had been clamoring for, she thought there would be no more hardships in her life.

Until Sophie made a shocking confession.

“I’m sorry, Monica. Actually, Oscar’s father is… Duke Vandermir.”

As it turned out, Alex and Sophie had been committing adultery for quite some time.

“Sophie, how could you do this to me? We’re friends. But how…”

“You were the one who first said we were family, Monica. We’ve finally become real family now, so what’s the problem?”

Sophie’s expression changed so drastically, it was as if her previous persona had been fake.

Monica was tremendously shocked by the betrayal of her most trusted friend. She collapsed on the spot and began to waste away from that moment on.

Shamelessly, Sophie moved into the lord’s castle right after revealing the truth.

She acted as the duchess in Monica’s place, assisting Alex and serving the dowager duchess while Monica lay bedridden, struggling to maintain her position.

Some noble ladies criticized her, but as years passed, Sophie’s thick skin only grew thicker.

The more Sophie came to the forefront, the more Monica’s position shrank.

Those who had followed Monica betrayed her one by one and attached themselves to Sophie. The fact that those around her turned their backs on her further weakened Monica’s mental state.

At some point, Monica fell into deep depression, moved her room to a secluded corner on the third floor, and refused communication with the outside world.

Leaving her son Demian outside.

Growing up in such a family environment, Demian had no choice but to mature early.

Despite receiving no proper love from anyone, he grew up diligently without going astray. It’s funny to use such an expression for a child who was only three or four years old, but still.

Until then, Demian was the only heir to the Vandermir duchy. Oscar, being illegitimate, couldn’t be recognized for that position.

Even amidst his parents’ neglect, Demian endured harsh heir training and showed talent in swordsmanship. He maturely never threw tantrums or slacked off.

The only joy for the young boy was taking his high test scores from his tutor to show his mother when he received them.

“Well done, Demian. My son. How can you be so smart? You’re doing very well.”

Monica still wouldn’t come out of her room, but she didn’t refuse Demian’s visits.

Demian felt proud when his usually listless mother smiled at him. When she suddenly burst into tears, he would maturely pat her back.

“I’m sorry, Demian. For not being strong enough to protect you… But our Demian must grow up strong. Strong enough that you don’t need to rely on anyone, that you can trust only yourself. You must become a strong person.”

Monica often grabbed Demian and cried while saying such things.

Become strong.

So young Demian’s dream was to become a strong adult. He wanted to save his mother who had closed her heart and hidden in darkness.

He dreamed of surely grasping his mother’s hand and escaping this place to find happiness.

Seeing that he was the only one in the household who could protect his mother, he felt a strange sense of responsibility towards her.

He believed that someday when he grew into an excellent adult, his mother would be able to find happiness too.

But when Demian turned seven years old. Monica, unable to overcome her long-standing depression, took her own life.

Demian, who had gone to give his usual morning greeting, discovered his mother collapsed on the floor, cold and lifeless, and screamed.

“Mother, no! Mother!”

The Vandermir duchy hastily held her funeral and erased all traces.

Since the duke, who had shamelessly been unfaithful since practically their honeymoon, and his mistress Sophie had essentially killed her, they went to great lengths to cover up the scandal.

Still, as public opinion raged, the duchy chose to face it head-on.

Just a few months after Monica’s death, the duke remarried Sophie and officially registered Oscar in the family registry, introducing him as his eldest son.

Then they tried their best to present the image of a harmonious and perfect family.

One way or another, dead people are eventually forgotten, and people tend to focus on what they see before their eyes.

Naturally, Demian, the only blood left by Monica, came to be seen as a thorn in their side.

As long as Demian was visible, people would forever remember and recall Monica.

The ducal family committed terrible abuse to erase Demian’s existence. Nastily, they used the servants who had followed Monica but had now changed sides.

Demian’s heart crumbled, betrayed by those he had trusted so soon after losing his mother.

Of course, there were those who kept their loyalty to the end, but such people couldn’t last long in the duchy and were all driven out.

What protected the young Demian was the previous duke.

Though he had already stepped down from his position due to illness and couldn’t completely stop his son and daughter-in-law’s atrocities, he protected Demian so that no one could drive him out of the family or kill him.

When the previous duke died of illness, the duke and duchess sent assassins after Demian as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Fortunately, on the first night the assassins attacked, Demian was in a light sleep.

So he was able to sense the ominous presence approaching him and dodge the incoming blade.

Although he was stabbed in the abdomen, he gritted his teeth and drove the assassins away. Looking around his room that had instantly become a mess, he realized.

That the rest of his life would be filled with scenes like this. That if he wanted to live, he would have to struggle and build his own strength.

From that day on, Demian slept with a knife under his pillow.

Having shown exceptional talent in swordsmanship from a young age, he managed to survive no matter how many assassins were sent after him, though always on the brink of death.

Tired of this, the ducal family decided to send him to another country altogether. Hoping to hear news of his death when enough time had passed for him to be forgotten.