As Akkia and Leia entered the reception room after hearing the news, an old woman welcomed them. She introduced herself as Sanpa, the midwife who received Leia’s child when Ariel was giving birth.

“I found out that you are the daughter of the Duchess, the noble lady whose child I received, by reading the newspaper.”

“…You are the Sanpa who received me?”

Leia’s eyes widened significantly as she confirmed the facts once again.

“Yes, my lady. I still remember the day you were born. Even as a newborn, you had such clear features…”

“…”

“You resemble your mother’s vivid hair color.”

Leia, watching Sanpa with teary eyes as she blurred the end of her words, cautiously asked, “Do you remember our mother as well?”

“How could I forget! I vividly remember trying to save you in that dangerous situation.”

‘Dangerous?’

Leia, who was tearing up while imagining her mother’s last moments, raised her head at Sanpa’s following words.

“…Dangerous situation?”

“I can’t explain everything, but… this is a letter your mother had.”

Taking out a worn piece of paper from her bosom, Sanpa handed it to Leia, and her eyes were moist with emotion.

“Mother?”

Leia hesitated to unfold the letter that Sanpa handed her.

After a while, as if determined, she unfolded the letter, revealing neatly written characters on the aged parchment.

“R.C…?”

Leia was about to ask what the initials meant when Akkia, sitting next to her, hastily looked at the letter she was holding.

“Leia, did you just hear R.C.?”

“Yes. It seems to be the name of the sender. Asking for the care of a son… Akkia?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Akkia snatched the letter away.

Then, quickly scanning the letter, his eyes widened.

“…This is!”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Seeing the suspicious look on the Duke’s face, Leia unknowingly swallowed her saliva.

“My mother sent this.”

“What? Your mother…?”

Finally realizing, she muttered a dry sigh.

“It’s from Lady Rachel.”

Rachel was an abbreviation for R.C. This handwriting was undoubtedly that of my mother.

“Then, does our mother and Empress Mama…”

As if recalling something forgotten, he let out a suppressed sigh.

“Yeah, I vaguely heard about my mother’s old friend when I was a child.”

For a moment, he seemed to reminisce about the memories with his mother.

A woman who looked at him happily by the side of Empress Mama. Yes, that woman also had red hair just like Leia right in front of him.

Leia stared at Akkia with a puzzled expression.

‘Mother and Empress Mama’s relationship was so deep…’

Is this what fate is like?

As Leia felt a strange and indescribable emotion, Akkia, who had put on a smile, glanced at Sanpa with cold eyes.

“By the way, why are you delivering this letter now? If you were going to convey it after a long time, you should have sent it with the necklace from the beginning.”

‘Ah.’

At his words, Leia touched the necklace her mother had left. She had momentarily forgotten about it, caught up in the traces of her mother.

‘What the Duke said is right.’

Did Sanpa put the heirloom into the newborn baby’s arms? If so, the letter should have been sent along with the necklace from the start.

Feeling strange, Leia also looked at Sanpa with a questioning gaze.

“…Yes? The necklace?”
However, Sanpa looked puzzled, saying she doesn’t understand English.

“This necklace. Did you put it in my product and send it to the orphanage?”

Leia presented an old woman with a key-shaped necklace adorned with a ruby.

Then, as if trying to recall the necklace, Sanpa examined it for a while and shook her head.

“It seems there might be a misunderstanding. I don’t remember putting a necklace in your arms back then. I didn’t even know about the existence of the necklace.”

“You didn’t know?”

To not even know about the existence of the necklace, Leia’s eyebrows furrowed at Sanpa’s words.

Then who gave me this necklace?

However, looking at the woman in front of her, Leia could tell she truly didn’t know.

“Also, I originally planned to give the letter to the Duke’s father.”

“…?”

‘My father?’

In an instant, Leia’s mind became confused.

Her father had lost his life in an unfortunate accident before her mother gave birth. This was a fact Leia confirmed directly through the Belarus Duke.

However, how could a letter be sent to her deceased father?

“…My father? What are you talking about?”

Realizing that something was oddly flowing in the atmosphere, the old woman asked, seeming perplexed.

“Don’t you know? Your lady’s father is still alive.”

For a moment, Leia, unable to speak, froze in place.

The fact that her father, who she thought was dead, was alive paralyzed all the thought circuits in her mind.

Leia, sitting on the terrace of the bedroom, stared at the sky.

After Sanpa left, she remained in this dazed state.

Even while eating or conversing with the maids, the thought of ‘father’ would suddenly invade her mind.

‘My father is alive…’