“Since the lady was very young at that time. She was probably around 4 or 5 years old.”

Even if he met her, it was a time when she couldn’t remember.

“Lady’s mother was a close friend of my mother.”

Without saying anything, she focused on Marquis Haribo’s voice.

“Thanks to that, I, Zelda Myers, was able to see the lady several times.”

That was the reason he could remember her.

“A few years passed until that cruel incident occurred.”

A voice that sank instantly.

“Until the late king exterminated the Myers family.”

As his voice sank, his eyes, as dark as swallowed black light, became even darker.
“Because my mother was not a noble, she hid the fact that she was from any particular family when she married my father.”

“……. ”

“Unintentionally, thanks to that, my mother did not get entangled in that cruel incident.”

Ah, Lamein opened her mouth slightly.

“But she suffered. She silently cried at the news of family and friends dying by the dozens every day.”

How could she not be tormented?

Feeling a twinge in her chest, Lamein swallowed her breath slowly.

“Unfortunately, time passed, and the cruel news stopped coming at some point.”

Marquis Haribo continued the story with a slightly lighter tone.

“Due to the floral business, we often visited different kingdoms following my father, who traveled to various countries.”

“……. ”

“When we visited the house of a noble in the Lator Kingdom for business. There, I could meet the lady.”

Lamein raised her eyebrows slowly.

“Hether Calypso. Once a powerless noble in the Lator Kingdom, but now in the house of the top war hero of the Martin Kingdom.”

Marquis Haribo smiled slyly, recalling that day.

Neither her mother nor she recognized who the child was.

Only after seeing the bracelet wrapped around her emaciated wrist did her mother realize that the child was Zelda.

The friend’s daughter, who had grown much taller than a few years ago, looked as if she were dead.

Her face lacked vitality, and her eyes showed no emotion, making the child painfully pitiful.

The rumors that he had seen someone from the Myers family on the battlefield were not false.

And her mother immediately realized that the person was Zelda.

“Vance. You must never pretend to know Zelda. If you do, the child and we may lose our lives.”

The moment her identity was revealed, she would be unable to avoid death.

In the end, leaving Zelda at the Calypso Mansion, her mother returned and began to be tormented by guilt.

She realized that the child she tried to save was living a cruel life because of her.

“My mother felt sorry for the lady until she passed away.”

“It would have been better if she hadn’t.”

Lamein, who spoke for the first time in a long time, said with a sorrowful voice.

“Your lady had things to protect.”

“……. ”

“Even though she had a loving husband and child, just being grateful for saving me and Lily was enough. Why would she think such thoughts…”

She let out a thin sigh, her backtalk blurred by the overwhelming sense of guilt.

“I sincerely appreciate it.”

But soon, she spoke with a clear voice.

Although she couldn’t convey it to her, she wanted to convey her feelings to him, the one she loved and who loved her.

As Marquis Haribo, who had been looking at her as if paused, raised his lips instead of answering.

A stifling air filled with melancholy lingered briefly over the silent space.

“I think Cedric knows. Is that correct?”

“Yes. He knows.”
As if expecting it, Marquis Haribo nodded. And.

“Do you know everything then?”

He asked the question again.

Lamein, with her mouth slightly open, silently stared at the man in front of her.

“Do you know what happens to a lady who doesn’t use her abilities in certain situations? Does Cedric know?”

Lamein slowly closed and opened her eyes.

‘My mother did not pass away from that illness. But the rumor has been circulating like that.’

‘Let’s stop talking about that.’

The scattered puzzle pieces were slowly finding their places.

“No. I don’t know.”

As if the breath was stuck in her throat, she barely let out her voice.

A faint sigh from Marquis Haribo’s lips flowed out.

“I understand what the lady feels.”

“……. ”

“Your mother also hid it.”

Avoiding the gaze she was facing, Lamein turned slightly away.

“You probably don’t want to see someone you love suffering because of me.”

“……. ”

“But don’t you feel selfish?”

He brought out the thoughts she tried to hide, even from herself, all at once.

“You loved your mother a lot.”

“……. ”

“If I could see my mother’s face even once, or hear her voice, I would give up everything I have.”

Tears welled up in the eyes at the surge of emotions.

“But there is one reason why I resent my mother.”

Lamein raised her eyes that had been lowered.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your death?”

A gentle sadness, like calm waves, flowed over Marquis Haribo’s silent eyes.

“If you had told me in advance, I would have laughed more and said I loved you more.”

Yearning that suddenly comes during each repetitive day.

“I feel guilty that I couldn’t do anything for you.”

The yearning becomes a sharp arrow that painfully pierces the chest.

“I loved my mother with all my heart for the remaining time.”