Chapter 2.18

“His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you.”

Hans approached his master, who seemed lost in thought, and spoke. Karl Lavresion, who had been gazing at the sleeping Leticia Evris, reacted belatedly.

“Oh.”

“You must go immediately.”

“Alright.”

He slowly headed for the door. Hans followed closely behind, glaring at Ronan, who remained by Leticia Evris’s side.

‘Don’t do anything foolish.’

Hans always warned Ronan not to say unnecessary things. Though annoyed, Ronan nodded. What trouble could possibly arise? Leticia Evris spent half her day sleeping. Guarding a sleeping person wasn’t exactly challenging.

Ronan dragged a chair next to the bed and sat down. Crossing his arms, he let out a sigh.

Since arriving in Chevrem, life had been monotonous and dull. Here, he was nothing more than an errand boy, an attendant, and a porter.

Arhadan was a place filled with various intriguing tales, from the private lives of the Imperial Family, the births of illegitimate children, to their internal feuds and love quarrels. It was a land where events and scandals occurred naturally, keeping things lively. In contrast, such incidents were relatively rare in the Chevrem Empire. Of course, being a place inhabited by people, Chevrem also had its share of incidents and rumors, but they were trivial compared to Arhadan. Amidst all this, the most sensational topic stirring up the empire was the scandal involving Karl Lavresion and Leticia Evris.

Countless rumors swirled, but one common phrase emerged among them all:  

‘Like mother, like daughter.’  

This seemed to stem from the fact that Leticia Evris’s mother was famously known as the Emperor’s mistress, which inevitably tied the two together in gossip. Ronan recalled the brief glimpse he had of Leticia Evris’s mother, Haniel Evris. Like Leticia, Haniel was a frail and slender woman. Their facial features and eye color were so similar that anyone could instantly recognize them as mother and daughter. The only noticeable differences were their hair color and the expressions in their eyes.

While Leticia Evris exuded an air of melancholy, anxiety, and desperation, Haniel Evris carried a sense of sorrow, resentment, and anger. The former resembled a withered flower, while the latter felt like frost in the middle of summer.

Unlike Arhadan, where mistresses were treated with some level of respect, Chevrem held a low opinion of them. As a result, even Princess Amina of Arhadan, who was of royal blood, was secretly criticized here. For Haniel Evris, a commoner by birth, the treatment must have been even harsher.

Ronan looked down indifferently at the sleeping Leticia before standing up with a sigh. There was no need for him to stay here just to watch her sleep. Once she fell asleep, she would usually stay that way for at least three hours.

Whistling softly, he pondered where to take a walk today. A smile crept onto his face. An hour-long stroll should suffice. If his Lord returned during that time, he could always say he had just stepped out to use the restroom.

Having reached that conclusion, Ronan left the room with a light step, still whistling as he went.

***

‘Leti.’  

In her dream, her mother appeared. Perhaps because it was a dream, Leticia felt nothing but joy at the sight of her mother. Smiling, she embraced her mother as she approached.  

‘Mother, I’ve missed you.’  

‘Really? Did you truly miss me?’  

‘Yes, truly.’  

Her longing was genuine. But equally genuine was her desire not to see her mother.  

She wished never to face her mother again, yet part of her wanted to maintain their bond.  

‘Leti. You ungrateful wretch. You’ve inherited that blood, haven’t you?’  

Her mother’s expression suddenly changed as she began to reproach her. It was something she had heard as a child.  

‘You’re just like him!’  

As her mother’s scream echoed, the ground beneath her feet began to quake. The dream was collapsing.  

Leti. Leti.  

A voice called from afar. It was her mother’s voice. Yet her mother was standing right in front of her…  

Leti, Leti.  

In an instant, the dream shattered, and like being struck by lightning, her eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was her mother’s face.  

“Wh…?”  

“Leti, Leti. My daughter. You’re finally awake?”  

Her mother was gripping her shoulders tightly. Still unsure if she was dreaming, Leticia blinked several times, but the scene before her remained unchanged.  

“Mother…?”  

“Leti! My daughter!”  

Her mother burst into tears and embraced her. Leticia was bewildered. 

How could my mother be here? 

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her mother’s trembling shoulders.  

“Mother… how did you get in here?”  

“I received His Majesty’s permission. Don’t worry. Now, Leti, let’s leave quickly.”  

Her mother forcibly pulled her up. Although she had recovered considerably, any sudden force caused sharp pain. Groaning softly, Leticia tried to free herself from her mother’s grip. Her mother frowned.  

“Stop dawdling and get up. Quickly.”  

“Mother, wait. It hurts…”  

“Get up, now!”  

Her mother’s urgency was palpable, as if they were being chased. 

Could it be that she had snuck in? For my sake?  

If caught, her mother’s safety could be at risk.  

“Mother, did you sneak in here?”  

“No. I told you, I received permission. But we still need to hurry.”  

Her mother practically dragged her out of bed, ignoring her protests. A scream escaped her lips. It hurt.  

“Ah, it hurts…!”  

“Then walk on your own! Get up, now! Quickly!”  

Her mother wasn’t listening at all. The pain turned her vision white, but her mother dragged her out of the room regardless.  

The moment they stepped into the hallway, Leticia felt something was off. The hallway was eerily empty. Not a single soul was in sight, and there was no trace of movement. It was strange.  

“Mother, wait. I… I have children. Twins… I gave birth to twins…”  

As if vomiting out the words she had wanted to hide, Leticia confessed. Surely, her mother already knew. The rumors must have spread far and wide. Even so, she hadn’t wanted to say it. But now, she had no choice. She feared her mother would lock her away again.  

Her mother’s blue eyes darkened with anger. Leticia bit her lower lip. She braced herself for a slap, but instead, her mother lowered her hand.  

“Leti. We’ll talk about that later, just the two of us. For now, the most important thing is to get out of here.”  

Her mother’s voice, though subdued, carried urgency.  

Leticia was confused and couldn’t understand what was happening. But one thing was clear: her mother’s sole purpose was to get her out of this place.  

“Mother, please wait. This is all too sudden. I need time to think…”  

“Think? About what?”  

Her mother’s suppressed anger erupted. Leticia’s body froze, like a mouse cornered by a cat.  

“How dare you defy me again? Leti, do you feel no guilt towards me? After betraying me like that! Do you know how I’ve lived all this time?”  

Her eyes widened. Betrayal. The word clawed at her heart.  

“I told you over and over that we only have each other. I can’t live without you, and you can’t live without me. So how could you betray me?”  

“I didn’t leave because I wanted to…”  

“Yes, Baron Lichten told you to leave. But you could have come back anytime, couldn’t you? You could have returned, but you didn’t. In the end, you abandoned me!”  

Her mother’s anger crashed down on her like a tidal wave. Her body began to tremble. In the past, she would have immediately bowed her head, crying and apologizing. But now…  

She barely managed to speak through trembling lips.  

“Mother. I… I’m tired now.”  

Her mother’s face turned pale. Leticia’s face must have looked no different.  

“What?”  

“I… I can’t be with you forever.”  

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”  

Her hands trembled as she lowered her gaze. She knew that if she said more, she would be struck. She would be hit twice as hard for not being hit earlier. Even so, she continued.  

“Mother, I’m scared when I’m with you. Being with you always makes me… shrink back and walk on eggshells…”  

“How could you do this?”

Her mother interrupted her, gripping her shoulders tightly. Her voice was thick with emotion. When Leticia lifted her gaze, she saw her mother’s tear-filled blue eyes, brimming with disappointment.  

She had disappointed her mother. Realizing this made her heart sink. She had made her mother cry, let her down, and hurt her—her mother, who was already a deeply wounded person.  

Since childhood, every time Leticia saw her mother cry, it felt as though she was sharing her mother’s sorrow, leaving her with a sharp, aching pain. Even now, seeing her mother’s tears was unbearable. It hurt her deeply.  

Yet, she swallowed the words “I’m sorry.” If she apologized, she would only shrink further in her mother’s presence, becoming even smaller than she already was.  

“How could you? How could you say such a thing?”  

“……”  

“How could you?”  

Guilt rose to her throat. She knew all too well how precarious her mother’s life had been; she had witnessed it firsthand. She understood how much her mother had suffered, how much pain she had endured, and how deeply she had been hurt.  

But she, too, had been hurt.  

Her mother had hurt her. Being with her mother always left her heart heavy with anguish.