(19) The Wall Between Mother and Daughter
Upon arriving at the hotel following May, the manager, who had come out despite the early hour, greeted Asla and Enoch respectfully.
Not only were they a ducal couple, but the Ventus family possessed enormous wealth and power.
However, unaware of how much wealth Enoch had accumulated, Asla admired the manager for being so diligent and respectful as she followed his guidance to their room.
Enoch left after telling May and Asla, who were unpacking, that he had urgent matters to attend to and they should rest well.
Asla stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Isn’t he tired? What reason could he possibly have to be moving around like that until dawn?
‘He should take care of his own body first instead of worrying about my health.’
Asla grumbled inwardly, spent the remaining dawn hours sleeping, and woke again to May’s careful touch.
“Madam, Lady Gloria Sherita has sent a carriage.”
A mother she didn’t want to meet.
As she prepared to meet her mother who hadn’t even attended her wedding, Asla felt her chest tighten and her throat constrict.
“I should hurry and get ready.”
But showing no sign of her feelings, Asla came out after washing briefly in the bathroom, and May approached her hesitantly.
“Um…… Madam, what color outfit should I prepare? Perhaps I should select something in white?”
Asla gazed far out the window, slowly closing and opening her eyes.
“It’s fine. The weather is so nice, please prepare a colorful dress that would match a clear day.”
“Yes, I understand. I thought the same.”
Asla silently watched as May, who had been tense, ran to the dressing room with a bright smile.
‘How truly famous you are.’
Even people from the Empire knew how fierce and strict Gloria Sherita, the last queen of the Holy Kingdom, was.
Her mother was filled with pride as a member of the royal family who had directly served God.
But Asla no longer wanted to be swayed by the shadow of the fallen Holy Kingdom.
Wearing white clothes, the symbol of God, couldn’t make one pure or noble inside.
Such terrible hypocrites.
The obedient Princess Asla Sherita, who had never rebelled since being born in the Holy Kingdom, was now gone.
This was the conclusion she reached after awakening two years following the fall of her kingdom.
With May’s assistance, Asla tied her hair in the latest fashionable style, wore a light beige dress that reached her knees, and deliberately added a red ribbon around her waist.
She carefully examined herself in the full-length mirror.
A sophisticated and beautiful woman in Empire attire stood there.
She was determined to show her mother properly that the Princess of Sherita who had insisted on wearing white dresses that dragged along the floor was no more.
When she saw the carriage Gloria had sent waiting at the hotel’s main entrance, Asla hesitated as she headed toward it and asked May.
“The Duke?”
“He’s been working without sleep since yesterday at dawn. Talet the secretary told me he had many urgent matters to handle, but he postponed everything to come up to the territory.”
Asla stopped walking. Then she slowly looked up at the floor where Enoch would be staying.
‘Did he postpone everything and come because of the divorce petition I sent?’
What kind of business had he started that left him without even time to breathe?
“……I see. I can go alone just fine, so May, stay here. If the Duke looks for me, tell him I went to see my mother.”
“Yes, Madam. Please be careful.”
Asla leaned deeply against the seat as she watched May waving through the carriage window.
Though divorcing Enoch was an issue, opening her eyes to the unknown circumstances around her took priority.
What should she ask her mother first?
Should she inquire about her well-being first? Or why she didn’t attend the wedding?
Since they had never been an affectionate mother and daughter to begin with, these questions seemed pointless.
Not wanting to waste time, Asla pondered deeply until the carriage gradually slowed and stopped.
Someone from outside opened the carriage door and peered in at her.
Asla recognized the familiar face and spoke calmly.
“It’s been a while, Ralta.”
“I see you, Princess.”
“Use the proper title.”
“To me, you are still the Princess.”
Asla sighed as she looked at the wrinkled face of the old man filled with stubbornness.
The tall, straight-backed old man was Ralta Royte, the foremost of the twelve high priests of the Holy Kingdom.
When the Holy Kingdom fell, instead of entering the Grand Temple, he voluntarily chose to serve Gloria Sherita, the former queen.
‘Still as stubborn as ever.’
Asla thought that rather than serving Gloria, Ralta simply refused to acknowledge that the Holy Kingdom had fallen.
“This way.”
Asla grabbed Ralta’s hand, stepped out of the carriage, and looked up at the house where her mother supposedly lived.
The three-story mansion with bright cream-colored bricks was quite large and a clean, modern building.
When the Holy Kingdom fell, the royal family had been left with debts, not money to live in such a nice mansion.
‘Did the Empire’s temple provide support for her to live in such a house?’
Asla turned her thoughts over.
Even at a glance, this was an upscale residential area.
She was highly suspicious about the source of her mother’s funds to build and live in such a mansion on this expensive land in the capital.
“The Princess has become quite a person of the empire.”
When Ralta made no effort to hide his displeasure as he looked over her attire, Asla let out a hollow laugh.
They only called her Princess in name, yet still treated her like a doll, the insolent fools.
She lifted her chin and responded coldly.
“My surname has changed to Ventus, so it’s only natural. Both you and I are busy, so instead of wasting time on such trivial arguments, please guide me to my mother.”
“……Yes.”
Ralta slightly furrowed his brow but had no particular rebuttal and led Asla into the mansion.
Thinking about it, Princess Asla had always been quiet and well-behaved, but never an easy person to deal with.
Thinking her intimidating presence remained unchanged, Ralta knocked on the reception room door where Gloria was waiting, then withdrew, leaving Asla behind.
Asla’s chest tightened when she discovered Gloria sitting in the clean, bright reception room.
The expensive wooden furniture, luxurious carpets, and curtains in the reception room were incredibly lavish, yet Gloria was still wearing a white dress in the Holy Kingdom style.
‘Hypocrite.’
Asla mocked her inwardly as she bowed to Gloria.
“I hope you’ve been well.”
“Yes, Princess. You’ve finally come to see me.”
“Are you in good health?”
“Of course, please sit.”
What princess nonsense.
Asla felt genuinely nauseated looking at the smirking Gloria.
She couldn’t bear how Margo’s smile seemed to overlap with her mother’s, making her dizzy.
‘Stay calm.’
Acknowledging that the wounds inflicted by Margo had eaten away at her soul quite significantly, Asla took a short breath and slowly sat on the sofa.
Gloria had maintained her appearance well, looking younger than her age, and still appeared healthy.
After personally pouring tea into Asla’s cup, Gloria poured some into her own cup as well.
“For our princess to finally come check on me. I’ve been quite resentful, but I’ll forgive you with my generous heart.”
“……”
Asla stared at the yellow tea Gloria had poured and was too dumbfounded to respond, simply drinking the tea.
In truth, it wasn’t just today—her mother had always been this shameless.
“I heard you filed for divorce from Duke Ventus? Is it because you felt guilty that this mother initially opposed it? But you don’t need to do that anymore.”
“Wait, Mother. What did you just say?”
Asla cut off her mother’s abrupt and outrageous statement in confusion.
Gloria immediately adopted a stern expression.
“How dare you interrupt before your mother has finished speaking. What insolent behavior is this, Princess.”
“You’re wrong to call me princess first, Mother. I am not a princess. How long will you live in the Holy Kingdom?”
“Ha, to think I gave birth to such an impious princess as the last royal of God. His Holiness the King, who died for the kingdom until the end, would be saddened.”
Watching Gloria place her hand on her chest and offer a prayer of apology to God, Asla felt as if her soul was being stripped away.
She tried to regain her composure.
“Just what……”
She wanted to ask how Gloria knew about the divorce petition, but realized that if Ian Herta knew about her divorce yesterday, there was no reason Gloria wouldn’t know.
Realizing that her desire to keep things quiet had been wishful thinking, Asla gripped her teacup tightly.
First, she needed to clear up Gloria’s major misunderstanding.
“I’m not divorcing because of you, Mother. I’m doing it because I want to.”
“Goodness! A princess of the Holy Kingdom getting divorced. Aren’t you ashamed in front of people, Princess?”
“Not at all.”
“How did our princess change like this? Should I give you etiquette lessons again?”
“I’m an adult, Mother. And!”
Asla exploded.
She was no longer afraid of Gloria who was glaring at her with sharp eyes.
She was sick of Gloria’s stubbornness in still calling her ‘Your Highness the Princess.’
The foolish last queen still living in the shadow of the Holy Kingdom’s past glory.
“The Holy Kingdom is over. Please come to your senses now.”
“Asla Sherita!”
“It’s Asla Ventus.”
Asla calmly corrected Gloria’s fierce cry. Then she immediately added with a faint smile.
“When I get divorced, call me Asla Sherita again. Of course, I won’t be seeing you. Just like always.”
Anger flickered in Gloria’s eyes, but she pressed her lips shut as if unable to refute any further.
From the moment of her birth, Asla had been raised by her nanny and the priestesses who served her. There was never any occasion to be close to her mother.
A heavy silence descended on the reception room after their raised voices.
Somehow, Asla felt relieved.
Speaking so frankly had calmed the nausea she felt looking at Gloria.
She had always been told that she should show herself as a polite princess with a submissive attitude toward her.
‘My nanny said I had to……’
Asla suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
“What’s wrong, Asla?”
Gloria corrected her form of address and spoke casually.
When Gloria changed immediately at her request, Asla was so surprised that she forgot to answer and just stared blankly at her.
Had her mother always been this easy to deal with? Was the wall she had felt between them her entire life just an illusion?
Or……
A wall built by myself, or someone else forcibly trying to separate mother and daughter?
