At the sound of Breti’s voice, Karsten turned quickly to Meliover in surprise.

“Mother.”

Even his tone carried a trace of unease.

Karsten and Breti exchanged glances, both wearing troubled expressions. From their looks, each seemed to be replaying the conversation they had just shared, trying to guess how much she might have heard.

If Meliover had overheard something she shouldn’t—something that could reveal her daughter was not the real one—it would only be a matter of time before the truth came out.

But before either of them could speak, Meliover smiled faintly.

“Laterna chooses only the right things to say, doesn’t she, Karsten?”

Karsten studied his mother’s face closely. Seemingly oblivious to his wary gaze, Meliover took his hand and continued.

“Karsten, everything Laterna said is true.”

“…”

“You are the head of House White, are you not? Then, naturally, you must set an example worthy of that position.”

Contrary to their fears, Meliover began to admonish him. It seemed she hadn’t noticed anything amiss after all. If she had learned the truth, there was no way she would be speaking so calmly.

Relieved, Karsten allowed himself to ease his guard.

“And it is your duty to demonstrate loyalty to the Imperial Family.”

“Mother…”

His voice softened with a faint groan, his tension easing somewhat at her words.

“How can hunting an animal and offering it to the Imperial Family be considered an act of loyalty?”

“Karsten.”

“Do you not remember, Mother, the last day Father attended the Imperial Hunt?”

Karsten, who was rarely one to lose his temper, was speaking with uncharacteristic force. Startled by his tone, Breti’s shoulders trembled slightly.

What on earth had happened that day to make him react like this?

“I remember. Of course I remember…”

Meliover lowered her head, letting out a deep sigh.

From the look on her face, it was clearly not an incident easily forgotten.

She lifted her gaze again to meet Karsten’s eyes.

“But that is the law of this land, is it not? Hmm?”

Her voice was gentle, coaxing and placating at once, and Karsten shut his eyes tightly.

After a moment of silence, he finally answered, forcing down his anger.

“Understood.”

At his reply, Meliover’s face lit up.

“Karsten!”

“Starting this year, I will attend.”

Hearing his answer, Meliover beamed, taking Breti’s hand.

“Thanks to our sharp, capable young lady, her brother will now fulfill his duty.”

With an approving smile, Meliover patted Breti’s lower back. The sudden touch made Breti startle.

“My dear, what’s the matter?”

Tilting her head at Breti’s reaction, Meliover studied her curiously. Breti quickly forced a smile.

“It’s nothing, Mother. I suppose I’m just a little tired from going out today.”

Just moments earlier, she had been worried that Meliover might have found out everything, but judging by her reaction, that didn’t seem to be the case. Nevertheless, a faint unease lingered, and Breti stole a cautious glance at her.

“That’s right—you went to the Nox estate today, didn’t you?”

There was not the slightest change in Meliover’s expression.

She looked every bit the concerned mother as she held Breti’s shoulders.

“Go on downstairs and get some rest.”

Led out of the room by Meliover, Breti glanced toward Karsten. He, too, seemed to be gauging his mother’s mood.

“Nothing happened at the Nox estate, did it?”

She asked the moment they left the study.

“No, Mother. Nothing at all.”

Once back in her room, Breti sat on the edge of the bed, sneaking another look at Meliover.

Meliover cupped her face with a gaze full of concern.

“Of course, it’s only natural to send you out into society—but the thought of you being in such a harsh place doesn’t sit well with me.”

Meliover’s words eased Breti’s mind a little.

With a faint smile, she shook her head.

“I want to do whatever I can, Mother.”

“Do you? Still, don’t overdo it.”

“Yes, I promise I won’t.”

When Breti nodded, Meliover seemed finally reassured. She leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Breti’s hand.

“My dear, lie down now.”

She waited until Breti lay down, then gently stroked her hair again and again.

“My dear, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Her lips touched Breti’s forehead, and that warm touch seemed to spread through Breti’s heart as well.

Meliover rose from the bedside and stepped toward the door.

“Sleep well, Mother.”

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

With trembling hands, Meliover closed Laterna’s door.

‘It’s not there.’

From birth, Laterna had always had a small, distinctively shaped mark along the line between her forehead and hair. Meliover had kissed that mark countless times.

‘And she had a flower allergy—she could never go near plants…’

Meliover had begun to suspect something when Laterna returned earlier with an armful of freshly picked flowers.

Furthermore, the conversation that Meliover had just overheard between Karsten and Laterna had been so formal that it was hard to believe they were siblings.

‘It couldn’t be…’

Memories of their past behaviour began flashing through Meliover’s mind, one after another.

Karsten’s fierce opposition to sending Breti to the Imperial Ball, and the raised voices when the subject of bringing Laterna into the house was raised.

It all felt so different now.

“Haa…”

Reaching the end of her thoughts, Meliover pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling light-headed.

‘Not yet.’

It was not something to conclude rashly. She could afford to think it over more carefully.

Forcing her trembling legs to move, Meliover returned to her room.

Once there, she called for her personal maid.

“Rosand, would you bring Tilda to me?”

“Yes, my lady.”

It wasn’t long before Rosand returned, bringing Tilda with her.

“Thank you, Rosand. Could you leave us for a while? There’s something I wish to discuss with Tilda.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Only after Rosand had fully stepped out did Meliover gesture for Tilda to sit.

“Let’s sit and talk first.”

“Yes, my lady. But… may I ask what this is about?”

With trembling hands, she could barely keep herself steady. Meliover asked carefully.

“Have you recently attended Laterna during her bath?”

Tilda shook her head.

“No, my lady. I haven’t.”

“You haven’t?”

“No. She said she feels a little uncomfortable having someone attend her, since she’s been bathing alone all this time.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So she usually bathes alone, though sometimes a girl named Bagi, who came from the south with her, attends her.”

Meliover fell into deep thought.

The girl named Bagi was certainly an outsider—someone who knew nothing of Laterna’s past.

‘Could it really be…?’

The thought she had so long dismissed as impossible now loomed dangerously close to reality, making her vision swim.

“Thank you for telling me, Tilda. You may go now.”

“My lady, you don’t look well. Shall I call Rosand for you?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine. Just a little dizzy, that’s all. I’ll be better once I rest. You should go and rest as well.”

Though she stepped out of the room, Tilda kept glancing back, clearly concerned for Meliover’s condition.

Once Tilda had gone, Meliover forced her trembling legs to carry her toward the bed.

“Mother.”

“You’ll be fine soon, Mother. Take a deep breath. You trust me, don’t you?”

“It’s raining heavily. Are you cold? You should at least cover yourself with a blanket.”

One by one, the words that the girl — whom she had thought was Laterna — had spoken drifted through her mind.

Had she believed her to be her daughter? At the time, she thought they were the warm words of a child to her mother. Yet, with the benefit of hindsight, she could sense a faint distance in them.

‘But…’

Always putting her first, always staying close to her side—because of that child, she had truly believed her daughter had returned.

‘How… how could it not be her?’

She was certain it was her daughter. And yet, the more she retraced each moment, the closer she came to the unthinkable answer—that it was not.

Meliover buried her face in both hands.

‘Ah, Laterna.’

‘My Laterna, my daughter, were you never truly of this world?’

The more she confronted reality, the more her heart ached and was torn apart.

“Laterna…”

Her voice, calling her daughter’s name, was thick with tears.