54.

Norma couldn’t believe his eyes. The dried Teresa he had given her was sitting on her bedside table.

He stared at the Teresa with wide eyes, then approached the table as if in a trance. Despite himself, a smile crept up his face. It wasn’t a situation for laughter, but he couldn’t help feeling happy.

‘I didn’t know she kept it here.’

Aisa, who subtly believed in superstitions, had likely placed it there for good luck. Not knowing the full story, Norma was simply moved.

Pressing his flushed cheeks, Norma made a determined expression and leaned toward the sleeping Aisa.

Of course, he didn’t dare touch her. Even the thought of a stealthy kiss or laying a hand on her while she slept was an unthinkable, shameless act to him.

Instead, he whispered shyly to the deeply sleeping Aisa.

“Lady Aisa, you’ve had a tough day. I hope that until the time comes when I can be by your side to ease your burdens, nothing makes you sad. Sleep well, and we’ll meet soon.”

After murmuring his words like a spell, he straightened up abruptly. It was really time to leave.

‘I need to take care of that first and come back.’

Having seen the terracotta, Norma decided to hurry. Holding Antoinette, he silently disappeared out the window.

* * *

“Ugh… Damn, my eyes…”

My eyes felt swollen and wouldn’t open properly. It felt like I had slept for a long time. Still groggy, I lay there for a while.

“I feel like I slept really well without dreaming…”

Hmm. What are these memories? I mumbled drowsily, then suddenly opened my eyes wide and sat up.

With clumsy movements, I touched my face, feeling the puffiness around my eyes. My hands moved from my face to my chest and abdomen, still in my formal dress from last night.

Ophelia came by last night, and she gave me a note.

The note, where did I put it? I quickly opened my palm, but of course, it was empty.

According to my memory, I sat on the carpet with the note in my hand, feeling suffocated and went out to the terrace. And then…

“What, what?”

There was something in my memory from last night that shouldn’t be there. I grew increasingly pale.

Was it a dream? It must be a dream. Then what was real? Unfortunately, despite being mentally overwhelmed yesterday, I was sober.

Crying in front of Norma Diazi again! What did I whine about to him? Embarrassing! I couldn’t hold back a scream as these thoughts hit me.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ah! What’s going on?”

As I screamed while kicking off the blankets, a similar scream erupted right beside me.

“Ah!”

Startled by the unexpected sound, I screamed again. Still not fully recovered from the shock, I pointed at the uninvited guest lying on my bed without permission.

“You, you!”

“Jeez, you scared me! Why are you screaming right when you wake up? Did you see a ghost in your dreams?”

“Archie, you little brat! What are you doing here from the morning! Who told you to come into an adult’s room without permission!”

“Morning? It’s already midday.”

Archie squinted at me as he replied.

“What? Midday…”

Only then did I notice Archie’s swollen face. His red eyes and puffy eyelids indicated he had been crying a lot last night. My heart sank coldly.

“What happened to your face?”

“What about your face, Auntie?”

Despite my grim question, Archie pointed out my own disheveled state. I realized that if he looked that bad, I must look even worse.

“Auntie, did you cry? You did, didn’t you?”

Archie didn’t give me time to respond. His face twisted as if he was about to cry again.

“No. That’s not it. You’re the one who looks like you cried. Did someone bully you?”

“No. Did you cry because I said something bad to you yesterday?”

The tension between aunt and nephew was palpable as we both denied our tears.

“…I didn’t cry. The head of the family doesn’t cry.”

“Sniff, Auntie, you’re silly… With that face, saying you didn’t cry!”

Our debate didn’t last long. Archie started crying again, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.

I was very weak against Archie’s tears. Whenever he cried, I didn’t know what to do. He cried so sorrowfully that it broke my heart.

“Auntie, did you cry because I said something bad to you yesterday? Is that it?”

With those words, Archie started bawling loudly. Watching the tears flow down his chubby cheeks was heart-wrenching.

“Archie, no. It’s not like that. Don’t cry, please…”

“Waaahhhh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

“Archie, I’m not crying because of you. Come here.”

I pulled the crying boy into a hug, patting his back softly.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But you look so sad, Auntie. It’s making me sad too.”

I held him tighter, feeling his little body shaking with sobs.

“We’ll be okay. We’ll both be okay.”

Slowly, Archie’s sobs began to quiet, and he sniffled a few times, wiping his eyes on my sleeve.

“Do you feel better now?”

He nodded, still sniffling. I gave him a small smile, brushing his messy hair out of his face.

“Let’s have a better day today, alright?”

“Okay, Auntie.”

I took a deep breath, still feeling the weight of everything from the previous night. But looking at Archie’s face, I knew I had to stay strong, for both of us.

* * *

“Hng, it’s my fault. You’re all I have, Auntie, but you keep putting yourself in danger. It’s too scary.”

“Sweetheart.”

“Sniff, sob! You’re the only family I have. Why do you keep scaring me?”

As Archie cried, he sobbed that he was genuinely afraid, that he hated the idea of losing me, that I was the only family he had. His sorrowful wails echoed through the room.

‘That’s not true, you little rascal. You seemed to be getting along just fine with Ophelia.’

Despite my twisted thoughts, Archie’s tearful words made my own eyes well up. It seemed my tear ducts were utterly broken.

“Don’t cry.”

With a face as tearful as his, I tried to comfort him with a stern voice, reaching out my arms. Archie jumped into bed and clung to me.

“Auntie was wrong. I’m sorry.”

I held Archie tightly. It reminded me of how Norma had held me when I was crying. Archie showed no sign of stopping his tears.

“Come on, don’t cry.”

“Auntie, you have to live with me forever. Sniff! If you leave me, I won’t let it go!”

His words about wanting to live with me forever touched me deeply. Once again, tears began to spill from my already swollen eyes.

‘Oh, whatever. I must be getting old. I can’t help it if the tears come.’

Despite all my lecturing to maintain dignity in front of the servants, I found myself crying loudly as well.

* * *

“Hem-hem—”

Who knows how much time passed. Archie, who had clung to my waist and cried as he did when he was a baby, finally cleared his throat awkwardly.

“So, I’ve always said I didn’t like Phillip Morfolk from the start.”

Archie brought up an uncomfortable topic. I looked down at him with my now painfully swollen eyes.

‘This kid is just a face-freak. The only reason you didn’t like Philip was because, in your eyes, he wasn’t handsome enough.’

But Archie went on with what he wanted to say, regardless.

“Auntie was always too good for him. How could you even think of making someone like him the ‘Lord of McFoy’?”

“You’re right, but I wasn’t looking for someone to match me, dear.”

“Auntie, why are you so stubborn? That’s what I can’t understand the most. Think about it. You’re the head of the McFoy family.”

Archie shook his head in frustration.

“Yes, and you are my heir. To adopt you formally, I need a husband.”

There are many reasons the imperial laws are garbage, but one of the worst is that neither nobles nor commoners can adopt unless they’re married.

Of course, this law protects minors from various crimes. But for someone in my position, trying to secure my nephew as my heir, it’s incredibly troublesome.

“Why do you need to adopt me?”

“It’s for your position. The legitimacy is important given how I became the head of McFoy, and with only you and me left, legitimacy is paramount. I’ve told you many times, it’s better to be a son than a nephew.”

“But we are McFoys. You’re the head of McFoy, and if you name me your heir, that’s enough legitimacy.”

Archie spoke with his chest puffed out. His confident stance and clear voice made me proud.

“I don’t want you to pick some worthless man and marry him just to adopt me.”

“……”

“I’ll just become smarter and prove myself as a worthy heir. I’ll be someone everyone has to acknowledge. I’m already working hard to hone my holy power.”

I looked at Archie, taken aback by his words. Despite his youth, he was determined and filled with a sense of responsibility.

“Archie…”

“You don’t have to marry someone you don’t love just because of me. I’ll become someone who can stand by you as a worthy successor.”

Hearing his heartfelt declaration, I felt a warmth spread through my chest. His resolve was clear, and I could see the determination in his eyes.

“Alright, Archie. We’ll work together on this. I believe in you.”

His face lit up with a mixture of relief and determination.

“Thanks, Auntie. I promise I won’t let you down.”

As we sat there, the weight of the previous night’s turmoil began to lift. We would face the challenges together, supporting each other as family. And in that moment, I felt a renewed sense of hope and strength.