Chapter 29
Mother, Mom (3)
Mother was visibly flustered by Bonita’s question. Her complexion was worrisomely pale
“What are you talking about?”
“Am I right?”
Mother, no. At Aria’s reaction, Bonita asked again.
“You’re not Aria, my mother doesn’t say things like that.”
Aria sucked in a breath, so surprised that her voice trembled.
“Uh, how…”
Because of Lennon, she thought that someone might notice the existence of ‘Elodie’ and not Aria.
It’s not that she didn’t imagine who that person would be.
Luke, Dylan, Catherine, maybe her father. Or maybe it would be her close friend, the Marchioness Hyacinth.
But through it all Bonita wasn’t there.
Of course.
Bonita had never met Elodie.
But what she overlooks is that Bonita has seen the real Aria longer than anyone else.
To Bonita, Aria was everything in this world.
That was why she was the first to notice Aria’s change. She could tell the difference between the ‘old Aria’ and the ‘current Aria’. She just didn’t have the courage and confidence to ask her mother directly.
“I see.”
Looking at Aria’s face, Bonita was sure that her thoughts were right.
Still placing her hand on Aria’s cheek, Bonita muttered.
“So it was.”
Aria’s eyelashes fluttered at those words. This time, it was a different kind of emotion than before.
It was fear.
Scared.
She was afraid that Bonita, who had found out that she was not the ‘real’ Aria, would now hate her.
If that happened, she would no longer be able to stay by Bonita’s side. She might never see her again.
No. Luke would definitely make it so. He was a man who was extremely thorough in protecting the people he cared about.
Before, she had been Luke’s precious person. But now…
“Look, Bonita. Wait, I wasn’t trying to fool you. I-”
“It’s okay.”
Bonita whispered in a low, calm tone.
“Because I love you, Mom.”
It was what Aria had said to Bonita earlier.
Aria’s words, which were about to make an excuse, stopped.
Bonita’s face was still as young as ever, but somehow Aria felt as if Bonita and her positions had been reversed.
Bonita’s bright pink eyes were filled with overwhelming affection and love.
At that moment, Aria suddenly realized.
“I love you, Mom.”
It’s often said that a child is a treasure that parents wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
Parents shower their children with unconditional love.
No matter what they do, no matter how much the child hates them, no matter how much they make you feel, you love them.
Because they are precious children.
Then, what would it be like for a child?
To a child, a parent is their world.
No matter what the parent does, a child unconditionally loves their parent.
They look at you with eyes so clear and pure that they can sink their whole body into the love and trust you give them.
Even if that feeling returns as cold violence, the child cannot give up.
Because it’s their world.
You cannot give up the world just because you hate the prize.
Until the parent is no longer the world, and the child is finally able to stand on its own two feet and face the cold reality of life, they will crave affection and attention no matter what.
Aria bit the inside of her mouth so hard that it bled. She was shaking at her own foolishness.
Why… didn’t I realize?
Something so simple.
This time, she couldn’t even try to stop her tears. There was a sound of water drops hitting the carriage seat.
‘If I shouldn’t cry….’
It was the day she had to attend the social gathering.
If she cried like this, all her makeup would be ruined and her dress would get wrinkled.
So she should stop crying, tell Bonita that she loved her just the same, and then smile happily and eat cookies again.
That’s right.
She should…
“Bonita.”
Aria hugged Bonita’s back tightly. The child’s characteristically high body temperature comes to mind vividly enough.
‘How could I have thought of giving up on you?’
If she couldn’t be a mother, she’d settle for a tutor.
Since Luke wouldn’t marry any woman other than Elodie anyway, I tried to compromise with reality.
All she could hope for was to raise Bonita well into adulthood, and for her to think of her often with childlike fondness afterward
Aria laughed in vain.
‘There’s no way that’s possible.’
It was because she realized that she could never give up on Bonita like that.
Bonita, who had grown up, might no longer need her.
But she would need Bonita. Desperately.
She blinked and the remaining tears fell. They were no longer flowing.
Aria sniffled.
‘They say that children are born with the affection that is given to them.’
It didn’t seem to be the case.
“Mom.”
“… Yes, daughter.”
“I can’t breathe….”
“Ah!”
Aria, startled by her voice, let go of the hand that was holding Bonita. She looked at Bonita in confusion.
“Are you okay?!”
“I’m okay.”
Phew, Bonita nodded her small head as she exhaled.
Bonita looked at Aria’s messy face and said,
“But Mom doesn’t seem okay.”
“That’s… Ugh.”
Only then did Aria shut her mouth after looking in the mirror. She looked like a beggar.
*****
Fortunately, since there was still time left before the social gathering after arriving in the capital, Aria was able to change clothes at a costume shop near the capital.
The madam of the costume shop must have been good at putting on makeup, as she fixed her messed-up makeup cleanly.
“Thank goodness the carriage arrived early…”
The gathering hadn’t even started yet, but she was already exhausted. Aria leaned back on the sofa in the costume shop, rubbing the back of her neck with a tired face.
Her gaze turned to the invitation in her hand.
The letterhead was clearly made of high-quality paper, and it even had luxurious gold foiling. At first glance, it seemed like they had put a lot of effort into it for a children’s social gathering.
Hazel Lily Hyacinth
Aria ran her fingers over the name written in elegant cursive at the end of the invitation that was a pretense of greeting and formality.
‘It’s been a long time.’
When she was Elodie, Hazel and she were close friends. Of course, Elodie was friends with most of the ladies, but…
My relationship with Hazel was particularly special.
“Oh my. Did someone just say that?”
“No, I didn’t hear anything. There’s no one there.”
Before she married Marquis Hyacinth, she was the youngest daughter of a poor country baron, the Luyan family.
Because of that, she was bullied when she came to the capital. When she was invited to a tea party, they treated her like an invisible person, or served her cold tea on purpose.
Most of the noble ladies joined in the bullying. It was bullying led by a Countess who had influence in the capital’s social circles at the time.
“Lady Luyan, your eyes are really pretty! It’s like the night sky!”
Of course, it was a story that had nothing to do with Elodie.
The atmosphere of the social circle?
Who would dare mess with the Empress’s niece and the richest Count in the kingdom?
As a result, Elodie befriended Hazel without any hindrance.
It was later revealed that the young lady of the humble baron Luyan family, was actually very ambitious. As it turned out, she was even the top graduate of the Imperial Academy’s Department of Political Science.
It was only a matter of time before the young master of the Hyacinth family showed interest in the wise and intelligent Hazel. And her sparkling intelligence won over the arrogant young master Hyacinth.
It is an open secret that after she became the wife of the Marquis’ house, the Emperor’s trust in the Marquis grew thicker.
And the secret master was none other than the unsightly and unsophisticated Baron’s young lady, Hazel.
When things turned out that way, those who had disrespected her in the past were still gossiping behind the Marchioness face. Aria smiled faintly as she recalled the incident.
It was a fond memory.
Suddenly, she had such a thought.
‘Did Hazel cry when she heard the news of my death?’
Although she had been friends with her for a long time, Hazel had always been a girl who did not show her emotions. It was even worse after she became a Marchioness.
It was hard to recall her crying. Aria thought it was better that way.
She did not want her loved ones to suffer after losing her.
Besides, she was alive and well. Crying for someone who was still alive would be worse than mistaking them for dead.
A gentle smile spread across Aria’s lips as she thought about her friend whose feelings were difficult to guess.
Her memories with Hazel still remained as warm memories, like a hazy spring day. It was different from the real Aria.
“I really hate you, Elodie.”
I remember the back of her head as she said it. That’s the last thing I remember before I die.
Elodie Lysianthus lived a happier life than anyone else, but her last moments were harsh. As if she was paying the price for the happiness she had enjoyed.
Perhaps there really is such a thing as the Law of Equivalent Exchange in black magic.
“… Oh! … It really is…!”
Aria, who had been lost in thought with the curtains drawn, raised her upper body when she heard the commotion outside. It seemed that the madam of the costume shop was making a big fuss.
‘Did Bonita finish changing her clothes?’
While she paused, Bonita had gone to change her crumb-covered dress with the rest of the staff.
Aria stuck her head out of the curtains, expecting to see Bonita’s cute appearance.
Then, the faint commotion flowed vividly into her ears.
“No! No! I won’t wear this! I want to go home!”
… What is this?
Aria blinked as she looked at the boy lying on the floor.
