“No way… does he know my sister faked her death?”
“What do you mean, ‘like Mom’?”
For a moment, Milena’s heart dropped, but she quickly masked her emotions.
Confusion swirled in her eyes, but her face remained indifferent and calm—the face of a proud villainess.
“Mom…”
Mom?
Milena focused intently on the child’s small lips. Maybe she was staring too hard.
“Mom…”
The child hesitated, unable to continue. The longer he stalled, the drier Milena’s mouth became.
“They said she went to heaven…”
“…Ha.”
Milena unknowingly loosened the tight fist she had clenched. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
“Yes, she went to heaven.”
Larriete had disappeared for five years, leaving behind a child who was barely toddling.
What would happen if the boy found out the truth before his mother returned?
Even now, he believed his mother had abandoned him. If he learned she was alive and well, his wounds would deepen—perhaps beyond repair. Because that would truly feel like abandonment.
“Ash, your mother didn’t abandon you.”
That was all she could say. He didn’t need to know anything else right now.
Milena gently stroked the child’s soft, feverish cheek. All she could do was hope that when her sister returned, she would be able to heal the wounds left on her child’s heart. The cruel aunt would be forgotten soon enough, but at least while she was here, she should only say kind things.
“Auntie.”
Noticing something, Ashdel’s pink eyes wavered with tears.
“Are you going to leave too?”
“Don’t say such nonsense. Where would I go?”
Milena pinched his cheek lightly, making sure it didn’t hurt. His small lips pouted.
“But earlier, you were packing your bags.”
You were sick! You collapsed, and yet you still noticed that?
When she looked at him in disbelief, Ashdel’s pink eyes darted away, avoiding her gaze.
“Auntie, you like my dad, don’t you?”
Good grief. Look at him changing the subject.
Milena frowned at the unexpected question.
A child’s eyes never lie. Given how she had behaved all this time, anyone could have guessed the truth.
A chill ran through her. What had she been doing in front of this child?
How had it looked to him, seeing his aunt grovel for love from his father?
Her stomach churned. Unable to answer, she simply remained silent. But the boy seemed to take that as confirmation.
“Then… can’t you be my mom?”
“Ash.”
She gently wiped the feverish sweat from his forehead with the damp towel in her hand.
Ashdel smiled at her kind touch, but his lips trembled when he heard the seriousness in her voice.
“Auntie is Auntie.”
Her tone was firm, making sure he wouldn’t entertain foolish ideas.
“Hmm?”
“I can’t be your mom. You already have a mother. Trying to replace her would make her very sad. Do you understand?”
Was it because things weren’t going his way? His lips pressed together tightly, as if he were about to cry. But, to his credit, he swallowed his tears and spoke his mind.
“I like Auntie.”
“I like you too, my Ash.”
“Then what about Dad?”
He was persistent. Why was he so fixated on this?
“I don’t like him. I hate him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Your father has your mother, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, Dad has Mom. Then that means Auntie only needs me, right? I only need Auntie.”
Cheered up, the boy grinned and hugged the stuffed rabbit on his bed. Its pink eyes and pitch-black body bore a resemblance to Ashdel himself.
“Yes, Auntie only needs Ash.”
Seeing him hug the doll made her realize—he was still just a baby. A baby.
“Alright, enough talking. Go to sleep. Your fever will get worse.”
Milena carefully tucked the blanket around him. Thanks to her wiping his sweat and changing his clothes, his body would feel fresh and comfortable.
She patted him until he fell asleep, then quietly rose from her seat. Watching him, she muttered under her breath.
“Ashdel… I’m sorry.”
She wasn’t abandoning him. She was simply returning to where she belonged.
At just seven years old, Ashdel Luxen, heir to the Grand Duchy, let out a deep sigh.
“Toto, I think Auntie is going to run away too. What should I do?”
The candlelight flickered in his pink eyes. His reflection wavered in the empty gaze of his stuffed rabbit.
“Auntie said she hates Dad now.”
His voice was cold—one Milena had never heard before.
“Should I get rid of Dad? But I can’t inherit the Grand Duchy yet because I’m too young. What should I do?”
Despite his chilling words, the plush rabbit remained silent.
“It’d be a problem if Dad went even crazier. Sigh… This is so frustrating.”
Ashdel was well aware that his father’s way of thinking was far from normal.
“I’ll just leave with Auntie when she tries to go. She’s too soft-hearted to refuse.”
No matter how much people called her a villainess, he knew better than anyone how kind she truly was.
“When I grow up and become Grand Duke, I’ll pay her back for raising me. Auntie loves money, so she’ll like that. Until then, I just need her to take care of me. After that, I’ll be the one to take care of her.”
Satisfied with his plan, Ashdel buried his face in the rabbit’s belly and closed his drowsy eyes, drifting into sleep under the effects of the medicine.
Milena would never know.
That Ashdel still vividly remembered when Larriete left him at two years old.
That even back then, she had been the only one who hadn’t let go of his hand.
That her warmth, both in the past and now, was something he would never forget.
“What did you just say?”
A bolt of lightning struck.
Milena had planned to leave quietly after sorting everything out, but suddenly, disaster struck.
Summoned to the Grand Duke’s office, she struggled to keep her expression neutral as she processed the absurd words coming from Calion’s mouth.
“I said, the date for our wedding has been set.”
“Our… wedding?”
“Yes.”
“….”
Marriage had been brought up before, even before Larriete’s memorial service.
They had said she couldn’t stay in the castle indefinitely as a mere sister-in-law and unofficial nanny.
So, they had offered her the title and authority of Grand Duchess.
It had been nothing more than a convenient excuse to silence the nobles demanding he remarry.
And of course, Milena knew the only thing she shared with Larriete was their light blonde hair.
But the moment she realized her sister was alive, she no longer had any attachment to this place.
She didn’t want to face Larriete when she returned, nor did she want to be caught up in her elaborate scheme.
Calion was obsessed with her sister. Who knew what he would do to Milena once the truth came out?
That was why she had planned to leave as soon as possible.
Yet now, he was suddenly setting a date?
“The High Priest is already here, so we might as well take our vows now.”
Calion sounded indifferent, as if he were merely checking off a tedious task.
If she hadn’t learned the truth, she might have screamed with joy.
But now, she could barely swallow the curses rising in her throat.
“No, Your Grace. The moment I stepped into this office, I knew we weren’t having a real conversation. I’ve refused everything you’ve proposed.”
Calion, still focused on his paperwork, finally looked up at her calm but resolute tone.
He never met her gaze when they spoke. He always treated her like she was insignificant.
Now, his silver-gray eyes locked onto hers in surprise.
“Why?”
He had rejected her countless times before, yet only now did he ask for a reason.
Milena let out a dry laugh.
“Why? Because no matter how you spin it, marrying my late sister’s husband is absurd.”
“…You’re the one who’s been begging for it.”
“…”
She had no retort to that.
She had, after all, done exactly that.
Milena fell silent, her sharp glare losing its edge.
“Go, if you have nothing more to say.”
She had been blindly devoted to him, humiliating herself in desperation.
But that love had long since expired.
To think she had once loved this man.
It was as if magic had drained all emotions from her, leaving her with a stronger sense of self.
Looking at him now, she felt nothing.
Not a trace of admiration—only fury at how impossible he was to reason with.
“No, we’re not done talking. I regret my past actions, and I refuse to insult the dead.”
Her sister was coming back.
What wedding?
Larriete’s death hadn’t even been officially registered.
This wasn’t marriage—it was exploitation.
And yet, because she had accepted it all before, he thought he could continue treating her like this.
Her treatment had always been appalling.
