TISND Chapter 93

Chapter 93

There was a “maple forest” in Gilgallen.

Its bark was pure white, like freshly fallen snow, and was used to make the fine paper favored by royalty. In autumn, the trees would bloom with fiery red leaves, making it seem as if “thousands of phoenixes” had perched along the trunks. Though no smoke rose from them, the trees looked as if they were ablaze, burning like a forge.

‘Was it when he was around eight years old?’

Her son, Aiden, had loved visiting the maple forest.

It was a privately owned land, and the trees’ bark was highly valuable, often selling for exorbitant prices. Because of this, people couldn’t just wander in freely. Yet, her stubborn son had persistently gone there.

She recalled the time he was caught by the landowner and thoroughly scolded.

‘Why is it that seeing her now made me think of that maple forest in Gilgallen?’

‘Perhaps it is because her complexion was as pale as the bark of those trees’.

Her eyes, glowing in the quiet light, held a sorrowful beauty that could captivate anyone. For a brief moment, Mrs. Baron forgot the reason she had come here, simply admiring her.

But she couldn’t afford to stay mesmerized forever.

“It’s been a long time… Ahem, it has been a long time, Duchess!”

No matter what, this girl was now a threat to her son’s future.

She had to settle this matter immediately and leave.

“Please, you may speak comfortably, Mrs. Baron.”

A voice as delicate as if it might vanish into the air echoed through the room.

Mrs. Baron blinked in surprise at Helena’s use of formal speech.

“C-Can I really?”

“Yes. You have come here as a mother, so you need not show me any courtesy.”

There was something about Helena’s composed politeness that she did not entirely dislike.

Helena patiently waited for her to speak first.

It wasn’t that she was bad at conversation; rather, she already knew why Mrs. Baron had come.

This conversation would likely be no different from the one they had back at the Academy.

Of course, she hadn’t expected her to storm in so suddenly. But perhaps this confrontation was something that was bound to happen eventually.

“…Since you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. And honestly, this does make things easier for me as well…”

Mrs. Baron, still tense, stumbled over her words.

Helena gave her time to collect herself, choosing instead to refill her tea cup in silence.

“Have you been in Frantor with Aiden all this time?”

Mrs. Baron finally picked her words carefully and asked.

Helena nodded.

“Yes, he came to Frantor to see me.”

“…You called him here?”

“No, he insisted on coming himself.”

“Then why has he stayed by your side all this time?”

“…Because my health has not been well. He wanted to look after me.”

“…Your health, you say?”

Her tension gradually unraveled, but in its place, anger crept in.

Her lips twisted, her nose flared as she let out a sharp breath.

“There are plenty of doctors in Frantor. Why does it have to be ‘him’ staying by your side?”

Helena remained silent.

“Did you forget the promise you made to me? You swore you wouldn’t stay close to Aiden.”

“Mrs. Baron, I know why you’ve come. It’s because of the rumors, isn’t it? But I assure you, there is nothing between me and Aiden that should concern you. We were simply a ‘doctor and his patient’.”

“You expect me to believe that? A man and a woman alone together, and nothing happened? You think I wouldn’t know what was going on between you two back at the Academy?”

Mrs. Baron shouted, her breath heavy with frustration.

“If I hadn’t stopped you back then, the two of you would have fallen into a full-blown affair!”

“Yes.”

Helena’s reply was calm.

“I liked Aiden back then.”

“…!”

Mrs. Baron had not expected such a direct confession.

Her thoughts went completely blank.

“You were right, Mrs. Baron.” Helena continued.

“If you hadn’t intervened, we probably would have developed deeper feelings for each other.”

“W-What…?”

“I liked him that much.”

But…

Helena’s eyes remained steady as she continued.

“But things are different now.”

Her feelings were not the same as they were back then.

“Whether in Frantor or back in the capital, nothing happened that should make you worry.”

A quiet pause followed.

‘I have someone else I love now.’

Helena thought to herself.

But Aiden was still precious to her.

He always would be.

“Do you want me to believe that? That you have someone else you like?”

“If you don’t believe me, then why did you come here?”

Helena asked calmly.

“Didn’t you come here to hear my side of the story?”

“Why would I listen to you? You’re just going to lie anyway!”

“…Me?”

“Yes! You’re the daughter of the filthy, disgusting Eskel family!”

“…”

“You’re pretending to be innocent, but you can’t hide that bloodline. You didn’t leave my innocent son alone, did you? Am I wrong?”

Mrs. Baron shouted.

“You probably think this is all just a game, don’t you? After some time, the rumors will naturally disappear. After all, the Eskel family’s reputation has long since fallen, and even if your reputation is tarnished, who will notice? But for us, it’s not a joke.”

She stood up from the sofa, her face flushed red.
“It’s a matter of our family’s destiny.”

“…I know.”

“You know? And yet, you still touched my son? You were born in a rich family, living in a fine mansion, married to a successful man, and still, you interfered with my precious child?”

Helena realized that there was no point in talking to her. When she first arrived, Helena had already mentally prepared herself. She intended to apologize, explain things, and send Aiden away, just like what had happened back at the Academy.

But Mrs. Baron didn’t seem like she was willing to listen to anything Helena said. This was something she had expected, something she was familiar with.
Still, there was a pain burning deep inside her chest. While Mrs. Baron dismissed everything as a “game,” for Helena, it was far from that.

She was right in some ways. She hadn’t protected Aiden.

Should she never have met Aiden in the first place? Should she not have replied to his letter? Should she never have seen him after graduation? Should she not have told him about her health? Should she never have invited him to Frantor? And should she have stopped him from investigating Eskel on his own, even though he didn’t ask her? When she listed everything, it felt like she was truly at fault.
She couldn’t protect him, so why did she keep meeting with him?

“Aiden is a responsible young man, the eldest son of our family. He would never act irresponsibly, not with me or Eris. I know that, and I’m sure you kept him by your side, not letting him leave.”

“I didn’t keep him here.”

“What? So you’re telling me my son chose to stay with you?”

“Mother!” The door opened, and Aiden stepped in. His face was bright red with a mix of shame and anger.

“What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to be here? If you’re here, of course, I’m coming! Aiden, listen to me! This girl is lying!”

Aiden tried to lead his mother out of the room, but she was still too upset to calm down.

“She’s pretending like she didn’t trap you here, but she’s the one who kept you!”

“That’s true.”

“What?”

“It’s true, so please, Mother…”

Aiden lowered his head.
“Please don’t make me feel so miserable.”

For a moment, Mrs. Baron froze. She seemed to realize that what Helena had said was indeed true. What shocked her more was the unexpected behavior of her son, who she had always thought would be endlessly devoted.

She had always thought that it was Helena who was holding Aiden back. But to her surprise, it was the opposite.

Her son, who valued his family more than his own life. The son who would even give up food for her and his sister. She thought she knew him well—her devoted and kind son. He was her pride. But now…

“How could you do this?”

Mrs. Baron’s anger shifted to Aiden.

“Do you know what you’ve done? This is going to tear our family apart!”

“I know, I know…”

Helena, who had been silently watching the mother and son argue, lowered her head. She felt it was time to give them a moment to talk.

“Senior, I’ll give you some space. Please go and finish talking with your mother.”

“…Helena.”

He called her name, his face filled with a mix of emotions. It had been a long time since they had last met, but she turned away.

It was time for her to say goodbye to him.

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