"...Mom."
"... !"
Madame Cronach's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Claudel forced her eyes wide open as if trying not to shed tears and watched her reaction.
When Madame Cronach didn't answer and just stood there in surprise, she hesitated and roughly combed her hair that was hanging down her back, grabbed a handful of it, and held it out to her as if to show off.
"... !"
Madame Cronach's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Claudel forced her eyes wide open as if trying not to shed tears and watched her reaction.
When Madame Cronach didn't answer and just stood there in surprise, she hesitated and roughly combed her hair that was hanging down her back, grabbed a handful of it, and held it out to her as if to show off.
Didn't you give birth to her?
As if she couldn't possibly recognize a child with red hair and golden eyes like this?
"Mother."
The short word 'mother' brought back emotions that had been suppressed for years.
"...Are you angry that I didn't recognize you sooner?"
Madame Cronach finally came to her senses after seeing tears flowing down Claudel's thin cheeks.
"...No."
Goosebumps appeared all over her body. At the same time, it was painful as if a hot coal had been inserted into her heart.
'Ugh. It hurts.'
She only imagined the moment when Claudel would call her mom.
She never thought it would actually happen while she was alive. Because Claudel had become the daughter of Vermont. So now she was the Duchess of Temnes.
There were many prerequisites for Claudel to recognize or accept her as her mom.
These were things that would shake up Claudel's stable life, so the more she loved her daughter, the more she couldn't even hope for them.
'I hope I can see Claudel again with my own eyes someday.'
She had only wished for that, and her ten-year wish had come true.
She thanked God that she had experienced the utmost joy with that.
"Say something."
Her heart was fluttering and her heart was filled with joy when she saw her grown daughter calling her mom, but it was a distant and bitter pain that was far from the joy.
"...Claudel."
The name of her daughter, who had always been called so tenderly, brushed past her tongue, which had become stiff from tension.
Even so, when her voice, which had come out of her mouth, reached her ears, carrying the meaning of longing and missed existence, she could feel that Claudel had called her mother.
“Claudel!”
Madame Cronach hugged Claudel fiercely with both arms.
“Claudel.”
“Mother. Mother.”
Every time she blinked her eyes, which were blurry with tears flowing uncontrollably, she could see red hair. The child who had barely reached her waist when they had parted ways had grown up to be as big as her and she could hold her in her arms.
Madame Cronach forgot them for the rest of her life and truly felt that her daughter had returned.
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you right away.”
“No. No. Don’t say that.”
“Mother.”
“Yes.”
“...Mother.”
The mother and daughter held each other and cried for a long time. Without a word, they collapsed on the carpet, exhausted, but they couldn’t let go of each other and kept embracing each other.
“You didn’t recognize me before?”
“...Yes.”
Claudel nodded.
It had been several months since her father’s funeral that her mother had come to the Castle de Valmonde to look for her.
At that time, all sorts of rumors were going around in the castle.
An unlucky and ominous child. Her overly impressive misfortune made even innocent children avoid her.
On top of that, she suffered from insomnia and had a sleepwalking disorder, so when she encountered her walking through the dark hallway at night in only her white nightgown, she would often make a fuss about dropping oil lamps or candles and starting a fire.
She had resisted to some extent, looking for her mother, when the Duke of Vermont slapped her in the face and told her that she had not seen what she had just seen.
“Yes. Then I should send your mother to her father.”
Her uncle made a terrible threat to the barely ten-year-old child with a scary face.
“If you miss your mother so much, then do you want her to die because of you?”
In the end, Claudel caught wind of her being dragged out, so she fainted and woke up after being told that she would kill her mother as punishment. No matter how much she tried to recall the old memories, it was as if her mother’s face had been squished into a circle as if only that part had been erased with an eraser.
Even as a child, she had a great fear that the Duke of Vermont was not an ordinary person, so after some time had passed, she dismissed what she had seen and experienced as something that had never happened as if she had been sleepwalking and dreaming between reality and delusion.
‘Should I say I didn’t recognize it, or should I say I shouldn’t have known even though I saw it?’
Now that I think about it, it wasn’t a coincidence that I had a nightmare that night after seeing Madame Cronach.
The dream of that day when I ran away from the village of Plogne.
The face that had melted and collapsed in the flames and the arms that stretched out to grab me were traces of the memories of the abuse and trauma I had suffered as a child, which had forced me to confine myself. I had been delighted to hear my mother’s voice, but then saw her body covered in scars and beg the Duke of Vermont and be dragged away.
‘I can’t tell you honestly.’
I thought that my mother, who had come all the way to the castle of Valmonde in such pain, would be so upset and sad if she found out what had happened to me.
“I became mentally unstable after my father passed away. I couldn’t sleep well and I couldn’t think of the village or my mother.”
“I see.”
The arms that had embraced me continued to stroke my back as I gave a vague answer. Finally, as if I had found a place to lean on, I was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
‘A place to lean on?’
As if she couldn't possibly recognize a child with red hair and golden eyes like this?
"Mother."
The short word 'mother' brought back emotions that had been suppressed for years.
"...Are you angry that I didn't recognize you sooner?"
Madame Cronach finally came to her senses after seeing tears flowing down Claudel's thin cheeks.
"...No."
Goosebumps appeared all over her body. At the same time, it was painful as if a hot coal had been inserted into her heart.
'Ugh. It hurts.'
She only imagined the moment when Claudel would call her mom.
She never thought it would actually happen while she was alive. Because Claudel had become the daughter of Vermont. So now she was the Duchess of Temnes.
There were many prerequisites for Claudel to recognize or accept her as her mom.
These were things that would shake up Claudel's stable life, so the more she loved her daughter, the more she couldn't even hope for them.
'I hope I can see Claudel again with my own eyes someday.'
She had only wished for that, and her ten-year wish had come true.
She thanked God that she had experienced the utmost joy with that.
"Say something."
Her heart was fluttering and her heart was filled with joy when she saw her grown daughter calling her mom, but it was a distant and bitter pain that was far from the joy.
"...Claudel."
The name of her daughter, who had always been called so tenderly, brushed past her tongue, which had become stiff from tension.
Even so, when her voice, which had come out of her mouth, reached her ears, carrying the meaning of longing and missed existence, she could feel that Claudel had called her mother.
“Claudel!”
Madame Cronach hugged Claudel fiercely with both arms.
“Claudel.”
“Mother. Mother.”
Every time she blinked her eyes, which were blurry with tears flowing uncontrollably, she could see red hair. The child who had barely reached her waist when they had parted ways had grown up to be as big as her and she could hold her in her arms.
Madame Cronach forgot them for the rest of her life and truly felt that her daughter had returned.
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you right away.”
“No. No. Don’t say that.”
“Mother.”
“Yes.”
“...Mother.”
The mother and daughter held each other and cried for a long time. Without a word, they collapsed on the carpet, exhausted, but they couldn’t let go of each other and kept embracing each other.
“You didn’t recognize me before?”
“...Yes.”
Claudel nodded.
It had been several months since her father’s funeral that her mother had come to the Castle de Valmonde to look for her.
At that time, all sorts of rumors were going around in the castle.
An unlucky and ominous child. Her overly impressive misfortune made even innocent children avoid her.
On top of that, she suffered from insomnia and had a sleepwalking disorder, so when she encountered her walking through the dark hallway at night in only her white nightgown, she would often make a fuss about dropping oil lamps or candles and starting a fire.
She had resisted to some extent, looking for her mother, when the Duke of Vermont slapped her in the face and told her that she had not seen what she had just seen.
“Yes. Then I should send your mother to her father.”
Her uncle made a terrible threat to the barely ten-year-old child with a scary face.
“If you miss your mother so much, then do you want her to die because of you?”
In the end, Claudel caught wind of her being dragged out, so she fainted and woke up after being told that she would kill her mother as punishment. No matter how much she tried to recall the old memories, it was as if her mother’s face had been squished into a circle as if only that part had been erased with an eraser.
Even as a child, she had a great fear that the Duke of Vermont was not an ordinary person, so after some time had passed, she dismissed what she had seen and experienced as something that had never happened as if she had been sleepwalking and dreaming between reality and delusion.
‘Should I say I didn’t recognize it, or should I say I shouldn’t have known even though I saw it?’
Now that I think about it, it wasn’t a coincidence that I had a nightmare that night after seeing Madame Cronach.
The dream of that day when I ran away from the village of Plogne.
The face that had melted and collapsed in the flames and the arms that stretched out to grab me were traces of the memories of the abuse and trauma I had suffered as a child, which had forced me to confine myself. I had been delighted to hear my mother’s voice, but then saw her body covered in scars and beg the Duke of Vermont and be dragged away.
‘I can’t tell you honestly.’
I thought that my mother, who had come all the way to the castle of Valmonde in such pain, would be so upset and sad if she found out what had happened to me.
“I became mentally unstable after my father passed away. I couldn’t sleep well and I couldn’t think of the village or my mother.”
“I see.”
The arms that had embraced me continued to stroke my back as I gave a vague answer. Finally, as if I had found a place to lean on, I was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
‘A place to lean on?’
I flinched at the thought that occurred to me without my knowing. At the same time, after the repeated nightmares of the Duke of Vermont, I realized that my memories of my mother had returned surprisingly quickly.
'That's right. I thought I had nowhere to go.'
'That's right. I thought I had nowhere to go.'
I had met my mother again. So I was no longer alone, and I was no longer a child without parents to protect me from the wind and rain. I had fallen out with Irena, who I had believed would help me accept a baby who would not be welcomed in Temnes, because of gossip, and Hannah, who was pregnant, would eventually follow her husband, Rohan, and become a true servant of Temnes.
After being cut off from even the people I trusted the most, I became completely isolated.
Unable to open up to anyone and difficult to get help, my desperate consciousness searched for my mother, who I thought I knew but whose identity I had forgotten because I was unable to show it due to the vulgar threats.
When my thoughts came to a close, I felt uncontrollably sad.
"Mother. Please take me from here."
I tightly grabbed Madame Cronach's hem.
"I want to live with you."
As Claudel desperately clung to her, Madame KlCronach hesitated and wrapped her arms around her again, wrapping her thin, almost emaciated body around him.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Claudel shed tears she had held back for a long time.
She finally felt like she could breathe.
The maids watched the mother and daughter reunion in rapt attention.
Even to those who didn’t know, the tears of the two women, who seemed to have many stories to tell, were heartbreaking as if they were seeping into their hearts.
Then, when their eyes met, without saying who would go first, they quietly left the room where Claudel was staying and stamped their feet in the hallway. They whispered in low voices.
“What should I do?”
“Yes. If His Majesty the King knows.”
They knew Valquiterre's intentions better than anyone else.
At first, they watched the woman, who couldn’t hide her sadness at first, stroking her swollen belly as if she was trying to force herself harder, and they thought that the marriage between the families of enemies had finally brought about the trouble that everyone had been worried about.
After the baby was born, the order Valquiterre gave was so out of the ordinary that they naturally became much more cautious when dealing with Claudel.
If it was to protect the heir of Temnes or because of family matters, they couldn’t treat a baby who resembled Vermont in that way. Naturally, they realized that the King’s wishes were different from the apparent reason.
One of their brothers or sisters had received the King’s favor. Since their families were also at stake like hostages, they were desperate to follow Valquiterre's orders at this point.
“I can’t go.”
One of the maids was afraid. The man’s incomprehensible persistence was not easy to deal with for anyone.
“What should we do? If we tell him late, it’ll only get worse.”
The two maids, who had been hesitating, eventually decided to go into the King’s office together and quickly moved their feet.
However, Valquiterre, who was sitting in the office and receiving the maids’ visit, immediately made a face.
“Say it again.”
“So it seems that the owner of Salon Arvo is Lady Claudel’s biological mother.”
“Nonsense!”
The maids said in excuses when the King’s displeasure was blatant.
“Lady Claudel said ‘mother’ as soon as she saw her.”
“She also called her by her name, ‘Claudel’.”
“They hugged each other and cried for a long time.”
Valquiterre was dumbfounded.
“If she found her mother, shouldn’t there be some kind of proof?”
“T-That’s right.”
“But they only exchanged greetings?”
“Yes.”
“Without any confirmation or showing of objects or anything like that?”
The maids hastily nodded.
“Yes. Yes.”
“It didn’t seem like they exchanged any codes or anything.”
“If she had contacted her in advance while she was staying at the castle, we couldn’t have known, Your Majesty.”
Until Claudel gave birth, only a few people with permission were allowed to enter the royal lounge.
Even the chefs who prepared food in the castle kitchen didn’t know who they were cooking for.
“They knew each other as soon as their eyes met.”
“That, and Lady Claudel asked her to leave the castle with her.”
At those words, Valquiterre’s expression turned cold.
“What a ridiculous scheme.”
The owner of Salon Arvo was like Kaian’s right-hand man.
It made no sense for that woman to be Claudel’s mother.
‘Claudel is from the village of Plogne.’
That must mean that the woman was also from the village of Plogne. That couldn’t be true.
‘We’ve definitely confirmed that they’re all dead.’
After being cut off from even the people I trusted the most, I became completely isolated.
Unable to open up to anyone and difficult to get help, my desperate consciousness searched for my mother, who I thought I knew but whose identity I had forgotten because I was unable to show it due to the vulgar threats.
When my thoughts came to a close, I felt uncontrollably sad.
"Mother. Please take me from here."
I tightly grabbed Madame Cronach's hem.
"I want to live with you."
As Claudel desperately clung to her, Madame KlCronach hesitated and wrapped her arms around her again, wrapping her thin, almost emaciated body around him.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Claudel shed tears she had held back for a long time.
She finally felt like she could breathe.
***
The maids watched the mother and daughter reunion in rapt attention.
Even to those who didn’t know, the tears of the two women, who seemed to have many stories to tell, were heartbreaking as if they were seeping into their hearts.
Then, when their eyes met, without saying who would go first, they quietly left the room where Claudel was staying and stamped their feet in the hallway. They whispered in low voices.
“What should I do?”
“Yes. If His Majesty the King knows.”
They knew Valquiterre's intentions better than anyone else.
At first, they watched the woman, who couldn’t hide her sadness at first, stroking her swollen belly as if she was trying to force herself harder, and they thought that the marriage between the families of enemies had finally brought about the trouble that everyone had been worried about.
After the baby was born, the order Valquiterre gave was so out of the ordinary that they naturally became much more cautious when dealing with Claudel.
If it was to protect the heir of Temnes or because of family matters, they couldn’t treat a baby who resembled Vermont in that way. Naturally, they realized that the King’s wishes were different from the apparent reason.
One of their brothers or sisters had received the King’s favor. Since their families were also at stake like hostages, they were desperate to follow Valquiterre's orders at this point.
“I can’t go.”
One of the maids was afraid. The man’s incomprehensible persistence was not easy to deal with for anyone.
“What should we do? If we tell him late, it’ll only get worse.”
The two maids, who had been hesitating, eventually decided to go into the King’s office together and quickly moved their feet.
However, Valquiterre, who was sitting in the office and receiving the maids’ visit, immediately made a face.
“Say it again.”
“So it seems that the owner of Salon Arvo is Lady Claudel’s biological mother.”
“Nonsense!”
The maids said in excuses when the King’s displeasure was blatant.
“Lady Claudel said ‘mother’ as soon as she saw her.”
“She also called her by her name, ‘Claudel’.”
“They hugged each other and cried for a long time.”
Valquiterre was dumbfounded.
“If she found her mother, shouldn’t there be some kind of proof?”
“T-That’s right.”
“But they only exchanged greetings?”
“Yes.”
“Without any confirmation or showing of objects or anything like that?”
The maids hastily nodded.
“Yes. Yes.”
“It didn’t seem like they exchanged any codes or anything.”
“If she had contacted her in advance while she was staying at the castle, we couldn’t have known, Your Majesty.”
Until Claudel gave birth, only a few people with permission were allowed to enter the royal lounge.
Even the chefs who prepared food in the castle kitchen didn’t know who they were cooking for.
“They knew each other as soon as their eyes met.”
“That, and Lady Claudel asked her to leave the castle with her.”
At those words, Valquiterre’s expression turned cold.
“What a ridiculous scheme.”
The owner of Salon Arvo was like Kaian’s right-hand man.
It made no sense for that woman to be Claudel’s mother.
‘Claudel is from the village of Plogne.’
That must mean that the woman was also from the village of Plogne. That couldn’t be true.
‘We’ve definitely confirmed that they’re all dead.’
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