Chapter 1

1.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...

"Madam!"

She could feel someone shaking her body. The light entered her eyes naturally as she opened them. The splendidly crafted ceiling pattern was blurred and gradually became clear.

Ceiling pattern?

She jumped up unexpectedly in surprise. Ercella looked around quickly. It was her room. No, no, mine and Harsen's... No, no, that doesn't matter right now.

"You're up!"

A woman with a cute appearance and brown hair swept down her chest looked relieved and soon wiped away the sweat on Ercella's face.

"Gosh, why did you sweat so much?"

Ercella called her name in a puzzled way.

"Lianne?"

She was a maid she brought from her family. Lianne got up in a hurry and looked at Ercella's face.

"Madam, did you have a dream? You kept tossing and turning."

Ercella had a hard time figuring out what was going on.

"I..."

Lianne was looking at her with a serious face, but she couldn't manage her expression. If anyone saw the pale face of Ercella, they would have been worried.

"Are you alright? Should I get you some tea?"

Lianne, who kept asking how she was doing, was invisible to her. Ercella stammered and opened her lips.

"I..."

"Madam?"

Am I alive?!

She stiffened on the spot without speaking. Tens of thousands of thoughts passed through Ercella's mind. I was definitely dead. How am I still alive? Why in hell...? Was that a dream? It was a hell of a lot of pain for a dream. It wouldn't be weird if I died right now, would it?!

How did the dead come back to life? Maybe she didn't die actually? I thought I was dead, but I just got over it...

It's not hard to breathe anymore.

Ercella was soon astonished by her revival. Every time I breathed, my chest tightened and it stung as if someone had stabbed me with a needle, but now it seems okay.

She carefully breathed in and out slowly. Her chest went up and down finely. As expected, no pain was felt.

What's going on?

Her illness was definitely incurable. But now she's alive. Ercella was suspicious of her current situation. How can the illness she suffered disappear overnight?

Also, her maid brought her tea so casually. Normally, she would ask her seriously how she was feeling today. Ever since she became ill, Lianne had been constantly checking up on her physical condition.

"Madam?"

Lianne's voice calling her with a puzzled look brought Ercella to her senses. Just then it came to her mind. The name that she desperately called before she died.

No... What is this... Is she thinking that I'm about to ask for my son first thing in the morning to scold him?!

When Ercella gave Lianne an absurd look, Lianne prepared herself to get scolded.

Ercella felt that Lianne sincerely thought so. She hurriedly excused herself, forgetting her embarrassment.

"That's not it. I'm not trying to scold you..... I just have a matter to discuss."

She said that with a very stiff expression, but she couldn't help it because it came out impulsively before she could go through her thoughts.

"What about Vicente?"

Lianne was taken aback by her mistress's words. She never uttered his name with her mouth. Is she feeling unwell? Thinking so, she opened her mouth carefully. I hope I don't get on her nerves.

"If you're talking about the young master, he's at the training grounds. Ma'am, your face is pale, would you like me to pour you some tea to calm you?"

As Lianne worried about her condition again, Ercella shook her head. It wasn't the right time to drink tea leisurely.

"That's enough. Tell Vicente I'm looking for him... No, no. I should go myself."

"...Madam, did the young master do anything wrong?"

"......."

What do you mean by that? Did Vicente cause trouble?

She didn't know what was going on because she couldn't figure her situation yet.

When she looked at her with confusion, she took a breath and said earnestly,

"The young master doesn't neglect his studies or swordsmanship and gives excellent results every time. He even passed the apprenticeship exam at an early age. He is highly praised by his tutors due to his excellence in various fields such as politics, economics, geography, history, and society, so even if he made a mistake, he wanted to do well. If he did something wrong, why don't you gently tell him? The young master is mature compared to his peers, but he is still a boy. Please show mercy, ma'am."

Whether it's a dream or a miracle, she came back to her daily life, but her personality could not change at once. She felt awkward doing what she usually didn't.

"First, I have to go to the training grounds."

She decided to stop making excuses and meet the person she missed the most.

Ercella felt awkward on her way to the training grounds. When she first entered the area, she was greeted by the butler. She, who had lived as a noblewoman all her life, had never entered the training grounds.

Naturally, it was Vicente, the heir to the Knight Commander, who mainly used the training grounds. Ercella, of course, knew that and did not step further into the training ground.

"I was really the worst."

Looking back at the past, she felt guiltier. She once again felt that she was a heartless mother.

The training field was quite far away. She was in the underground basement of the mansion, but there was a window, so it was well lit. The window was half smaller than the one upstairs. Still, she could guess that people managed it well because it was not uncomfortable.

As she walked along the hallway for a long time, she saw the two swords insignia at the intersection. It was the training field.

Lianne opened the heavy-looking door. She heard a squeak. Considering Lianne's slender body shape, it opened fairly smoothly. Ercella took a breath and went inside.

Swish-

As soon as she entered, she heard the sound of a blade cutting through the air.

Vicente.

A boy who was already well over her height was wielding a sword in a chiseled position. Every time the sword swung, sweat-drops on his fluttering hair reflected in the light and glistened.

Ercella admired inside. She, who was ignorant of swordsmanship, also admitted that it was an excellent posture. He was just as outstanding as she heard. Ercella had never seen Vicente wield a sword before. Regrets resurfaced in her heart.

I should've complimented you at least once.

He stared blankly for a long time but didn't spare a glance towards Ercella. She didn't know if it was because he was focused on training or if he was intentionally ignoring her. For some reason, Ercella thought it was the latter.

Lianne approached him and whispered something to him. Vicente slowly turned his head toward Ercella. Ercella was somewhat speechless as his deep, unreadable blue eyes confronted her.

Vicente looked at Ercella at an angle with a face that didn't show what he was thinking. A strong gust of wind flowed between them as if there were only her and Vicente here.

Suddenly, Vicente looked down and lifted the sword that was lying on the floor. Then he slowly inserted the sword, he was holding in his right hand, into the scabbard.

The sound of the blade sliding into the scabbard rang sharply. He walked toward Ercella with the sword in his hand. Even though she couldn't see the blade, she felt threatened and her heart sank. Ercella swallowed dry saliva.

Meanwhile, Vicente, who had stopped in front of her at a certain distance, bowed politely.

"Greetings, Mother."

It was perfect manners, but she felt that he was definitely drawing a line. Nevertheless, her heart slowly began to pound. Thanks to this, the tension that gave her cold sweat disappeared a little. Ercella slowly observed Vicente's face.

Blue eyes inherited from her with black hair and a soft face almost reaching adulthood. A cold impression overall.

It was her son, Vicente who was looking at her coldly until she died.

"What brings you to the training grounds?"

A voice that did not contain even a touch of emotion rang low. Ercella chose her words, trying not to be nervous.

"I'm here to see if you're doing well."

...Oh, gosh.

She wanted to hit her mouth. What's with that unfamiliar tone that popped out of nowhere? I'm not talking to my subordinates. What is this? Whether it was a dream or not, this was the first conversation we had since I died and revived. But I failed wonderfully.

She could feel Lianne's gaze from the side. She seemed anxious that the two would fight again.

Ercella was a little upset. How is she so kind to the noble ladies and the employees but like that with her only son?

She felt frustrated.

"I'm practicing without any problems. I'll make sure you won't have to worry about it next time."

Vicente dismissed her with its distinctive firmness. She felt her heart tear apart at the nuance of wanting to end the conversation, as well as the unspoken implication that she shouldn't come again.

She wanted to hug Vicente right away and cry and apologize. However, contrary to what she thought, her eyes weren't reddened and her shoulders weren't shrunken with guilt.

She was always looking at Vicente in a straight, graceful posture. Vicente was taller than her, so she had to look up, but Ercella did not raise her head too high nor cowered. She just looked at him composedly. As expected, old habits could not have changed overnight.

She thought about relaxing her body and raising her head a little more to keep her eyes straight, but she soon gave up. Awkward body gestures could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

For example, it might seem like she's mocking him or looking down on him. Respecting her son's space was the right thing to do at the moment. It would be nice if we got closer later, but I have to be satisfied with this right now.

Should I leave just like that?

Ercella wanted to say sweet things before she left, but she couldn't speak at all. As she remained still, Vicente bowed his head without expression. He seemed to be going back.

"Wait a second."

Ercella caught him in his steps, which seemed to have no lingering feelings. Vicente's face was puzzled as he stopped at his spot.

"Do you have any other business, Mother?"

Ercella strengthened her resolve in front of Vicente, who showed clear signs of annoyance.

You can do it.

She slowly stretched her arm over her son's shoulders. It was such a stiff gesture. As he was taller than her, naturally her arm was raised upward.

"Do... well."

Tick. Tock.

"......."

Ercella's hand touched and fell from Vicente's shoulder at once. To the onlookers, it looked as if a supervisor was encouraging a knight before going out to war. But that was not what mattered to those around them.

"Madness!"

"Oh, my!"

"Is this real?"

"Madam..."

"My lady..."

"She did something like... cheering up the Young Master!"

Everyone gathered and looked at them with shock. Whenever they were together the servants walked on thin ice. They were nervous about what was going to happen today, but this was unexpected. They breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

Vicente's expression hardened by her not-so-encouragement-like-encouragement. It's amazing how his expressions disappeared.

Is this not it?

Ercella also stiffened her expression, wondering if she had made a mistake.

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