C200
"I really…"
I got into the carriage without even listening to the story that came out of Countess Wallace's mouth.
"Ethel!"
I heard her shout, but I ignored her and informed the coachman of my destination.
Finally, the carriage departed, and the countess, watching the departing carriage with a vain expression on her face, slowly walked away.
What the hell was that person trying to tell me now?
An apology for asking forgiveness for all this time? Or criticism of why I'm not helping her father and younger brother?
After thinking for a moment, I shook my head to clear the thoughts in my head.
"Who cares?"
My relationship with Countess Wallace had already ended.
Even now, when I close my eyes, memories of being her daughter come back to me clearly, but the feelings of affection and resentment have long faded.
Is it because so much has happened in the meantime?
Anyway, I had no obligation to listen to her to the end anymore, and I didn't want to.
I closed my eyes as I watched the scene of the street passing by the window.
She would lead a difficult life in her own way, but that no longer concerned me.
"Welcome."
Kayden, former butler of Cassius and general manager of the Lucibiu mining company, greeted me warmly.
"Sorry. This is the first time I've visited Mr. Kayden since he moved to the capital."
As I looked around the carefully decorated interior of the house, he led me to the living room.
"Please come this way. It's an honor to finally welcome Ethel to our home."
"No, why are you acting like this?"
"Because she's my benefactor."
"I've been having trouble lately because I haven't been able to pay attention to the company due to various issues. I'm glad Mr. Kayden is managing the company well."
"Thanks to the approximate operating policy that was established beforehand, it wasn't so difficult."
"Please continue to take care of me in the future. Once I get married and move, I won't be able to visit the capital frequently, so all I have left to do is to rely more on Kayden."
"If you trust us, we'll do our best."
He said that, but I felt like I was leaving everything to him and felt uncomfortable.
Was this a complete separation of ownership and management?
If possible, I wanted to establish a branch of the Lucibiu mining company in the area where I would move, but many things were unclear, so for now, it was just my wish.
As I chatted with him in the living room, soon I ran out of tea.
"I'm sorry."
Kayden, who was looking at me, suddenly apologized.
"I guess it's still too early for that child."
His eyes kept turning toward the door leading to the hallway. For that door where Joshua might come in.
Indeed, I visited the house where father and son now lived to meet Joshua.
The day before yesterday, Kayden told me that Joshua's condition had improved significantly.
I had planned to meet Joshua at least once before leaving the capital, so I made an appointment for today.
"It's okay, Mr. Kayden."
Joshua was the one who wanted to meet me first, but it might not be as easy for him as I thought.
"It's not like we're parting ways forever. I'll stop by the capital later, so I made another promise then…"
It was when. The only door in the room slowly opened with a creak.
Soon, a voice was heard from the other side of the door.
"H-Hi. Viscountess Lucibiu. M-My… My name is Joshua."
A young man I had never seen before peeked his pale face into the living room.
He greeted me with an increasingly clear voice.
"M-My father has told me a lot about you, so I've always wanted to meet you."
I smiled and returned the greeting.
"Hello, my name is Ethel Lucibiu. Nice to meet you, Joshua."
If there was a relationship that had already ended, then there was also a new relationship to be formed from now on.
After meeting with several people one after another, the news of my marriage to Terence was announced to the public.
There was much talk about the prince marrying a woman with a divorce background and not belonging to a great noble family.
Some people whispered that the imperial family and Terence chose me for the top-tier magic stone mine, while others believed that our love was true.
They cited eyewitness accounts of me and Terence during the Siege of Miloam as evidence and argued that it was because of love since we were together even in dangerous situations.
Additionally, Terence danced with me for the first time at the emperor's birthday party.
At that time, it took a long time before it was known that I owned a first-class magic stone mine, so it served as evidence to refute the "snobbish second prince theory."
Then, the group disapproving of our marriage emerged with speculation that I had an inappropriate relationship with Terence even before divorcing Leandro.
Of course, since the imperial family stood firm, it was just a late occurrence that you wouldn't hear if you weren't paying attention.
Furthermore, after a while, even these behind-the-scenes comments completely disappeared.
This was because Leandro and the Cassius family publicly congratulated me on my marriage.
The Cassius family, whose fortune has grown considerably lately, also handed over expensive gifts, so it seemed like a formal celebration.
I'm sorry for you, Viscountess Lucibiu. I wish you all the best in the future. And thank you for stopping Liena before she fell into a worse path.
I had mixed feelings reading the letter from my ex-husband attached to the congratulatory gift.
Well, anyway, this is probably a relationship that has already ended.
To be honest, it was difficult for me to hate them because memories of the first time Cassius sponsored me and I had a close relationship with them were coming back.
However, I would soon leave the capital, just like the Cassius family, which abandoned most of the various businesses it had worked on and focused solely on managing its fiefdom.
In many ways, it would be difficult to establish contact.
"Well, it'll be what it has to be."
I stretched and murmured.
As long as we lived, there was the possibility that we could get involved again or not.
Because no one knows the future.
After tucking Leandro's letter among my other letters, I returned to my original task.
It was about the wedding guest list.
"Isn't there anyone else to call...?"
As I pondered and tapped the desk with the pen, Terence entered the room.
"Ethel, is the list going well?"
"Yes. It seems like there's someone I left out, and sometimes it seems like no one is missing, and I feel uncomfortable."
Immediately, Arsia and Count Miloam were added to the list, as were Kais and Cecil.
Of course, excluding men in prison, like Roland, Isaac, and Elliot...
After counting on my fingers for a while, Terence set the steaming cup of tea in front of me.
"You can do it while you drink something. If you think carefully, it will come to mind."
"Thank you. Oh, Terence. Your skills are improving day by day."
"It was worth practicing."
As we chatted politely...
"It's urgent!"
A distressed Laura appeared. She seemed very surprised by what had happened.
"At this moment, someone came saying they wanted to meet Ethel and is in the next room..."
"Who is it? What's their name?"
"Wow! I-I'm sorry. I was in a hurry, so I didn't even ask their name."
"But you still brought them into the room?"
I felt proud of Laura's honesty and reliable work.
Furthermore, her loyalty to me was so high that she even said she would follow me wherever I moved.
It was hard to believe Laura would let just anyone into the annex room.
"Well, you see... At first, I also heard that an anonymous person came to visit Ethel in front of the imperial palace, so I went out with the intention of seeing their face..."
"Then?"
"Seeing their appearance, I had no choice but to believe them, or rather, what they said. They look very similar."
"To whom do they resemble?"
"To Miss Ethel! According to their words, they're the one who gave birth to Ethel!"
"What?"
Instantly, it felt like a completely unexpected comment had hit me on the head.
"My biological mother..."
A long-ago memory came to mind.
The soft hand that hugged me tightly, the sweet voice, and the face that showed tears in the end.
Terence asked me with a serious expression.
"Ethel, would you like to meet her? Choose what you want most."
"I don't know."
I clasped my trembling hands.
I was so confused that I found it difficult to organize my thoughts.
When I was young, I refused to be adopted, firmly believing that my biological mother would come looking for me again.
But the faith at that time gradually faded over time.
Indeed, my biological mother never came looking for me in the end, neither in my first nor in my second life.
Although in my second life and in the present one, I went to another orphanage through Liena's plan and was adopted by the Wallace family, in my first life, I left enough clues in the orphanage for my biological mother to find me.
However, without even meeting my biological mother, my first life ended when Liena rewound time.
"Of course, if that life had continued until the end, my biological mother might have come to visit me someday..."
I wasn't sure. Is the person in the room really my true mother, and if so, has she come to see me with pure intentions?
"If she came here with a purpose, I'll feel very disappointed. Honestly, I'm afraid to meet her."
"Ethel."
"It's strange, isn't it? I stepped forward bravely even when my life was in danger, but I can't believe this makes me shiver."
However, as someone who had failed to form a family with Wallace and Cassius, I had no choice but to be afraid. I was afraid that my true mother, who had now appeared, would harm me.
"It's not strange."
Terence gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
"I would be afraid too. And if you don't want to meet, you don't have to."
He lowered his posture and made eye contact with me, who was sitting in the chair.
"But consider this. Ethel told me that life is a series of challenges. Maybe, just maybe, this is the time to take on a challenge."
"...Do you really think so?"
"It's just my opinion. What's most important is Ethel's decision."
I took a deep breath and calmed down.
Although I was still afraid to meet my biological mother, the desire to meet her also persisted within me.
I would like to meet her. I would like to meet her and check. Why did you leave me at the orphanage, and why haven't you come to pick me up until now?
I just wanted to see her face after a long time. I was curious to know what she looked like.
"It's okay. I'll see her."
After making my decision, I got up.
As I headed to the living room with a trembling heart, Terence was by my side and took my hand.
His warmth calmed my fears. I didn't know what would happen next, but I felt like I could overcome any challenge as long as I had Terence.
I vigorously opened the door to the living room and said.
"Hello, my name is Ethel. Why don't you tell me your story?"
The story of Ethel, who divorced her ex-husband and saved the world as an apostle of the goddess, has already ended, but the story of Ethel, who met her biological mother before getting married, has now begun.
My life continues.
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