By making Astariol who could not even feel the need to empathize and communicate with others, harbored a fierce affection, shaking the very foundation of existence…

Someone who instilled profoundly human affection even for a child who he barely recognized.

Was that possible? For me too?

‘How?’

Why? Who on earth?

If that was Astariol’s love, and if it was a natural reaction that all Tara provoked in Astariol…

Tara was a natural disaster to Astariol. A massive storm that broke and squeezed the completed existence.

– It was the seed of the demon that tempted Astariol and caused him to fall from God to human.

Even though my mother was Tara, I thought I understood why she was called the devil in the scriptures.

Ancient Astariol was literally revered as a semi-deity.

If you believed in God… you would never recognize the human who breaks the very existence of Astariol as the same kind of being.

Whether he noticed my intense agitation or not, the man spoke in a calmer and more even tone than before.

“In fact, the scriptures don’t describe it with too much malice, do they? After all, Tara is just a person.”

“….”

“Just someone we come to like a lot.”

Of course, everyone here already knew that it didn’t end at that level.

If it ended just with ‘liking a lot,’ would someone chase after a woman who fled like Duke Chelsiers?

Perhaps that was why Mom’s expression showed signs of disapproval, but she reluctantly nodded for the time being.

I desperately composed my voice and asked, “So… do I also have a Tara? How do I meet my Tara?”

Mom gently took my hand to calm me down. Sweat oozed from her hand.

She seemed even more tense and anxious than me.

On the other hand, Duke Chelsiers seemed relatively indifferent. It wasn’t because he considered my question meaningless.

He simply appeared resigned, as if it was an inevitable fate.

“You may meet, or you may not.”

He said simply, tapping both Mother’s and my teacups. The traces of the cooled  tea disappeared without a trace.

Then the duke picked up the teapot.

Was there some kind of magic on the teapot? The  tea flowing from the spout still steamed delicately.

The man’s tone was modest, just like the clear and pure tea.

“There are countless people in the world, and it’s difficult to assert that there is no Tara among those you haven’t met.”

He silently put down the teapot in an elegant and restrained movement.

“But, once you meet Tara, you will know.”

His calm purple eyes looked at my mother.

His gaze was calm yet intense.

No conviction would be stronger than this, no desire would burn more fiercely than this.

“As soon as I see her, I realize that she’s the master of my life.”

My mother’s face showed signs of wanting to fight back.

Her eyes were like a burning forest. There was nothing left of the blazing green eyes filled with anger and resentment.

But Mom held my hand and thus desperately tried to control her emotions.

Her other hand gently touched my cheek.

“It’s okay whether you meet Tara or not. You’re smart enough to take care of yourself, so you’ll be able to live your life well.”

I didn’t voice out the skeptical question of whether Duke Chelsiers before meeting my mother might have been similar to me.

Because a more pessimistic speculation lingered in my mind.

‘Let’s say I meet Tara by chance. I fall completely for him, but what about him?’

Even when she was pregnant, my mother still ran away from Duke Chelsiers.

I knew I couldn’t generalize it from just one case, but …

It would mean that unlike Astariol who was completely crazy about Tara, Tara’s feeling was different.

‘As soon as I meet someone I never wanted in my life, I become absorbed with him. But what if the other person doesn’t want me?’

My head went cold. It was terrible even to imagine.

I admitted it. Duke Chelsiers was a more remarkable person than I thought.

I couldn’t imagine being able to withstand my Tara, who fled from me while still in my right mind.

Although I emotionally loved my mother much more, still… I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by questions.

“How can you do that?”

The man’s crimson eyes were quiet. I wondered if he didn’t understand.

Then, the man smiled very slowly.

It was too tender and elusive to express with words like affection or excitement.

It was a terrifyingly beautiful smile.

“It’s easier to see someone hating me by my side than not being there at all. It’s a bit unsettling, but I’m not entirely sane.”

I looked at him bewildered.

He seemed not just a little out of his mind, but just plain crazy.

‘And that might be my future…’

That chillingly beautiful smile was terrifying, more than any pessimistic speculation.

Even the skeptical look from my mother, who gazed at him with a blank expression, made her pause before standing up immediately.

“You crazy …! What are you saying to the child! Mind your language!”

The man spoke calmly.

“It’s a good point. But if you’re going to say that, please don’t use profanity in front of the child either.”

My mother seemed to have judged that saying more would only make things worse, so she swallowed her anger to the point where it choked her.

Instead, she turned to me with a thoughtful expression.

“Come, Claire. Forget about it. Your Tara will like you too. Who wouldn’t like you? You’re so pretty and smart.”

My mother comforted me while looking into my eyes.

…my eyes that were exactly the same shade of purple as my father’s.

While my face and my mother’s face turned completely pale, the man remained calm as he watched as if it was a spectacle.

“There seem to be people like that after all.”

I was tormented by strange conflicting emotions.

‘I understand why my mother ran away.’

…But I also seemed to understand why my father’s character deteriorated to this point.

My mother seemed to sense that saying more here would only make matters worse, so she sighed deeply and hugged me tightly.

I hesitated for a moment before hugging her closely.

Mom gently stroked my back as if comforting a troubled puppy…

In her warm embrace, I felt an irrational sense that I could escape all hardship.

A sense of stability that gently and quietly swallowed up your worries.

Even the tension that had unknowingly filled me relaxed.

As if she believed that I wouldn’t understand, she gestured silently to the man, her face scrunching in disapproval.

‘Quickly apologize to her.’

Honestly, I expected him to say something like, ‘Why should I?’

Objectively, all his words were correct. They were consistent with his experience and reason.

But unexpectedly, he seemed embarrassed.

Just like fathers who were bad at taking care of their children got embarrassed after making a mistake, making their children cry.

He waited until I completely raised my head from my mother’s embrace and then apologized.

His voice was gentle and his attitude humble, making even my mother and me, who received the apology, feel awkward.

The atmosphere remained tense.

Nobody dared to speak, and the awkward silence lingered throughout the journey.

Although the hallway was brightly lit, there was not enough light to dispel this dark silence.

* * *

We parted ways with the duke and headed to our respective bathrooms.

While quickly washing and changing clothes, my mother kept her mouth shut and seemed to be deeply lost in thought. I, too, mentally organized the new stories I learned today.

As we both did so, the maids hesitated to speak, sensing the atmosphere.

My mother, born into the ruling class, seemed to pay no mind, as if she didn’t care about the maids’ reaction.

When I somehow changed into my pajamas and came out, Duke Chelsiers, similarly refreshed and wearing a nightrobe, was waiting.

I felt a slight fear that we would once again embark on a march of silence…

But he seemed to have come just to bid good night.

The man spoke to my mother in an affectionate and casual tone.

“Good night.”

His gaze lazily drifted to me. He knelt down and met my gaze.

He spoke softly to me as well.

“Sleep well.”

A warm and smooth farewell. I hesitated for a moment before responding.

“Good night.”

Unexpectedly, his eyes widened slightly as if not expecting his greeting to be returned, then he smiled gently.

The flickering light from the torches passed by his graceful face.

Beautiful and precarious.

Although Mom didn’t respond to his greeting, he got up without hesitation and moved away.

‘Does he really think my greeting alone is enough?’

No. Probably not.

He was Duke Chelsiers, someone possessing immense wealth and power. He was not someone to be pitied or sympathized with.

‘…But.’

Nevertheless, his graceful and noble figure as he walked away made me feel slightly sorry. I found myself staring at his back more than I realized.

And… my mother, who watched him with unknowable eyes, suddenly wrinkled her brow.

“Ashel, wait a moment.”

I looked up in surprise at my mother.

Even though it was a small call, the man also turned around with a surprised expression.

It was the first time my mother called his name since their reunion.

“Come here.”

Mom called him as if she was calling a dog that had become sullen after going through something.

He returned with a puzzled look on his face, as if he had no clue as to why she called him.

My mother sighed deeply, shook her head, and… grabbed him by the collar.

Did it have to be like this?