Chapter : 150
No one knew when the seal would break and Erika’s holy power would manifest.
A power so strong that even Nicholas could barely contain it.
Of course, the Holy Nation would take her child away. That could not be allowed.
Julia, left alone, was terrified.
She desperately searched for a way to prevent her child from being taken and thought of entrusting her to a place where it wouldn’t be strange for holy energy to linger.
That place was the Blanche Marquisate.
A mansion frequently visited by mid- to lower-ranked clerics, meant for a fragile noble daughter.
Julia thought that if Erika lived at the Blanche Marquisate, even if the seal Nicholas had placed on her suddenly broke and her holy power manifested, they could avoid arousing suspicion from the Holy Nation.
So, Julia endured everything at the marquis’s mansion, even when her daughter suffered unjustly.
Every time her daughter struggled, Julia’s heart would often break.
There were countless times when she wanted to run away with Erika immediately, but she gritted her teeth and endured it with a heart that felt like it was bleeding.
“All I have left now is Erika.”
“It’s better to be here with her than to have her taken by the Holy Nation and never see her again.”
At that time, Julia, uneducated and with a child to protect, chose the lesser of two evils rather than the worst option.
“I was foolish. I was such a fool.”
With a face full of regret, Julia repeatedly apologized to her daughter.
Like Erika, she had a lot she wanted to say after being imprisoned alone.
But at this moment, the only words that escaped her lips were apologies. Nothing else came to mind, nor could it be spoken.
“I’m sorry, Erika. Because of me… how much you must have suffered…”
Julia wanted to immediately embrace Erika, but she couldn’t. She felt as if she didn’t even have the right.
“I’m a failure as a mother.”
Seeing her daughter safe, Julia had no regrets even if she were to die right then, but she couldn’t face her husband.
Meanwhile, Erika, who had been silently listening without any movement, moved for the first time.
She quietly shook her head.
Erika didn’t want to hear this from Julia. She certainly hadn’t wished for such a reunion.
“…Mom.”
Her voice cracked.
It was only then that Erika realized she herself had been crying.
She shook her head gently.
“Mom, no. Don’t think like that. So… please stop apologizing.”
Her voice kept cracking.
Her words were mixed with tears, making them hard to understand. Erika had to shake her head repeatedly to properly convey her meaning.
She sincerely wanted Julia to stop apologizing.
Honestly, sometimes she had resented her mother in her younger heart.
She had wondered why they had to live at the Blanche Marquisate instead of somewhere else.
But that feeling didn’t last long. And one larger thought outweighed everything.
She wanted to see her mother.
She wanted her mother to be safe.
Meeting her alive now was enough. It was sincere.
Erika lifted her lips, as if wanting to reassure Julia.
“I’m the one who should be more sorry. I should have… sooner, much sooner…”
She should have found her sooner.
Erika couldn’t finish her sentence and lowered her gaze.
Seeing her daughter act so maturely, Julia burst into tears once again.
The time her daughter had lived that Julia had never seen was unbearably painful.
So Julia kept watching her daughter with her eyes.
It felt like a dream to just see her like this.
“My daughter.”
Erika resembled Nicholas more than her, in both appearance and personality.
Even now, the kind and gentle daughter didn’t blame her.
Julia felt both grateful and apologetic, leaving her with no dignity.
Finally regaining her composure, Erika spoke again.
“And… this isn’t really our fault, right?”
Julia gasped for air and nodded heavily.
Transparent tears welled up in Erika’s eyes as well.
She blinked rapidly to clear them, but her vision blurred again.
Wanting to see Julia’s face clearly, Erika wiped her tears with her tightly clenched fists.
Her red-rimmed eyes began to swell again.
But the clear tears kept flowing endlessly.
“Mom… I missed you so much.”
Hearing her daughter speak with such maturity, Julia finally cried out loud.
“Ah! Erika, my beautiful daughter…”
Erika, gathering courage, hugged Julia first.
Julia, with her thin arms, embraced Erika with all her strength.
“Nick would have been so happy to see you too.”
Although Erika had never heard the name before, she understood it referred to her father.
After nine years, the mother and daughter finally shared a deep reunion.
Their apologies no longer continued, but the tears hadn’t dried.
Yet the late-found smiles also remained, lasting long, very long.
Julia eyed Sebastian nervously, her hands politely clasped.
“Thank you for… taking care of our Erika all this time…”
Erika suppressed a bitter smile at her mother’s words.
She understood it couldn’t be helped.
Julia was born a commoner and had served a noble family her whole life until being imprisoned by Jonathan Blanche.
So it was natural for Julia to find the great nobleman Sebastian intimidating.
Erika felt a complex mix of emotions, letting Julia stand by her side without making eye contact with Sebastian.
“My apologies for the late introduction, Your Highness.”
As Julia bowed to express her gratitude for Sebastian rescuing and caring for her daughter, Sebastian bowed first.
And he did so very politely.
“Nice to meet you. I am Sebastian Acliff.”
“Ah…! Oh my. Oh my?”
Julia wasn’t the only one surprised by Sebastian’s behavior.
Erika, supporting her mother, also looked at him with an astonished expression.
Sebastian continued calmly.
“I know roughly about Erika’s situation, so please speak comfortably.”
“How dare I…?”
Julia shook her head and hands, as if refusing to hear such words.
“It’s natural since I’m your subordinate.”
“My subordinate…?”
Sebastian smiled slyly.
“Because I’m your son-in-law.”
“…What?”
Julia’s face froze in disbelief.
She turned stiffly to look at Erika, silently asking for an explanation.
Erika gave a wry smile and added softly:
“Well… it was that thing the Marquis of Blanche made me do, pretending to be a lady and marrying Sebastian.”
“Oh, that’s right… then that’s null…”
Before Julia could finish, Sebastian interrupted.
“The situation is complicated now, so I can’t explain in detail, but that arrangement won’t be undone. So you can understand it that way, Mother.”
“How is that possible…?”
“It is possible. We’ll see.”
Sebastian answered confidently, as if it were no big deal.
