CHAPTER 106……………………………………………
A breeze slipped through the slightly parted curtains, tickling the curls of hair and her cheeks.
Judging by the scent of the air, it was still early dawn, before the sun had risen.
It wasn’t time to wake up yet.
As the child tried to close her eyes again, someone spoke gently.
“Leona, are you awake?”
It was her beautiful platinum-haired mother, up earlier than usual.
Today was a special day.
Leona shook her head vigorously to shake off her sleepiness and smiled brightly.
“Good morning, Mom.”
Since they had woken up early, the two of them shared breakfast together.
On the table, there was Leona’s favorite, rich, fatty meat.
Normally, Minerva would never allow it, but today was a special day.
After finishing their meal, mother and daughter stepped outside the mansion together as if by unspoken agreement.
The sky was dim, as if dawn would break completely any moment.
The morning air stung her throat as she inhaled.
In front of the mansion was a carriage, though it was unclear where it had come from.
Two brown horses were quietly pawing the ground.
It was fascinating, having never seen horses before.
Normally, she might have paid more attention to them, but Arslan was focused on Minerva, draped in a cloak and gloves.
“Can I come too?”
“No. Stay here quietly.”
Even today, Minerva would not yield to Leona’s stubbornness.
Leona pouted and muttered unhappily.
“I want to come too. Will you protect Mom?”
“I’ve told you many times—the one who protects Mom is Mom.”
Even though it was a firm, cutting statement, Leona didn’t feel hurt.
It meant that Minerva loved her deeply.
Minerva leaving was also an act of love.
Even though Minerva was leaving to fulfill her wish, she wanted to cling on.
Human emotions were truly complicated. Sometimes she was confused even about what she truly desired.
Minerva brushed aside Leona’s bangs and planted a small kiss on her forehead.
“I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, tell Flora or Jane.”
“Okay…”
Leona couldn’t bring herself to tell Minerva about the dream she had had that day.
Because Minerva had acted as if she would definitely return, Leona assumed it was all just a foolish delusion.
And that day became the last time Leona and Minerva spoke to each other.
“Wow, what a stupid dream…”
As soon as Arslan woke up, that was his first thought.
He glanced out the window and, unlike in the dream, it was a bright, sunny morning.
A dream where Minerva left him—what bad luck.
Lately, he’d been having a lot of unsettling dreams.
Turning his head, he saw Minerva still sleeping beside him.
“Hehe.”
Trying to forget the unpleasant dream, Arslan snuggled into Minerva’s arms, rubbing his forehead against hers.
A low purring sound escaped him, and both hands pressed frantically against the sheets and Minerva’s body.
Everything seemed normal, except for Minerva struggling with a hangover from the alcohol smell.
While he was soothing himself with kneading and soft humming, there was a knock at the door.
Arslan perked up his ears to listen.
“It’s me, Arslan.”
It was Lloyd.
Arslan lightly got out of bed and flung the door open.
Lloyd, looking haggard and exhausted, nevertheless spoke as if nothing had happened.
“You didn’t come out for breakfast.”
“Mom passed out.”
“I thought so. Come on, let’s go have breakfast.”
Lloyd occasionally covered his mouth, as if feeling nauseous, while leading Arslan to the table.
Ayla was already sitting there, and the two immediately started chatting closely.
“Arslan, what about Mom?”
“Mom passed out. Smells like a lot of alcohol.”
“Dad smelled it too.”
The two children looked at Lloyd subtly, as if to blame him for making Mom like that.
“What did you do last night without us?”
“Shh, Arslan. A child’s manners are to ignore adult matters.”
“That’s not it…”
Lloyd had a hundred things he wanted to say, but his stomach churned, leaving him unable to explain properly.
The children devoured their omelets while Lloyd absentmindedly ladled clam soup.
After sending Lloyd away, who said he’d return for lunch, Arslan went with Ayla to Minerva’s bed, each taking one of her arms and lying down.
Sleepiness crept in, but he was afraid to fall asleep.
Afraid of another strange dream.
At that moment, like a ghost, Minerva’s hand rose to pat Arslan’s back.
Even while still groaning from her hangover, she instinctively stroked his back.
“Hehe.”
Loving how Minerva still comforted him in her sleep, Arslan buried his face in her arms. His heart slowly calmed.
Yes, as long as he was with Mom, Arslan felt invincible.
No matter how scary the dream, reality was fine because Minerva was beside him.
Only then did Arslan finally snore peacefully in her arms.
Minerva finally woke past noon.
Glancing out the window, she muttered,
“This is crazy…”
How had she slept without waking even once until now?
“Ouch…”
Her head throbbed painfully.
She’d never overdrunk before, so she hadn’t realized this is how it feels.
She had only planned to drink a little for courage yesterday, but somehow ended up overdoing it.
‘I need to feed Arslan…’
She turned her aching head to look, but Arslan wasn’t there.
Where had he gone?
As she suddenly jumped up, the hangover struck again.
“Ughhh…”
It felt as if an axe were splitting her head.
She thought of an old myth where a god split his head to give birth to a daughter—exactly how she felt now.
Holding her head and groaning, a knock sounded at the door.
“Your Highness, did you cough?”
“The Duke…?”
Though dazed and in poor shape, Minerva let him in as she had something to ask.
“Sorry, I just woke up.”
“It’s fine. Are you okay?”
“As you can see…”
She meant she was not okay.
Lloyd, also with a slight hangover, understood perfectly.
He handed Minerva lukewarm water with lemon.
“Arslan is with Ayla, having lunch. He wanted to play for now, so I left him with Mary Jane and Flora.”
“Oh, really? Thank you… ouch…”
Even though lukewarm water had been prepared carefully, her head still ached.
She drank the water, then set the cup on the table.
Her stomach still churned, she felt nauseous, and her head hurt, but she was clearer than before.
Minerva asked,
“But why did you come?”
“You drank a lot yesterday, so I came worried.”
Whenever Lloyd showed concern, Minerva felt awkward.
‘Why is he being so nice to me?’
The help he gave her for Ayla, or dealing with Priscilla, was already more than paid back.
Whatever his ulterior motive, there was no harm to Minerva.
She still had a contract with him, and his kindness wouldn’t bring disaster.
Besides, he was temporarily looking after Arslan, so no reason to be unpleasant.
“Thank you for worrying. I feel a little better now.”
Grateful from the bottom of her heart, Minerva said so sincerely.
Lloyd quickly averted his gaze and, as if to change the topic, asked,
“When do you plan to depart for the royal palace?”
“As soon as possible. Maybe even tomorrow.”
She wanted to leave immediately, but her hangover was still strong.
Taking a carriage in this state would certainly make her sicker.
Lloyd nodded understandingly.
“Then it’s best to gather in the evening and greet the children before you leave.”
A shadow crossed Minerva’s face.
She hadn’t planned to leave without saying anything.
Yet now that the moment had come, it was difficult to speak.
“Alright. Let’s all gather this evening.”
It promised to be a troubling evening for everyone.
