249 Horrible Past Life 3 (1/2)

Winter would admit that his stepmother was more caring than his birth mother. He thought that her presence in the mansion would change his father's coldness. But much to his surprise, the duke remained stoic.

Most of all, his father was still rarely at home due to his work as a captain and as a duke.

Ah, right. Father has been busier than ever because he's the one managing all the businesses that my grandfather left to my mother.

”Good morning, Winter.”

Winter was greeted by his stepmother when he entered the dining hall for breakfast. ”Good morning, Mother,” he said. Well, his father insisted that he called his new wife 'Mother' and as a dutiful son, he had to follow him. ”Did you sleep well?”

His stepmother just smiled and nodded. Then, while holding freshly cut Moonflowers in her arms, she squatted in front of him. ”Do you have swordsmanship training this afternoon?”

He nodded. ”Captain Sherwood will bring me to his squad later. Why did you ask, Mother?”

”Your father will finally be coming home after a week of staying in the palace for work,” she said with a sad smile on her face. She must have missed his father a lot. His father was probably the only husband in the empire who would leave his new wife in the mansion alone for so long. ”We're planning to eat out for dinner. Does having seafood sound good to you?”

Seafood?

All of a sudden, a vague image of him as a toddler entered his mind. In that particular memory, he saw himself in a seafood restaurant with his father and mother. From the looks of it, they seemed to be having a good time because the three of them were smiling. But he wasn't sure if it was a real memory or just a dream.

”I used to be a lower noble before I married your father so I'm not sure if higher nobles enjoy seafood,” his stepmother said with a shy smile. ”Your father enjoys it since like me, he wasn't born with the same status that you enjoy now, Winter. So I'm wondering if you'll enjoy the things that higher nobles don't usually indulge.”

”It's okay, Mother,” he assured her. ”Even my birth mother loves seafood. I remember that we used to go to a seafood restaurant when I was a toddler.”

”That's not true, Winter.”

He flinched because for some reason, his stepmother's smile and voice turned… creepy?

”I heard from your father that your birth mother has never enjoyed seafood or anything that is considered cheap by higher nobles like her,” his stepmother said.

Then, she put a hand on his cheek that gave him goosebumps. And yet, his feet seemed to be glued to the floor because he couldn't move from his spot.

What is this numbing feeling?

Well, he knew that his mother hasn't been mentally stable these past years. He was also aware of her greed for power. But despite everything, he knew that she loved him dearly. She just couldn't fulfill her duties to him because of her poor mental health.

Father also often tells me that whatever happens, my birth mother is still my mother.

”My birth mother might be insane to most people,” Winter said firmly. ”But she loves me and I feel the same.”

”Poor Winter. You believed your mother's lies,” his stepmother said. And before he could protest, she hugged him tight. When the Moonflowers between them were pressed against his chest, the fragrance coming from the flowers became stronger. For some reason, the smell made him dizzy. ”Only I can truly love you and Kiho, son.”

***

”ARE YOU alright, Young Master?”

Winter slightly shook his head at Captain Sherwood's question while pinching the bridge of his nose. ”I often have headache these days,” he said, then he looked at the bouquet of Moonflowers that the captain had in his hand. ”Are you planning to give those flowers to my birth mother?”

Since he had two mothers now, he had to refer one as ”birth mother” and the other as ”stepmother” to avoid confusion.

Anyway…

Right now, he was in the carriage with Captain Sherwood. Since he was done training with the Black Serpent Knights, it was the Blue Dragon Knights' turn to teach him their ways. Yes, as the future heir of the emperor, he was required to train under the Four Orders.

”I can't visit Lady Prescott empty-handed, can I?” Captain Sherwood said with a soft laugh. ”And now that she's divorced, I don't think Captain Kiho will kill me for giving her flowers. Gone were the days where your father would threaten me with his eyes for merely looking at your mother's direction.”

He let out a sigh while shaking his head. Then, he looked at the Moonflowers and blinked several times when he realized something. ”Are Moonflowers popular? I know that it's Princess Nia's favorite flowers. But these days, even our mansion is filled with Moonflowers because of my stepmother's sudden interest in them.”

”Moonflowers are popular among the ladies, Young Master.”

”They're not,” he said bluntly. Since he was chased by ladies left and right, he inevitably knew things that he didn't really care about. Just like what kind of flowers were popular among the ladies of the empire. ”As far as I know, roses are still the most popular flowers among the ladies and not Moonflowers. To be honest, aside from Her Royal Highness, I've only seen my stepmother adore them.”

”I don't really know much about flowers,” the captain said, as carefree as ever. ”I only brought Moonflowers because they are Princess Nia's favorite.”

He didn't comment on that because they already arrived at his mother's estate.

And he glad that he came at the right time.