Chapter 8

Aria, who spat out her water the moment she heard the word “Auntie,” wiped her lips with a napkin.

“A-Auntie?! Don’t you know you shouldn’t address the woman who will become your stepmother like that?”

Realizing her voice had hit a high pitch, Aria quickly forced a smile for Raon, who was staring blankly at her.

“How old are you, Auntie?”

“I told you, I’m not an ‘Auntie.’ I am twenty-four years old this year.”

“You’re older than my mom, so you’re an Auntie. And since you aren’t married to my dad yet, I can’t call you ‘Step-mother’ either.”

Aria’s blue eyes narrowed sharply at Raon’s logic. She couldn’t find a single word to refute him.

“Ahem. In that case, you may call her Lady Count Neyno until the wedding,” Adrian suggested.

Raon nodded and took his seat. Seeing the array of silverware, Raon looked slightly bewildered, prompting a snort from Aria.

“Didn’t your mother teach you how to use those?”

As the food was served, Aria picked up her utensils with a smirk and began to eat with practiced grace. Seeing this, Raon simply shrugged.

“Mom taught me that it’s polite to wait until the eldest person at the table starts eating before I begin.”

The eldest person present was Adrian. Since Adrian hadn’t picked up his fork yet, Raon sat perfectly still. Aria’s face flushed a deep red as she bit her lip in embarrassment.

“Yes, Ramona taught you well. But do you know how to use the cutlery? If not, I can show you.”

“I know. Mom taught me all of that a long time ago.”

Raon ate skillfully, but when the steak was served, his gaze turned wistful.

“Is this your first time eating meat? Well, coming from the outside, I suppose that’s possible. Eat your fill now—who knows when you’d ever see meat like this otherwise.”

“Aria, your words seem rather loaded for a conversation with a child.”

“What? Oh, I… I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking…”

“The apology shouldn’t be directed at me, but at Raon.”

When Adrian pointed out the correct target, Aria frowned slightly, but she quickly smoothed her expression and looked at Raon.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll accept your apology if it’s sincere. Mom said many people give fake apologies just to win over a third party or to make their own conscience feel better.”

Every word the boy said was undeniably correct, which only frustrated Aria more. She found herself wondering exactly who this woman was that had raised him.

“You two, that’s enough. Let’s eat. Raon, if cutting the meat is difficult, have this.”

Adrian, assuming Raon had mostly eaten vegetables despite Ramona’s teachings, tried to hand over his own pre-cut plate. However, Raon shook his head.

“It’s not that. It just makes me think of Mom. I want to eat it with her.”

“I will send meat to Ramona, so do not worry.”

“Really? Thank you! Whenever we had meat, she always made me eat it all. She said there wasn’t enough for two… she’d tell me she already ate just to make me feel better…”

The more Adrian heard, the more he felt like a sinner. All of this had happened because Ramona had taken in a child that wasn’t even her own and struggled to provide for him while he was away.

“Now Mom can grow her hair long again. I want to buy her a hairbrush and some pins as a gift later. Can I do that?”

“Of course. She is the one who raised you, after all.”

Watching Raon beam at the thought of choosing a gift, Adrian felt a faint smile tug at his lips.

“But… why was Ramona’s hair so short?”

He hadn’t been able to ask her directly. It felt like a line he shouldn’t cross. Instead, he asked Raon quietly.

“That’s because… after I caused that accident, I got very sick from the shock. I was delirious and kept saying I wanted to eat meat…”

After moving to the dilapidated house, Raon had fallen gravely ill. Ramona had scraped together every penny for his medicine. When she heard the sick child crying for meat, she didn’t hesitate. She left Raon with Anna and went out.

A short while later, she returned with her head wrapped in a scarf, carrying a hunk of meat which she cooked for him.

Unable to ask Andrew for more help, Ramona had chosen the only thing she had left to offer: she had sold her hair.

‘Managing long hair was such a chore and so heavy anyway. I feel much lighter now! Hohoho, thanks to our Ugly Prince, I got to eat my fill of meat too!’

In times of poverty, many parents abandoned their biological children. Knowing she had sacrificed so much for him, Raon held her deep in his heart.

As the story unfolded, Adrian—who had been away at war—felt less like a hero and more like a piece of human trash.

***

After the heavy meal, Adrian canceled his tea time with Aria and called Raon to his room.

“If there is anything else you want to do for Ramona, tell me. Your father will do everything. If she wants a grand house, I will buy it. If she wants gold and jewels, she shall have them.”

The House of Cassius was one of the wealthiest in the empire. Furthermore, having won the war, they were due for massive reparations. That was why the current Duke—Raon’s grandfather—was in the capital: to ensure the rewards were substantial and to keep the incompetent from snatching the spoils of victory.

“I want to find Mom a new boyfriend who is handsome, fit, and rich.”

“That… that is…”

“I know. If Mom doesn’t want one, I can’t force it. Even when I was with her, men would hit on her all the time, but she cut them off instantly.”

Adrian cleared his throat, imagining Ramona wiping sweat from her face with water. Though he didn’t know her well, he couldn’t deny she was beautiful. To an outsider, she might have looked like a noble lady. Adrian even felt his ears redden slightly, remembering how he almost used a cheesy pick-up line during their first meeting, asking if they’d met before.

“Actually, there’s something I want for her more than that, but I don’t think even you can do it, Dad.”

“What is it? Tell me what you desire.”

Raon looked at the man who stood at the pinnacle of the aristocracy and let out a soft sigh.

“I want to help Mom find her lost past.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My old Dad said he found Mom passed out, and when she woke up, she couldn’t remember anything.”

‘Amnesia?’

“How did he find her…?”

“He said he rescued her from the water.”

‘Does that man make a hobby of pulling women out of the water and marrying them?’ Adrian wondered. He nodded, sensing the layers of mystery surrounding Ramona. He couldn’t guarantee he’d find her past, but he knew he had to try.

***

Ramona thought life would be quiet once Raon left, but she found herself busier than ever.

She scrubbed and polished the house every day. She cleaned with the hope that Raon might drop by at any moment, and then she went to work.

“Ugly Prince, if a stranger comes, you must never open the do— ah, he’s not here. Sigh.”

She could still hear his voice echoing, his bright smile telling her to have a good day. When she turned around, the memory of him waving until she disappeared from sight lingered like a ghost.

To keep her mind off him, she worked harder than usual.

“Sister, take it easy. You’ll suffer in your old age if you keep this up.”

Anna’s advice—that since Raon was with his biological father, she didn’t need to earn as much—only received a small nod from Ramona.

“Raon is going to a fancy place where he’ll see nothing but pale, pretty people. Do you think he’ll want to see big sister all tanned and wrinkled from work? Work less and take care of your face!”

Anna shook her head, lamenting how Ramona’s beautiful skin would soon be ruined by the sun.

“Is that so? Hmm… I guess I should do a little maintenance.”

Following Anna’s advice, Ramona went down to the cellar. The cool, almost chilly basement was perfect for storing seasonal vegetables. She grabbed two cucumbers—slightly withered but still usable—and sliced them thin.

“Sister, me too!”

Anna came running and sat on the wide wooden bench under the tree in front of the house. They placed the cucumbers on each other’s faces and lay back.

“Lying here like this, I don’t even envy the nobles. But Sister, how do you know how to do things like this?”

“I don’t know. I just do.”

Ramona shrugged, and Anna narrowed her eyes as she looked at her.

“In your lost past, I bet you were a high-ranking noble or maybe the secret daughter of the Imperial family. Someone really dignified.”

Anna had recently started learning to read, and it seemed the romance novels Ramona had lent her were having a strong influence.

“You need to distinguish between fiction and reality.”

“No, Sister, you’re like someone who stepped right out of a novel. There’s no other way you could be this cool.”

In Anna’s view, Ramona, who sent her ex-husband and mother-in-law packing at once, was clearly a knight who only existed in the novel.