It was then⊠The brilliant blonde hair moved finely.
Only then did I make eye contact with my mom. Then the bright golden eyes moved slowly.
It was quiet because she hadnât spoken for a long time, but it was definitely my motherâs voice.
âOh⊠Oh⊠Oh⊠OhâŠâ
âBaby? Are you my daughter?â
Itâs my mom. Itâs really my mom.
I was in my momâs arms. Surprised by my behavior, my mother stopped and patted me warmly on the back.
âAh⊠Baby⊠Whatâs going on hereâŠâ
âMom⊠Mom⊠Mom⊠Mom woke up. You really woke up. Mom⊠Do you know how much I missed you? I thought Iâd never see you againâŠâ
âWhy canât you see me? My daughter.â
I slightly raised my head and looked at my mom. My mother, who had a little smile, patted me on the back.
âBebe is calling her mother more like a baby today. Why are you crying so much?â
âMom⊠Do you know how long itâs been since you woke up? Mom was being weird. Really weird.â
My mother, who smiled slightly, made a sweet expression, as if she knew nothing.
From now on, I could explain everything. I smiled at my mom.
âDonât worry, Mom. I⊠Iâll explain everything.â
âOkay⊠But Bebe⊠Iâm so sleepy.â
But my mom slowly laid down on the bed even before I said anything else.
âIâm going to sleep a little bit more⊠Iâm so sleepyâŠâ
Then she closed her eyes.
I woke her up again, but she really fell asleep.
âI have something to say. Wake up. Huh?â
However, no matter how much I shook it, my mother didnât get up. Sitting in front of her, I just looked at my mother who fell asleep in vain.
âBut you donât have to worry. Maybe⊠Maybe itâs because sheâs weak.â
âMom⊠Are you okay? Mom, youâre being weird⊠Are you okay?â
It was clear that the Grand Duke would not know, but I seemed to be complaining to him because I couldnât tell anyone about my motherâs situation unless it was the public.
And as if he had noticed my anxiety, the Grand Duke brought a chair and sat next to the bed.
âThereâs nothing to worry about.â
Then, I sat in front of my mom and smiled at me as I looked at her in vain.
âItâs fine because she woke up and called you. And I called the priest so theyâll tell you anything.â
âSo donât worry about it and sit down.â
I felt relieved somewhere in my heart even though I didnât know that he was worried about me.
The room became quiet. Because I cried out of my mind earlier, I occasionally had hiccups, but I tried hard to hold it in.
Itâs because the atmosphere has become too quiet.
âYou donât have to endure it.â
âI wonât hold it in.â
ââŠDo whatever you want.â
Fortunately, the hiccups went away, perhaps because I was surprised.
However, the quiet atmosphere still continued.
Itâs been such a long time. By the time I felt like an hour had passed, I couldnât hold back and opened my mouth.
âWhy are you so kind?â
âDad⊠I heard you were a bad guy⊠but youâre kind. You keep being kind.â
When I said that, he stroked his chin as if he was a little worried.
âShouldnât you be nice to Harris? Harris isâŠâ
âWhy do I think I should do that?â
âBecause Harris is your real daughter?â
It was around that time that the Grand Duke pursed his lips.
âI donât think so.â
âI donât think that Harris would be my daughter. Maybe about⊠10 percent.â
ââŠThen why is she here?â
âBecause I brought perfect evidence at first. She came here looking like me, and she brought what the Grand Duchess had, so I had no choice but to.â
âBut now, I just thought it was strange. Thereâs no proof that Harris is or isnât my child. The only reason why I let her walk around comfortably here is for the sake of my other children.â
At the time when I tilted my head the words I didnât understand, the door was knocked.
âYour Grace, the priest has arrived.â
When he said that, he jumped up from his seat and went down to the side of the bed.
âIâm Priest Kayle. Itâs an honor to meet you, Your Grace.â
âYou donât have to say hello. Look at the woman right here.â
âYes. Yes. Do you need a blessing?â
âNo. Just to check whatâs going on.â
When asked to check my mom, the priest nodded and took his hand to his motherâs forehead. Then a golden light leaked from his fingertips.
Soon after, the priest  turned around with a slightly strange expression.
âWhat do you think? Is she not feeling well orâŠ?â
âShe has a weak soul.â