RISSA trembled and bowed as low as she could. "Y-Your Grace, I apologized. I-I didn't plan to conceal my real i-identity. ending up in Hanover manor was truly just a c-coincidence. I'm n-not here because I have so u-ulterior m-motive. Truly, Your Grace. I do not harbor any ill intention to y-you or anyone living in this m-manor. Please, please, believe . I will imdiately p-pack my bags and leave. But please, Your Grace, I hope that my s-stay in here won't get out in the public. A-and if- if you could find it in your heart, I hope that you can forgive my unintentional deceit."
Argent looked at rissa's low posture and sighed. "You shouldn't bow your head at the drop of a hat. It would make people think that they can look down on you that easily." She helped her stand up properly. "I'm not planning to kick you out nor do I plan to go running around town spreading the news that you're here. So for goodness' sake, calm down. We can't talk properly if you keep trembling in fear."
rissa tried to calm down, just as the young duke asked. She shouldn't really be afraid. She knew they only t for a couple of days, but ever since, he hadn't shown any ill-will towards her. Even now, after knowing who she really was, there was no judgent in his indifferent face. Not even the slightest bit of disgust. She was not sure how the young duke put two and two together, but she was glad that it was him who found out. If it was any other person, she would probably be thrown out by now. And then the people who were after her would imdiately know where she was.
rissa took a deep, calming breath. "Thank you, Your Grace."
"Now, I know it's not any of my business, but seeing that you're now living under my roof, I want to know exactly what happened to you." Argent imdiately saw the hesitation on rissa's face. "Look, with those burn scars and the way Nelly found you, I know you're running from soone. I could help you. If you just trust , that is."
rissa lowered her gaze. She felt extrely tangled. On one hand, she was thankful for the duke's offer. But on the other, she doesn't want him or anyone in here to be entangled by her problems. "I--"
"rissa, is that your real na?" Argent interrupted what rissa was about to say.
"Yes, it's rissa Grant."
"Okay, rissa, if you don't want to tell anything, then you can listen to my story. A young and beautiful singer caught the attention of the King. She fell in love and they had an affair. That affair lead to the singer being pregnant. After finding out about her pregnancy, she felt afraid and decided to run. Because she knew her child would be like a taboo existence to the royal family. Especially to the Queen. You settled in a quiet village. You're happy, at least until the King found out about the existence of your son.
"With his SS level Gift, the King decided to take him back. Leaving you alone. Also, probably telling you that you're not allowed to see your son again. But then later on, the Queen found out about your whereabouts. And being the petty person she is, she ordered people to kill you. Properly by setting fire where you lived. But you sohow survived. Thus, the burn scars. You've been on the run since then. Which brought you to Greth. Out of exhaustion, you fainted in the middle of the road and that's where Nelly found you. How am I doing so far?"
rissa was speechless. She almost thought that the duke was with her during all those tis. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but smile. "You missed so details, Your Grace." She lowered her gaze, there was really no reason now not to tell him everything. "I was an orphan. Singing was all I have. Being a part of that theater company was like a dream to . I thought that nothing could be better. And then he ca along. He lavished with gifts, told all the things I wanted to hear, he made feel special. That was the first ti I ever felt that way."
Argent raised her brow. She couldn't imagine that sly king was capable of all that. But she guessed, every person was capable of being romantic once in a while. Though she could never really imagine that of herself.
"I was a stupid girl back then. I fell in love with soone I shouldn't. I know it was wrong. But my heart just wouldn't listen. And just as Your Grace said, I beca pregnant. But I ran because when I told him about my pregnancy, he told to get rid of it. When I asked him why, he answered that a re mistress doesn't have the qualification to carry the royal blood. That's when I realized that I had only been fooling myself. I fell in love with an image I created inside my head. Because for him, I was just a re plaything," rissa continued, a bitter and deprecating smile on her lips.
Now that sounded more like the King, Argent thought.
"I ran and stayed at a small village where I gave birth to Winter. He was such a beautiful baby. The mont I laid my eyes on him, an indescribable emotion filled my heart. And that's when I knew what true love really ant. The six years I spent with Winter was the happiest days of my life. He was such a treasure. Just one smile from him and I was imdiately filled with happiness." There was a nostalgic smile on rissa's face, as if she was rembering those tis.
"And then he found us. I was so horrified that day. It felt like my world was slowly crumbling. But then I looked at Winter and there was so much joy on his little face. That was the ti I found out how much he longed for a father. So when Winter happily told that his father would be taking us back, I just didn't have the heart to tell him that that probably was the last ti we could et. He took Winter and I was sent to a manor at the edge of the kingdom."
rissa touched her chest. It was like she was back at that ti again, seeing her son happily waving at her, not knowing that that would be the last ti they would see each other. Just like that day, she felt like her heart was being torn into pieces. She forced herself not to cry, but a tear still slipped out of her eyes.
"The servants and guards there were sent to monitor my every move. To make sure that I wouldn't do anything to contact Winter. For the next ten years, I spent my life there. Together with people who couldn't even be bothered to hide their disgust for . Then two years ago, two n kidnapped in the middle of the night. I woke up in a shed and heard them talking how I would be used as a leverage against Winter. So he wouldn't even dare to fight for the crown.
"When I heard that, I just lose my mind. I couldn't bear to let them used to threaten Winter. So I fought them with all my might. That's when the fire happened. I sohow managed to survive. That's where these scars ca from. An old woman found floating on the river. She took to her village. She didn't have the ans to call for a healer, so the scars remained. As soon as I was able to walk, I left. Because I just knew those people won't stop until they find . I've been running ever since. And that, Your Grace, was the truth of it all."
Argent digested everything rissa told her. The things that happened to her was almost the sa as what Argent thought. But there's just one thing that's been bothering her. "The two n who kidnapped you, do you know who sent them?"
rissa shook her head. "But as Your Grace said, it might be the Queen. That's why I couldn't be a burden to Winter. If there's a chance that Winter could be next king, then I wouldn't want to be a hindrance to that."
Argent stared at rissa. "When you made that decision, have you taken into account your son's feelings?"
"Your Grace?"
"You saw him, when he ca here to visit. Did you see any semblance of the kid you once knew?"
With the young duke's question, rissa recalled the day of Winter's visit here. But she was so flustered that day, the only thing she could think of was how much her son had grown. She couldn't even rember the expression he had that day. "I--"
"He's not smiling. You said that Black reminded you of Winter. Well, Black is the farthest person I would use to describe the second prince now. I think he lost his smile the mont the two of you separated. He's no longer that happy kid. Frankly, it would be weird if he didn't change at all, considering the kind of 'family' he grew up with. Deciding not to contact him, do you really think that was the best course of action? For you and for him?" Argent said, her voice full of seriousness.
rissa felt like she was slapped awake by the duke's words. These past 12 years, she just assud that Winter has been living a happy and full life as the second prince of Albion. She had never thought of the consequence of him living with the Queen and her children. All she could think of was how much she would taint Winter's reputation if she ever contacted him. That his image to the people would be destroyed. That's why even though no one has been monitoring her every move for the last two years, she never thought of contacting Winter. But because of the duke's few simple words, she realized just how wrong she was.
"I'm a horrible mother," she said, she couldn't help the sob that escaped her throat.
"Maybe. But you can easily redy that. et with the second prince. Be the mother that you always wanted to be and let him be the son he should. I don't think he's so weak that he wouldn't even be able to protect you. Or his position as a prince."
rissa no longer stopped herself from crying. "Yes. Yes, I will."
"Good. Then I will contact the second prince so the two of you could et here."
"T-thank you, Your Grace," she said while sobbing and smiling at the sa ti. "But may I ask, why do you want to help us?"
"Well, so mbers of the royal family annoyed the hell out of . So I thought of giving them so problems to ponder on. And you, my dear rissa, are just the perfect problem they wouldn't be able to easily fix."
Argent grinned, mischief filled her purple eyes, making her face even more beautiful.
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