Chapter 2

2

I named the little girl Elara.

She was incredibly sensible; knowing she wasn't of royal blood, she worked tirelessly to learn etiquette, terrified of shaming me.

If she felt she fell short of the other noble girls, she would whisper to herself for encouragement.

"I am the daughter of Princess Seraphina. I cannot let her be disgraced."

Watching this, my heart broke with sorrow.

My own biological son cared only for my humble origins, believing that a mother of common birth made him look pathetic.

He was the most popular young master in the Sterling estate, his only blemish being that his mother was a village girl.

The daughter I picked up on a whim was completely devoted to me, while my own son saw me as a stain on his reputation.

Elara was breathless from her etiquette practice, and just as I poured tea for her to rest, a maid came to report.

"The young master of the Sterling estate is suffering from a long-term illness, and they are begging the Princess to come and treat him. How should you proceed?"

I was silent for a long moment, then brought Elara to the main hall.

I did not expect the visitor to be an old acquaintance, the estate's butler, Mr. Vance, whose face went pale with shock the moment he saw me.

After all, one could never predict that the girl they had once dragged from a fishing village would look exactly like the renowned Princess Seraphina.

He hesitated for a long time before recovering enough to kneel before me.

"Princess, please come with me to the Sterling estate. The young master is critically ill…"

I calmly toyed with the teacup, preparing to make things difficult.

"Who do you think you are to summon me? Even if your master wants to see me, he must first send a formal letter for my approval. Where do you get the nerve to barge into my residence?"

"I wonder when the Sterling estate became so devoid of manners."

The word "manners" felt like a sharp slap across his face.

Mr. Vance's face turned ghastly white as he kowtowed, begging for mercy.

I imagined he remembered the day he came to the village to fetch me for Lucas, commanding me to know my place.

Karma is a cycle; he was now cowering on the floor, not daring to look up, for this was the Princess's residence, not a place where he could run wild.

In the silence, Elara spoke up. "Mama, who is he?"

"Just an insignificant servant."

I held Elara and returned to my bedroom.

The next day, the Sterling estate sent over a few items.

They were the clothes I had once sewn for Oliver, along with several scripts about the devotion between mother and son.