CH 43

Stella seemed to be making an effort to maintain her composure.

Soon, her lips trembled.

“You’re my mother? But I don’t have a mother.”

“Stella…”

It was natural for Stella to show a hostile attitude towards her birth mother. We all knew about the atrocities committed by her mother, me included, and even Stella herself.

The woman reached out her hand to Stella, as if to console her.

“Stella, I’m sorry for coming late. I wanted to visit you, but I couldn’t show my face because of the restrictions in Nazret.”

Her words lacked credibility. Even if it were true, why would Nazret restrict her from meeting Stella? It’s because there would be no good in allowing them to meet.

Stella coldly rejected her hand.

“Why did you come here with the audacity to visit? Did you want money or something?”

“Stella…”

Seeing her birth mother trying to show sympathy, Stella furrowed her brows.

It was expected. Even in the original story, Stella’s birth mother never put her daughter on the family register and abandoned her while spending the child support on luxury items.

Was that all? Later on, I found out that she didn’t even register the child. It seemed like she had plans to abandon her at any moment. In fact, the terrible husband took the child away in the end.

Now she was begging for forgiveness, claiming she had done wrong. How hypocritical.

“You’re on the verge of bankruptcy recently, right? I had a feeling, and you show up right after your family falls apart. Well, you’re quite fast.”

Around this time, Stella and I both knew from the original story that her birth mother’s family would collapse.

In the original story, Persis mercilessly killed her…

Although Stella chose Heint in the adaptation, avoiding her birth mother’s death at Persis’s hands, Heint and, unlike Persis, wouldn’t kill anyone. So, in a way, choosing Heint saved her birth mother’s life.

Her birth mother shamelessly continued to appear.

“I’ve visited you before as well. It wasn’t because of money, right? I wanted to see you.”

“I didn’t want to see you. And I have no intention of seeing you in the future, so I hope you don’t come.”

“Stella…”

Even when her birth mother called out, Stella simply ignored her and held my hand.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Okay.”

As they were about to leave, her birth mother suddenly grabbed Stella.

“Stella, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Stella stared at her mother, who held onto me, with disgust.

“Don’t touch my body. I’m not someone you can lay your hands on.”

“…”

Stella walked away again. With two knights protecting her, her birth mother couldn’t approach her anymore.

Not long after, screams could be heard from behind.

“Bitch without blood or tears!”

Upon hearing that voice, I and Stella both halted in our tracks.

“…What?”

Stella looked back, just like that, dumbfounded.

Curious, I also turned around, only to find that the pitiful woman who had been acting all sympathetic had vanished, leaving behind only a woman consumed by madness.

The woman put on a fierce expression and screeched.

“How dare you ignore me when your mother humbles herself and even kneels down? Are you even human?”

The woman revealed her true feelings.

“You knew I was on the verge of bankruptcy, so how could you not give me a penny!!!”

“…As expected, it was all about the money.”

Stella’s face turned cold.

“You ask if I’m human? Then what about you? Coming to demand money from a child you never even registered?”

However, the woman was not listening to Stella’s words at all.

“What will you do if I collapse? You want to be loved by your mother. If I die, you’ll never receive a mother’s love again!”

I couldn’t just stand there and listen to the woman’s absurd remarks, so I stepped forward.

“Who do you think you are, shouting like this in front of someone?”

With a cold and dignified voice, the woman trembled, not with anger, but with surprise.

“Who are you…?”

“It seems you haven’t grasped the situation well. Do you know who I am to address me as ‘you’?”

Then Stella chimed in, seizing the opportunity. “He is Lord Ad, the one and only heir to the Flotina Duchy, and the future successor to the Flotina family, Master May Flotina.”

We seemed to be in perfect sync. We could even communicate telepathically.

‘You made quite a grand introduction. It’s amusing.’

‘Well, it’s not like we’re lying, right?’

‘You’re right. Well done, Stella.’

We leisurely observed the woman’s changing emotions.

The woman’s emotions underwent two stages: bewilderment and then outrage.

“F-F-Flo, Flotina…?”

“Yes, I am May Flotina.”

In an instant, the woman’s face turned pale.

The Flotina family is the highest-ranking family in the Stacia Empire, second only to the imperial family. This is common knowledge even among commoners. No one dared to underestimate a member of the Flotina family.

The woman, despite initially being shocked by the revelation that Stella was the son of the Duke Flotina, tried to deny reality.

“This can’t be true. Stella having any connection with the Flotina family…”

It made sense. Stella’s current father, Heint Nazret, and the Flotina Duke had been close friends for a long time, so it was only natural for a bond to form.

When the woman realized this, her body stiffened like stone, and I warned her.

“Do not ever come to see Lady Nazret again. If you come and bother her, I won’t stay quiet either.”

Stella crossed her arms and spoke proudly.

“I am in a relationship with Master May. If you want to know how Flotina deals with people, feel free to come.”

The woman trembled in fear and lowered her head. While my mind was filled with question marks at the mention of a possible marriage, I didn’t show it.

“Let’s go, May.”

“Huh? Uh…”

We left the place, but the woman didn’t follow us. Instead, she ran in the opposite direction with a pale face. As soon as the woman left, I spoke up.

“No matter what, isn’t it too extreme to say we’re in love? And even talking about marriage… What will we do if that woman spreads rumors?”

Stella seemed unfazed and even had a relaxed expression.

“You still haven’t entered society, so you don’t know, do you? It’s already rumored that we’re not just ordinary friends.”

“Why?”

“Why? Just think about how often you visit our house. Other people naturally assume we’re not just friends since they know you’re a man. I think many people misunderstand and think we’re dating.”

“Ha…”

It seemed that troublesome rumors had spread.

I sighed, and Stella pouted.

“Hey! Why are you sighing? It’s an honor to be associated with me. There are so many people who want to be associated with me! Have you seen someone as beautiful as me?”

“No… I haven’t…”

“Well, consider it an honor!”

“Alright…”

Stella finally seemed satisfied and smiled.

At that moment, when Stella smiled again as if nothing serious had happened, I looked at her with admiration.

Thump—

A man bumped into Stella’s shoulder and walked away.

“What’s this?”

Stella turned back irritably, and I also shifted my gaze to the man. And then, I froze in place.

Dark purple eyes visible between fluttering blue-black hair.

Thump thump. If this moment were a scene from a novel, I would use those words to express my feelings.

I was captivated by the extraordinary beauty of the man. My heart raced. It felt so new and obvious.

Who could it be? Who could make a person’s heartbeat go haywire just by their appearance?

He touched his forehead with a slightly drunk-looking face.

“I’m sorry, Young lady.”

As he spoke, my ears tingled, and my shoulders trembled, even though his voice wasn’t directed at me.

“No, it’s okay.”

When Stella said it’s okay, the man continued on his way.

Stella watched the man’s back and opened her lips.

“To meet here… Such a coincidence.”

“…Do you know him?”

“You don’t know?”

Stella asked me as if she genuinely didn’t know.

You don’t know? Who is he?

I can’t know him. I can’t forget someone who makes my heart race like this.

“Have you never seen him before? But you can still tell he stands out, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

“He’s the original male lead.”

The male protagonist of the novel 〈Adopted Daughter of Persis.〉

“Jed Bloche.”

He is the adopted son of Duke Bloche and the person Stella vowed eternal love to and would marry after becoming a guardian knight. As the male lead, he is a pure-hearted and handsome man who only has eyes for the protagonist, a chaste and exceptional man like no other.