205: Unconventional comfort

Unconventional comfort

Noble ladies are expected to exhibit emotional restraint!1

A Lady of House de Lanark maintains a dignified demeanor at all times!

Displays of romantic affection are immodest for the noble ladies of Emoria!

Defying those expectations and more, Adela, lying in bed, held a pillow over her head and cried her eyes out.

She didn't hear the knocks on the door, but she didn't flinch when she felt the mattress on her bed shifting. Surely, Baroness Frieda had been notified of the noises coming from Adela's room by a passing maid. Even though it was the middle of the night, Frieda must have come to comfort her.

Pull yourself together...

Adela tried to take a breath beneath the pillow, but her nose was completely blocked, and her head felt as if it would explode. She slowly removed the pillow from her head, only to find that her vision had turned blurry. Still, thanks to the clear sky that allowed ample light to seep through her open windows, she could make out the difference between her Lady-in-Waiting and the beautiful woman with flowing red hair who sat by her bed, looking down at her with great pity.

"…Your Excellency?" Adela spoke with a scratchy voice, propping herself up into a sitting position.

"All this crying... This didn't happen overnight," Grace's gaze swept over Adela's face and body. "I can only imagine how much you had to endure until you finally reached this breaking point."

Panicking, Adela quickly tried to wipe her tears from her face and make it appear somewhat normal, but all she could feel was the puffiness and heat.

"…Look at us," Grace shook her head. "Look at you… Egon von Conradie is the reason you are in this state, isn't he?" Grace didn't even wait for Adela to confirm or deny it. "Andreas von Conradie broke Larissa's heart. And my heart had shattered into a million pieces long before that..."

Not only were the words and her openness confusing, but the fact that Grace de Lanark was here next to Adela instead of being in Destan puzzled her.

"…Why aren't you with Larissa?" Adela asked in a small voice.

"Because I have another daughter who needs me," Grace replied with gentle resolve.

"…But Larissa?"

"She's fine and protected. I left her under Claude's care in Destan and came as soon as I heard." Grace reached out and slowly placed her hand on Adela's aching forehead.

It was only then that Adela's eyes noticed her mother's bandaged hand, and she winced at the sight.

"What happened?"

"It was nothing."

"Wait right here, don't move."

Adela got out of bed and hurried to her bathroom. Despite Egon's beliefs, she had removed the metallic bracelet that Aldric had given her numerous times during the week when he was away, if only to catch a glimpse of the mate bond between them. The bracelet had no key to fasten or unfasten it, but there was a simple method to remove it.

Adela lathered her wrist and hand with soap, then slowly and surely removed the bracelet, placing it in her open jewelry box on the vanity desk. She hurried back to her mother.

Holding her arms around the bandage, hovering just above it, Adela focused all her energy into her hands, feeling them grow warmer. Then she released the sensation, imagining white light wrapping around her mother's hand and arm.

Grace smiled at her daughter. "Your powers are growing… We've always known you were talented, but witnessing your awakening firsthand has been both challenging and rewarding."

Using her bandaged hand, Grace tenderly pressed it against Adela's face.

"Don't use it yet. It must be painful for you to bandage it."

Adela had never seen her mother like this before. The Archduchess, known for valuing appearance above all else and expecting the same from her daughters, had always prioritized beauty over comfort.

Grace caressed her daughter's beautiful face. "Everything is fine now, thanks to you."

Her touch and her words sounded unfamiliar to Adela, making her slightly uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. Please, go back and rest."

"Go back?" A small furrow formed between Grace's eyes, resembling Larissa's so much. "Go back where?" She sounded baffled by the request.

"To your chambers," Adela said, filled with worry.

Grace's gaze drifted away. "…I don't think I can tolerate a cold bed at the moment."

Is something the matter between her and Father? Adela would never dare to cross that line and ask. Still, her mother looked so fragile, and Adela couldn't help but pat her bandaged hand again and keep her own hand atop it, a shy touch of support.

Grace's eyes met Adela's again, a faint smile on her lips. "Look at us... I came here to console you, and you end up consoling me... But I have always raised you to be the strong person you are today. I always believed in you, believed that you would make it, that when the time comes, you won't need anyone beside you..."

Grace took a deep breath, as if she was releasing the weight that burdened her shoulders.

"Even if you are the strongest woman in this kingdom, it doesn't mean that you won't have your bad days too... If only I could be here for you during those days..." She lowered her head regretfully, then shook it. When she looked up at Adela again, her eyes were calm. "I have full trust in you. You are nothing like me. You won't bow down to anyone, and you won't surrender easily to anybody. You will not repeat my mistakes, Adelaide."

Adela furrowed her brow, her mother's words landing with impact. It felt incredibly strange to hear her mother speak in such a manner, transforming into someone unfamiliar, someone Adela had yet to truly know.

When Grace smiled, a veil of melancholy covered her face. "You will find a man who will be loyal to you throughout your lifetime, and you shall be loyal to only him as well... Before you find the right person for you, exercise caution in consenting to a proposal without your father's agreement. Women often enter relationships with the hope that things will improve over time, but alas, they seldom do. However a relationship commences, that is how it will continue."

In a gesture unprecedented in their lives, Grace delicately intertwined her fingers with those of her daughter.

"Egon is someone you can turn down, just like anybody else, if he is making you unhappy. You don't have to interact with him on any level,"

Grace's words stung Adela, causing her to avert her gaze, as if shielding her ears from the truth. It was as if her mother believed that Adela's eyes still sought the attention of other men besides Egon von Conradie. Realizing that extending this unusual exchange would only complicate matters further, she mustered a smile and met her mother's gaze once more.

"I will find the right man for me, Your Excellency."

Grace leaned forward and pressed the top of her head against Adela's shoulder. "My precious one, my talented one, if you only knew how much I want your happiness."

When Grace straightened up and pulled Adela into a warm embrace, instead of questioning the motives behind it, Adela simply let herself enjoy the comforting sensation. It was a gesture that she had rarely experienced from Grace de Lanark during her upbringing, but it really didn't matter.

"...Thank you, Mother," she murmured.

It was timeless, the power of a mother's hug would forever offer reassurance during times of despair.

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