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It broke Yngrid’s heart when she saw the devastated look on Phoebe Willows’ face. However, she had to correct the mistake that the adults had made. “On behalf of the Solfrid Clan, I officially decline House Willows’ marriage proposal to Ruto- my precious son.”

She invited Phoebe Willows for an afternoon tea to break it to her gently.

But no matter how gentle she sounded, it seemed like her words still came out harshly. After all, the young lady shed tears instantly.

She was glad that only the two of them were in the tearoom at the moment.

[Phoebe is a good child, and she seems to like Ruto genuinely. However, my son is more important to me than what Lord Levi wants to happen.]

And she only realized that after talking to Princess Neoma.

.....

“I thought you were on my side, Lady Yngrid,” Phoebe said between sobs. Her tone was a little accusatory, but Yngrid completely understood why the child felt betrayed. “What made you change your mind, my lady?”

“At first, I went along with Lord Levi’s plan because I thought you’re suited more to be my son’s partner,” she confessed. “However, I never thought that Ruto would be so firm with his decision to not marry you even after he lost his memories. And that’s when I realized that his feelings for Princess Neoma are serious. Hence, I decided not to get in their way anymore.”

“But Lady Yngrid, it will be more beneficial for the Solfrid Clan to marry me instead of a powerless royal princess from the Great Moonasterion Empire.”

“Phoebe, you’ve already met Princess Neoma,” she said calmly. “Do you really think that she’s powerless?”

The child flinched.

“It is true that a royal princess from the Great Moonasterion Empire is usually only a princess by name,” she said as carefully as she could, because she didn’t want to upset Phoebe even more. After all, a child was still a child. She wanted to be careful with her feelings, since this was her first heartbreak. “However, a person as charismatic as Princess Neoma is bound to attract strong and outstanding individuals. I’m sure you’ve already met Her Royal Highness’s personal knights.”

Some of Princess Neoma’s knights were nobles, and some were not.

But the knights all had something in common: each individual that followed Princess Neoma was the type of person that couldn’t be controlled.

“Princess Neoma’s knights are terrifying individuals that not even I could tame,” Yngrid continued cautiously. This time, she was amazed while talking about Princess Neoma’s knights. “Can you believe that such people have willingly followed Princess Neoma? That only goes to show that Her Royal Highness has what it takes to lead the empire as well as Emperor Nikolai does.”

“I know that she’s amazing, but she’s still bad for Lord Ruto,” Phoebe complained, still crying like the child that she was. “Isn’t that the reason why you don’t want Princess Neoma for your son, Lady Yngrid?”

“That’s true,” Yngrid said, nodding. “But I’m allowed to change my mind, am I not?”

Especially after talking to Princess Neoma...

***

[A few moments ago...]

“RUTO DIDN’T say it directly, but I have a feeling that he doesn’t want the burn mark gone because he considers it as a sign of his devotion to you. Even after he lost his memories of you, he still didn’t want to get rid of the burn mark,” Yngrid said to Princess Neoma. “I know that you don’t feel the same way, Princess Neoma.”

Princess Neoma seemed to be surprised by what she said. “That’s true, Lady Yngrid. But how did you know that I feel that way?”

“Because I know what it feels to be in love,” she said to the princess, her expression probably softening up at the moment. She couldn’t believe that she was showing her vulnerable side to Princess Neoma, but she couldn’t help but open up to her since the young princess made her comfortable. “I may not be an affectionate wife, but I still get upset when Morton hurts himself for my sake. I hate it even more when he claims he doesn’t mind getting hurt for me. It’s foolish, though. For me, love doesn’t have to hurt- physically and emotionally.”

Her Royal Highness covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped softly. “Love doesn’t have to hurt- physically and emotionally,” she said, repeating what she had just said as she found her words comforting. “I totally agree, Lady Yngrid. I appreciate that Ruto paid the price in my place, but I hate seeing the burn mark on his face. Not because it’s unsightly, but because I hate seeing him hurt.”

“I hope you can change Ruto’s mind, then,” Yngrid said, then she bowed her head towards her. “My son only listens to you, Princess Neoma.”

It still hurt a bit to admit that Ruto listened to Princess Neoma and not to her.

However, she could blame her son.

After all, she was aware that she didn’t become a good mother to him.

Her thoughts got interrupted when Princess Neoma held her hands.

“Lady Yngrid, please listen to me this time.”

She looked up at the young princess with a surprised look on her face. It wasn’t like she hated physical contact. She just didn’t expect Princess Neoma to be affectionate to her because she thought the young princess didn’t like her as a person.

[Again, I won’t blame Princess Neoma if that was the case since I knew I was mean to her the first time we met.]

“Lady Yngrid, may I know why you think that Ruto doesn’t listen to you?” Princess Neoma asked carefully. “I’m aware that there were times that Ruto disobeyed your order and followed his own decisions. However, I have a feeling that my lady thinks Ruto doesn’t care about you. If I’m wrong, please correct me. If I’m being too nosy, then I apologize.”

She was surprised by Her Royal Highness’s question, but she wasn’t offended.

Moreover, it wasn’t something that she wanted to hide anyway.

To be honest, she had always wanted to have someone to share her burden as a mother with. She wasn’t able to do that when she had tea with Lady Mona Roseheart before. After all, she knew that Lady Roseheart had already so much to deal with.

Of course, she knew that Princess Neoma was also a busy person.

However, she found herself confiding in the young princess that may or may not become her daughter-in-law in the future.

“As I said earlier, Morton and I only married each other for convenience,” Yngrid began to confide to Princess Neoma. “We both wanted an heir, but we both didn’t want to live with a spouse because the two of us are focused on our own things. Even so, we both love Ruto genuinely.”

She knew that it was a strange marriage.

However, that didn’t mean that Morton and she didn’t care about each other. They did. But their feelings for each other weren’t strong enough for them to live together as a normal married couple. They remained faithful to each other, though.

“But when we found out that Ruto is Lord Levi’s divine son, I think I started to see my son as a god that I need to worship instead of a son that I want to raise with love,” Yngrid said, then she smiled sadly. “I believe Ruto noticed that I’m treating him like a little god instead of a son, and that was when he began acting distant from me. I felt guilty about that, so I allowed Ruto to live with her father on the West Continent. I thought I already failed as a mother, so I left him in his father’s care.”

Princess Neoma’s face was full of sympathy while listening to her intently.

And that encouraged her to talk more.

“Since I thought I already failed as a mother, I’ve given up on being a proper parent and focused on guiding Ruto as the High Priestess instead,” Yngrid continued. She wasn’t proud of what she was sharing with Princess Neoma. However, the young princess never looked at her with judgment, so she felt more comfortable as time went by. “Before I knew it, I was already raising Ruto as Lord Levi’s son instead of my own. That’s why I know that Ruto also stopped seeing me as his mother. I know that it was my fault, and I thought I should accept that. However...”

Princess Neoma gently squeezed her hands. “Lady Yngrid, you miss Ruto, don’t you?”

“We used to be close when he was a kid,” she said, smiling. But she knew her smile was sad. “You’re right, Princess Neoma. I miss MY son, and not the divine son that Lord Levi claims as his. I want to be close to my Ruto again, but I know it’s already too late for that.”

“It’s not yet too late, Lady Yngrid,” Princess Neoma said while shaking her head. “My father, Emperor Nikolai, used to be a scumbag. He was a total jerk to me, too.”

To say that Yngrid was shocked to hear Princess Neoma call His Majesty a ‘scumbag’ would be an understatement.

[This is the first time I heard a child curse her own father...]

“Despite all the terrible things that Papa Boss did to me before, we still managed to fix our father-daughter relationship,” Princess Neoma said proudly. “I’m sure there’s still hope for you and Ruto, Lady Yngrid. If a subhuman like my father in the past can become a decent human, so could you, my lady.”

Yngrid gulped. “Princess Neoma, is it alright to talk about Emperor Nikolai that way?”

“Don’t worry, Lady Yngrid,” the young princess assured her. “We’re not talking behind Papa Boss’ back because I say these things straight to his face, too.”

She didn’t know how to react to that. “Princess Neoma seems to have an interesting bond with His Majesty.”

The young princess grinned. “It’s not normal, is it? A child cursing at her father... it’s rude. However, you can’t blame me for cursing at Papa Boss in the past. But even if we used to have a dysfunctional relationship in the past, everything has changed now. Thus, I know that Lady Yngrid can also fix your relationship with Ruto.”

“But I don’t know how to do that.”

“Would you like me to help you, Lady Yngrid?”

“If it’s not too much of a bother.”

“It’s not, my lady,” the young princess said, smiling. “I’ll help you.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Now I know why Ruto is infatuated with you, Princess Neoma.”

“I know, right?” Princess Neoma said. “I’m pretty, strong, charming, witty...” She trailed off, then she slapped her mouth as if she had just realized what she just said. “I’m sorry, Lady Yngrid. Were you shocked by my narcissistic side? It comes out when I receive compliments.”

Yngrid was shocked at first, then she laughed. It had been a while since she laughed out loud. And it was a good feeling. “Thank you for making me feel better, Princess Neoma,” she said, then she bowed her head to her. “Please take care of my Ruto from now on.”

***

[At the present...]

“FROM NOW on, I will not get in the way of my son’s private life again,” Yngrid declared. “If he wants to be with Princess Neoma, so be it. Ruto is MY son, and not Lord Levi’s.”

“As a person who serves Lord Levi, I cannot accept this, Lady Yngrid,” Phoebe said firmly. “I am the lady chosen by Lord Levi to be with Lord Ruto.”

“The Solfrid Clan will compensate the Willows for turning you down, Phoebe.”

“I don’t need any compensation,” the child said stubbornly. “As long as Lord Levi is on my side, I won’t give up. I won’t lose him to a child like Princess Neoma.”

[But Princess Neoma doesn’t even see you as a rival, Phoebe...]

That was the difference between the two young ladies.

“Princess Neoma isn’t the problem,” she said carefully. “Even if Princess Neoma is out of the picture, Ruto won’t miraculously fall in love with you, Phoebe. Please accept that and move on. You’re still young— you’ll still meet more people in the future.”

“I only want Lord Ruto,” Phoebe said firmly, then she stood up while on the verge of crying again. “Thank you for the tea, Lady Yngrid. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

After that, the child really left.

Yngrid could only sigh and shake her head. “Ruto, you’re a sinful young man.”

***

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