Aster sat beside his mother, Grand Duchess, at the dining table. They ate in silence, but Aster could see that his mother's expression tightened whenever she heard the sound of footsteps entering and leaving the dining hall.
Today was the day Aster leaving the grand duchy to the royal palace, and he wouldn't be back until two years.
This was the first time he would leave the mansion and his mother, Grand Duchess for a long time. He was always inseparable to his mother since he was a kid, it was normal for his mother to be anxious.
In fact, his mother called him to her chamber last night. They drank tea while looking at the yellow-brown garden. The cold of the autumn seemingly seeped inside Grand Duchess' bone as she shivered periodically.
"Mom, do you want to go inside? It's cold here," Aster asked her. She shook her head.
"No, I shivered not because I got frostbitten, but because this cold reminded me of my suffering in the royal palace."
