"Thank you, Luci!" she leaned closer to him and touched his forehead with hers. At that moment, he felt a strange feeling bubbling in his heart and felt bad for the woman who was looking like she was waiting for a hand to hold her.
Had she always been this pitiful when he was young? He knew that his father was a cold man who never cared about her but he had always thought the same about her. That she was a cold woman and never cared about her husband or her kids. She only lived for power!
Was he wrong all this while? No! It was just an illusion. The younger her might be a lonesome lady but she was going to grow up like a power hungry crazy woman. He was not going to be swayed by the momentary emotions on her face.
"But what if his affection could turn her into a warm person too?" The sudden voice in his heart jolted him and shook his core.
Could it be that he came back in time not only to save his brother but his mother too?
"Your majesty, baron Lambford, is requesting an audience!" he came out of his thoughts as his ears perked up.
He still did not know why his mother had chosen the baron as his new teacher. He had no power and authority and looked like a gullible person who could be swayed easily.
Maybe he could learn a thing or too by his behavior when he would meet the empress. But her face turned cold when she heard so. The warmth and emotions that had started to spread on her cold face vanished in an instant as if it were never there since the start.
"Tell him that I am busy. I will meet him some other time. And offer him the advance payment of the tuition. He loves money too much. So, make sure to offer him twice the amount that we used to pay marquis!" twice the amount? Did a baron deserve that?
And most importantly was that man really greedy about money? He looked like a simple and kind old grandfather who was sweet to everyone.
He even felt that the man would hug him and pinch his cheeks if given a chance. Could a man like that be power or wealth hungry? Or with the regression of age, had he lost the ability to deduce about one's character?
The woman nodded and left but his mother continued to stand there as if she was waiting for the baron to come from that door anytime when she had already refused to meet him.
Her face was looking so cold and distant as if a wall had been formed suddenly that he would not be able to cross even if he tried his best. She was looking lost. Her cold face was flawless. Her white skin was shining under the rays of sunlight and she was looking breathtaking yet he felt a sudden suffocation.
As if she was getting lost and going farther away from him and if it continued, he would not be able to approach her much less save her from being a bad person.
'No! If I have thought about it, I will not give up without even trying once.' The thought of spending time with her and having vacations with her without a worry of politics and power sounds like a dream he had always seen.
"Mother, are you going to leave the duties of empress for going on vacation? What if the concubines of father are trying to covet your position or father blames you for being irresponsible later?" he asked in a soft voice but his eyes turned penetrating as he continued to stare at her face, trying to decipher her thoughts.
"He did not have the guts to do so. He was a fool who needed me to maintain the peace of the empire and to keep his concubines in check.
He would never cross me since he knew he needed me more than I needed him." with a voice that was filled with confidence, she smirked as she ruffled his hair.
Though he felt that the words were filled with arrogance, he could not refute her. She was the mage of the legend and a perfect empress in every way.
The way she worked meticulously, even his father was never able to raise a finger on things she had planned.
She was perfect for the throne not as an empress but even as an emperor. But in the past, she was still always afraid that someone would covet her power. That those concubines would surpass her or the crown prince would take what belonged to Luci.
Had she given up on all these things or her level of confidence had risen so much? Suddenly he felt that he did not know this version of his mother at all.
"Then will you be able to enjoy the vacation without worrying about anything??" even the fact that her husband might be spending time with another woman in his bed or that the crown prince would be stronger than him and would rule in the future.
"Yes, I do not care about anything but you. We will make cookies together and we will go shopping and then we will play other games you like too.
We will do anything that you want. So.. would you like to go with me."
"...i.. I am looking forward to it too."