Following the order, Ivan went downstairs and returned to his own room. By then, with the coachman's efforts alone, all the paintings had been moved into his room and were stacked high against the wall, making the already small room seem even more cramped.
In the room, the curtains had been fully drawn open. Although it was already autumn, the sunlight in the afternoon was still a bit dazzling. Miss Susanna was sitting on the edge of the bed, bending over slightly and rummaging through the suitcase she had brought while turning sideways.
"Come here quickly," Miss Susanna said without looking back.
Ivan placed the paintings in his hand on top of the stack of oil paintings and then walked up to Miss Susanna. To his great surprise, the suitcase that Miss Susanna was rummaging through didn't contain clothes, daily necessities or anything of that sort at all.
The suitcase was stuffed with all kinds of strange and curious things. The largest number among them were various sticks, differing in length, thickness, and some were even slightly curved. Ivan couldn't figure out what those furry rings were for, and there were quite a few of them. The only thing he could recognize were those few strings of necklaces with rather sparse intervals. However, unlike what he had seen in paintings, these were just strings of wooden beads. As for the other things, Ivan was completely at a loss and had no idea what they were used for at all.
"What are all these things?" Ivan asked curiously.
"They're toys, the toys that men like the most. However, if used skillfully, they're also the toys that we women enjoy the most. Clear out an empty drawer for me," Miss Susanna explained with a smile.
Ivan quickly opened the wardrobe. He didn't have many clothes to begin with, and the top few drawers had always been empty, which happened to be available for use.
After Miss Susanna put the things into the drawer, she casually threw the suitcase into the corner of the room.
When everything was tidied up, Miss Susanna stood up. She gently untied the silk ribbon tied around her waist. It turned out that the long dress Miss Susanna was wearing was rather special. The gracefully falling, fluffy and soft skirt could be completely separated from the upper part of the dress. The skirt slowly slid down to the ground, revealing Miss Susanna's slender and charming long legs.
A pair of milky-white, semi-transparent silk stockings wrapped around her legs, faintly reflecting her snow-white and tender skin. And the pink short skirt she was wearing was really short, barely covering the top of her thighs. The piece of fabric that originally wrapped tightly around the upper body as part of the long dress, without the hanging of the lower skirt, shrank upwards, revealing the corset around her waist.
The scene was so alluring that Ivan felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate, his face blushed all the way to his ears, and it seemed as if a rush of heat was surging through his body. He could hardly hold himself back. Suddenly, he remembered that the door was wide open and the curtains hadn't been drawn either. What if the maids saw this scene?
"I... I'll go and close the door," Ivan stammered, and was about to turn around to close the door as he spoke.
Before he could take a step, Miss Susanna grabbed him: "No, don't close the door. You have to get used to this situation because this is your original hobby, a unique fetish. Now, close your eyes. I'm going to teach you the first lesson, which is to learn how to deal with emotional impulses and endure intense stimuli. Only when you can fully control all your sensations can you take the initiative in this game. Alright, close your eyes quickly."
Ivan had no choice but to obediently follow the order and closed his eyes.
Without sight, his other senses suddenly became extremely sensitive. Ivan clearly felt Miss Susanna's slender and nimble fingers gently brushing over every part of his body. As her fingers moved, a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body. He felt his legs go weak, as if they could no longer support his body.
Ivan felt that the whole world was spinning and tumbling, everything lost its original balance, as if the sky and the earth had been turned upside down. His knees buckled and he almost sat down on the ground. At that moment, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his tailbone. The pain was like a needle drilling straight into the bone, so excruciating that Ivan jumped up at once.
"You're such a useless boy, just a good-for-nothing. Maybe you're still just a kid. This is too difficult for you, my dear student. Your endurance is really terrible..." Miss Susanna leaned close to Ivan's ear and did her best to taunt him with the most embarrassing and humiliating words to stimulate him.
"If you're ready, if you're still a man, if you still have some courage, then let's do it again." With that, Susanna once again ran her seemingly magical fingers over Ivan's body.
For Ivan, that dizzying feeling came over him again, and the final result was, of course, another stabbing pain.
The sun was gradually setting in the west. Throughout the whole afternoon, Ivan was in an extremely contradictory state, struggling as if caught between heaven and hell. The stabbing pain was already unbearable, but Miss Susanna's merciless ridicule made Ivan feel even more miserable.
When Audrey and Herbert taught Ivan, they were equally strict in their methods. Ivan still remembered vividly the pain of Audrey's whipping, and Herbert's training methods were even more brutal. But even so, they had never insulted Ivan like Susanna did.
Since childhood, Ivan had been averse to being insulted by others. After all, unlike other children, he didn't have a mother to whom he could pour out his grievances. For him, although being beaten and scolded was tough, it was just physical pain, which was far less hurtful than verbal insults.
That's why he had never been on good terms with the hunchback in the shop. The hunchback always insulted him wantonly, saying that he was a jinx because his parents died early, that the business in the shop had gone downhill since he came, that his gloomy face made customers lose their desire to buy, and even slandered him by claiming that he was Aunt Jenny's illegitimate child, which was why Aunt Jenny was so nice to him. Although Ivan hated it deeply, he could only swallow his anger because he knew that the hunchback was deliberately looking for trouble.
But why did Miss Susanna insult him like this? Ivan really couldn't figure it out and could only endure the pain and insults silently.
When the maid came to announce that dinner was ready and saw the lascivious and stimulating scene in front of her, she was so shocked that she stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Then she let out a shrill scream and ran away as fast as she could.
At this time, Ivan hadn't fully regained his senses from the daze. He let Susanna pull him along as they went out. A whole afternoon of high excitement, intense mental and physical stimulation, plus the stinging pain from his tailbone made him almost forget how to walk.
"Where are we having dinner?" Susanna asked softly in Ivan's ear.
"In the garden living room behind the villa," Ivan answered in a daze.
It wasn't far from the bedroom to the garden living room. You just had to turn a corner at the staircase and you'd be there. Susanna had already taken a look around when the coachman was moving the oil paintings, so she knew the location.
Ivan was pulled by Susanna to the living room. There was only Miss Betty sitting at the long dining table.
The garden living room was semi-open. Although the autumn wind couldn't blow directly in, the air circulated much faster than indoors. Ivan couldn't help feeling a bit chilly, and gradually came to his senses. It was then that he realized that his coat and trousers had been taken off by Susanna, and he was only wearing a thin silk shirt and small shorts. Such an outfit was really inappropriate, and Ivan blushed with embarrassment at once, wanting to go back to his bedroom to get dressed.
"Ivan, come and sit down quickly," Miss Betty ordered as if she hadn't noticed anything. "Bring the dinner in."
The maids nearby heard the order and immediately blushed, lowered their heads, and walked towards the kitchen. Although they had already been told by their master and Miss Betty that they shouldn't make a fuss about such things in the future, after all, they didn't have the same self-restraint as Miss Betty and couldn't remain indifferent.
Ivan sat down at the dining table awkwardly, not knowing how to face Miss Betty.
Unexpectedly, after Miss Betty nodded slightly to greet Miss Susanna, she turned to Ivan and asked, "Do you have any scheduled arrangements for tomorrow?"
"Arrangements?" Ivan looked at Miss Susanna.
"No, Ivan will be free all day tomorrow," Miss Susanna replied on his behalf.
"Then, Ivan, I'll take you to visit several influential families in Thorsburg tomorrow," Miss Betty said.
"Emotional connection?" Ivan asked. He was quite familiar with this kind of thing. Audrey had given him systematic diplomatic courses, and he knew all those diplomatic means. Audrey had also praised him many times for having a talent for diplomacy.
"It's not just about building emotional connections. Most of the families we'll visit tomorrow have been friends with the Medin family for generations. Even if you don't visit them, they'll still support you. The visit is out of courtesy, and at the same time, it can let you get familiar with the connections among the families in Thorsburg. Although Mr. Hyde has let you know something about it, personal experience is far better than just reading materials, isn't it?" Miss Betty said with a smile, and that smile made Ivan feel very warm.
"When will we set off tomorrow? What preparations do I need to make?" Ivan asked.
"Don't worry. There's plenty of time. We'll visit at most three families, and I'll prepare everything," Miss Betty replied.
"Will my main job in the following period be to visit these families?" Ivan asked again. He was no stranger to this kind of thing.
Miss Betty nodded with satisfaction. "Yes. Visiting the noble families in Thorsburg, talking with officials from important departments, and attending banquets will be your main jobs for this month. Earl Fessinan and Great-aunt have already discussed it. Your identity confirmation ceremony will be held one month later. By then, the nobles under the jurisdiction of Thorsburg in places like Thorsburg, Bart, Piton, Lyle, and Southport will all have the right to vote, and their votes will determine your fate. We need to win over more than a dozen big families in Thorsburg this month. They have great influence and extensive branches, and more than half of the nobles in the south of France are closely connected with them."
"Are there any families among them that oppose us?" Ivan asked.
"The situation isn't good. We don't have many supporters," Miss Betty sighed.
"Why? Isn't the Medin family quite prestigious?" Ivan was puzzled.
"The most important Treasury Department in Thorsburg and its related branches have been controlled by Earl Martil," Miss Betty explained.
"Is he the old man who opposed me in the cathedral?" Ivan asked.
"Yes, his family has been in charge of Thorsburg's finances for generations," Miss Betty replied.
"What if all the nobles vote against me? What should we do?" Ivan was a bit worried.
"That would be troublesome. Although the nobles can oppose, they can't deny your bloodline. In this case, usually, the Church will be asked to confirm the identity and let the gods make the judgment. However, who will be sent and what method will be used for the confirmation are decided by the king," Miss Betty said.
"So I have to win the support of most of the families. That's the best way to avoid trouble," Ivan said along with her.
"Exactly. Great-aunt also hopes so."
"Miss Betty, can I exercise the lord's power after my identity is confirmed?" Ivan asked again.
"You're sixteen years old now, and the legal age of adulthood is eighteen. If the king intends to delay, you may not be able to truly take power until you're twenty-two," Miss Betty said.
"That means in the worst-case scenario, I'll have to wait for six years. But what's the benefit for the king in doing this?" Ivan was puzzled.
"A lot of accidents can happen in six years. For example, you might die unexpectedly or be found to be an impostor (of course, sufficient evidence would be needed). Even if they can't make you step down, they can still strip you of your power. With no lord in Thorsburg for six years, anything could happen."
"What should we do then?" Ivan guessed that Mr. Hyde had already considered this.
"Others can strip us of our power, and we can also do the same to others. With a nominal lord in place, the king can't directly interfere in the affairs of Thorsburg. The real power of control depends on each side's strength. Although Earl Martil manages the financial department, not all the officials are from his family. They're not interested in low-level positions, so it's actually the small and medium-sized scattered nobles who truly control the Treasury Department. Moreover, the affairs of Thorsburg are jointly controlled by Earl Fessinan, Earl Levy, and Earl Martil. If they don't agree with each other, the nobles will have to vote to resolve the issue. Do you understand what I mean?" Miss Betty explained in detail.
"I understand. So I must show up, right?" Ivan understood the reason why Mr. Hyde had arranged the trials. Baron Rona might not have much power, but he was closely connected with the lower-level officials in the financial department. Contacting him helped Ivan lay a foundation among the lower-level nobles. It seemed that Mr. Hyde had carefully planned everything.
Ivan thought about the events before and after in sequence, and many vague impressions became clear. At this time, the maids brought the dinner in. Although they were a bit calmer than before, when they saw the appearance of Miss Susanna and Ivan, they still blushed deeply, felt extremely ashamed, put down the dishes, and quickly ran back to the kitchen.
Ivan pulled the plate in front of him and picked up the knife and fork, ready to have dinner, but Miss Susanna stopped him. She took a bottle and poured out some stuff that was as thick as chili sauce and mixed it with the food on Ivan's plate. It then gave off a strong fishy smell.
Ivan frowned and asked, "What is this?"
"It's a kind of potion that can make you energetic and help you reach adulthood as soon as possible," Miss Susanna said with a mysterious smile.
Ivan leaned closer and sniffed it. The pungent fishy smell made it hard for him to swallow.
"Is it necessary to do this?" Miss Betty asked.
"Since we're going to do something, we should do it well," Miss Susanna said.
"Does this medicine have side effects? Medicines for this kind of purpose usually have some adverse effects on the body, right?" Miss Betty asked.
"There are just a few side effects. This potion is very effective. It can quickly promote the growth of certain parts of Ivan's body. However, it will inhibit his height growth, and his growth rate will be slower than that of ordinary people," Miss Susanna said nonchalantly. "In our place, sometimes we provide special services according to the requests of special guests."
"I understand," Miss Betty nodded.
"But, Miss Susanna, I really don't understand what you meant just now," Ivan asked anxiously.
"Ivan, you can't possibly not guess what I used to do," There was that usual mocking look at the corner of Susanna's mouth.
Ivan was immediately stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment. Instead, Susanna continued speaking nonchalantly on her own: "You know that Southport is a very prosperous and wealthy place with lots of rich people. When men have money, they want to find beautiful women for their own enjoyment, and I was the one who provided them with such enjoyment, that is, what people usually call a prostitute. I was the most expensive prostitute in Southport. Maybe you don't know that as long as a beautiful woman is willing to sell her body, money will quickly flow into her hands. After having money, I naturally didn't need to sell my body casually anymore. It's much easier to organize those girls who have no money but are in urgent need of it to sell their bodies than to do those things myself. Of course, not only men have the need to vent, but women also need emotional comfort in terms of lust. Handsome young men are very popular among female customers. However, young men usually don't have the substantial capital to please customers, and the female customers who came to me were not so easily satisfied. This potion can not only make them'supermen' in that aspect but also inhibit their body growth, which can prolong their youth years of making money by quite a lot."
"Will excessive use of this potion make it impossible for those young men to get girls pregnant in the future?" Miss Betty asked carefully, blushing.
Fortunately, Miss Susanna didn't notice Miss Betty's discomfort at all. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "As far as I know, the effect is just the opposite. Most of those people will be troubled by having too many children after they get married."
Hearing what Susanna said, Miss Betty secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After this explanation, Ivan also understood what this potion was about. However, compared to these strange potions, Ivan cared more about Miss Susanna's identity. Although he had guessed before that Miss Susanna might be a prostitute, he had never expected that this seemingly beautiful and charming young lady was actually a madam who lived off the blood and sweat of other girls. Since ancient times, people might still have some sympathy for prostitutes and understand their hardships, but when it came to madams, the attitude was completely different.
Perhaps a madam could be regarded as the most evil profession in the world. Although professions like thieves, swindlers, pickpockets, and killers are also disgraceful, compared to madams, they are much more noble.
If Susanna's sarcasm and heartless insults towards him before only made Ivan a little dissatisfied, now his heart was full of contempt and disgust. In Ivan's eyes, Miss Susanna's beautiful and charming figure no longer had the allure it used to have. Ivan's gaze at Miss Susanna gradually became cold.
Susanna was already used to such reactions from others. She didn't care at all what others thought of her. She didn't need anyone's understanding.
Dinner ended in such a cold atmosphere. After thinking it over, Ivan finally gritted his teeth and ate up the plate of dinner mixed with the potion.
After dinner, Ivan and Miss Susanna went back to the room. Quite different from the beginning, Ivan now had no impulse or good feelings left. He just looked at Miss Susanna coldly.
"Alright, no matter what you think, my job is to teach you to become a lecher who is proficient in all the skills of playing with women. This is the task Mr. Hyde assigned to me, and I'll do my best to fulfill it," Miss Susanna said expressionlessly.
After saying that, she gently hugged Ivan as she did before. Although Ivan despised Susanna's identity, her skillful teasing techniques were really hard to resist. Before long, Ivan once again experienced the stabbing pain.
"You're really useless," Susanna used her caustic words to stimulate Ivan's young heart. "I know you look down on me, but do you know that I look down on you even more, you useless little man? You surely haven't grown up yet. Do you want to suck on your mother's breast?"
"Miss Susanna, you will surely regret it in the future. I will learn everything you teach me attentively, and I'll learn it even better than you expect. Then, I'll show you the results of my learning, and it will surely be unforgettable for you for the rest of your life," Ivan said.
"Hehe, quite ambitious. But who knows if you're really ambitious or just being stubborn. Get ready to enjoy the 'pleasure' of the needle stabbing again," With that, Susanna once again showed her magical finger skills.
Although Ivan had a tough tone, he was ultimately no match for Susanna's "slender fingers". The feeling of hovering between heaven and hell was both exciting and painful. Ivan endured the torment of extreme pleasure and intense pain for several hours and finally collapsed weakly on the bed.
In a daze, Ivan felt that Miss Susanna was applying some sticky ointment on the area from his lower abdomen to his thigh roots. Her magical hands rubbed repeatedly, making him involuntarily feel waves of passion. However, every time the passion was about to burst out, those hands would promptly suppress the source of the passion, forcibly suppressing the impulse inside his body with nowhere to vent.
That feeling was extremely painful. Ivan felt as if his body was about to burn up, his blood was boiling, and the skin on the area where the ointment was applied felt as if it was being burned by flames, unbearably painful. This pain tortured him, yet his body couldn't move at all. He didn't know whether it was caused by Susanna's "magic hands" or the medicine he had taken before.
Ivan didn't know how long he had endured the torment, nor was he sure whether Susanna finally let him go or he just couldn't bear it and passed out.
When he woke up the next morning, he only felt hot all over his body and had a pain in his lower abdomen. Lying beside him was Miss Susanna. Admittedly, that perfect body did make Ivan have some wild thoughts. He shook his head vigorously to sober himself up.
On the bedside near Miss Susanna was a pile of clothes. His clothes were pressed under Miss Susanna's long dress and corset. Ivan had once heard people say that a man's clothes shouldn't be pressed under a woman's clothes, as it was unlucky. He didn't know if there was any truth in this saying. He quietly walked to the bedside and dug out his clothes from underneath.
After getting dressed neatly, Ivan walked out of the room. He didn't want to stay with a madam. In the Medin family's manor, apart from the bedroom, the only place he could go to was the garden living room at the back.
As soon as he walked into the living room, he saw Miss Betty sitting on a bench with a backrest, quietly reading a book. Ivan walked over and sat down beside Miss Betty, then turned his head to glance at the cover of the book.
"The Collection of Autumn Leaves, Miss Betty, do you like poetry?" Ivan asked softly.
"Occasionally," Miss Betty closed the book, her face blushing a little, and stammered, "Ivan, last night, did you and Miss Susanna..."
"No, nothing happened between us," Ivan quickly explained.
Miss Betty smiled and said, "But it's only a matter of time. You and Miss Susanna will get there sooner or later."
"Miss Betty, actually I prefer to be with you," Ivan said.
"You don't have to rush. It's also just a matter of time for you and me, my little husband," Miss Betty said with unusual affection.
"Miss Betty, is this your own wish? I mean, with such an age difference between us, you can't really fall in love with me. You're just obeying Great-aunt's wishes, right? When you meet someone you truly love in the future, will you regret it?" Ivan asked.
"Ivan, some people don't have the right to love. Like me, I have the blood of the Medin family flowing in me. I'm the last descendant of the family, so I must bear the responsibility of inheriting the family bloodline and continuing the family," Miss Betty sighed deeply.
"That's not necessarily the case. I think although Great-aunt seems cold on the surface, she's kind-hearted. She shouldn't force you," Ivan said. "Moreover, you also have the right to pursue happiness."
"Like Aunt Lisa?" Miss Betty asked rhetorically.
"Not everyone will be as unfortunate as Miss Lisa," Ivan replied.
"Unfortunate? Do you think that was unfortunate? I don't think so. At least I think Aunt was extremely happy. I remember when I saw Aunt back then, what impressed me most was her happy smile and the affectionate look in her eyes when she looked at her husband. That's not something an unfortunate and resentful person would have," Miss Betty seemed to be immersed in memories. After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, she said警觉地, "Ivan, you just called Aunt Lisa. You should call her Mother. You can't be so careless about such an important thing."
Ivan couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed when he heard Miss Betty say that. In fact, he had originally regarded Miss Lisa Medin as his mother. Since he didn't have a mother when he was young, he had been happy for quite a while to have such a beautiful and elegant mother. However, what happened yesterday had hit him hard, and that perfect image of his mother collapsed instantly. What's more, those several special paintings also faintly revealed a shocking promiscuous past of Miss Lisa Medin. Ivan really couldn't accept that a woman who combined elegance and promiscuity was his mother.
"Miss Betty, maybe Miss Lisa wasn't as perfect as you thought. Her life might not be as happy as you believed," Ivan said hesitantly.
"Did you find something?" Miss Betty asked.
"How should I put it... Miss Betty, don't you think Miss Lisa doted on her child too much?" Ivan asked tentatively.
"I see. It seems that Great-aunt and I were right in our initial feeling," Miss Betty said no more.
"Miss Betty, you knew it all along?" Ivan asked in surprise.
"That child never concealed his preferences. Instead, he liked to show off his proud achievements."
Ivan nodded repeatedly as this matched what he knew.
"Do you still think Miss Lisa's life was happy?" Ivan asked.
After pondering for a moment, Miss Betty sighed and said, "It's hard to say. Everyone has a different definition of happiness. Maybe you think Aunt Lisa was struggling painfully in promiscuity and shame, but she might not think so. Perhaps she thought that was an extremely happy life. Just like my mother, she was originally my father's personal maid. My father didn't love her. My birth was just the result of a teenager's curiosity and impulse about sex and his attempt on the maid. But my mother thought she was one of the happiest women in the world. The days with my father were the best time for her. Although there was no true love between them. My father just liked my mother, and my mother had some affection for my father, but it was more like the kind of liking a maid had for a young master. Do you think my mother's life was happy? Presumably not, but she was content."
"Miss Betty, what about your life?" Ivan asked.
"Me? I also think I'm happy. At least I know I have a noble father and a gentle and considerate mother. As an illegitimate daughter, I'm already very lucky to be taken in by Great-aunt," Miss Betty said with a smile. "By the way, since you asked me, I also have the right to know your answer to this question. Your life is the most exciting among the people I know. I know you're very skillful and have wisdom beyond your age. Your performance at Baron Rona's banquet has already spread throughout Thorsburg. Moreover, you're a promising magic apprentice, which is even more enviable than the identity of the heir to the lordship. And there's the beautiful Miss Susanna by your side. In the eyes of many people, you're the lucky one favored by the God of Fate."
"Lucky? Maybe," Ivan thought. Even he wasn't sure whether his experiences in these past few months counted as lucky. "I do know a lot of things, but Audrey is the truly learned scholar. And the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know. As for becoming a magician, that's my ambition. I also want to be an adventurer like Mr. Hyde. Miss Susanna is just my teacher, teaching me about women, women's bodies, and how to please women, and that's all."
"You don't seem to like Miss Susanna very much. Is it because of her profession..." Miss Betty blushed and didn't continue.
"No, I like Miss Susanna very much. She's beautiful and has a perfect figure," Ivan said insincerely. Anyone could tell that he didn't mean it. Miss Betty knew this but didn't feel right to refute. Blushing, she said in a very low voice, "I know you're eager to learn. Presumably, you'll be Miss Susanna's most satisfactory student. When you've learned all the skills, will there be no one else who can receive your 'favor' except her?"
"I don't know. I don't think so," Ivan said with a puzzled look on his face. He really didn't understand why Miss Betty would ask such a question.
Being looked at by Ivan like this, Miss Betty immediately felt very embarrassed. Since under Great-aunt's tough requirement, her relationship with Ivan had been settled. For this underage little boy in front of her, she had developed an indescribable and 奇妙 feeling in her heart. She was especially interested in anything that happened to Ivan and always wanted to figure it out. "I've heard from several of my little sisters that those young men who have received special training often choose prostitutes who are much older than them as their marriage partners when they grow up. Ordinary women simply can't bear their kind of 'favor', let alone conceive and give birth to children."
"Why is that? Miss Susanna didn't mention this to me," Ivan asked in surprise.
"If that kind of medicine is taken for a long time, it will make their senses in that regard become dull." Miss Betty stopped at this point, thinking that Ivan should be able to understand what she meant.
Although Ivan didn't fully understand it, he could roughly guess what was going on and didn't know how to respond to this question for a moment.
Miss Betty was obviously extremely embarrassed too. She stood up from the chair and then said as if nothing had happened, "Ivan, you'd better hurry up and get ready. We might be quite busy today. We'll set off after having breakfast. Those nobles are all waiting for us."
After saying that, Miss Betty paused for a moment, with a hesitant look on her face. After a while, her face flushed red again. She bent down slightly and leaned as close to Ivan's ear as possible while lowering her voice and said, "Ivan, you must never call Aunt Lisa 'Miss Lisa' again. She's your mother. No matter what, she is your mother. You must remember this."
Suddenly, as if Miss Betty remembered something else, she hung her head even lower and whispered, "If you really can't bring yourself to say'mom', you can call Miss Lisa 'Liddy' instead. That's her nickname."
After saying these words, Miss Betty turned around and walked out of the garden living room quickly, leaving Ivan alone in the living room, silently pondering over what had just been said.