Chapter 14
Layla frowned in irritation at Jared’s comment but calmly responded.
“I’m the secretary of House Valdormer.”
“Oh, I see. I thought for a second you were the lady of Valdormer yourself.”
“……”
Jared’s sarcastic tone made Layla’s frown deepen.
I simply stared at Jared, surprised. In all my time at Valdormer, no one had ever stood up for me like this—it caught me off guard. And the one doing it? The assassin who once tried to kill me.
While I stood there in confusion, Layla shot Jared a cold glare.
“This isn’t something you should get involved in.”
“Of course. I’d never dare interfere with your conversation. But then again, you don’t really have the right to speak so harshly to the Lady, do you?”
Jared, unaware of the deep grudge between Valdormer and Heister, treated me just like a true lady of the house.
It was ironic—I was receiving more respect here, in the farthest corner of Valdormer’s territory, than I ever had in the Valdormer mansion itself.
Layla couldn’t argue with Jared’s words, so she stayed quiet. Then she turned back to me, pretending to ignore him.
“This place is far too humble for someone like you to stay in, my lady.”
Her words were polite, probably because Jared’s words had bothered her, though her face didn’t match her tone.
“Better than sleeping in a carriage.”
I replied bluntly, and Layla’s face grew stiffer. Seeing her normally elegant expression twist like that gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.
“You’re staying here?”
Diaz, who had been listening nearby, lit up with excitement. I gently patted his head.
“Yes.”
“Yay!!”
While Diaz jumped around in joy, Layla stared at him, clearly annoyed. In the end, she sighed, giving in.
“Then I’ll go look for an inn.”
She said it like she was doing me a favor.
As if you’ve ever cared about my comfort before.
“I’ll sleep here. If it’s uncomfortable for you, Layla, you can stay at the inn.”
“……”
Maybe she just asked out of formality—Layla didn’t say anything else.
Jared, who had been watching silently, frowned again, clearly disapproving.
“Surely, the lady of the house is staying here, and the person meant to serve her is going to sleep in a comfy inn bed instead?”
Maybe Jared was Layla’s natural enemy.
His blunt question made Layla stiffen awkwardly.
Grinding her teeth and pretending to be calm, she finally responded.
“If the lady is staying here, of course I’ll stay too.”
I noticed her lips twitching slightly.
She was clearly forcing herself—and I secretly laughed inside.
“Yay! She’s staying! Yay!”
Oblivious to the tension, Diaz bounced around happily.
✧ ✧ ✧
Diaz begged to sleep with me, so I ended up sharing a room with the children.
It seemed to be the girls’ room—Diaz and I joined them for the night.
The older boys were sleeping in another room with Jared.
“Diaz, you should sleep with the boys now.”
Marie, who often looked after Diaz, gently scolded him.
But Diaz quickly hid in my arms.
“No! I want to sleep here!”
Marie sighed in defeat.
“Just this once, okay?”
“Mhm.”
I stroked Diaz’s head and gently patted his belly.
“Time to sleep, okay?”
Diaz quietly lay down and closed his eyes. Then, opening them slightly, he looked at me with his bright little eyes.
“You know… I do know you’re not really my mom.”
“What do you mean?”
“My real mom had brown hair.”
“…Do you remember her?”
They said Diaz was abandoned as a baby in front of the orphanage.
He was still breastfeeding, and the headmistress had to find other mothers to nurse him.
“Yes. I remember everything.”
His answer hit me harder than expected.
Even though I knew it wasn’t possible for a child that young to remember, hearing him say he remembered the mother who left him… it just hurt.
In my first life with Denian, whenever I cried, he would always say:
“Mommy, don’t cry.”
He would touch my cheek with his tiny hand, trying to comfort me.
“When mommy cries, it hurts right here.”
He’d point to his little chest with his tiny fingers.
I wondered—were all of Denian’s memories of me crying?
But he wasn’t just sadness to me. He was happiness. A blessing.
Back then, I was so overwhelmed with pain that I couldn’t see how much light he brought into my life.
I wish I had smiled more.
I wish I had shown him a version of his mom that was brighter, warmer.
I wish I had told him “I love you” more often.
“…But I still like you, miss.”
Diaz’s sleepy voice drifted off as he fell asleep. I brushed his bangs gently to the side and whispered:
“Sweet dreams.”
Sweet dreams, Denian.
Maybe tonight… I’ll finally sleep peacefully too.
✧ ✧ ✧
Denian sat quietly on a grassy field, full of blooming spring flowers.
I watched his precious little back as I knitted socks for him.
A warm breeze blew between the trees, brushing my cheeks gently.
It played across the green grass and ruffled Denian’s soft hair.
He giggled.
That pure, beautiful laugh rang out.
Smiling, I looked down to finish the socks.
But in that single moment, something cold brushed my skin.
I looked up quickly.
The spot where Denian had been sitting was now empty.
“Denian?”
My heart pounded in panic.
I looked around, ignoring the sock that had fallen from my lap. Denian was nowhere in sight.
“Baby, where are you!”
I ran across the field like someone mad, yelling until my voice cracked.
Then I heard it—
“Mommy! Waaah!”
“Denian? Denian, where are you?!”
I searched and searched, but he was gone.
The warm spring wind turned hot, almost painful. The petals were now flames.
“Mommy! It’s hot! It hurts!”
His cries tore at my heart.
Where are you, Denian?
I’m coming—Mommy’s coming!
The blazing fire didn’t scare me.
I ran straight into the red, burning flames.
Then suddenly, I woke up.
I saw the old wooden ceiling above me.
Was it just a dream…?
But I could still smell smoke. My skin still burned slightly.
“Mommy! Mommy! Waaah!”
Diaz was clinging to my clothes, crying his heart out.
Still dazed, I sat up—and saw the wooden wall was on fire.
“What’s going on…?!”
“It’s hot! Waaah!”
I grabbed Diaz and covered our mouths with my sleeve as I looked around.
The three girls who had slept with us hadn’t woken up. They must have inhaled too much smoke.
I checked for breath—thankfully, they were still alive.
Diaz was the only one crying, terrified.
We had to get out of the room.
I looked around, planning to escape through the window—but this room didn’t have one.
Only the door.
I moved Diaz away and went to check the door. Placing my hand near it, I used my flame sense to check for danger.
The fire outside wasn’t too strong yet. It was safe to open the door.
Taking a deep breath, I opened it slowly.
Outside was chaos. Children crying, Jared shouting as he tried to help them.
But right in front of our door, a large, burning wooden beam had fallen, blocking the exit.
“Is anyone there?! Please help us!”
It was impossible to carry the unconscious girls over alone.
But if someone was on the other side, I could pass the kids over the beam.
Then I saw her—Layla.
“Layla! Help us—!”
But she froze when our eyes met. Then… she ran away, terrified.
“Layla…?”
I could only watch her go, stunned.
I felt a wave of betrayal—but there was no time to dwell on it.
If we waited for Jared to come, the fire would spread into the room.
Looking down at my hands, I bit my lip.
There was no way I could save these kids without using my power.
At this point, hiding it didn’t matter.
I had to save the children—no matter what.
