So, I gently held her hand, hoping she would turn around. Just as I was about to see her face, my head ached violently, and my ears rang, as if my eardrums were going to be torn apart. <1
I stumbled and had to lean against the table for support. The scene in my head had now turned an utter mess. The girl had vanished; even her scent was gone. I couldn’t remember what that smell was, but I could clearly tell that it made my heart race just now.
My mother hurried to hold me and scolded anxiously, “Stop! Don’t think about that. I told you that it was just an irrelevant memory.”
“Mother, what are you keeping from me? You’re saying it’s not important, but why do I feel so pained, as if I’ve lost something precious?” I looked at her painfully while my eyes turned red.
Laura’s POV
My heart trembled. Seeing Rufus in so much pain broke my heart. “Don’t think about that. It’s nothing important. You didn’t like Alina at all at the time, so it’s not strange that you forgot those bad memories. I often can’t remember what I ate for breakfast, let alone what happened a few years ago.”
Rufus’ forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and he gripped the edge of the table tightly, as though he was trying to suppress something.
“I don’t know why my head will hurt like this. It’s not the first time this has happened,” Rufus said with difficulty.
I was a little angry. Rufus was so stubborn and wouldn’t stop until he got the answers he was looking for. But I couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“I’ve told you already. The black witch Noreen hurt you and you sustained a brain injury five years ago. As a result, your memories were affected, so it’s normal for you to forget some things that happened years ago. It’s like what Beryl is going through now. Maybe one day, you’ll also recover.” I looked at Rufus darkly, hoping he’d just drop the subject and stop trying to recall the past.
Rufus didn’t respond. Wincing, he lowered his head, lost in thought.
I felt both anger and heartbreak seeing my son like this. I took out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat off his forehead, saying, “Your father’s gone because Noreen’s power made his condition worsen. I’m warning you, stop being reckless. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable, and the whole royal family will be affected.”
“I see…” Rufus muttered in a low voice.
“Fortunately, Noreen’s gone. She was so hard to deal with.”
Just then, Rufus’ eyes flickered in confusion. “If Noreen was so powerful, how did you defeat her? Both me and father were unconscious at that time, right?”
Of course, we got another black witch to defeat her! But I couldn’t say that aloud. Pretending to be calm, I said, “I got help, of course. We worked tirelessly to set a trap for Noreen and killed her.”
Rufus fell silent for a while. It seemed his mind was elsewhere. Perhaps he had stopped thinking about it. After all, it was meaningless to look into it now that Noreen was dead.
I heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t the first time that Rufus asked about Noreen. Every time, I came up with excuses to derail him. Although he didn’t seem to believe me, as long as he didn’t keep asking, it’d be fine. If he still wanted to investigate the matter, I could just let him do whatever he wanted. Anyway, I had erased all the relevant information, and he wouldn’t be able to find anything.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Before anyone went to open it, it opened a crack and a small figure strode in.
I broke into a smile and waved at her warmly. “Beryl, come here.”
Beryl quickly ran over and greeted everyone one by one. She clung to Rufus, and then soon realized that there was something wrong with him. She poked Rufus’ face with her finger and asked, “Daddy, there’s so much sweat on your forehead. Are you sick?”
“No, the room is just stuffy,” Rufus said softly, stroking her head affectionately.
Unconvinced, Beryl pulled out a candy from her pocket and stuffed it into Rufus’ hand. “You will feel better after you eat the candy.”
Rufus chuckled softly, squatted down, and scooped Beryl into his arms.
Now that Rufus was distracted, I felt relieved. It was only then that I realized it was getting dark outside.
“Mother, please stay with Beryl. I have to get back to work now.” After saying that, Rufus put Beryl down and strode out of the study without giving me a chance to refuse.
Being left in the study, Beryl and I looked at each other. I asked curiously, “Don’t you want to go with Daddy?”
I was a little surprised that Beryl didn’t follow Rufus this time. She usually stuck to him like glue.
Beryl shook her head and asked sweetly, “Grandma, what’s a ball? I heard from the maid outside that there’s going to be a ball.”
Laura’s POV
“A ball is like a party where everyone comes to dance and celebrate.” I picked Beryl up and answered her question patiently.
Beryl tilted her head to the side and thought for a while. Then she pouted and wrapped her little arms around my neck. “Gan I come?”
Amused by her behavior, I tried to let her down easy. “You’re too young, child. You can attend the ball when you’re all grown up.”
Frowning, Beryl asked in confusion, “But why? I also want to dance and celebrate with everyone. Grandma, are you going to choose a Mommy for me? What about that lady in the mask? Isn’t she my mother?”
Faced with Beryl’s never-ending questions, I felt a bit of a headache. I didn’t know how to explain it to Beryl, so I simply said, “She’ll always be your mother, Beryl.”
While saying that, I stroked her beautiful braid and smiled. “When the wound on your head is healed, you’ll remember everything and then you’ll understand.”
Beryl nodded even though she probably didn’t quite understand me. Fortunately, she didn’t insist on going to the ball.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go and find something to eat.” Beryl cheered up instantly. “Eat! Eat! I want pizza!”
I took her to the dining room and asked the cooks to make two pizzas. Beryl’s eyes darted between the two pizzas, unsure which one to eat first.
I looked at her dotingly and explained, “These are all for you. You can eat both of them.”
“But I can’t eat that much…” Beryl patted her belly. She scowled slightly, as though picking a pizza was the most difficult choice she had to make.
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but laugh. I took the knife and fork, cut a slice from both pizzas, and then put the pieces together. “Look, this way, you can eat both flavors and won’t be too full.”
“Wow! Thanks, Grandma!” Beryl’s eyes lit up and she began to devour the pizza.
“Hey, take it easy.” I gave her a glass of milk and ordered strawberry pudding for dessert.
Beryl grinned at me with a milk mustache, swinging her dangling legs happily.
I wiped her lips with a handkerchief. God, I loved her so much. If only Beryl could stay with me forever.
Unfortunately, Rufus was right. Keeping her by my side would only harm both her and her mother, Crystal.
I gave up on the idea quickly. While the little kid was attacking the dessert, I stood up and walked to my subordinate. “Don’t give the invitation to Alpha Crystal. She has something else to do that day.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The subordinate nodded and left.
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