Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 403 (Part 2):

Charlotte’s expression hardened instantly.

“No, Mother. Even if I hadn’t gone to Greta Academy, I would still be Charlotte.”

Her voice was stiff and resolute. She made it clear—the distance between them wasn’t the issue. The problem had always been her mother’s choices.

“Indeed, you’re very different from me.”

Margret smiled as if it didn’t matter, as if she understood Charlotte perfectly.

A sword could not bend. Charlotte was a sword.

But Margret was silk—flexible, flowing with the currents of life. As long as the fabric of Renosa remained unbroken, any means were acceptable.

That was why Margret remained unshaken.

“I did what I believed was best—fulfilling the duties placed upon me. One day, you’ll understand why I acted as I did.”

Silk could not sheath a sword, but it could wrap around one. Margret did not blame Charlotte.

No one, not even the Grand Duke, could deny that Margret had performed her role as Grand Duchess flawlessly.

Her life had aligned perfectly with Renosa. That alone was proof she had been right.

Someday, Charlotte, who resembled the Grand Duke, would understand.

Though it saddened her to be hated by her own daughter, Margret could accept even that. To her, the rift between them was insignificant.

Charlotte shook her head. She, too, felt sorrow.

“Mother, betrayal is never the best choice. It’s something you should never have chosen.”

“There are things in this world that cannot be helped.”

No words were as feeble—or as convenient for evading responsibility—as “It couldn’t be helped.”

“You could have let him escape.”

“Are you saying I should have smuggled someone wielding the power of darkness away, defying the Temple, while the Grand Duke was absent?”

“Yes. Because that would have been the right thing to do. In that case, I would have gladly stood by your side, Mother.”

Margret sighed regretfully at Charlotte’s rebuttal.

“You were too young back then. You wouldn’t have been of much help, Charlotte… Let us end this discussion here.”

Margret glanced toward the door, smoothing her expression. Moments later, the Grand Duke appeared before them.

The air in the room was eerily calm, as if no tension had ever existed.

Soon, under the pretense of the Grand Duke’s entourage, they departed for the banquet hall together.

*

In the banquet hall where the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Grand Duke of Renosa, and Grand Duke Farnese had gathered, Asuka felt an unbearable discomfort unlike anything he’d experienced in recent memory. One misstep, and he’d be thrown back into etiquette lessons.

‘Did I make a mistake coming?’

Still, he managed to behave appropriately enough.

Dressed more impeccably than he had been in years—enough that the Crown Prince remarked on his changed appearance—Asuka finally came face-to-face with her.

The Grand Duchess of Renosa, who effortlessly maintained an air of refinement, was the last person he’d expected to address him so kindly.

“I’ve heard much about you. You’re Charlotte’s senior at the academy, correct?”

“Ah, yes. I’m one year her senior.”

His reply was stiff, and he frowned slightly in confusion.

Margret, like Michael, was a noblewoman so beautiful and kind that it was hard to believe she had ever abandoned her own child.

People were easily swayed by appearances. Asuka, simple-minded as he was, felt strangely disoriented.

‘What’s this? She’s Helmut’s mother? Not what I expected.’

He had imagined a cold, sharp-faced witch, but the elegant woman before him bore no resemblance to that image.

He’d expected her kindness to feel hypocritical, but it didn’t.

If anything, Alea’s prickly demeanor matched his imagination better.

Noticing his discomfort, the Grand Duchess smiled.

“Am I that unfamiliar? Though I suppose Charlotte and I don’t look much alike.”

“Ah, no—it’s just that you look so young and beautiful… I was surprised.”

The words slipped out before he could think—not an attempt to flatter, but an honest impression.

“My, it’s been so long since I’ve received such direct praise. Thank you.”

Watching the Grand Duchess laugh softly, Asuka stole a glance at Charlotte beside her.

For some reason, her expression was stiff. She had barely touched her food.

‘Is she in a bad mood? She did say she wasn’t close with her mother.’

The Crown Prince, ever attentive, called her name warmly.

“Charlotte, you should eat something. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”

“I’m enjoying my meal just fine, Your Highness.”

“Is the food not to your liking?”

Asuka was the one who cut in, annoyed by the Crown Prince’s persistence.

“If she says she’s not feeling well, stop bothering her. Seriously, no tact at all.”

“Asuka.”

The Crown Prince and Asuka exchanged sharp glares. Charlotte flusteredly tried to mediate, while the Grand Duchess watched them with amusement. Meanwhile, the Emperor and the Grand Dukes continued their own formal conversation.

Whatever hidden emotions and unspoken tensions lay beneath the surface, the banquet—where the representatives of the Empire and Renosa had gathered—proceeded harmoniously and successfully.

And somewhere far from the banquet’s light, unseen by any, *they* existed.

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