Chapter 1032
Not Mother
When Eivass recognized the face of that person, he couldn’t help but hold his breath. Time itself seemed to stop at that moment. She wore a dignified dark green long dress, adorned with transparent yellow lace at the collar and cuffs that evoked the image of a leaf butterfly. By the fashion standards of the Iris people, this was considered a rather understated and simple style.
She wore light makeup, which made her look much younger. Platinum-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and on her head sat a pale yellow hat decorated with white feathers and green ribbons. Her face bore at least an eight-tenths resemblance to “Annie Alexander,” whom Eivass had seen during the Ascension Ritual. The remaining two-tenths difference was because she wasn’t as young as the Annie from the Ascension Ritual.
Giulio Alexander in the Ascension Ritual was twenty-seven years old, and he was Annie and Mina’s senior, two grades older than them. This meant that Annie at the time could have been, at most, twenty-five years old. Such an age was when a girl was most beautiful, at the peak of her vitality. And now, fifteen years had passed. If Eivass’s mother were still alive, she would likely be forty years old. That was probably around what she would look like.
Perhaps due to the influence of the Path of Beauty, or perhaps because a life of wealth and comfort naturally benefited one’s appearance, Annie looked much younger than her actual age, appearing to be only in her early thirties. However, upon closer inspection, faint traces of time could still be seen on her face. Eivass was not the only one who lost composure. Annie’s pupils trembled violently, and she subconsciously gasped.
“Giulio…” she murmured, her eyes betraying obvious agitation. Clearly, Annie had only just learned about this. She had rushed over, wanting to confirm and get a good look at Eivass. But that one glance had been enough to break her composure. Intense longing mixed with sorrow, turning into tears that overflowed from her eyes. Those were feelings that were undeniably genuine.
Just by looking from afar, Eivass felt a pang in his nose. Eivass’s feelings had been subtle and complex when he learned that there was an “Annie de Vendome,” whether real or fake, in Duke Vendome’s household. After all, his own biological mother had been murdered, and now he discovered that someone identical to her was alive and well. He felt relieved and happy, but at the same time, he also felt a sense of loss, along with a faint sense of resistance.
He had avoided mentioning it or thinking about it since then, because Eivass had instinctively wanted to postpone dealing with it. This was because even Eivass himself didn’t know how to face this “stranger who was identical in composition to his own mother” but who didn’t recognize him at all. Although he was certain to meet her if he went to Duke Vendome’s household, he wanted to delay it as long as possible.
Annie, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Eivass. After Sherlock left the Dream Realm, he must have informed Duke Vendome of his arrival. If this had been revealed to Eivass while he was away from the Iris people and unaware of the situation, Sherlock’s safety might not even have been guaranteed. It was like offending the friend of the world’s most powerful person. Any intelligent and cautious person would not expect “forgiveness” but would likely opt for disposal or finding a scapegoat. No one dared to gamble on such a thing. Revealing it would be equivalent to forcing one’s own death.
Sherlock was intelligent enough not to say a word. Even when Eivass came to rescue him, he was still speaking favorably of Duke Vendome, which was essentially doing Duke Vendome a favor. Eivass understood this. If Sherlock had been truly safe, he wouldn’t have been unable to send a normal letter and would not have needed to ask Eivass for help.
Now that Eivass knew of this matter, had even traveled to the Iris people, and had already made contact with Sherlock in the Dream Realm, there was no longer any point in destroying evidence. However, since Sherlock wanted to give Duke Vendome a favor, Eivass was willing to accommodate him. After all, Sherlock himself was the one who was kidnapped, so he had the right to handle the situation. Moreover, Sherlock was also doing this to make things easier for Eivass, which was even a half-favor from Sherlock to Eivass. Without him mediating, Eivass might have actually stormed Duke Vendome’s mansion.
But Eivass did indeed have Vendome blood flowing through him. The current Duke Vendome might be Eivass’s only living relative in the world. This undoubtedly placed the problem squarely on Eivass’s shoulders. But Sherlock was intelligent enough not to do so, and Duke Vendome was also smart enough not to do anything superfluous. Eivass had completely underestimated Annie’s inability to suppress her inner turmoil. She had come forward herself before Eivass could meet Duke Vendome, seeing him at the entrance beforehand.
That sense of bloodline resonance was undeniably genuine. Annie missed Eivass’s biological father, Giulio Alexander, so much that she had not remarried and remained single. The complexity and depth of her feelings made her unable to stop tears from flowing when she saw Eivass. As Eivass looked at the weeping Annie, his expression became incredibly complicated. He could sense the stirring emotions within her, as well as her confusion and timidity, her surging courage, and that unreachable love.
But as Eivass slowly walked forward, his mouth opened and closed, yet he was unable to utter the word “Mother.” The feeling was too strange, and he just couldn’t say it.
“Eivass…” Annie sobbed like a little girl, tentatively reaching out to grasp Eivass’s sleeve, “May I call you… Eivass?” Her voice was distant yet yearned to be close, like a moth fluttering around a candle flame, sometimes near, sometimes far.
“…Of course,” Eivass replied softly, bending slightly, “I would be honored.” As if afraid to disturb someone waking from a dream, his voice became gentler. Annie’s hand was cold, chilling to the bone.
But neither Eivass nor Annie mentioned what Eivass should call Annie. Since he didn’t call her Mother or Aunt, they tacitly ignored the matter of addressability. After all, they both knew – Eivass’s mother might technically be Annie, but it was unlikely he could truly call her Mother. Eivass quietly followed Annie towards the entrance of the manor. Arsen, being very perceptive, remained silent throughout, following at a distance.
