It had been a while since the last time Ru had climbed over walls or sneaked into somebody else' territory. But it didn't mean she couldn't handle it. She had always been an expert at sneaking around.
By now, she had roamed around the entire second floor of the house but didn't find what she was looking for. She was growing impatient since she had a tight schedule. If she stayed missing from the banquet for a long time, people will notice.
There was only one room left for her to check. She jumped onto the balcony of it and realized there was someone in the room. She immediately hid behind the curtain making her presence inconspicuous.
Craning her neck, she looked inside to find a lone figure sitting before a table filled with food. Her eyes were desolate but glassy. Describing her as sad would seem flimsy. The woman looked like someone who had been buried deep in depression for so long that there were no tears left to cry or wail anymore.
Her skin was pale and sallow as if she was sick. Perhaps, her sadness had seeped so deep into her bones that even pain couldn't be felt.
Suddenly, the night wind made the curtains flutter and as the chilly air brushed against her face, she lifted her eyes to gaze out towards the night sky.
Ru didn't know what she saw but her eyes suddenly brightened up as she shot up from her chair and said anxiously and eagerly, "My baby bean, you are back."
Ru was about to frown since she couldn't see anyone in the room except for herself and that dainty looking woman. But she didn't get a chance since the curtain was lifted and the woman had already gripped her wrist in her hands as she gave a toothy grin.
Oddly, Ru found her smile really beautiful. But that was not the point. The point was; how the hell did she get caught? That was a first!
"Baby bean, come inside. Why are you hiding? Mom is all alone. Mom's been waiting for you all alone here." Now, Ru definitely frowned trying to get her mind around this whole situation.
Who's the baby bean? Mom? What the hell was going on?
Before she could think, the woman had dragged Ru inside and pushed her down on the chair. She took a seat beside her and took Ru's hands in her own. "Where did you go? Why did you make mom wait for such a long time?" Tears had gathered in her glassy eyes and fell down her eyelids but the smile on her pale face was still intact.
The woman stroked Ru's cheek and broke her state of shock as she said, "Mom missed you a lot, my son. You don't know how much mom waited for you."
Of course, she didn't know. First, she wasn't her son. Hell, she wasn't even a boy! Second, she had no clue why the lady was mistaking her for her own son.
But looking more closely, Ru realized a certain detail that made her heart shook.
"My son is finally back. That scheming woman can never win. How dare she try to snatch my son? I won't give my son at any cost! My baby bean is only mine. Yes, only mine!" The dainty woman was mumbling to herself and from the way her expressions shifted and she talked. Ru had reckoned that her mind was not functioning properly.
No, more precisely... She seemed to be stuck in her state of trauma. The effect seemed stronger since the woman before her was even wearing clothes of over a decade old fashion. Now that Ru noticed, even the room was decorated in an old-fashioned manner.
Ru was again lost in her own thoughts when she was pulled into a warm embrace. "Baby bean, don't leave mom again. Mom might die without you this time."
The embrace wasn't repulsive. Instead, Ru felt calm and peaceful. Moreover, it felt warm. How odd!
As she was pushed back a bit and her green eyes looked into that glassy pair of black eyes, she heard a question, "You won't leave mom again, right?" Lost in the earnest and imploring look in that pair, Ru nodded her head.
Damn! So much for being the ruthless lord! You should be ashamed of yourself. Even an insane woman managed to control you. What a pity!
Ru's mind was constantly nagging her but she didn't pay attention. It really didn't matter.
After all, her mother's words came to her mind, 'A mother's love is the purest. A child is his mother's whole world.'
She couldn't fathom the state of the mother before her who lost her world.