“Why do I feel like I've been cast out from the main residence?”
Hera's body immediately stiffened.
Zeldryn noticed the subtle change.
“You said my mother is at the main residence. My father lives there too. Most of my siblings are probably there as well.”
He pointed at the floor with one finger.
“So why am I living here alone?”
Hera lowered her gaze.
She didn't answer immediately.
Silence filled the room for several seconds. The only sounds between them were the flickering candle flames and the night wind.
Zeldryn narrowed his eyes.
“Hera?”
“Forgive me, Lord.”
Hera answered carefully.
“I don't know the exact reason.”
Zeldryn continued staring at her.
Before he could ask another question, Hera continued.
“From what I've heard from some of the older servants, you've been living in this mansion since you were still a baby.”
“Since I was a baby?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Zeldryn frowned even deeper.
At first, he had assumed that he was only sent to this remote mansion after he started causing trouble.
The old Zeldryn was known for being violent, getting drunk, and doing whatever he wanted. It would have made sense if Zorin had thrown him out here after finally getting tired of his behavior.
But according to Hera, he had been living here since he was an infant.
That meant his isolation had begun long before Zeldryn was capable of doing any of those terrible things.
Before he could even walk or speak.
“And during all that time, I rarely met my family?”
Hera slowly nodded.
“As far as I know, yes.”
Zeldryn studied Hera's face.
Something still bothered him.
Hera might genuinely not know the reason. But there was also a chance she was hiding something because she was afraid of speaking badly about the Giorry family.
“Hera.”
Zeldryn's voice grew colder.
Hera immediately straightened her posture.
“You still remember what I told you earlier, don't you?”
Hera's face slowly turned pale.
“Lying to me has consequences.”
Hera's hands immediately clasped together even tighter.
“O-Of course, Lord.”
Her voice began trembling again.
“I won't lie to you.”
Zeldryn said nothing and continued watching her face.
“I swear, Lord.”
Hera lowered her head again.
“I truly don't know why you were placed in this mansion. I'm only telling you what I've heard from servants who have worked here longer than I have.”
Her breathing started to become uneven.
“I wouldn't dare hide anything from you.”
Zeldryn continued observing her for several seconds.
Hera's face was pale. Her shoulders trembled slightly, while her hands nearly crushed the fabric of her uniform.
That didn't look like the reaction of someone trying to come up with a lie.
At least, not from what Zeldryn could tell.
Looks like she really doesn't know.
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He finally looked away.
“All right. I believe you.”
Hera's body relaxed slightly after hearing those words.
Zeldryn, however, sank even deeper into thought.
So Zeldryn had been separated from the main residence since birth.
If he had only been sent away after causing trouble, everything would have been easy to explain.
But a baby couldn't do anything wrong.
A newborn couldn't embarrass the family, rebel against his father, or create political problems of his own will.
Which meant the reason for his exile had nothing to do with Zeldryn's actions.
Most likely, the problem was connected to his mother.
What was wrong with Anna?
Did Anna's original family have some kind of conflict with Zorin?
Was their marriage opposed by members of the Giorry family?
Or was Anna's status much lower than that of the other three wives?
All Zeldryn knew was his mother's name and the fact that she lived at the main residence.
That wasn't nearly enough information to reach any conclusion.
He looked at Hera again.
“Has my mother never come here?”
The question made Hera think for a moment.
“She has, Lord.”
“How often?”
Hera hesitated slightly before answering.
“I started working as your personal maid when I was fifteen.”
“So that's been four years.”
“Yes, Lord.”
Hera nodded.
“During the four years I've worked at this mansion, I've only seen Lady Anna visit twice.”
Zeldryn went silent.
“Twice?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“In four years?”
Hera nodded again.
Zeldryn stared at her seriously.
That was far less than he had expected.
Even if traveling from the main residence to this mansion took a long time, twice in four years still felt far too rare for a mother visiting her own son.
“Did my mother speak to me when she came here?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Hera nodded slowly.
“But I don't know what you and Lady Anna talked about.”
“Why?”
“Every time you spoke with Lady Anna, everyone nearby was ordered to leave the room.”
Hera lowered her gaze.
“The servants and guards weren't allowed to stay near you. So during her visits, Lady Anna always spoke with you alone.”
Zeldryn slowly rubbed his forehead.
Why does everything feel like it's being hidden?
His mother had only visited twice in four years. And every time they spoke, everyone was immediately ordered out.
No one knew what they talked about.
Even Hera, his personal maid, was never allowed to remain in the room.
The more information Zeldryn learned, the more complicated his family situation seemed to become.
Zeldryn looked at Hera again.
“Was there anything strange or unusual whenever my mother visited?”
Hera looked confused by the question.
“Strange, Lord?”
“Her behavior, her expression, or the way she spoke to me.”
Zeldryn leaned back slightly.
“Did you or any of the other servants ever notice anything unusual about my mother while she was here?”
Hera didn't answer immediately.
She lowered her head and tried to remember the two visits from Anna that she had witnessed. Her brow furrowed slightly as she searched through her memories.
After thinking for quite a while, Hera finally spoke.
“I don't know whether this information is accurate or not, Lord.”
“Just tell me.”
“Some of the senior servants used to talk about Lady Anna.”
Hera paused briefly before continuing.
“They said that whenever Lady Anna came to visit you, she always looked very sad.”
“Sad?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Hera slowly nodded.
“She looked like someone who was helpless against something.”
Hera stared at the floor.
“But whenever she was near you, Lady Anna always tried to smile. Almost as if she didn't want you to notice how sad she was.”
Zeldryn fell silent again.
Helpless, huh?
He stared at the candle flame swaying on the table.
Anna was the official wife of a Marquis. But from Hera's story, the woman sounded like someone who had very little control over her own life.
Could Anna's influence within the family be extremely weak?
But Zeldryn quickly stopped himself from taking the thought any further.
He knew nothing about Anna's position within the main residence.
He didn't know what kind of relationship she had with Zorin.
He also still didn't know why he and Anna had been separated since he was a baby.
Too many possibilities and far too little information.
Or maybe there was something far more complicated going on than simple family influence.
Zeldryn pressed his fingers against his temple.
Damn it. The more I think about this, the more my head hurts.
He decided to put all those suspicions aside for now.
“Hera.”
“Yes, Lord?”
“How long did my mother usually stay here when she visited?”
Hera thought again.
“If I remember correctly, Lady Anna stayed for around six or seven days during her first visit.”
“Six or seven days?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Zeldryn gave a small nod.
At least during the first visit, Anna had spent nearly a week at the mansion.
“And the second visit?”
“During her second visit, Lady Anna only stayed for three days.”
“Three days?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Why was it so much shorter?”
Hera was about to say that she didn't know.
But before she could answer, her expression suddenly changed as if she had just remembered something.
Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
Zeldryn noticed.
“What is it?”
“Forgive me, Lord.”
Hera raised her face.
“I just remembered something that happened during her second visit.”
Zeldryn immediately straightened his posture.
“Tell me.”
“On the third day, a carriage from the main residence suddenly arrived at this mansion.”
Hera spoke slowly as she recalled the incident.
“The carriage came with several guards. They said that Lady Anna had to return to the main residence immediately.”
“She had to return immediately?”
Hera nodded.
“There was no letter or notice beforehand, Lord. A carriage from the main residence suddenly arrived without warning that same day. Lady Anna hadn't even had time to prepare.”
Zeldryn's gaze grew serious.
“And then?”
“As soon as the carriage arrived, the people from the main residence told Lady Anna that she had to return right away.”
Hera clasped her hands together.
“They even immediately ordered the servants to pack Lady Anna's belongings.”
“Without her permission?”
“I don't know for certain, Lord.”
Hera looked hesitant.
“But at the time, Lady Anna didn't look like she wanted to leave.”
The room fell silent again.
“Once her belongings were ready, Lady Anna was immediately taken to the carriage.”
Zeldryn stared at Hera without blinking.
“So my mother was forced to go back?”
“I wouldn't dare say that she was truly forced, Lord.”
Hera lowered her head even further.
“But everything happened very quickly. The carriage from the main residence arrived suddenly, and then Lady Anna was taken away that same day.”
“The incident confused everyone in the mansion. None of the servants or guards knew what was happening.”
“No one tried to ask?”
Hera shook her head.
“We didn't dare, Lord.”
“The people from the main residence looked extremely serious. No one in this mansion dared interfere with their affairs.”
Zeldryn stared at the candle flame on the table.
Anna had come intending to stay for several days.
But only three days into her visit, a carriage from the main residence had suddenly followed her here.
They pressured her to leave.
Her belongings were packed immediately.
Then Anna was taken back even though she clearly didn't seem ready to leave the mansion.
That didn't sound like someone who was free to make her own decisions.
“Huh?”
Zeldryn frowned deeply.
“They forced her to go back?”