Chapter 286: Zenith’s Mother

Originally, Therese had thought that her pampered older sister must have had a difficult time living outside all these years.

After all, a sheltered young lady suddenly becoming an adventurer, with no experience or qualifications, it was a miracle that she had survived up until now.

However, Therese was surprised to find that not only had her sister not suffered, but she was actually living far better than Therese had imagined.

Two adorable daughters, a twelve-year-old Sword Saint son, and even their financial situation seemed no worse than that of the Latreia family.

Though Therese couldn't identify the specific type of dragon the shimmering scales came from, her trained eyes could tell that the materials were of the highest quality.

And those enormous magic crystals, such large specimens were rare even in the Latreia family's treasury.

In short, aside from not meeting her "brother-in-law," Zenith had clearly surpassed all the other noble young ladies from her generation in terms of achievements.

Due to Zenith's stubborn nature, Therese was unable to convince her to return to the Latreia family's estate. Instead, she found a place to settle Zenith and her family.

After finishing her duties with the knight order and changing into more casual clothes, Therese prepared to visit her sisters for a family reunion that evening. However, a commanding female voice stopped her.

"Therese, don't you have something special to tell me today?"

Therese froze mid-step. She turned around stiffly to see her mother, Claire, dressed in a blue gown, her light blonde hair now graying with age.

"Mother, are you referring to my recent promotion to captain of the Temple Knights?"

Therese had been meaning to tell her mother about Zenith, but she feared that their reunion would end in another argument, as it always did.

If Zenith were to come home and apologize, Therese was sure their mother would forgive her, and everything would resolve peacefully.

But if her mother found out that Zenith had returned to the capital without showing any remorse, she would undoubtedly be furious.

"I know full well about your promotion, Therese, and that I had to pull some strings for you. Do you really think I wouldn't know that?"

"Stop playing dumb. You know I'm talking about Zenith and her children. What's going on?"

The moment Claire mentioned Zenith and her kids, Therese knew there was no hiding it anymore.

But that wasn't surprising. The commotion caused by Wood's magical beast at the gate had drawn too much attention, and as the Latreia family was a noble house, news spread quickly.

Typically, her mother, Claire, would be in the study at this hour, but she was clearly waiting to confront Therese.

"Mmm… if you care so much about Sister Zenith, why not go see her yourself? You're such a stubborn old woman…" Therese mumbled under her breath.

"What did you say, Therese? Speak up!" Claire's tone sharpened, clearly not amused.

Therese had no choice but to abandon her plans of a sisters' reunion, as she was promptly dragged back to the study, where her mother interrogated her about everything that had happened.

It wasn't until late into the night that Therese was finally allowed to leave. Only after Therese had left did Claire, who had been sitting stiffly in her chair, visibly relax, as though a weight had been lifted from her.

Had Therese not left entirely, she would have been shocked to see her usually prideful and stubborn mother shedding tears as she gazed out at the moonlight, her hands clasped in prayer.

Wood and Rudy were almost twelve years old now, not even counting Zenith's years as an adventurer. That meant Zenith had left the Latreia family at least twelve years ago.

When Zenith had first run away from home, Claire had assumed her pampered daughter would be unable to handle the hardships of life outside and would soon return, begging for forgiveness.

But Claire had never imagined that Zenith would stay away for over a decade.

For the first few years, Claire had quietly sent people to search for her daughter.

But after ten years had passed with no trace of Zenith, Claire finally gave up. The Latreia family had scoured the entire Holy Milis Kingdom and the neighboring countries, but Zenith was nowhere to be found.

At one point, Claire even believed that something tragic must have happened to her daughter, which explained her quiet moments of sorrow over the years.

No parent can truly forget about their child, no matter how stubborn or prideful they may be. Claire, who was strict not only with others but with herself, was no different.

During Zenith's absence, Claire had constantly prayed to the Milis God for her daughter's safety, all the while regretting her past actions.

Thankfully, it seemed her prayers had been answered. Zenith had returned safely.

Claire desperately wanted to see the daughter she had longed for over the past decade, and to meet the grandchildren she had never seen. But as the head of the Latreia family, Claire's pride wouldn't allow her to make the first move.

As both the family head and the mother, Claire refused to be the one to bend first. If anyone was going to apologize, it would have to be that ungrateful Zenith.

What Claire didn't know, however, was that Therese had witnessed this emotional moment from the doorway. Hidden from view, Therese watched her mother pray, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Their family was full of stubborn people. Despite caring deeply for each other, none of them were willing to back down.

"It looks like I'll have to be the one to bring Mother and Sister back together again," Therese thought with a smile.

Meanwhile, back at an inn far from the Latreia estate, Zenith was also awake, lost in thought as she gazed in the direction of her family home.

Sensing his mother's emotions, Wood took Norn and Aisha to give Zenith some space.

The two girls, unaware of the adults' worries, were simply excited to spend the night with their brother.

After all, their big brother Wood not only knew everything, but he also told them all sorts of stories they had never heard before to lull them to sleep.

*******

P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a