Chapter 567: Love, Loyalty, and Longing ( 567 )
That night, the bed shifted slightly under the weight of three bodies—Marcellus already deep in sleep on the left, his chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm. In the middle, Lithia lay still, her eyes wide open and alert, arms folded under the blanket. On the right, Harny rested quietly, her breathing soft and steady.
After a mont, in the gentlest whisper, Harny broke the silence.
“…Lithia?”
Her daughter turned slightly in the darkness. Her voice was soft. “Yes, Mom?”
There was a brief pause.
“After this… you’ll follow him back to the Armand Region, right?”
Lithia nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes.”
Another pause.
“…Oh.”
“…Why?” Lithia asked, her voice cautious.
Harny’s reply was sighed out lightly. “Nothing,” she said softly. “I’ll just… be lonely again when you leave.”
Lithia’s brows furrowed with concern. “Mom…”
Harny’s voice carried a teasing, faintly playful tone. “Maybe I should reconsider remarriage,” she mused.
“NO!!” Lithia shot up instantly, her whole body tensing. “NO! I don’t want that!”
Harny blinked in innocent surprise. “Ara~? Why not?”
“Because those dark elf n only want one thing! I know how they look at you! I don’t want that!”
Harny chuckled softly, still half-lying on her side. “But you seem happy with your life, don’t you? What about ?” Her smile was gentle. “Don’t I deserve to be happy too?”
“No,” Lithia replied firmly, puffing out her cheeks. “Still no!”
“My, my… so possessive~” Harny teased, her sly smile faintly glowing in the moonlight as she leaned in to see her daughter’s red, pouty face. “You sound just like a jealous lover.”
“I don’t want that!” Lithia suddenly shouted, her voice cracking, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “I don’t want those sly n… touching you…!”
She covered her face with both hands, trembling.
Harny’s teasing expression faded, replaced with seriousness.
“…Lithia.”
“You’re… my mom,” Lithia choked out. “You took care of . You waited all these years. And if one of those disgusting n touches you like you’re so… so prize—”
“Lithia…” Harny interrupted softly, sliding closer and gently placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“…You’re all I have left,” she whispered back.
A deep, quiet silence filled the room.
“…So… about the promise?” Harny asked, a teasing tone in her voice.
Lithia stiffened imdiately.
“…What promise?” she asked too quickly, her voice rising higher than usual—like she was trying to deny she rembered. She quickly wiped the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, avoiding her mother’s gaze.
Harny’s smile was warm yet tinged with sadness. She gently brushed a few loose strands of hair from her daughter’s cheek.
“Nothing,” she whispered softly. “Forget I said anything.”
She leaned in slightly and used her thumb to softly wipe away the damp streak trailing down Lithia’s face.
Lithia’s body trembled, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“…Don’t… remarry those filthy n, Mom… please…” she whispered, a small sob escaping her lips, helpless and fragile.
Harny stayed silent for a mont. Then, carefully, she pulled her daughter closer, guiding Lithia’s tear-streaked face against her chest. Her embrace was warm, gentle, and protective—just like when Lithia was little.
“There, there…” Harny whispered. “Don’t cry… Mom’s here.”
Lithia weakly clung to her nightgown, holding on as if to keep sothing precious from slipping away.
“…Promise …” she whispered into the fabric.
Harny didn’t answer. She simply held her, silent and steady.
Wrapped in her mother’s embrace, Lithia’s sobs gradually eased, tears drying slowly.
Harny stroked her hair softly, then let out a soft, resigned sigh.
“…You’re lucky, you know,” she murmured. “To find a good, handso human like him. Tall… strong… respectful.”
Lithia’s cheek pressed against her mother’s chest, muffling her words. “…I know.”
“There aren’t many like that,” Harny continued quietly. “Especially among nobles. Most of them… only look for one thing in won.”
Lithia nodded slowly. “Yes… but I was lucky to work in the Armand household.”
Harny’s fingers paused briefly.
Lithia looked up, her expression turning more confident. “Lord Garius isn’t like that. And neither are his sons. If they want sothing, they earn it. They don’t… force it.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Just look at young master Javier. He’s already with Miss Liana… and Miss Gloria. They adore him. He’s creating his own harem… not because he took them, but because they chose him.”
Harny blinked, surprised by the quiet pride in Lithia’s voice.
“And Master Cedric… he’s with ira and that amazarak lady… Zania. They follow him not out of duty, but out of love.”
Her gaze shifted, resting on the sleeping figure beside her.
“…And Master Marcellus has . For now.”
Harny’s eyebrows rose slightly. “For now?”
Lithia smiled softly. “Because I chose to give myself to him… not because I was ordered to. That’s the kind of n they are. They don’t treat won like toys. Or staff as pleasure tools. Not like other nobles.”
The room grew still for a mont. Then Harny let out a long, quiet breath.
“…The Armand family, huh…?”
She looked at Marcellus, his peaceful, relaxed face.
“You really did find a rare one,” she murmured.
Lithia nodded, leaning into her mother’s warmth.
The warmth between them lingered for a mont, settling softly into the quiet night, until Harny’s fingers lazily resud brushing her daughter’s hair.
Then she whispered almost playfully, “Maybe… I should find another man too. Right, Lithia?”
“No.” Lithia’s reply ca instantly.
“…No, no, no—Mom, please,” she begged, her voice thick with urgency.
Harny chuckled quietly, her eyes closed. “I’ve already kept my promise, haven’t I?”
Lithia’s breath hitched at her words.
“And besides,” Harny added gently, “You do know how long we dark elves live, right?”
Lithia didn’t respond right away, her fingers curling into the blanket in quiet thought.
“We might not reach a thousand like high elves, but… four hundred, five hundred years?” Harny’s lips curved into a faint smile. “That’s still a very, very long ti.”
Her eyes opened, and she gazed at the wooden ceiling above them.
“And ? I’m still far from that. Still young, by our standards.”
Lithia’s lip trembled.
“…Then wait a bit more,” she whispered softly.
“I already waited a lot,” Harny said with a gentle tease. “I raised a daughter. Managed a ho. Rejected every man who ca knocking.”
She tilted her head down slightly, looking at her daughter.
“But soon, you’ll be leaving… and when you do, what happens to ?”
Lithia’s voice was desperate. “I’ll co back, I swear. I’ll write—”
“But I won’t be there when you wake up anymore. Or when you need help fixing your hair. Or when the house feels too quiet.”
Lithia’s teeth clenched, her voice trembling. “Then co with us. To Armand.”
Harny blinked, surprised. “…Hm?”
“Co live there. In the Armand estate. With . With him.”
Harny’s gaze softened, her smile subtle and unreadable in the moonlight.
“…My, my… inviting your own mother into your love nest?”
“Better than letting so creepy dark elf take you,” Lithia muttered, her voice full of firm resolve.
( End Of Chapter )
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