It did not take long for Rey and Luana to reach the mansion after the conversation with Jovi ended.

With the speed that the nobleman added with the footsteps getting deeper down there, finally the couple who were expecting a baby passed through the big gate of the Lueic mansion even faster than Rey had targeted.


A happy smile was beautifully imprinted on Luana's face from earlier, as if the young woman was truly overwhelmed with a sense of happiness that could not be expressed in words. Patricia's presence in the luxurious mansion must have brought warmth.

Suddenly Luana remembered how she and Patricia had chatted in the middle-aged woman's garden back in Leipzig, and realized that she still owed Patricia-her rightful mother-in-law-an answer.

At that time, Patricia asked Luana not to leave Rey's side even if he returned, and wanted Luana to let love come between them even though she knew her only son's marriage should not have happened this way.


At the time, Luana was still filled with doubt.

Never did she think she would fall for the nobleman's charms, especially now that the proof of their love was growing and living inside her womb. At that time, Luana didn't even think she would love the nobleman this deeply, with a dominating sense of ownership.


And now Luana intends to tell Patricia everything. About her decision to stay by Rey's side, about her decision to let love grow between the two of them.

She was impatient, which was signaled by the rush of motion when she unbuckled the seatbelt right after the car stopped.

"Slow down, Luana," Rey warned. "Watch your step, honey. I don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

There was also a happy tone in the man's words, having seen how enthusiastic his wife was to meet her mother.

"All right," Luana replied equally quickly. "Come on, Rey. We have to hurry. It's not good to keep parents waiting too long."

Putting their feet on the paping block and standing upright, both Luana and Rey reached out their hands to join hands again. Leaving his car to be taken over by one of the employees, Rey had time to tidy up his wrinkled shirt.

The two of them stepped together just as Rey pulled the handle of the main door of his mansion, then led Luana to enter their residence.

"Dad! Mom!"

Rey's big steps led him and Luana straight to the living room, where her parents were most likely. And sure enough, because there Ryan and Patricia Lueic were, with several cups and teapots that probably contained tea or hot chocolate.

Rey should have gotten a warm welcome, but somehow the situation felt different this time. Ryan's eyeballs focused straight on his son after the middle-aged man turned his head, with a sitting position that seemed too upright.

"Sorry for the long wait, Dad, Mom," Rey repeated, now actually stopping at the threshold of the single-sized sofa his mother was sitting on.

Luana chose to keep her lips sealed, but still wore a smile on her pink lips. Trying to understand what kind of situation was happening, trying to analyze what kind of atmosphere was now surrounding them.

Clearing his throat softly, Ryan Lueic opened his voice very firmly.

"Rey Lueic, we need to talk."

The voice sounded heavy, but somehow managed to make Rey's heart suddenly beat faster. The expression the great lord gave his son seemed anything but friendly, especially when Rey realized his mother only chose to sit with her hands intertwined on her lap.

There was no welcome, no warm embrace.

The grip of Luana's hand on Rey's fingers tightened, just as the man turned his head to check on his wife's whereabouts right behind. Now the smile that had been blossoming since before suddenly disappeared, fading away to be replaced by a puzzled look on his face.

Turning to his mother who was still looking down, Rey signaled for Luana to approach the mother-in-law.

"M-mother...."

Luana didn't know why she sounded trembling when she called Patricia, even though this was not what she had been thinking during their journey. It felt completely different, because now Patricia didn't show a single smile.

Not even a paper-thin one.

Raising her head to meet her daughter-in-law's gaze, Patricia could be heard taking a deep breath. The look in the eyes of the middle-aged woman wearing a light cream-colored blouse seemed different, although Luana saw no hatred there at all.

It took a few seconds for Luana to blink, then confused about what attitude to take. That is, until Patricia got up from her chair first, and gently shook out the knee-length skirt she was wearing.

"Come with me, Luana," she said quietly, flatly. Without emotion. "Rey needs to talk to his father."

Luana's legs instantly relaxed, just as the word 'his father' came into the air between them. It felt like all of Luana's dreams of bacon and warm embraces were dashed, because that's not what she got.

Rey turned to Luana once more, only to find her nodding her head confidently. Releasing their handshake slowly, Luana shifted to get closer to her mother-in-law.

"Do you want us to go to our room?" asked Luana, to which Patricia replied with a wink of approval.

"Okay."

Walking first with Patricia following not far behind, Luana could feel the chill in the living room. There was not a single servant in sight, and Luana had almost forgotten about the bacon she had been dying to eat.

Luana's long legs climbed the stairs one by one, with Patricia not even looking in her direction. Even Rey and her father who lived down there had not made a sound, choosing to let the silence envelop them.

It was only after the sound of the door closing upstairs was faintly heard that Rey moved to sit on the sofa directly in front of his father. He rested his hands on his thighs, staring straight at his father as if waiting for something.

He knew a day like this would come.

"You didn't come for business, did you?" Rey's distinctive voice came first, and it successfully caught Ryan Luiec's attention. "What's with Mom and Dad's cold attitude towards me and my wife?"

Ryan Lueic looked at his son with a fixed look in his eyes, as if he was composing the right words to say.

"Speak the truth, Rey." The middle-aged man replied softly. His breath was drawn long, with an audible thud in his chest. "Tell me, what's wrong with this marriage of yours? Shouldn't you be telling the truth before someone else reveals it to your parents?"

Rey knew his father was someone who always gave a chance to explain, no matter how complicated the situation was. Little Rey had been raised with a very flexible speaking style, though now he was starting to feel tongue-tied.

"You probably heard something about my marriage to Luana," Rey parted his lips again. "But believe me, it was all a misunderstanding. I wanted her, and I'm happy with this marriage, Father. What are you and Mom worried about then?"

Ryan Lueic was still looking at Rey in the same way, but now paused for a few moments before he came up with the reason why he and his wife had flown all the way to Munich.

"Even when a woman came to us and claimed to be the one who was supposed to be your wife?" Ryan asked to the point. "Even when you now realize with dawning realization that you married a lowly servant?"

This was it. The other person who uncovered his secret, would have to be Beatrice Collins.