Luana honored Patricia's invitation that morning.

Right after she had gotten dressed and cleaned up, the young woman descended the stairs with a gaze that took in the entire main room.


Several servants and workers were busy cleaning up the remnants of last night's party, while on the other hand Rey had not been seen since Luana woke up earlier. After asking one of the services that passed by, Luana was finally escorted to the flower garden.

The garden where Patricia was seen watering the flowers, with a chiffon blouse clinging to the middle-aged woman's body.

"Good morning, Mom." Luana approached slowly, still feeling awkward as she called Patricia as her mother.


Reflexively turning her head, Patricia smiled broadly when she found her daughter-in-law already in the same garden.

"Good morning, dear Luana," Patricia greeted her with a bright smile. "How did you sleep, did you sleep well last night?"


There was no awkwardness in Patricia's tone, and it made Luana, a stranger, feel very loved. Patricia was like a gift that she had dreamed of, a gift that she kept tucked away in her prayers.

"I slept well," Luana replied. "And what about you, Mommy?"

Patricia's eyeballs rolled perfectly, noticing how beautiful Luana looked this morning. The young girl really shone in her own way, she didn't even need a lot of makeup.

Plus she looked very dignified and graceful, with a smile that always graced her face. Her speech was always good, at least that's how Patricia rated Luana.

"Ah, I always sleep well," Patricia replied enthusiastically. "Maybe because of my age, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble sleeping afterwards. But I slept really well last night, probably because you finally set foot here."

Chatting with Patricia like this, Luana couldn't hide the joy that took over her heart. Being thankful over and over again that Patricia seemed to accept her happily was more than enough for her.

"I'm so glad to hear that," Luana replied sincerely. "I hope you will always sleep well in the future, so that you will continue to be healthy, Mother."

Patricia nodded her head and put down the sprinkler she had been holding. Taking off her gloves, Rey's mother now took Luana's hand, leading her to move from their position.

"Let's chat over tea, Luana," Patricia invited. "Do you like chocolate cake?"

Luana followed Patricia's slow-moving steps towards the gazebo, which stood firmly not far in front of them. Calling two servants, Patricia ordered them to serve tea and some cookies to her and Luana.

A few moments later, the two women of different castes arrived at their destination, followed by Patricia who looked back at Luana.

"Sit comfortably," the woman invited. "I've been looking forward to this moment, gazing out at the blossoms and exchanging stories with my daughter-in-law."

A happy laugh escaped Patricia's lips, as Luana now felt the same way. She also wished a million times that she could spend time alone, with someone she called 'mom'.

Sitting side by side, Patricia looked closely at Luana now. She did not let go of her grip on Luana's hand earlier, because it had now turned into a handhold.

"Rey must be giving you a hard time, Luana," the woman said simply. Looking at Luana with a slowly changing expression, Patricia grasped one of Luana's hands tightly in hers.

Luana was silent, with eyes that returned Patricia's gaze. Having looked down briefly, Patricia seemed to be speaking on a slightly serious topic now.

"No, he's not like that," Luana replied with a smile.

The woman did not want to reveal what had happened between her and the nobleman to Patricia, because let it be a secret between the two of them.

There was no need for anyone else to know, especially since their charade last night had ended so well. They just had to pretend for a while longer, at least until Beatrice's whereabouts were actually discovered.

There was Patricia who was now breathing slowly, as if she was taking in air to fill her chest cavity.

"I knew he would do that to you," Patricia continued. Patricia's eyeballs looked sad this time, inversely proportional to the radiance Luana had found a moment ago.

Luana's heart began to pound, with a rhythm that rose slowly.

"If he hurt you, then I have to apologize for him, Luana," Patricia said even more out of context, as Luana didn't understand what exactly her mother-in-law meant.

"No, Mother," Luana replied quickly. "He really does treat me well, even better than how he treated me before our marriage."

There was really no intention from Luana to lie to Patricia, it was just that the lie had already happened. Right after she and Rey said their sacred vows, from then on everything became an act.

Luana just wanted Patricia not to worry, because she really wanted to see Patricia happy and just keep smiling.

Tightening their intertwined hands on her thighs, Patricia smiled bitterly.

"Thank you, Luana," she said softly. "Thank you for accepting Rey, even though he often misbehaved with you. He has a hard time adapting to new people, and his behavior can be annoying. But know that he has a very soft heart, regardless of how he behaves."

Luana frowned subconsciously, followed by an even bigger shake of her head. What Patricia was saying sounded a little out of the ordinary, which sparked curiosity in Luana's mind.

"Mom, you really don't need to worry," Luana tried to soothe. "He's really behaving well with me, and I'm happy for that."

Doesn't know where Luana got the knack for lying, but it seemed that she was trying hard to keep Patricia from looking sad. She didn't like the sad look in Patricia's eyes right now, and Luana didn't want to be the reason that made Patricia feel that way.

Pulling the two corners of her lips, Patricia put a smile on her face. A smile that seemed a little forced.

"You really are a good girl, Luana," Patricia praised.

One hand moved to pat the back of Luana's hand, closely observing the young girl in front of her.

A girl she probably wouldn't see again anywhere in the world, a girl who was probably second to none.

"Will you promise me one thing, Luana?" asked Patricia this time.

Luana gave a firm nod, in response to Patricia's question just now. Promising one thing must not have been difficult for Luana, compared to what she had received in the big house.

"Tell me, Mother," pleaded the young girl. "I will do anything for you, as long as it will make you happy."

Patricia drew a smile to her face, her eyes twinkling slowly. Her grip on Luana tightened, just as the middle-aged woman made a request.

A request that made Luana's body tense up perfectly, a request that the legal wife of Rey Lueic seemed unable to fulfill.

"Will you stay by Rey's side, Luana?" Patricia asked. "Even if Beatrice comes back someday, don't waver and stay by your husband's side."