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Chapter 272
Iona felt her eyes growing wet and quickly wiped her face with the edge of her sleeve.
She could not allow the one and only trace her mother had left her to be ruined by tears.
Taking a deep breath to steady her heaving chest, Iona turned the letter to the next page.
Thankfully, there was still much left to read.
[ It was barely a meeting that lasted even five minutes, but I remember that moment so vividly.
Your cry was so loud that at first, I thought a baby boy had been born.
Even as I lay exhausted, hearing your voice gave me an instinctive feeling:
Ah, this child will one day accomplish great things. No matter what hardships come, she will face them bravely and overcome them…
Of course, perhaps that was less an intuition than it was my own desperate hope.
It was the cowardly wish of a mother who wanted her daughter to grow up seeing this world as a place worth living in—and worth conquering.
If you’ve received this letter, it must mean that, one way or another, you’ve returned to the Imperial Palace.
First, congratulations on reclaiming your rightful place, my daughter.
And may fortune follow you in the battles to come.
But before that, there is one matter you must confront above all else: money.]
For a moment, Iona thought she had misread the word.
But no matter how many times she reread it, the meaning remained the same.
She had just prepared herself to accept her mother’s love—and suddenly the letter was speaking of money?
The worldly, practical word thrown in so abruptly left Iona flustered.
[ Since I am officially recorded as having no surviving children, most of my assets must have reverted to the Imperial family.
Go to the Treasury in the palace, demand the records, and request restitution.
In this matter, my younger brother, Archduke Ernst, will likely be able to help you.
Unlike the rest of our family, he is not vile enough to rob his sister’s inheritance.
As my brother, he also knows my financial affairs well.
You may worry that reclaiming the inheritance the moment you learn of your mother’s existence might look calculating, but this world does not move without money.
It is not as though your father would have left an inheritance to you, his illegitimate daughter…
So please, at least what I’ve left behind, I hope it helps sustain your life. ]
“No, Mother. I inherited his entire fortune,” Iona whispered softly.
In truth, “inherited” wasn’t quite right—it was more accurate to say she had seized it. Yet she couldn’t help but feel proud.
It felt as though she had lived just as her mother wished: treating this world as one she could not only endure but also conquer.
After all, she had even secured as her husband the wealthiest man in the East. Money would never again be a concern.
[ Earlier I wrote that you should seek advice only from my younger brother, so perhaps you’ve already guessed this much, but every other person is someone you must guard against.
The Emperor, the Empress, and even my nephew, Richard, whose prim little face I once found so endearing.
I wish it weren’t so, but in my estimation… the chances are high that they will try to eliminate you.
Do not be deceived by their smiling faces.
The most essential trait of power is cruelty.
Realizing that too late was my greatest failing.
They will be wary that this newly revealed bloodline of the Imperial family might reach for things it should never covet.
So do not linger long in the palace.
Once you’ve reclaimed what is yours, go anywhere your heart desires.
Travel far-off lands, or spend your days in a mansion by a beautiful sea.
Just don’t remain in the Imperial Palace.
And if my death brings you sorrow, do not ever resolve to seek revenge.
That path is unbearably harsh and grueling.
Perhaps, in truth, I am writing this letter to tell you only this.
It was my mistake to have chosen the wrong man, and the father who imprisoned me is already long dead. There is no one left to resent.
Do not waste your strength digging up a worthless past.
So, my daughter, when fierce storms strike you, do not struggle against them. Let the waves carry you.
Always put your safety first, and be cautious.
Do not make misfortune your fuel; let your life be filled only with happiness.
Endure and survive, so that the day we meet again will be as far into the future as possible.
This is the first and last teaching of life I can give you.
I love you, my daughter.
Unbelievable though it may seem, from the very moment you were born, you were my everything. ]
Without realizing it, Iona’s grip on the letter tightened.
Unlike the meticulous instructions about reclaiming her inheritance, the explanation of Teresa’s death was vague and elusive.
It was clear she wished to keep her daughter from ever seeking revenge on her behalf.
‘…I thought there would be at least some details about the past.’
Iona felt a wave of disappointment.
This letter, hidden away in such secrecy, might have contained the Imperial family’s dark scandals, she had thought. It might have been a device to expose the crimes they had committed.
That was what she had secretly hoped for.
But the contents she found after opening the envelope were nothing more than her mother’s worries for her daughter.
She had never intended to ask her daughter for vengeance.
That much was clear in the closing lines Teresa had written.
All she prayed for was that her daughter’s life would be peaceful.
It was strange.
There was nothing here that offered any practical advantage—yet still, Iona could not tear her eyes away from these words.
She had never once longed for something like her mother’s love.
And yet, why did her mother’s words feel like such a deep comfort now?
With trembling fingertips, Iona gently brushed across the time-worn brownish paper.
She thought the letter had ended with the closing line—but suddenly, she felt another sheet beneath it.
Carefully, Iona turned to the next page.
***
[ If ever there comes a need to reveal my letter to others, then show only this single page.
In case such a day comes, I left behind a mark so that you might prove who you are.
Before sending you, still a newborn, into the care of Hayden Modrov, I made a long horizontal scar beneath your right foot. Use it to confirm your identity.
This is the promised sign of reunion I leave for the hidden blood of the Imperial family, guaranteed by me, Teresa, First Princess of Lehman. ]
Staring blankly at the final line, Iona slowly set the letter down on the vanity.
As if in a trance, she removed her shoes and socks, pressing her heel against the chair.
When she stretched out her hand to touch beneath her foot, her fingers felt a faint ridge—thin, raised flesh.
It lined up perfectly with the natural folds of her skin, so much so that she had never once noticed it before.
“...It’s true.”
The words slipped out of Leroy, almost in awe.
“There really is a scar there.”
He traced the spot several times as if to confirm, then finally withdrew his hand from Iona.
It seemed he realized how uncomfortably she was twisting her body to expose such a hidden mark.
Iona lowered her leg and slipped the long cotton socks back on.
There was no real need to wear socks while perched on the bed, but since this scar was now an important sign of her identity, she suddenly felt the urge to keep it covered, hidden from sight.
In truth, the maid who had delivered the letter must have caught sight of the mark only because Iona had been careless.
“This is the first time you’ve seen it too, isn’t it?”
“I pride myself on knowing every inch of your body…”
Leroy admitted with a wry smile. “But honestly, I never knew it was there.”
He raised both hands as if in surrender, then grimaced slightly before muttering something improper under his breath.
“Maybe because I usually touch your ankle instead…?”
Iona chose not to dwell on exactly when and why he so often touched her ankles.
The situation, given both the place and the people present, might have allowed such a topic, but the timing was far from right.
After all, she had just confirmed her mother’s final will.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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