Chapter 1040: Mother and Son

"Please, Mr. Frey."

Maya placed a cup of hot tea on the table, along with some freshly baked cookies.

Nolan smiled.

"Thank you."

Maya bowed her head before turning and leaving.

Nolan took a sip of his tea. Its sweet flavor, accompanied by a hint of bitterness, immediately spread across his tongue.

"Adrolan tea?"

"Oh? You’re familiar with it?"

Isabella looked surprised.

Nolan almost blurted out, "Of course I am! It’s my favorite tea!"

But he quickly caught himself and changed his answer.

"Yes, I’m familiar with it. It’s a tea from the Eastern Continent, known for its bitter aftertaste. By the way, it’s quite expensive and hard to come by, so it’s usually only available to the nobility. I’m surprised you have some."

His words sounded like a compliment, but there was a hint of suspicion hidden behind his casual tone.

Of course, Isabella caught on to what he was getting at, but she simply smiled.

"I was lucky enough to get some when I returned to the Eastern Continent two months ago. If you like it, I still have some left. I’ll have some packed for you later."

Nolan laughed and nodded eagerly.

"Since you’re being so generous, my lady, I’ll gladly accept."

Isabella kept smiling and gave a slight nod.

The two continued chatting casually, mostly about the Blue Horizon project that the Blue Moon and White Lotus were working on.

Then, out of nowhere, Isabella asked a question that completely caught Nolan off guard.

"Mr. Frey, you’re still so young, yet you’ve already accomplished so much. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to accuse you of anything. I just want to ask... Do you have feelings for Her Majesty Seira?"

Nolan choked on his tea and started coughing.

"Are you okay?" Isabella asked worriedly.

Nolan waved his hand.

"Ahem! I’m fine. Could you repeat the question? I didn’t hear you."

Isabella looked him straight in the eyes.

"Do you like Her Majesty Seira?"

Nolan fell silent, thinking about his feelings.

Like her?

Of course he liked Seira. After all, she was the reincarnation of his beloved fiancée. He thought about his fiancée day and night.

What he never expected was that she would be reincarnated as his older sister, Seira Lorian.

But the thought of their relationship made him feel uneasy.

Even though they had different mothers, he and Seira were still siblings through Ragan.

If that old man ever found out about his feelings, Nolan was sure he’d tear him to pieces on the spot.

Seeing that Nolan remained silent, Isabella took a sip of her tea and smiled.

"It seems I was right. You like her, don’t you?"

Nolan opened his mouth to explain, but Isabella suddenly changed the subject.

"You know what? Seira has a very sad story."

Her expression grew complicated as she spoke.

Nolan furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean? Her Majesty Seira has a sad story?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"That’s right." Isabella nodded slightly. "Where should I begin? Oh, right. Do you remember Concubine Clarisse, the woman who was in the throne room that day?"

"I remember. She’s Her Majesty Seira’s mother, isn’t she?"

Nolan played dumb.

"Yes, and she’s been the source of Seira’s suffering all this time."

Isabella then recounted everything Seira had been through.

Nolan listened intently. In truth, he already knew everything. After all, he was the Sixth Prince.

However, hearing the story from Isabella’s side helped him understand just how much Seira had been through.

Before he knew it, an hour had passed.

Isabella picked up her teacup and took a sip. Her throat was sore from talking for so long.

"Now that you’ve heard her story, do you still want to get close to her?" Isabella asked.

Nolan was caught off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Men usually hesitate to approach women with troublesome mothers."

Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

Nolan fell silent for a moment before laughing.

"You’ve got the wrong idea, Concubine Isabella. I don’t have any romantic feelings for Her Majesty Seira. We’re just friends. At least for now."

"For now?" Isabella chuckled softly. "So there’s a chance that might change in the future, isn’t there?"

Nolan simply smiled without saying a word, but Isabella took his silence as an answer.

"Anyway, back to the main topic. What happened to Her Majesty Seira? Why did she suddenly fall ill? Was it because of her workload?"

Nolan remembered it clearly. Seira had never fallen ill before. This was the first time he’d seen her in such a condition.

He suspected her illness was caused by the overwhelming workload she’d been dealing with.

"You could say that."

Isabella took another sip of tea before continuing.

"But it’s not that simple. The stress of being a ruler was just the trigger. Seira is actually dealing with something else, though I’m not even sure you could call it an illness. She has a secret that no one else knows about."

Nolan tensed up, his eyes widening slightly.

"What is it?"

Isabella didn’t answer right away. Instead, she poured herself another cup of tea and took a sip.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"The Seira you see now isn’t the real Seira."

Nolan’s heart pounded as his breathing grew ragged.

"After hearing my story earlier, you must have realized how strange the situation is, right? A mother who hates her own daughter? Even wild animals wouldn’t treat their young that way. After all, blood is thicker than water. But Clarisse has her reasons."

She let out a sigh and lowered her head, her expression turning complicated.

"When Clarisse gave birth to Seira, she lost a lot of blood and nearly died. Luckily, the physician managed to save her. Even so, she never blamed Seira for what happened and continued to love and care for her."

Nolan listened closely. He’d heard the story before, but only vaguely.

"His Majesty the Emperor wasn’t upset that his first child was a girl, but Clarisse saw things differently. She came from a family that strictly adhered to a patriarchal system. So, even though she loved Seira, she couldn’t help but wish her child had been a boy," Isabella continued casually.

Nolan remained silent. Such traditional beliefs were still widespread among families in this world, though not as prevalent as they once were.

"But that wasn’t the main reason Clarisse came to hate Seira. Everything changed when Seira was just one year old."

Isabella’s voice trembled slightly.

"Seira was involved in a terrible accident. One so severe that she nearly lost her life."

Nolan’s body tensed instantly.

"An accident...?"