Layla began to suspect Arthur—his actions had changed noticeably, as had his mindset and perspective. His eyes, which once held an empty gaze, as if their owner had lost all meaning in life, had suddenly transformed. In a single moment, everything became different. Of course, since Layla worked in the field of assassinations, she noticed this change in Arthur. And though Arthur was trying hard to alter himself gradually so Layla wouldn't notice, the shift was obvious.
Now, Arthur was in real danger. Layla's suspicions of him had grown immensely. If he were discovered, his plan would end, and all his efforts would fail. He was now in an extremely vulnerable position.
He quickly began thinking of a solution to this problem, but since Arthur had endured many hardships in his past life, he had grown accustomed to such pressure. He thought of only one way out of this predicament—to rely on his emotional side.
Arthur fell silent for a moment, then smiled and said:
*"Layla, do you want me to go back to being that weak version of myself? Do you want to see those dead eyes again, devoid of all meaning? Do you want me to be that coward who couldn't even defend himself? I've had enough of that miserable life. I realized everyone hated me, so I stopped caring about anyone. I'll do as I please and live as I want. If I'm killed, so be it—after all, we all die eventually. I've faced death many times. I've lived a difficult life more than once. I adapted to this world and became part of it. Now, I must accept reality and move forward. Do you understand why I've changed so much? In truth, I haven't changed—it's the bitter reality that forced me to change against my will."*
Layla was stirred by his words and felt ashamed for doubting him. She then took his hand and said:
*"Don't worry, you're not alone like before. I'm with you now. And I don't want to see you as sad as you were in the past. I hope you stay as happy as you are now."*
Arthur sighed and thought to himself: *"Finally, I'm out of this mess."* Then he said aloud:
*"And finally, my long experience has paid off. If you want to control a woman, don't use force—just use overwhelming emotions and romance, and she'll become like a ring on your finger."*
Arthur was sincere in his words. Layla's suspicions vanished completely after hearing them, because seeing him as a weak, pitiful, and lonely man made her believe him. Had it been someone else, she might not have been fooled.
And so, Arthur and Layla continued walking together. Arthur turned to Layla and asked:
*"Why are you pulling your hand away?"*
She replied: *"Oh, are you embarrassed to hold your big sister's hand?"*
He responded: *"I'm not embarrassed, but it's a little awkward to walk through the palace holding a beautiful girl's hand like this."*
Layla smiled when she heard the word *"beautiful"* and asked: *"Do you really think I'm beautiful?"*
He replied: *"Of course, you're very beautiful."*
Layla's face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly pulled her hand away, saying: *"Ah, what a playful boy you are."*
As they walked, they reached a beautiful garden in the rear palace, filled with lovely flowers. While strolling, Arthur noticed a red rose among a cluster of white roses, which caught his admiration. He walked toward it, and Layla followed.
He said: *"What do you think, Layla? Why did this red rose grow among white roses, even though it's not like them? Was it the gardener's neglect? Or was it fate's will for us to see its beauty?"*
Then he looked at her with a smile—his eyes carrying a hint of sorrow—and said: *"It really resembles me among these enemies. Here I am, but are they righteous and I wicked? Or am I righteous and they wicked?"*
Layla was surprised by his words and thought to herself: *"How can a boy like you say something so profound? Even I don't think like that. But as they say, adversity shapes a man."*
She replied: *"It was fate's will to show us this beautiful rose."*
As they spoke, they didn't notice someone approaching behind them. Suddenly, Arthur heard a voice calling him. It was no ordinary voice—it was his mother's. He hadn't realized she had been listening to their conversation.
Arthur turned to her, and a strange feeling surged through his instincts—a mix of fear and terror as memories of the painful past he had endured with her in his childhood resurfaced. There was also anger, stemming from the suffering she had caused him. His gaze was sharp, as if he were looking at an enemy.
Layla greeted Arthur's mother, who returned the greeting before immediately addressing her son:
*"I heard what you said. Since when does my son possess such wisdom?"*
At that moment, Layla stepped back to let mother and son speak privately. She said: *"Arthur, I'll wait over there. If anything happens, call me."*
Arthur replied: *"Alright."*
His mother said: *"Oh, not only do you have wisdom, but you've also changed your name. It seems you've changed a lot these past few months. You've become strong—it looks like you've been eating well. I'm truly happy."*
As she spoke, she looked at him as if he were someone entirely different from her real son.
Arthur responded boldly: *"Yes, thanks to you, I'm in good health now."*
Then his mother began to berate him:
*"Arthur, you'll go back to being sick again, or crying like a little girl, or being bullied by your older brothers, and you'll return to your old self."*
She then moved closer, grabbed his neck, and tried to strangle him, saying:
*"Why don't you just die? Give me some peace! You've always brought me shame because of your weakness. I don't understand how you've managed to survive this long."*
She choked him with all her strength until his breathing became labored, then she screamed at him:
*"Why, out of all of Vlad's children, did I end up with trash like you? You're good for nothing. You're not smart, not strong, not strong-willed. Why don't you just die and free me from you? Are you some divine punishment sent to torment me?"*
She cried as she blamed him for everything.
Arthur's mother had suffered greatly from the mockery of other women—her husband's first and second wives—because of Arthur's weakness. In a world where the strong devoured the weak, especially in noble society, Arthur had been psychologically crushed. Of course, they couldn't harm him directly because everyone feared his father, so they used him as an excuse to mock his mother.
In her youth, she had been one of the strongest women—beautiful and powerful—and everyone had envied her. They had waited for any chance to humiliate her, and that opportunity came through her weak son.
Yet, despite everything she said, Arthur remained unaffected by her words. He stared at her sharply, as if her speech meant nothing to him. When his mother noticed his unwavering gaze, she was shocked. She thought to herself:
*"Before, he would cry, retreat, or run away. But this time, he stood firm—even looking at me with such disgust. Today, I'll kill him right here, in this empty place."*
She began forming a mana sword to kill Arthur and raised her hand to strike. Arthur didn't resist at all as she lifted her hand. He said:
*"Is this really what you want? Do you despise me just because I was weak in your eyes? Whose fault is that?"*
His mother angrily retorted: *"What do you mean? Are you saying it's my fault?"*
Arthur glared at her and said:
*"Damn you, you wretched woman! If I'm trash, then you're worse than trash! You abandoned me because I didn't meet your expectations. You gave up on me and started beating me instead of defending me. You threw me into the hands of your enemies to be killed! Is this what you wanted? To kill your own son just to please the nobles and others? They don't care about you—they laugh at you and pity you."*
He then looked at her and said:
*"If Father loved you, he would have visited you. But he doesn't because you're a pitiful, annoying woman with no personality, no intelligence, no will. Like other mothers… I wish I were the son of another woman. I wish I weren't your son or part of this cursed family! Because of you, you ruined my life and threw me into this endless hell. You made me weak, and now I'm paying the price for those moments of fear and weakness you instilled in me. Had you been wiser, I wouldn't be like this. But no—you chose to use your strength against your own son and never once thought to fix things. Today, only today, have I realized how far I am from you—far from everything you taught me. Maybe I was just a tool in your hands, nothing more than a burden to discard."*
Arthur paused, then smiled a cruel smile—the kind that only appears when a person finally overcomes all the constraints others have imposed on them. He added, staring at his mother with eyes full of hatred and regret:
*"You won't kill me now. You no longer have the power to destroy me. I'm the one who controls my fate now, not you. I'm no longer that weak boy who ran after you, begging for love and affection."*
Arthur's words enraged his mother—they were too harsh for her. For the first time, she was being insulted by her own son. Furious, she glared at him with a sharp yet pitiful gaze—the look of someone whose self-confidence had been shattered, leaving them without will.
Despite all her mistakes, she still blamed Arthur. She screamed:
*"I'll kill you today!"*
She prepared her mana sword and was about to strike him down.
But Arthur surprised her—he spread his arms and said with a cold smile:
*"If this will bring you peace, then do as you wish. Kill me. Free me from this hell you've made me live in."*
Then he shouted in her face: *"Go on!"*
His mother was stunned by his words. Tears streamed down her face, and her hand trembled from shock.
Arthur pulled his hand away and said:
*"Didn't I tell you? You're pitiful! You let everyone destroy your life—you were always weak. Had you been a strong woman, we could have lived happily. But sadly, the woman who was supposed to be my support became my enemy."*
He stared at her sharply and added:
*"From today onward, there is no relationship between us. You are no longer my mother, and I am no longer your son. Consider me dead. Go and keep pleasing those you strive to satisfy. Tell them I'm dead and rejoice in it. Live your life."*
Then Arthur left in a furious rage.
As for his mother, she collapsed to the ground, crying bitterly, as if Arthur's words had struck a violent blow deep within her. For a moment, she was drowning in her pain, but now she felt something else—something greater. She realized she had lost everything.
She tried calling after him: *"Arthur! Arthur!"* But no one turned back.
She screamed and wept, muttering words of regret and sorrow:
*"I killed my son with my own hands! I ruined his life because of me!"*
As she wallowed in despair, Layla approached and said coldly:
*"You're a cowardly, truly terrible woman, and I despise you deeply. But after seeing you suffer like this, I'll tell you something—not for your sake, but for Arthur's. I'll say just one thing."*
She leaned close to the mother's ear and whispered:
*"Arthur, the failure, is gone to hell. But now, only one person will rise to the top of this family—and you'll see it. It's only a matter of time."*
Then Layla stood up and walked away.
As she had said, she hadn't done it for the mother—only for Arthur.
After hearing these words, Arthur's mother was deeply shocked. No one had ever praised her son like this before, and Layla was one of the dukedom's strongest fighters—this wasn't a casual assessment.
As she sat in deep sorrow, wiping her tears, she began reflecting on all the mistakes she had made in the past, filling her with even greater bitterness and regret. Yet, one thing stood out to her—the immense change in her son.
Five months ago, he had been a shy, depressed, and foolish boy in her eyes. Now, he carried a strong gaze, a sharp mind, and a face bright with life.
The mother whispered to herself:
*"What happened to him in these few months?"*