Chapter 2-A restart

"Is the food not good?" I asked, putting the fork back onto the table after noticing that Leo had been spacing out.

"It's nothing..." he answered and started eating his food. "Did something happen? You're acting very strange today."

"Ah...it's nothing," I said as I recalled the moment before I found myself in my bedroom.

"Alright then..." he muttered while observing my facial expression.

I got up from my seat, and kneel on the floor in front of Leo.

"I am sorry for everything-" Before I could apologise, Leo panicked and cut me off.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING MOTHER?! Get up from the floor!" I exclaimed after jumping off his seat and got him to stand up.

"Just...what has gotten into you?" He sighed.

"I know that ever since you came to this world, I had never fulfilled my role as a mother to you, and I am sorry about that. I know that you won't be able to forgive me straight away, but I hope that it's still not too late to fix our relationship again," I explained.

"I seriously don't know what's going on... but do you mean it?" He asked hesitantly, trying not to build up too much hope inside him.

"I know it will be a bit hard to open up at first, but it's alright. I will do anything to fix our relationship again," I said. "After we finish our breakfast, do you want to walk together to the garden?"

Leo nodded and continued to eat his food, I smiled and quickly try to eat up all the food on my plate and waited for him.

After I took a bath that the maids had prepared for me, I rushed out to Leo who was waiting for me on the living room couch.

"Let's go shall we?" I asked with my hands out.

He slowly reached for my hand in hesitation and held it with his little fingers. Holding it right now, it felt so different compared to when he was holding his hand when I was dying. He had grown up to be a young independent man, but I was never there for him. I was such a hypocrite, while I was being mentally depressed over the fact that Edmond was never by my side. I did the same thing to my son.

"Are you ok mother?" He asked, seeing me spaced out.

"I am fine, let's head to the garden now," I responded after snapping back to reality and walked together with Leo to the garden.

....

"Has the duchess woke up yet? She didn't even come to breakfast today nor did she come to visit my office like usual," Lowell asked the butler.

"The duchess had already woken up a while ago and had breakfast with the young master and they're heading to the garden together," the butler answered.

"How unusual..." he said as he saw Leo and me chatting together while walking around the garden through his window.

Lowell then went back to complete his paperwork's to deliver it to the capital, but it felt did felt empty without my annoying presence who makes tea and pour it for himself.

It then continued like that for 2 weeks, I would sometimes go out of the city with a few escorts with Leo, help him with his studies, and watch him practising his swordsmanship. While I was busy focusing on Leo, I had completely forgotten the existence of the duke who was starting to lose his mind by the fact that I didn't even visit him in his office or try to talk to him within the two weeks. I haven't been sleeping in our room either since I had been sleeping with Leo.

"It's getting late now, you should go to sleep," I said as I walked over to Leo who's still studying ever since dinner over.

"But mother, I almost finish the book. I'll just stay here for a little bit longer, I promise I'll go to sleep soon," he said.

"No, be a good boy ok? You can continue to study tomorrow, it's not good for children to stay up too late," I patted his head.

"Alright then..." he pouted cutely and went to bed.

I chuckled in happiness, seeing how he was finally opening up after the two weeks that I had been with him.

I tucked him into bed and walked over to the door to leave the room.

"Where are you going mother?" He asked as he saw me walking over to the door.

"I just need to grab a few things from your father's room so that we can continue to sleep together," I replied.

He nodded and I exited the room.

I walked into the old room that I used to sleep in with Lowell and grabbed some of my clothes, pillows, and accessory boxes to bring to Leo's room is so that I won't have to go back here every time need it.

The door suddenly opened revealing Lowell, causing me to flinch a bit from shock since I didn't expect him to come back here at a time like this. It's not even 1 am yet, and he's already going to sleep. Now that's quite shocking.

"Where have you been sleeping?" He asked.

"I am pretty sure you've already known it from the butler that I've been sleeping in Leo's room," I answered and walked up to him. "So if you don't mind, could you please move away from the door so that I can go to Leo's room?"

"Is this your new way of trying to get my attention now? Look, I am tired right now-"

Before he could finish what he was saying, I cut him off out of pure rage.

"Look here, I am not trying to aim for anything. I know that I was an attention seeker in the past and that was wrong of me and I'll apologise. But right now, I hope you can treat me with respect when I haven't done anything to annoy you in the past two weeks. Now, could you please move away from the door?" I requested.

He silently went past me and walked over to his bed. I sighed in annoyance and walked to the door and slammed it shut.