Chapter 12

As she runs, unable to hold back her tears, Riona crashes into Mairy. Shocked, Mairy instinctively embraces her and asks, "What happened? Who hurt you?"

Riona clenches her fists and shoves her away. "It's your fault! You brought me here for no reason, and now..." she yells, unable to stop sobbing. "I tried to calm down for days, but I can't... I lost them!"

And finally, after days of holding on—after days of ignoring the pain—she breaks once again.

"Because of you! I lost them because of you!" she cries, collapsing to her knees.

Mairy looks down at her, silent.

"Why?" Riona's voice trembles. "Why did you bring me here in the first place? Was it for fun?"

Mairy sighs and kneels in front of her, gently lifting Riona's face and wiping away her tears. "I think... it's finally time for you to hear a story."

She takes Riona by the hand and leads her to her personal study. Once Riona is seated, Mairy looks into her eyes.

"You… have you heard what happened here?"

Still sobbing, Riona stammers, "W-what? What does that have to do with what I asked?"

"So I'm guessing no..." Mairy exhales. "You see, about six years ago, everything here was different—I was different."

She pauses, her gaze distant.

"The Marquis and I were in love. Society called us the lovers of the century. So, when I finally became pregnant after years of trying, it was the happiest news imaginable."

Riona's eyes widen. "You were pregnant...?"

Mairy smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "I had a difficult pregnancy. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. The Marquis was struggling with his business and was rarely home. The day she was born, I nearly died... but I didn't. I held her in my arms, and for the first time, I knew what true love was."

She swallows hard before continuing. "But I was sick—not in a way a doctor could diagnose, but I was. And the Marquis refused to hire a nanny for the heir. He insisted I take care of her alone, day and night. I don't know why, but I still couldn't sleep. I had this overwhelming fear that if I did, someone would take her away from me."

Mairy's voice trembles, but she pushes on.

"But one day, I was too tired. I let her play on the floor for a while and... I fell asleep. After months of exhaustion, I finally—finally—slept."

She stops and lets out a bitter, painful laugh.

"I woke up to the screams of the maids." Her voice drops to a whisper. "While I was asleep, she crawled out of the room. She must not have seen the stairs, or maybe she did but didn't understand..."

Riona gasps. Silence fills the room.

Mairy closes her eyes. "After that, they all blamed me. It was all on me. No one even mentioned Anton—the Marquis." Her expression darkens. "He blamed me too. Called me a murderer."

Her voice cracks. "I lost all hope. I thought, why not follow her? Why not go and hold her again? I tried. Many times. But they always stopped me."

She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. "I had everything—money, family, power—but I still wanted to end it all."

Her gaze meets Riona's. "And then I saw you. A girl on the streets, hungry and tired... but your eyes—your eyes were full of life , life that I had lost. And I had to know why."

Her voice softens. "I didn't bring you here to suffer, Riona. I brought you here because I wanted to know how ,how you hold on that life ,i know it sounds selfish but I had too but I am sorry ,I didn't want you to lose your family... the way I lost mine."

Riona started to trembled her voice Soft "Why..."

Mairy's head dropped. "I'm sorry, I really di—"

"Why would they blame you? You didn't do anything wrong!" Riona yelled. "That sickness... I know it. I've seen it."

Flashes of countless women came rushing through her mind—mothers choking their own children, drowning in despair, feeling unworthy of their love. She had seen it all when she was a doll, watching as so many mothers suffered in silence.

"Why... why did no one help you? Why didn't he help you? Even after it happened, how could he?" She kept yelling, her voice trembling with anger, until Mairy suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"I... thank you," Mairy whispered, her voice breaking. "No one believed me. They said I had lost my mind. Thank you."

Unable to hold back her tears, Riona hugged her tightly. "We have to make them believe you."

"I don't know if we can," Mairy murmured.

"Do you even want to forgive the Marquis?" Riona asked hesitantly.

"I don't blame him," Mairy admitted. "I know it was my fault. I just... I just want him to love me again. To believe me. To believe that I was sick."

Riona wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault. That she had done nothing wrong. But she knew—just saying it wouldn't change anything.

"Riona..." Mairy's voice was gentle, her eyes searching Riona's face. "If I could do anything — and I mean anything — to help you find your family, please tell me."

Riona hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor as she struggled to find the right words. After a moment, she spoke, her voice quiet but filled with determination. "There is something... but I'm not sure if it will work. It would take a lot of money, and even then, I don't know if it'll help me find them. But... I really want to try."

Mairy's brows knitted together in concern. "Tell me," she urged softly.

Riona took a shaky breath. "It's not just about me. If it works, it could help others too — people who need it more than I do."

Mairy studied her for a moment, surprised by the weight behind Riona's words. Without hesitation, she nodded. "Whatever it takes, Riona. I'll help you make it happen."

Years passed. Life at the mansion shifted in subtle but undeniable ways.

The maids stopped tormenting Riona. Most of them ignored her now, barely acknowledging her presence — a cold indifference that stung less than the cruelty she once endured.

Her lessons became different, too. Many of the tutors who once dismissed her as a commoner girl now respected her. Some even seemed to admire her quiet determination and sharp mind. She wasn't invisible anymore — at least to most of them.

The plan she and Mairy had started all those years ago slowly took shape in the background. It became something bigger than Riona ever imagined, stretching beyond the mansion's walls. She could feel its impact, even if she couldn't see it directly. She no longer felt powerless.

Still, the ache in her chest remained. She never forgot Leo and Zane — their faces, their laughter. But as the years slipped by, the days she spent searching for them grew fewer and farther apart. Each failed lead, each empty road chipped away at her hope, though she refused to let it die entirely.

The Marquis stayed silent, a distant figure in her life. He watched from afar but never spoke to her — not until the day Riona finally turned seventeen.