NOVEL NEXT Chapter 153: Remember
Rebecca landed on the edge of a cliff not far from her castle, her expression thoughtful as she pondered about Richard.
Her biggest speculation was that his talent had attracted the attention of many factions, and he had accepted their support.
This was something Rebecca considered a crisis—because it meant that, without a doubt, Richard would become a formidable rival for her in the future.
"You!" Her eyes, which were previously narrowed, widened suddenly.
Edward, who had followed her, suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Honey, why don't we talk in your room instead?" the man said, resting his chin on her shoulder so that their faces were side by side.
Rebecca frowned, but this man had just given her something incredibly precious.
Whether he had risked his life or spent a great fortune to obtain it, her heart at least felt at ease with him for now.
In the end, she allowed him to continue holding her.
"Don't you know why the White Ancestor helped that boy?" Rebecca asked.
She was far more focused on Richard and only wanted to talk about him.
"I really don't know... But for the White Ancestor to help him, I suspect he might be a member of the Skylight Clan. You know, our clan tends to appear out of nowhere. Even in this kingdom, there's the daughter of my older brother."
"Your niece is the one who poisoned my Beast with Imperial Bloodline and stole my Slave Seal," Rebecca replied sharply, surprising Edward.
"That little girl, how dare she."
"Don't talk about her yet... The boy named Richard—he even used two Arcane Arts from the Moonshadow Clan, which shouldn't have leaked to anyone."
"What? Who gave them to him?"
"Don't ask me..." Rebecca answered firmly.
Then, she narrowed her eyes.
Time and focus had made her forget certain things—like the fact that she had once given birth to a child.
However, this situation somehow caused old memories to resurface in her mind.
She was shocked when she remembered that the name she had chosen for her son was also Richard.
That little boy, though still young, had black hair and a mesmerizing face—so beautiful that one could hardly imagine how stunning he would become when he grew older. Rebecca had only seen Richard's image so far, not truly observed him.
But as a powerful Magus, the image was crystal clear in her mind—she could study it without even looking.
Her gaze instinctively shifted to the man's face beside her own, finding a striking resemblance between his features and those of the boy.
If there was any difference, such as the soft, delicate charm on the boy's face, it seemed to have come from her own beautiful features.
"What's wrong, honey?" Edward asked, noticing the sudden turmoil in Rebecca's expression.
But the woman remained silent, as though she couldn't utter a single word.
This was no longer mere speculation for Rebecca—she was certain of it. She didn't even feel the need to confirm it with anyone.
Regret?
No, she wasn't the type to ever feel regret.
Anger? Of course—she was clearly angry.
It felt like a slap to her face. If she were capable of regret, that slap would have felt even harder.
Still, she wasn't entirely consumed by rage either.
It was something complicated—and feeling conflicted was simply inevitable for her.
---
On the other hand, Richard wasn't sleeping soundly, eagerly anticipating the next day with a cheerful mood.
He woke up in the morning but went back to sleep since no one called for him.
After all, he had gone to bed late, so it was only natural he needed more rest.
If possible, he would've preferred to sleep all day.
Unexpectedly, even by afternoon, no one had come to summon him.
He figured it must be taking longer because, in the end, the Red Bear Clan had to negotiate with other clans to borrow their artifacts—especially to bring them to Snow Sky City.
That couldn't be done in just one day.
Of course, Richard was no longer sleepy, but he was feeling too lazy to move, so he stayed in bed, doing absolutely nothing.
When night finally came, all he wanted was dinner. He planned to find the finest restaurant, so he went to the bathroom to clean himself up.
DING!
(Your Heavenly Water Points have increased from 65 to 78 Points!)
Incomplete Heavenly Water (78 Points)
He received a notification from the System while showering.
Since it was just an increase in Heavenly Water, his reaction was rather calm.
He thought he'd only be truly amazed once it reached 100 points.
After bathing, he put on a fresh outfit. Instead of wearing the fur-lined clothes typical of this region, he preferred layering his garments to keep warm—he simply didn't feel comfortable in the locals' style.
From his room, he went down to the first floor and opened the castle's front door, finding two guards on duty.
Richard didn't see any members of the Red Bear Tribe around—they were probably staying at an inn.
"My Lord," the two guards greeted Richard.
"Call a few more soldiers and escort me to the best restaurant in this city," Richard ordered them.
"My Lord, would you like me to call the commander as well?" one of the guards asked.
"No need," Richard replied.
Arthur, the commander, had plenty of responsibilities—Richard couldn't bother him over something as trivial as dinner.
The two guards nodded and quickly went to gather more soldiers.
Meanwhile, Richard climbed onto Athena's back.
Around ten fully armored soldiers soon arrived to accompany him.
One of them held Athena's reins so Richard could simply sit back and relax.
They exited the castle gate and entered the bustling city streets, which remained lively despite the cold night winds that blew through constantly.
He saw countless bars, and the drinks sold there must have been incredibly strong, as each bar emitted a thick, pungent scent of alcohol.
Perhaps everyone in this city was a heavy drinker—but all Richard wanted was dinner.
He let the soldiers escort him to the best restaurant in town.
Naturally, it wasn't far from his castle.
They brought him to a large three-story restaurant with wide windows.
Even its courtyard was spacious, and from its rooftop rose fragrant smoke scented with spices.