Spear Of Retribution

"I understand that you said those words because I'm Alexjin's master and I treated you well but you still don't know a lot of things about me to fully trust your son's life on my hands," Geraldine looked at Aurelie with a serious face. "I'm also a teenager who doesn't have her own family support."

Aurelie smiled and holds Geraldine's hand and squeeze it gently, "I may not know more about you but it doesn't matter. I know that you're a good person and that's enough to know that you won't hurt my son."

Geraldine takes out her hand and looks away from Aurelie, "It's still not a valid reason for letting yourself died," she sighs and rubbed her palm over her face, "You must think of your son's future, do you want him to be like that forever? working for someone in order to eat? Don't you wish for him to strive for something greater?"

Geraldine was breathing heavily while controlling her anger and avoiding raising her voice. She doesn't want Aurelie to die earlier than the given time as she's afraid that it will cause some major changes in the future that may be to her disadvantage.

"Geraldine," Aurelie softly called her name and look at her as a mother looks at her daughter, "I know who you are."

As soon as Aurelie said those words, Geraldine couldn't help but gasp as she looked back at the smiling woman laying on the bed.

"Wha - what did you say?" Geraldine tried to smile as if it didn't bother her but failed as her lips trembled while asking her again.

"Those red zircon eyes, I've seen it before. It's rare for common folks to have those eyes that's why over time, I was able to remember whose noble family have those eyes. It's the Gauthier's," Aurelie's mind wandered to the time she saw Victor Gauthier behind the Emperor, he has that fierce look but what makes him scarier is his bright red eyes as if it can kill a person by a single look.

Geraldine remained silent as she doesn't know how to answer Aurelie. She was doubting whether to admit it or find another excuse to hide her real identity. 

"I know that you may be shocked to hear it from me but don't worry, I don't plan on telling this to my son or to the other people as it may be my only chance to repay you for your kindness to us," Aurelie sighs and closed her eyes to rest.

"Your intuition is still sharp even in old age, well, that's expected to the great daughter of Marquess of South, Lady Aurelie Houde,"  Geraldine grinned at her as if she just won on a game.

Aurelie's eyes snapped open upon hearing what the young lady told her, she wasn't expecting her to know about her past life as she kept it hidden safely for years.

"How... How did you know," She asked as she pushed herself to sit up in order to look at Geraldine closely and focus on their topic.

"I just know, well, I didn't expect that this will be the kind of life you get after the Emperor exiled you,"  Geraldine grinned more and lean towards her, "Surprised?"

Aurelie coughed to calm herself, "So... you knew about my identity, our identity," she clasps her hands together to prevent them to shake as she's getting nervous around Geraldine.

"You don't have to be nervous, I don't have bad intentions towards you and your son. As you know, I am Geraldine Gauthier, the unloved daughter of the ducal family.  I don't really have that power or connections so be at ease," Geraldine grabbed Aurelie's hands that were tightly clasp together and gives them a little squeeze.

"Still, you are part of their family. You still hold their last name and if something happened to you, they will still find and assist you in your needs," Aurelie insisted.

Her words make Geraldine laughed loudly to the point that she finds it hard to breathe and her tears are falling non-stop, "Let me tell you, that was hilarious HAHAHA~"

Aurelie only looked at her with her eyebrows furrowed together as if she's crazy, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Woman, if what you said is true and why am I here? Why am I in this tiny old town when I can be in the main city and enjoy a lavish life?" Geraldine said with sarcasm in it. When Aurelie didn't answer her, she sighs and continued, "My father and brothers don't really care if I died or I go missing. That's why I'm here, I actually requested to go to this town to practice my healing magic but the truth is, I just want to stay away from home, it's suffocating there."

Aurelie didn't know the story of their family as she was exiled at that time but base on the rumors going around the nobles she served before. The Gauthier's despised the young lady of the family because the wife of the Duke died giving birth to her. For Aurelie, it was not a valid reason to hate his own daughter, after all, childbirth is very dangerous and the mother's life is between life and death when pushing out the baby.

So she can't understand how her family pushed her away like she just some sort of object that they can kick aside if she serves no use to them.

"I understand, if you need someone to lean on, I'm here and ready to give you a shoulder to cry on," Aurelie said and patted her right shoulder which made Geraldine giggled.

"I'm fine, it's not a big deal to me. I used to crave their attention but now, I just want to be free and be able to do whatever I want," Geraldine smiled as she looked at her palm where the red lights bit her.

Both of them remained silent as their minds wandered over their own thoughts.

"Don't you want your son to have a good life?" Geraldine speaks first as she planned to direct the conversation towards Alexjin which she knows is a sensitive topic for Aurelie.

"Of course, I want him to have the best of the best life," She answered as if it was obvious.

"Then you don't want him to be like that forever? A boy you'll serve others to eat, a slave who'll wait for the owner's crumbs to fill his stomach," Geraldine looked at her with a smile that looks like she was taunting Aurelie.

"What do you mean?"

"Aurelie, don't you want to change the fate? Instead of him serving the nobles, why not let those people serve him? After all, he is one of the Prince of this Empire who is legible to be a candidate for the crown to be the next Emperor," Geraldine grabs Aurelie's hand and feel the calluses from her hard work for the past years that she became a peasant.

"Don't you also want to take revenge for what they did to you? The Emperor's other lovers hurt you and spread gossips that tainted your image and the Emperor who's only after your status, talent, and beauty and after he gets what he wanted, he just throws you off like that. I just imagined the years of sacrifice with a baby to feed is very hard since you don't know how to do labor work. Your family even disown you and leave you here suffering all alone," Geraldine speak slowly to make sure that Aurelie will take in every word she said.

Those words make Aurelie speechless and the memories of her hardships especially the day hearing her own family abandoned her on her own and the sacrifices she makes to feed her only son came back to her as tears stream down on her cheeks without her knowledge.

Geraldine pulled her close to her as Aurelie cried on her shoulder while she patted her back for comfort, "Shh, I understand the pain you went through, all will be okay."

They were in the same position for 15 minutes before Aurelie's tears died down as she relaxed a bit.

"Aurelie, I know that I am just a child right now and can only give this sort of life to your son but trust me when I say that I can help him achieve greater things in life and be on the highest. I know that you're afraid that things may not go well if your son will stand in the spotlight but you also need to trust in him and his capabilities. He is smart and I could sense a great potential on him that only needs proper guidance to make it bloom," Geraldine wipes away Aurelie's tears with her thumb and holds both of her shoulders to make her look into her red zircon eyes.

"You are his beloved mother and he loves you very much to the point that he will do whatever you say to him so I hope that you can use your voice to help him build confidence and reach the highest of the highest hierarchy."