CHAPTER 192: A MOTHER’S SECRET

Why had he remembered her now, after so long?

He had seemed so very tired to her eyes. Was that why he had come? She had seen a loneliness in his expression that had pierced her. If only she could have been the one to heal him—how she regretted, now more than ever, her own foolishness.

A cold wind of evening swept over her and made her body tremble, breaking her reverie. Ashe turned back into the house. Without thinking, she climbed the stairs and walked toward the east corner room on the second floor.

Only Ashe and the head maid possessed the key to that room.

She unlocked the door and quietly stepped inside.

This was Ashe’s secret room.

The only one allowed to clean it was the head maid.

The wooden floor shone spotless without a speck of dust.

In the center stood a small bed.

On the floor rested a charming wooden rocking horse. Beneath the window sat a tiny chair with a cushion laid on it. On the shelves were picture books, wooden blocks, and a small wooden sword.

And upon the walls—covering them from end to end—hung twenty-two portraits.

Every single one of them was of the same person.

The very first painting, hung nearest the window, was of Dominic at three years old. It had been painted during a royal garden party and gifted to her by her elder brother, who was then the crown prince.

She reached out and touched the canvas gently. Dominic, with his golden hair, looked so lovely—so delicate he could have been mistaken for a little girl.

From then on, Ashe began supporting young painters, requesting that when they went to the capital, they would paint her son. Year after year, portraits of Dominic arrived, slowly filling the walls of this room.

She had watched him grow up here, in these paintings, year after year.

Her beautiful, dear boy, who had once been so sweet and childlike, had slowly transformed into a proud and strong youth, and then into a fine young man.

The most recent portrait showed him at 25, he was dressed in full knight’s uniform at a military review.

Dominic, with his golden hair and blue eyes, looked every bit the strong, noble commander. Perhaps it was only the gaze of a mother, but Ashe thought he looked magnificent in the formal attire of a knight-captain.

All of these portraits had been painted without his knowing.

None of them showed him facing forward; they captured him from the side or at an angle.

To Ashe, it sometimes felt as though his turned face was itself a rejection of her, and that thought pierced her heart.

But a mother who abandoned her child could never erase that sin.

Now, her only joy was to hear news and rumors of him from those young artists and musicians who traveled to the capital.

Her beloved Dominic. Surely he would never forgive such a foolish mother. And yet, if only once just once he could call her Mother.

"General Gabrant told me," Ashe whispered while standing before the portrait of her son at 25. "He said there is someone you wish to make your partner. Already, you are of that age, aren’t you? The general did not speak of details, but he seemed deeply disheartened. Was it because of you? Who could this person be, someone you care for so much that you would take as a partner? If only I could meet them, just once, even for a moment."

Night had long since fallen, and the room was swallowed by darkness. Yet Ashe remained there while staring at the portraits, lost in time, unable to turn away.

...

In the royal capital, the preparations for the production of magic stones were moving forward smoothly.

The crystal prototypes were already being made one after another in the factories.

Their quality was being tested and soon the full-scale factory production would begin.

It wasn’t only the magicians who worked on the prototypes. Volunteers from the common citizens also joined the process.

After all, it would be the citizens themselves who would eventually be running the factory production.

The next step was to pour magical power into the crystals and completing them as true magic stones.

This part had also already begun, using the prototypes.

Once again, it was the citizens—those who had applied to help—who lent their strength.

When they became skilled, these people would later be employed as managers of the magic stone factories.

There were even plans that was already drafted to build a second and third set of factories across the nation once production became stable.

For government work, things were moving surprisingly quickly.

There’s no doubt the great effort of Mr. Vundo had much to do with it, but it was also clear that the ministers of the royal palace were eager for the potential of this new industry.

The materials for the crystals had already been secured through contracts with the mountain mines of Dalmasca.

Jesse, the beast tamer, was most likely already there digging away.

Entrusting the excavation to Jesse’s expert digging unit meant the work would be done both quickly and safely. Thanks to this, the industries of Dalmasca would also begin to prosper.

As for politics in Dalmasca, the traitor Talcott had been sentenced to death for the crime of assassinating a member of the royal family.

Libertus and Roaille had also been put to death for the forbidden magic circle that claimed more than a thousand lives.

All who had been tied to them were judged and punished as well.

It seemed that Dalmasca, after so much turmoil, had finally settled down.

Aaron was relieved to hear it.

Meanwhile, behind the Magic Tower, the woods had been cleared and a new specialized building was constructed.

This was a facility for researching, designing and creating magical tools powered by the new magic stones.

For daily use, they planned tools such as magical lighting for rooms or heating kettles.