NIYTR 12

Chapter 12

Edelweiss Oberlin Blossomweaver

「Edelweiss Stern, eldest daughter of Mateo Stern and Iris Stern.

This document has been written in her own hand, and to certify its authenticity, she has left her personal seal and signature.

From this moment onward, she renounces the name Stern and accepts removal from the Stern family registry without objection.

Accordingly, she will not demand nor claim any rights to the Stern name, dowry for marriage, inheritance, or any related entitlement.」

“Write your name here as Edelweiss Oberlin Blossomweaver. You do know that Cesare holds the succession rights as the second son of the Count of Oberlin, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Since you’re being adopted as a legitimate child, you’re entitled to use Oberlin as your middle name. You’ll also be addressed as Lady of Oberlin, heir to a line that holds real power.”

The House of Oberlin.

A noble family that owned multiple diamond mines and held connections with the imperial family and foreign nations alike.

‘Once the current Count Oberlin passes, Uncle Cesare will inherit the title.’

What the Marchioness was really saying was this:

Someday, it will all become yours.

Edelweiss felt the weight of the rights and responsibilities now resting on her shoulders. Calmly, she signed her new name.

「Edelweiss Oberlin Blossomweaver.」

As she stared at the name that now marked a new beginning, an odd bitterness lingered in her chest.

‘So I’m no longer my mother’s daughter, either.’

Cutting ties with Duke Stern brought her relief.

But no longer being Iris’s daughter… that hurt.

“Edelweiss.”

“…Yes.”

“Even if you become the Lady of Oberlin and heir to Blossomweaver, you’ll always be Iris’s child.”

The Marchioness of Blossomweaver gently soothed Edelweiss, as if she already knew what was troubling her heart.

“A bond between mother and child doesn’t break, no matter what happens.”

“……”

“Don’t you remember the last words your mother said?”

The heavy weight that had been sinking her chest slowly began to lift.

“……I remember.”

As she breathed her last, apologizing for not being able to love her enough, her mother had whispered:

“My baby… next time, I’ll be a better mother. I’ll give you all the love I couldn’t give this time… and even more.”

She had wanted to be her mother again—next time—so she could give her all the love she missed.

“Iris was incredibly persistent. She won’t let go of you so easily. You may not know this, but your mother had quite a temper.”

“……Could you tell me more stories about her childhood?”

“I first met Iris when I was eight. Back then, I was still the Lady of Stern, and she was the young lady of Count Ledean.”

Iris Ledean.

Edelweiss repeated the name of her mother—when she was still a girl with dreams—and felt an odd ache in her chest.

A time when she’d never imagined becoming the mother of two children.

“When I was little, I loved collecting beautiful dolls. And my favorite doll looked exactly like Iris—silver hair and violet eyes. She was so beautiful. When I asked her to be friends, she asked me why.”

“What did you say?”

“When I told her it was because she looked like my favorite doll, she got annoyed and told me to come up with ten proper reasons if I wanted to be friends.”

The unexpected answer made Edelweiss burst into a clear, cheerful laugh.

‘She chose pride over a chance to be friends with a duke’s daughter.’

The Marchioness also smiled, clearly amused by the memory.

“I was a bit annoyed, but I actually came back with a list of ten reasons. After hearing them, she said she wasn’t completely satisfied, but she’d become my friend because I had put in the effort.”

“So that’s what Mother was like as a child.”

“She had so much pride. That’s why it must have devastated her when she found out about Mateo’s illegitimate child. I don’t know how others would react, but Iris was not someone who could simply accept that.”

“And yet, she gave that mistress the mansion and jewelry. I don’t understand it. Someone with pride like hers… how could she?”

Edelweiss shook her head. It didn’t make sense. The mother she knew would’ve demanded a divorce on the spot.

“Iris was also incredibly compassionate. She only saw that woman as a mother like herself. That’s why she helped her.”

“…”

“And Edelweiss, the reason Rosemary is known as the daughter of Baroness Bennel… that was your mother’s doing too.”

“My mother’s doing?”

“At the time, the empire hadn’t passed the law that barred illegitimate children from being recognized. So your mother had the pope certify that the girl would never be acknowledged as a daughter of Stern.”

“…Ah.”

“Even if you give up the Stern name, Rosemary still can’t become a Stern. A papal decree cannot simply be erased.”

Her mother had sacrificed her own pride to protect Edelweiss’s rights.

Now it made sense—the decision she had made, and why Duke Stern, though he favored Rosemary, had never put her in the family registry.

The Marchioness of Blossomweaver suddenly rose from her seat and opened the window.

A butterfly fluttered in—her butterfly.

Edelweiss blinked in confusion when she saw its color.

She remembered clearly that her aunt’s butterfly had once been green. Not this bleached, colorless white.

“Aunt… your butterfly… its color…”

“It means I don’t have much time left. As my life nears its end, the butterfly has lost its original color.”

Her heart dropped like a stone.

“Even though we already had so little time together… now I have to think about saying goodbye.”

“…If I make a blue rose and give it to you, will you be able to live longer?”

Edelweiss asked with a trembling voice, her eyes rimmed red.

“This is exactly why Iris tried to stop your powers from awakening, Edelweiss.”

“……”

“I’m not afraid of dying. What scares me is the thought of Cesare being left alone. But now that you’re my daughter, Cesare won’t be alone anymore.”

“……”

“So I think I’ll be able to close my eyes without any worries. Don’t say things like that again.”

The Marchioness’s voice was firm, forbidding Edelweiss from even bringing it up again.

“How much… longer… do you have left?”

Even without asking, she already knew the answer.

In her past life, the Marchioness had passed away before spring arrived.

“Just three months left…”

Edelweiss bit her lip hard.

“You don’t have to worry—I’ll be there for your coming-of-age ceremony. I’m your legal mother now, after all. Of course I have to be there.”

“……”

“It’ll be a little rushed, but we should hold the ceremony here at the marquessate. Cesare’s been complaining lately that he’s bored with nothing to do anyway, so I’ll let him handle it.”

Edelweiss quickly wiped her tear-streaked cheeks, though the tears continued to fall.

“Even though… you’re both busy… you’ll really come…?”

Her tears wouldn’t stop.

In her past life’s coming-of-age ceremony, Duke Stern hadn’t attended.

Rosemary had come down with a fever, and he chose her instead.

Only her older brother, with his indifferent face, had stood by her side.

That day had been cold, lonely, and deeply painful.

“What kind of parent doesn’t attend their child’s coming-of-age ceremony? Don’t ask something so obvious. Say that out loud, and Cesare will cling to you and whine about how hurt he is.”

“…..”

“And that won’t be all. He’ll definitely pester you about where you want your dress made, which boutique has the right jewelry set, who to invite, how many forks to set on the table, which desserts and gifts to prepare… everything.”

“Ah…”

“He’s probably going to drive you crazy with how much he nags. Just so you know, I’m staying out of it—you’ll have to deal with it yourself.”

The Marchioness shook her head as if the thought alone was exhausting.

“Oh, one more thing. The heir of Blossomweaver is allowed to hold their wedding in Saint Bell Grand Cathedral.”

It was a cathedral reserved for imperial weddings, but nobles awarded imperial honors for meritorious service could also use it.

“If you don’t like Saint Bell, we can choose somewhere else. Or you could pass that right down to your children someday.”

She had once held a modest engagement with Adolf at a shrine, and longed for a wedding in Saint Bell Grand Cathedral.

…Now that I think about it, if I end up marrying Prince Damien, the wedding will probably be held in Saint Bell, too.