Chapter 1605: Two Hairpins, One Choice ( 1605 )

Qamara and Enania fell silent. But before Gloria could continue, a voice came from the gangplank.

"Gloria!"

Gloria let out an exhale the moment she heard it. She glanced toward the gangplank and saw her mother come running toward her. Genevieve crashed into her, wrapping her arms around her tightly and pressing her cheek against her daughter’s shoulder.

"Mm~ I missed my baby girl~"

She tilted her head up and smiled.

"So? How is my baby girl doing? Are you healthy? Are you eating properly? Are they treating you well here?"

Gloria let out a long, weary exhale.

"Yes, Mom. You can see for yourself. I’m standing right here. In your arms. Very much alive and well."

She glanced around.

"Where’s Father?"

Genevieve puffed her cheek and pulled back from the hug. She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side.

"Hmph! How should I know? He’s probably still on the ship, doing whatever he wants. I don’t care. I’m not his keeper."

Gloria tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she glanced at her mother, who was now crossing her arms with her nose pointed in the air, her lips pressed into a thin pout.

Hmm?

Weird...

This is the first time I’ve seen Mother without Father. Those two are never apart, and Mother is someone who hangs off Father’s arm like a lovestruck girl.

They have absolutely no shame about it. Kissing, hugging, never letting each other out of sight. Even in front of guests. Even in front of their own children.

Gloria glanced up toward the ship and spotted her father, Sythaeryn, pinching the bridge of his nose before waving at her with a sheepish smile.

Ah...

Her brow furrowed deeper as she stared at her mother.

So they’ve quarreled, huh? First time this has ever happened. I wonder what the cause is?

Gloria shook her head.

"Mom?"

"Hmmph! What?"

Genevieve narrowed her eyes at her daughter, her cheeks puffed out.

"Don’t you dare try to cover for your father’s mistake! Don’t you dare take his side! You’re my daughter! MY daughter! You should be on my side!"

Gloria nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"I didn’t say anything yet."

She let out a slow exhale, her voice flat.

"What are the two of you even fighting about? You’ve never fought before. Not once. In all the years, you two have never had a single argument."

She paused.

"The two of you have never had shame about anything. Hugging. Kissing. Never letting each other out of sight. Even in front of guests. Even in front of your own children. Always acting like a pair of lovesick teenagers who can’t be separated from each other."

She gave her mother a flat stare.

"So? What happened?"

Genevieve walked toward her and buried her face into Gloria’s breasts, wrapping her arms around her tight.

"Gloriaaaa..."

Her shoulders began to shake. Soft sobs muffled against the silk of Gloria’s dress.

"Your father doesn’t love me anymore! He doesn’t want to be with me anymore! He’s grown tired of me! After all these years, he’s finally grown tired of his wife! He doesn’t look at me the same way he used to! He doesn’t say the things he used to say!"

Her sobs grew louder.

"He’s probably found someone else. Someone younger. Someone prettier. Someone who isn’t old and worn out like me. He’s had enough of his old wife. He probably wants a new one. A fresh one. Someone who can give him what I can’t anymore..."

Gloria glanced at her mother, still sobbing against her chest, then looked past her at her father.

Sythaeryn was walking toward them with Edwyrd, his expression guilty, his hands fidgeting. Azariah had already joined Liana, Qamara, and Enania. Liana was talking with all of them, her arms crossed. Azariah’s children kept tugging at her skirt.

Sythaeryn scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes from Gloria’s stare.

Edwyrd came close to Gloria and cupped his hand beside her ear, whispering.

Gloria’s eyes narrowed.

"Hmm?"

She kept listening, her gaze fixed on her father, who stood not too far from them while Genevieve still sobbed against her breast.

"Really? That’s what happened?"

Edwyrd nodded, let out a sheepish smile, and stepped back.

"Ara~? So you’re telling me..."

Gloria’s smile turned sweet. And terrifying.

"...that Mother and Father had their very first fight in all their years of marriage... over hairpins?"

A faint, subtle aura radiated from her, quiet but unmistakable. Her smile stayed sweet, her eyes stayed warm, but something in the air around her had changed.

"You’ve been crying into my chest and accusing Father of finding a younger woman... because he bought you... two different hairpins? You started a fight over something so silly?"

Genevieve pulled back from her breast in panic.

"I... it’s not silly!"

She puffed her cheek.

"We’ve been married for so long! Years! Decades! And he still doesn’t know what color I like! He bought two hairpins in two different colors and told me to choose one! Choose! As if I’m supposed to pick between them! He’s my husband! He should know what color I like! He should just buy the one I want, without asking, without making me choose!"

Gloria kept her smile, her aura fading. She extended one palm toward her mother, her other hand resting lightly in front of her dress.

"Let me see the hairpins."

Genevieve pursed her lips into a pout, reached into the long sleeve of her elven dress, and pulled them out, mumbling under her breath.

"Just look at them. You’ll see what I mean."

She placed both hairpins in Gloria’s palm.

Gloria turned them in her fingers, tilting them into the light.

"Mm. These look expensive."

The first was a deep, radiant blue, the second a warm, golden amber. Both were carved from a rare, luminous pearl material, perfectly smooth, glowing faintly from within. Each one was crowned with intricate filigree, curling vines and tiny blossoms. Tiny leaves branched outward from the stems, and a single teardrop pearl hung from the tip of each one, catching the light as Gloria turned them.

"My, my~"

Her smile widened.

"The craftsmanship is beautiful. This detail work, the vines, the blossoms... this isn’t something a common craftsman could do. It takes years of experience to be able to craft something this beautiful. It must have taken weeks for a master artisan to complete."

( End Of Chapter )