CHAPTER 50: DECISIONS

All the women remained inside the carriage, motionless, staring through the windows as they watched Aziz walk away step by step. The sight of him growing smaller and more distant made each of their hearts ache, as if time had frozen for them in that instant.

Aziz walked on, steady, without looking back, determined in his new journey — a journey in which none of them had a place, at least not at that moment.

Silence dominated the carriage—deep and heavy. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. It was as if the air had been sucked out of that space, leaving only the void of his absence.

Astrid was the first to recover. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment before turning her gaze away from the window. Upon opening her eyes again, she silently examined each of the women still standing. Their minds seemed frozen, trying to grasp what Aziz’s departure truly meant.

*Clap!*

With a subtle gesture, Astrid clapped her hands, drawing all attention to herself. Her action was so unexpected that it shattered the silence and brought them back to the present.

"Well, now that my dear is no longer here, what do you girls want to do? Any suggestions?" she asked in a soft yet firm voice, laced with authority and lightness.

Silence returned. The women exchanged glances, confused, unsure how to respond. In each of their minds, thoughts raced in different directions.

Zia and Sofia thought almost in unison: maybe they could go to a restaurant and eat something. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, after all. A moment to relax, to try and distract themselves from the painful feeling of Aziz’s absence. But as they imagined the scene, a sudden wave of apathy washed over their bodies. Their appetites vanished, and their faces lost their glow, turning gloomy.

Stella and Sylvia, on the other hand, quickly considered returning to their routines — to the never-ending piles of paperwork. The idea of going back to the monotony of office life seemed, at first, like a comfort. After all, they knew exactly what awaited them there.

But the more they thought about it, the more uncomfortable they felt. They didn’t want to just return to that monotonous life, sitting for hours, staring at documents and reports. It felt like an invisible prison.

That’s when Stella had a flash of memory.

Almost five years ago.

That was the true reason why Aziz and Sofia met. She, the dutiful ruler, spent endless hours locked in her office, buried in papers.

It was her duty to stay on top of everything happening within her jurisdiction, and she took that very seriously. However, when she thought of her daughter, Stella realized an uncomfortable truth — harsh but undeniably real: she had neglected her own daughter.

How many times had Sofia asked her to go out, even for a simple dinner at a restaurant, just the two of them? How many times had Sofia sat in the chair next to the desk, looking at her with golden eyes full of expectation, waiting for her mother to finish her work so they could enjoy time together?

And how many times, tired, did Stella reply that she still had work to do?

Even so, Sofia never complained. She said she understood, that it was okay, and then left the office without a word of protest.

Often, Sofia didn’t even enter the room. She would just knock on the door a few times, asking if her mother had finished working. And the answer was always the same: "I’m busy, dear. We can go out another day."

Still, Sofia never complained. She understood the burden her mother carried as the governor of one of the great neutral cities outside the dimensions.

The only moments when Stella truly made an effort to be with her daughter were when she taught her the basics of combat, wielding a scythe. Those few moments remained etched in her memory as precious recollections.

She remembered the radiant joy on Sofia’s face during those lessons — the infectious laughter, the gleaming smile that lit up her tiring days.

But on the other hand, that same smile slowly began to fade when Sofia, after insisting for so long, finally stopped asking if they could go out together.

Like a heavy cloud carried away by the wind, she emotionally drifted away from the one who should have protected her the most.

She remembered the hiding places where Sofia spent hours in solitude, the restaurant where she stayed in her private room, until the moment she returned to the palace at nightfall, only exchanging a few words before heading to their rooms. The distance between mother and daughter had grown.

Stella didn’t even know the real story of how Sofia and Zia met, although now she understood how important it was.

Reflecting on all of this, she reached a harsh, raw, but truthful conclusion.

’I’m a terrible mother. I don’t know if I even deserve that title,’ she thought bitterly, feeling a crushing weight of failure.

However, upon remembering how a young boy had, in such a short time, brought those smiles back to her daughter’s face — not just smiles of joy, but of love — Stella understood.

It wasn’t familial love. Nor affection between friends.

It was the kind of love a woman holds for the one she wishes to be by her side for life. Forever. And beyond that.

And upon recognizing that feeling in her daughter’s eyes, she herself began to desire to feel it. Even if it was just a seed within her, she knew that if she allowed it to bloom, it would be something so overwhelming that perhaps even she wouldn’t be able to contain it.

And the worst — or perhaps the most honest — part was that she *wouldn’t* contain it.

She laughed at herself, acknowledging her selfishness in wanting to steal the happiness she never gave her daughter.

’I really am the worst,’ she murmured in her mind.

As punishment — and more importantly, out of love for her daughter — Stella decided to bury that love which, she knew without a doubt, would blossom within her, becoming a gigantic tree, with deep roots embedded in her heart, her mind, her soul — her entire being.

’You deserve that happiness, my dear. Mommy... doesn’t.’

But when Aziz returns, will he really let that happen?

Will he, being someone who hasn’t yet revealed the full extent of his possessiveness, allow a woman dear to him — one he already considers as his — to slip away so easily?

Well... only the future will tell.

---

"Well, since none of you really had any ideas, I have one," Astrid said, realizing no one had answered her initial question.

"And what would that be, my lady?" Isis asked, already intrigued.

Astrid looked at her and smiled knowingly, like someone who had everything planned.

"Hehe... let’s train," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Especially you two," she added, looking at Sofia and Zia. "Or are you planning to just sit around waiting for Aziz to return from two, three, ten missions just to see him?"

"Because if you don’t want to be left behind, the only path is training. Just imagine him facing strong enemies, and you needing to be protected by him the entire time. Even if he complains, I bet you don’t want to be burdens or obstacles for him, right?"

Sofia and Zia shuddered, a mix of fear and self-disgust washing over them.

Just imagining Aziz fighting and having to protect them at the same time filled them with deep shame.

After all, he had left the comfort and safety his mother provided so he wouldn’t be a burden to anyone, to stop being someone who always needed protection.

He left to stand, at the very least, shoulder to shoulder with his mother and Isis, ready for anything.

Steady.

Imposing.

Prepared to face any challenge.

Their hearts burned with a new determination: they would not be burdens, they would not be obstacles to him.

They would be someone he could look to and trust completely.

"Yes, let’s train!" they said in unison, as if their thoughts were connected.

Astrid smiled, appreciating the flame of determination shining in their eyes.

She turned to Stella and Sylvia with a questioning look, asking if they too would join the training.

Sylvia stepped forward and nodded.

"Yes, I’ll join you as well. It’s been a while since I fought — I think I’m getting rusty," she said, a slightly shy smile appearing on her lips.

Stella, lost in her own thoughts but still attentive to the conversation, also nodded.

"I’ll join too. It’s been a long time since we trained together, hasn’t it, daughter?" she said, looking at Sofia.

"M-Mom?! You’re really going to train with us?!" Sofia jumped with joy, eyes wide.

"Yes, my daughter. I still have a few things to teach you."

"Hahaha, that’s amazing! It’s been so long since we trained together, Mom," Sofia laughed cheerfully, hugging Stella.

Stella returned the hug, gently caressing her daughter’s red hair. She felt a bitter taste at the intensity of the reaction — so simple, yet revealing.

’Yeah... I let that slip away far too much...’

"Well then, that’s settled. Let’s return to the palace," Astrid said, and everyone agreed, each with their own plans and thoughts swirling in their minds.

As the carriage began its journey back, Astrid crossed her arms with a subtle smile on her face.

’Will my dear thank me for this?’ she hummed happily in her thoughts.