Chapter 320
Chapter 320 You’re Leander?
Lydia turned to look, and at the doorway of the chapel stood a tall, graceful young man, his features striking and noble. Though he was dressed simply, Lydia could sense an extraordinary presence about him, something beyond ordinary.
It was Leander. He kept his gaze steady, controlling his emotions as best he could, and inclined his head slightly at the doorway.
“I’m late today,” he said quietly. “May I light another candle? I hope it’s not too late p>
Lydia returned to herself and offered a gentle smile. She nodded.
“To anyone with faith, it’s never too late to pray,” she said warmly.
She personally handed Leander three candles, and he stepped forward to take them.
Just as she was about to light them for him, something made her pause. The candles slipped from her hands to the floor.
Leander noticed immediately and bent to pick them up-but then he heard Lydia’s trembling voice.
“Leander p>
His eyes widened, a surge of emotion crashing through him.
He was stunned. He had worked so hard to restrain his feelings, leaving no trace of emotion- but how could Lydia have recognized him just like that?
“Leander… It’s really you! Leander p>
With a cry that broke Lydia’s voice, she turned and embraced him. Her tears flowed freely, soaking his shirt.
Leander stood frozen, and even with his disciplined heart, he couldn’t stop the sting in his nose.
Moments passed, but his emotions swelled beyond control. His voice, trembling in a way he had never experienced, finally broke through.
“Mom p>
That single word made Lydia’s entire body shudder.
“Leander… It’s really you! My Leander… you’re not gone… My Leander isn’t gone p>
She could hardly believe her eyes. She could hardly trust what she felt. Ever since Leander’s martial power had been stripped by Gareth nine years ago, a part of her heart had died.
Even though she refused to accept that her eldest son was gone, she had to admit that the odds of him surviving were nearly nonexistent.
A ten-year-old child, stripped of his martial power, gravely wounded, abandoned in the mountains-anyone in that situation would almost certainly have perished.
And yet here he was, alive, standing before her.
Leander… I must be dreaming, right p>
She clutched his arms, feeling the warmth of his hands. Finally, she knew-this was no dream. This was real.
She pulled him down to sit beside her, and it took her several long moments to steady her tears. Her eyes, wide and trembling, were fixed on him.
“Leander it really is you… I’m not dreaming, am I p>
Leander sat cross-legged beside her and nodded, heavily but firmly.
“Mom… it’s me. I’m back p>
He hadn’t planned to reveal himself today. His intent had only been to accompany Lydia under the pretense of lighting candles, to spend a little time with her and then leave.
But he hadn’t expected that Lydia would recognize him immediately.
“Leander… you’re really back! I’ve waited for you nine years… and now you’ve come back to me p>
Ever since Gareth had driven Leander out nine years ago, she had stormed away from the Ashcroft family in fury. She had come alone to Durham Abbey, praying and lighting candles every day. One bow, one prayer, for nine long years.
She had never forgotten the promise she made to him: if he ever got lost, he should come to Durham Abbey, and she would be waiting there.
And now… her most beloved son, Leander, had truly returned.
Lydia held Leander’s hands, wanting nothing more than to just look at him, wishing time could stop.
For nine long years, his small, tender face had haunted her dreams. Every time she reached out to hold him, she woke up to emptiness, each longing dashed again and again.
She was terrified that this, too, might be an illusion, vanishing in an instant.
“Mom… please don’t cry,” Leander said, wiping away her tears. He had once been frustrated, secretly angry that she hadn’t tried to find him all these years, but all that resentment dissolved in the face of Lydia’s nine years of devoted, solitary prayer.
Lydia had always been the same mother, endlessly loving, unwavering.
“Leander where have you been all these years?” she asked, her voice trembling. “After
cast out of the Ashcroft family and left in the mountains, I sent people to search for you. Your grandfather stopped them each time. I could only search in secret, but I never found a trace of you. I thought… I thought I’d lost you you forever p>
She held his arms tightly.
Leander looked at her, warmth flooding his chest. He told her briefly about the years he had survived, skipping over the dangerous trials and battles he had endured to gain strength. He told her simply that he had lived-and eventually made his way to Mornwick.
As Lydia listened, tears streamed
down her face. Leander had lost his martial power, his skills, and the protection of the Ashcroft family From@privileged young heir, he had become a homeless orphano.. exposed to hardship and hunger. Surely, he had suffered greatly over the years.
At last reunited, they sat together, talking quietly, just as she had once told him bedtime stories.
They reminisced about his childhood, sharing small, happy memories. Hours slipped away unnoticed, deep into the night, the sky above glittering with countless stars. Yet the bond between mother and son remained unbroken, timeless, and unshakable.
Lydia looked at Leander, and in his features, she could still glimpse the boy he had once been. She was filled with a deep, bittersweet emotion.
“Leander… you were just this tall when you were little. Nine years have passed, and now… I only reach your shoulders p>
When he had been cast out of the Ashcroft family, he had been just a ten-year-old child— small, fragile, vulnerable. Now, he had grown into a strong, upright man.
“Of course,” Leander said with a playful smile, just like old times. “You used to protect me… now it’s my turn to protect you p>
Despite all the life-and-death struggles he had endured these past years, he had thought he had grown indifferent to family ties. But seeing Lydia now, he realized these feelings had always been buried deep in his heart, never fading.
Blood ties ran deep, unbreakable and irreplaceable.
“By the way, Mom Leander asked suddenly. “How did you recognize me p>
Lydia smiled softly. “When you were
born, you were weak and sickly. I went to Aurion Peak and gathered rare herbs to heal you. I continued this for three years, until you were four when I finally stopped the treatment. But because you had been on the medicine so long, your body naturally carried a faint, unique herbal scent.
“It’s subtle, invisible to anyone else but you’re my son. How could I not recognize
it p>
Leander’s eyes widened as he realized. His heart swelled with gratitude. Even after
nine years, Lydia remembered every detail of him. With a mother like her, he felt his life was complete.
“Leander,” Lydia said, her gaze softening, her voice dropping slightly. “Do… you hate grandfather? Your father p>
The words hung in the chapel like a frozen silence.
Leander didn’t answer immediately. He paused, his expression hardening, his eyes growing cold.
“Mom… I want to know why they did it.
“You have to tell me… why all of that happened to me p>