System vs Rebirth

Leysha looked stunned. Even Anna couldn't believe that Noel actually slapped his mother. Noel was usually a loving guy, so it was a bit out of character for him to slap Leysha.

Yet, the next thing he did was actually punch himself in the cheek.

"Noel!" Anna gasped, not understanding what was happening.

Leysha became even more confused. On the one hand, she was worried because Noel had hurt himself like this. On the other hand, she was hesitant to take action, not wanting Noel to hurt himself again.

That gaze alone was enough for Noel to get his answer.

"That slap is a reminder of all the things I've experienced in the last couple of years after your execution."

Leysha's body trembled. Although Noel said it in a gentle way, the experience was truly horrendous. One wrong move would definitely kill Noel. Even though they had left behind Dimitri, it didn't change the fact that he let the young boy, who didn't have any training, go to the battlefield.

His world was turned upside down after the execution. If he let him get away without any repercussions, it meant they were able to do anything to him or even his child later, no matter how horrible it was.

Noel might be a loving person, especially toward his family and people. But he was also a fair person. There would be a reward and a punishment. This time, it was a punishment, but this punishment wasn't just directed at Leysha. He also received the punishment, and even a much harsher one.

"And this punch symbolizes my laziness and all the problems I've caused you and Father. I'm aware of how horrible I was in the past. If I were a better person, there might be another solution to our problem."

Leysha's heart felt like it was squeezed. Noel might have been lazy in the past, but that was because he knew that in the future, he had to take on his father's mantle and govern the territory. In other words, when he reached that point, he couldn't be lazy or do whatever he wanted anymore.

So, he just wanted to satisfy his desire until he lost that ability to have a desire of his own. After all, every single thing that the Lord did would affect the people in his territory.

Still, it would be different if Noel was a capable person. If he was strong enough, he could express himself freely without fearing backlash.

He learned it the moment he became an Earl.

That was why he said things might be different if he had been more capable in the past.

closer and hugged his mother tightly. "It must have been a very hard few years for you, Mother. I'm glad

of Noel in the past, they didn't interact that much. She was a bit troubled and hoped that Noel could be better. Even though she didn't say it personally, Noel was recognized by Ardagan after all.

grown into a responsible adult who could make his parents proud.

…

A decade ago.

ground with his head lying on a maid's lap.

the student for the duration of the lesson. They force us

that you don't forget about them." Leysha sighed.

are you always angry, Mom? I

her forehead before thinking about something. "You didn't

read a book

for a moment. "If I have ten apples and I give you eight apples,

That's the same for me. If I hold all the apples, I will have eight. But this will make our family's reputation go bad if they know that I, the sole heir, don't do charity like you guys. So, I'll probably hold three and give five to the people. The third is for our family to eat, while the rest can

test him, but she ended up being dumbstruck as

fool. In fact, he might be smarter than even his

who are the four nobles

Masconi, Count Porteiln… I don't know the other two since you guys never mentioned

before asking for confirmation, "So, you already know all that because we've

the very least, listening doesn't take too much energy. It's much better than sitting

with her child. She couldn't help but move

worried at first, but Leysha was the one replacing her. In other words, Noel was simply lying on

going to run away like

direct." Noel sighed. "As long as I'm not in a good part, I can't help it if

couldn't help but smile, finally understanding what she should have

Leysha had been trying her best to teach Noel. Whenever Noel was trying to utilize his free time in this garden, she would come

be compared to that of her husband. That was why sometimes she ran out of topics. Of course, she also kept asking Luke about

realized how smart Noel was. Noel still needed a tutor for the basic things, so he still had to attend all those classes. In the meantime, Leysha had been talking about all kinds of things, from their family's inner problems to the political situation. It turned out that Luke had