Chapter 7: No one is equal in this world

Seres pushed open the door and was immediately hit by a mixed scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

She frowned slightly and waved her hand gently in front of her nose.

Her home was a two-bedroom apartment in a mid-range neighborhood near St. Diyashi Academy.

Seres closed the door behind her with a flip of her hand and pressed the switch on the wall.

A warm yellow magical light illuminated the slightly messy entrance.

She bent down, took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, and put them on, then followed the smell of smoke toward the living room.

On the sofa lay a middle-aged woman with messy black hair.

She wore wrinkled pajamas, held a cigarette between her fingers, and gripped a bottle of alcohol in the other hand.

Dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes, and she looked utterly drained.

“Leilei’s home.”

Elsa heard the noise and lazily lifted her eyelids, her voice hoarse from the combination of smoke and alcohol.

“Mom, you shouldn’t smoke and drink every day off.”

Seres looked at her mother’s disheveled state and sighed softly.

She walked to the window and opened it, letting fresh air flow inside before starting to tidy the snack bags and scattered cigarette butts on the coffee table.

“My daughter just keeps getting more and more beautiful, growing into such a graceful young lady.”

As Seres swept the floor, Elsa suddenly climbed off the sofa and hugged her from behind.

She buried her face in Seres’s neck, nuzzling like a drunken vagrant.

“Mom, let me go. You smell so much like smoke and booze.”

Seres turned her head helplessly and gently broke free from her mother’s embrace, steadying Elsa’s unsteady frame before settling her back on the sofa.

“Leilei, just one more hug for mom~ I just finished a half-month all-nighter project. Finally got a day off, you know.”

Elsa slumped on the sofa like a salted fish that had lost all dreams, dragging out her voice.

She waved her hands wildly in the air, then suddenly covered her eyes, pretending to cry with an exaggerated performance.

“My daughter not only doesn’t pity her mom but is also so heartless, wuwuwu…”

“I’m going to prepare dinner.”

Seres watched her mother’s over-the-top act and pouted helplessly.

There was nothing she could do about her mother’s personality, so she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

“My daughter’s getting more and more virtuous~”

Elsa’s voice drifted from the living room, mixed with the sound of a can being opened.

Seres tied on her apron and sighed quietly.

She knew well why her mother had changed from once gentle and virtuous to now living carelessly and recklessly.

It all stemmed from the father who had abandoned them without a word when she was only six years old.

Back then, her mother cried every day and even contemplated ending her life.

But every time she saw Seres’s innocent eyes, she found the strength to pull herself together.

To prevent Seres from feeling inferior because of their single-parent family, her mother deliberately acted cheerful and lively, using exaggerated behavior to fill the void left by their absent father’s love.

Although Seres had grown cold and distant because of this, if not for her mother’s efforts over the years, she might have long since succumbed to depression.

“Mom, dinner’s ready.”

Before long, the aroma of food drifted from the kitchen.

Seres carried a few home-cooked dishes to the table.

“Leilei’s cooking skills just keep improving!”

Elsa staggered to the table with a beer can, her eyes lighting up.

She eagerly grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with satisfaction.

“I’m so sick of the institute’s boxed lunches.”

The mother and daughter quietly shared their meal, warm light spilling over the table, filling the atmosphere with rare harmony.

“Mom, do you think there really are men in this world who don’t care about appearances?”

Seres suddenly asked softly.

Elsa’s chopsticks paused mid-air, hovering.

“Why the sudden question?”

“Just wondering.”

Seres lowered her head, picking at the rice in her bowl.

“Such men must exist, but I haven’t met one in all my years.”

Elsa put down her chopsticks and sighed.

She took a sip of beer, lightly tapping the can with her fingers.

“Those men only care about a woman’s appearance, treating women like clothes you throw away once worn out. Especially that bastard…”

Seres made a soft ‘oh’ sound and continued eating, but the image of that black-haired boy surfaced involuntarily in her mind.

Elsa squinted, sharply catching the subtle change in her daughter’s expression.

Though usually carefree and boisterous, as a mother, she paid closer attention to Seres’s every move than anyone else.

She immediately noticed her daughter’s unusual reaction.

“Leilei…”

Elsa suddenly leaned closer.

“Do you have someone you like?”

“Huh? Mom, what are you talking about? How could I possibly like a guy?”

Seres looked up sharply, her face full of shock.

“It’s because of men that Mom’s had such a hard time. I hate those hypocrites the most.”

“Even though I always tell you men are no good and to stay away from them, it’s because I’m afraid you’ll get hurt and make the same mistakes I did.”

Elsa gently held her daughter’s hand, her tone softening, then sighed.

“Now that you’re growing up and getting more beautiful, I worry that it might limit your choices.”

Seres stared blankly at her mother.

Elsa continued.

“I shouldn’t force my own experiences on you. If you meet someone you like, it’s okay to give it a try.”

“Mom, you’re really overthinking. I don’t like anyone, nor do I plan on dating.”

Seres put down her chopsticks, half her bowl of rice still untouched, and sighed helplessly.

“It’s just…”

She suddenly faltered mid-sentence, opening her mouth but unable to express the subtle feelings swirling inside her.

The serious look of that boy when he said, “People aren’t objects,” flashed through her mind.

“Just what?”

Elsa watched her usually composed daughter show a rare hint of confusion, unable to suppress a small smile.

“Ah, I can’t explain it to Mom right now. I’m done eating—I’m going to take a shower.”

Seres abruptly stood, the chair scraping lightly against the floor as she hurriedly cleared her dishes and left the living room.

Elsa watched her daughter’s nearly frantic retreating figure, the playful smile fading from her face, replaced by a complex look.

Her daughter had indeed grown up and should have her own life experiences, but as a mother, she couldn’t help but worry that Seres might repeat her mistakes.

She tilted her head back and finished the last sip of beer, the bitterness spreading across her tongue.

A complete failure in love, did she really have the right or ability to interfere with and guide her daughter’s youth?

Seres lay on her bed in loose pajamas after showering.

Her damp, icy-blue hair spread across the pillow, emitting a faint scent of shampoo.

She stared at the dancing shadows cast by the light on the ceiling, the clear voice from earlier echoing repeatedly in her mind.

“Seres is a living person, not a prop or object, and certainly not a wager in our duel.”

That sentence rippled like a stone thrown into a still lake, stirring waves inside her heart.

Since childhood, Seres had inherited her parents’ striking looks, always standing out in a crowd.

But to her, that was never a blessing, only endless trouble.

People only cared about her appearance and figure, outwardly acting proper but secretly gossiping vile things, as if examining a delicate product.

Coupled with her father’s abandonment, she had grown to despise men.

No one ever truly saw her as an independent person—just a finely crafted doll.

The naked desire in those suitors’ eyes was nothing more than wanting to claim her as a trophy to satisfy their vanity.

Rufus today was just like that.

Though she had firmly rejected his confession, he still treated her as a mere wager, as if she were already his prize.

It disgusted Seres deeply.

But Aiden’s behavior was exactly the opposite.

He didn’t look at her with those disturbing eyes, nor treat her as a commodity to be fought over.

On the contrary, he gave her what she needed most—respect.

In this world where strength was everything, and women were often at a disadvantage, such simple respect felt invaluable.

“Aiden…”

Seres reached toward the ceiling and whispered his name softly.

“What kind of person are you, really?”