From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 373: Chapter 373

On the flip side, Lenore's dad wasn't much to look at—you could even call him ugly. Lenore's plain looks mostly came from her dad's rough genes. If she'd taken after her mom, she'd probably have been a stunner.
Her brother, though, was a carbon copy of their dad—straight out of the same mold. And it wasn't just looks—her brother seemed to have some mental issues too.
Serena picked up on it as soon as she stepped into the house. Lenore's brother, Damon, grinned wide whenever he looked at people, drooling without a care. His speech was slurred, and he'd let out weird noises now and then.
"My brother had a high fever not long after he was born—it messed up his head. Don't mind him—he's harmless. If it bothers you, just pretend he's not there," Lenore said, a little embarrassed.
Elara waved it off. "No worries, no worries. We don't mind. You can tell he's a good guy."
Serena nodded too—she didn't care either. It was an illness, nothing anyone could help.
Damon grabbed a fruit tray from the table and wobbled over to Serena and Elara. "You— eat fruit— Eat— eat—"
Lenore saw her friends' discomfort and jumped in, coaxing her brother like a kid. "Bro, I'm taking them to drop off their stuff first. We'll eat later."
Through all this, Lenore's parents barely said a word, but their eyes never left Serena and Elara.
Especially her mom—her gaze stayed glued to Serena the whole time, giving her this creepy feeling of being watched. It was unsettling. It wasn't until they followed Lenore into her room and shut the door that the unease started to fade.
"Lenore, does your mom not like us or something?" Elara asked as soon as they were inside. Clearly, she'd felt off too.
Lenore waved her hands quick. "No, no—it's just how she is. She's like that with everyone. Don't take it personally. She's actually really nice—just bad at showing it."
She pointed to the snacks, drinks, and goodies in the room. "See? Mom went to town yesterday just to get these for you guys. She was worried you wouldn't like our food here or might get hungry at night."
Hearing that, Elara relaxed. Serena didn't overthink it—they were only staying two days anyway. Once the wedding was over, they'd head back to school.
The two rested in the room for a bit, called their families to check in, and then it was dinnertime. Sure enough, like Lenore said, her mom just wasn't good at expressing herself.
At dinner, when she saw the two girls again, her face softened with a warm smile. That only made the already beautiful woman look kinder and gentler. If this lady hadn't lived up in the mountains but in the city, she'd have had suitors lining up, no doubt.
"Lenore, your mom's so pretty," Elara said, finally at ease, complimenting her at the table.
"Oh, come on—I'm old now," Olivia said, touching her weathered, wrinkled face with her rough hands. Then she turned to Serena. "You think I'm pretty too?"
Serena was caught off guard by the question—kinda random—but she nodded sincerely. "Yeah, you're really pretty."
Olivia beamed, her eye wrinkles piling up. "How about compared to your mom? Who's prettier—me or her?"
Serena froze. She hadn't expected that at all. She didn't even need to think—her mom was prettier, hands down. But she wasn't the old Serena anymore. She'd grown up, learned how the world worked. She knew sometimes, in certain moments, you couldn't just blurt out the truth.
Lying didn't feel right either, so she hedged. "You and my mom are different types—you're both beautiful in your own ways."
But that clearly wasn't the answer Olivia wanted. She let out a cold laugh. "Hmph, yeah, how could I compare to some big-city power woman?"
'What the heck? Where'd that come from?' Serena and Elara thought. They exchanged a look—her mom's words had some serious edge to them.
"Enough already—what are you comparing for? What right do you have to compare?" Fyodor snapped out of nowhere, glaring at his wife. The quiet, simple guy from before was gone.
After chewing her out, he turned to Serena and Elara with a smile. "Don't mind her, girls—she's just bad with words."
Serena and Elara forced awkward smiles, saying they didn't mind.
"Good, good—eat up," Fyodor said, looking at them with warm eyes. "You two eat plenty—fill up so you've got strength later."
'Strength later? For what? The wedding? Did he mean we'd need energy to help out as part of the bride's family?' Serena thought.
Serena and Elara didn't dig into what he meant. By then, they'd lost their appetites, picked at their food, and excused themselves to rest. Lenore told them to relax—she still had wedding stuff to hash out with her parents and didn't come back to the room till late.
Elara was already snoring by then, but Serena was still awake.
"Rena, you're not asleep?" Lenore asked as she climbed into bed.
"Nah, waiting for you," Serena said.
Lenore flopped down beside her, exhausted, her voice lazy. "Get some sleep."
In the dim light, sleep hit Serena hard. Right before she drifted off, she asked, "Lenore, are you really happy?"
"I'll be happy, I think," Lenore said, turning to her. "Really soon."