"Of course not! You never notice that we don't share any similarity. Just look at the face! My chin is more boarder, Anna's is rounder and Drusilla's is more pointy. Also, my nose is sharper than the girls, and our eye colors are also different!" Lady Tremaine chuckled.
"Then why do they call you mother?" Puzzled, the young woman questioned further.
"Oh, it started out as a joke." Lady Tremaine fondly recounted.
*****
The girls' parents were often in cold wars and deeply neglected the girls physical and emotional wellbeing. They had the mentality that the girls were fine since they are being raised in luxury and have an entourage of servants attending to their every need. So the girls grew up learning they can get whatever they wanted and knew not a sense of propriety and compassion.
It was only when seven years old Drusilla's sudden outburst that nearly killed a maid did her parents know they're wrong about the girls' upbringing. Feeling helpless, their father decided to seek counseling for the girls. Lady Tremaine was assigned to the girls by the therapy center. Improvements were gradually made, but it doesn't fix everything. The parents were still at each other throats.
There were times where the girls' father was busy at work, and their mother ran away. Worried about leaving the girls alone, the father consulted with Lady Tremaine about them occasionally staying at her home. Lady Tremaine amiably agreed. However, that stay became permanent as the girls suddenly became orphans. Their mother had committed murder-suicide, and her victim was their father.
Despite not receiving much warmth from their father, the girls deeply mourned over his death. At their parents' funeral, they declared that their biological mother is not their mother anymore for two reasons. One, she had never treated them as her daughters, instead rather like strangers. And two, she killed their father. In response to this, the girls' only living grandparents, who were from their mother's side, determined not to take them in and forbid all of their relatives to have any contact with the girls.
Drusilla didn't care, but Anna, on the other hand, was worried. Though they have a hefty amount of inheritance from their father, they were too young to live on their own. They got no relatives from their father side, and not all of the servants can be trusted. Chance are, some have already made schemes to steal the inheritance.
They decided to turn to Lady Tremaine, the only adult who treated warmly and would welcome them into her home. And Lady Tremaine did welcome them. It took some time for them to get over the loss of their father and get used to living with Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine gave them room to grief, but also she still acted strictly towards them at times. She taught them right and wrong and cared for them in a way their biological mother never had. They felt loved.
A few years later, on a particular day, Drusilla sighed in response to Lady Tremaine's nagging, "Yes, mother. I know, mother!"
Even though she knew that Drusilla wasn't seriously calling her 'mother,' Lady Tremaine felt a burst of warmth inside her chest and tears started to pool. "Alright then. I'll stop nagging. But really, you must remember not to prank your teacher. It is very unladylike!"
She turned to leave the room and brushed off the tears that were about to spill. While exiting the room, she was halted by Anna's words.
"Although Drusilla and I always fight, we do agree on one thing. We see you as our mother!"
"Hmph, that I can admit you are right," Drusilla haughtily stated and turned to Lady Tremaine. "We also agreed that you should adopt us. We don't want you to only be our legal guardian, rather we want to be part of your family. Please be our legal mother!"
With this, Lady Tremaine burst into a full sob. Both Drusilla and Anna gathered around her in panic. Seeing the girls' agitated expression, she dabbed her eyes and tried to control her emotions.
"Sniff...I'm...so...sniff...thrilled," Lady Tremaine said. "I...sniff...have two wonderful daughters!" That day was the happiest turning point of in the girls' lives as well as Lady Tremaine's.
*****
"I can't believe they had a past like that!" the young woman exclaimed. "I can partially understand their behavior toward me now. One thing that stuck in my mind is how come your treatment toward me is so different from Anna and Drusilla?"
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