Chapter 34
My gallery quickly returned to its usual tranquility.
The knights who had suddenly scoured the place in their search for the Third Prince, and the strict guards who had filled the area, all disappeared.
For a few days, people whispered among themselves about the Third Prince, but soon enough, they went back to their daily routines.
Ironically, the gallery became famous as the place the Third Prince had once visited.
People began to come, wanting to sit where he had sat or taste the coffee he had enjoyed here.
Thanks to that, the gallery was unusually crowded. Every day, the desserts and coffee I prepared sold out not long after opening.
It was peaceful, but busy days nonetheless.
It was becoming too much for me to manage alone, but thankfully, Nick was there.
The boy had not returned with the Duke and instead stayed to help me diligently with the busy work.
Thanks to him, even though customers had increased, the café ran smoothly without needing extra hands.
For a while, when the day’s work ended, both of us would collapse into deep sleep, utterly exhausted.
Then, one night—
There was a knock, knock knock knock, and a messenger arrived from the Duke’s estate.
Inside the documents he carried was a divorce paper signed by Duke Hydrian. Along with it came a considerable sum of money.
It was compensation for the business I couldn’t run while the knights had been stationed here, as well as financial support following the completion of the divorce process.
I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I decided to accept it. I didn’t want to waste time arguing over whether to take it or not.
…Though, I could at least think carefully about how I would spend that money.
I was slipping the envelope back into my pocket when Nick came out from behind the counter, taking off his apron and trotting up to me.
“Mother, I’ve finished the calculations.”
“Already?”
“Yes. I think today’s revenue might be the highest we’ve ever had.”
When I heard the total, I was taken aback—it truly was the best day’s sales yet, just as Nick said.
No wonder we’d been so unbelievably busy.
Earning more money was a good thing, but I couldn’t help letting out a sigh. This wasn’t what I had wanted.
What I wanted to run was a gallery, but this had turned into nothing more than a bustling café with paintings on the walls.
Even though the Third Prince’s incident had come to an end, the peaceful rural life I’d dreamed of hadn’t returned.
I was suffering from the aftereffects.
“Soon, there’ll probably be an article saying His Highness the Third Prince has returned to the palace,” I muttered. “When that happens, we’ll probably have even more customers.”
I had the feeling that the aftermath would only get worse before it got better.
As I stifled another sigh, Nick spoke up hesitantly.
“Um, Mother.”
He was holding his apron in one hand, and there was something careful about his tone—like he had something important to say.
When I tilted my head at him, he continued.
“I’m sorry to bring this up now, but… I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“Already?”
“Yes.”
“…It’s been hard for you, hasn’t it?”
I looked straight at him as I asked. For a young noble like Nick, this kind of labor must have been tough.
But his eyes widened as he waved his hands.
“Huh? Oh—no! Not at all, that’s not it!”
His face flushed red, and he sighed. I patted the empty seat next to me.
“Come sit down, Nick. I’ve been meaning to talk with you anyway.”
“…Alright.”
Nick sighed again, came over, and sat down beside me, pulling his knees up slightly and bowing his head.
I watched him gently and asked,
“Before, you stood in my way—in front of the Duke. You knew where I’d gone that night, didn’t you, Nick?”
It was something I’d always wanted to ask, but never found the right time.
That night I’d secretly gone to meet Adolf, Nick had blocked my way and defended me before the Duke. That memory still lingered vividly.
Nick nodded.
“Yes. That night, I stopped by your house for a bit and found out you’d gone out.”
“…”
“I wanted to protect you. I just had this instinct that you’d gone to meet His Highness, the Third Prince.”
For a moment, I thought how remarkably perceptive Nick was—just like the Duke.
Though his soft brown hair resembled Diana’s, his features and personality were very much like the Duke’s.
The Duke probably knew where I’d gone that night too, but pretended otherwise and just said what he had come to say.
Nick went on.
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately—about how I should treat you from now on.”
“…And? Did you come to a conclusion?”
Cutting ties with the Duke had been relatively simple, but doing the same with Nick wasn’t nearly as easy.
Over those seven years, Nick had grown deeply attached to me in his own way.
At first, when he had clung to me, I’d been bewildered, but now I could understand his feelings.
I hadn’t pushed him away like I had the Duke because, in truth, I pitied him. I couldn’t ignore that.
I still had no intention of returning to the Duke’s mansion.
But for the boy who had come all the way here, I could at least offer him a little space by my side.
If that could fill even a small corner of his heart, that much I could give.
“I haven’t figured everything out yet,” Nick said softly, “but I did realize one thing. I need to think more about your position, Mother.”
“…”
“That painting—it’s yours, right?”
When I turned to look at him, his gaze was fixed on the wall—on the paintings I had made.
“How did you know that?”
“His Highness told me. And he… scolded me, quite harshly.”
Nick continued.
“I thought I was an adult now, since I’d come of age. So I decided to come find you. But listening to him, I realized I wasn’t grown up at all.”
He smiled bitterly.
“I came here without thinking about your feelings, just making a fuss. You have this amazing talent, and I didn’t even realize I might be standing in your way.”
“…”
“So I think I need to keep some distance now. I don’t want to be an obstacle to you.”
It was strange—watching the boy express his feelings so carefully filled me with a quiet sense of pride.
Without thinking, I reached out and patted his head. Nick looked up at me, startled, and I smiled.
“It’s just… I’m proud of you. You’ve grown up so well.”
“…”
“I’m really glad you’ve grown into such a fine young man.”
“…I’m sorry, Mother. For not understanding your feelings sooner.”
I shook my head.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m proud of you for thinking things through. You sounded quite mature just now.”
“…”
“I want you to act according to your own thoughts, Nick. Listening to advice is good, but you don’t have to follow it. If you want to stay here longer, you can. I understand how you feel, and it’s fine with me.”
Of course, having Nick here didn’t exactly align with my original goal of cutting ties with the Duke’s family.
But strangely, I didn’t mind. At this point, his presence no longer felt wrong.
And then I realized—this was the kind of relationship I had wanted all along.
This was the kind of bond I had faintly hoped for when I entered Diana’s family.
Yes—this was exactly the kind of relationship I’d wanted. No more, no less.
A bond where I cared for the children Diana had left behind, and they, in turn, grew into adults receiving emotional support from me.
But back then, we had all been too clumsy—and too close—for that to work.
“…I think I finally understand,” Nick said quietly. “How I should be around you.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“It feels really nice right now. I should’ve been like this with you from the start.”
If only we’d understood each other a little sooner.
His words scattered into the air with a quiet melancholy.
In the end, Nick chose to leave.
That night, after our conversation, he seemed to have spent hours thinking deeply.
About which of the two options I’d given him he should choose.
Then, as dawn broke, he began to pack his things.
By early morning, he stood before me, dressed and ready to go.
“I’ll be going now. I’m sorry for leaving when it’s so busy.”
“It’s alright. If things get hectic, I’ll just find someone new to help here. But—are you sure this is really your decision?”
I asked one last time, afraid he might regret it later.
But Nick nodded, a faintly relieved expression on his face.
“Yes, this is my decision.”
