Chapter 181. Return to Elfengreen
It was late afternoon, well past noon, when the ducal carriage passed through the main gates of Elfengreen.
As the carriage procession moved slowly along the large, circular garden, Deborah’s complexion inside grew increasingly dark.
In the end…… she had really come back here.
And in this state, practically dragged back by the Duke.
As the faces she would see again flashed rapidly before her eyes, she subconsciously clenched the hands resting on her stomach.
Deborah’s gaze slowly shifted to the person sitting diagonally across from her.
A man who still had his eyes closed with his arms crossed.
Just before leaving Chambrin, he had made Deborah get into his carriage.
-Get in.
At those commanding words, the faces of Eleanor and Cecilia, who were following right behind, instantly froze over coldly.
But it was the same for Deborah as well.
It wasn’t just for an hour or two; being alone with him inside a narrow carriage was something Deborah did not want either.
Her words that she would simply get into the carriage at the back where the servants rode were, of course, flatly dismissed at once.
As if there was nothing more to listen to, Raymond grabbed Deborah’s arm just like that and forced her to get inside.
Well, it wasn’t like she expected anything special, but he treated Deborah as if she didn’t exist at all throughout the entire journey.
Not only did he not say a single word, but he didn’t even lock eyes with her once.
During that long time coming from Chambrin to Elfengreen.
She couldn’t understand his intentions at all as to why on earth he had insisted on putting her in this carriage if he was going to be like this.
Just as she was lost in various thoughts, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.
At the same time, the man’s closed eyelids slowly fluttered open.
The moment the blue jewel hidden inside revealed its light, Deborah turned her gaze back to the opposite side.
And she finally saw it.
The beautiful mansion boasting its grand appearance.
Elfengreen.
The moment that scenery, which she thought she would never see again in her lifetime, unfolded right before her eyes, Deborah swallowed hard without realizing it.
★★★
It went without saying, but the returned Elfengreen somehow felt completely different from before.
It might be because it was a completely different season from when she left, but more than that, it was the atmosphere of the people.
The gazes watching her, and the various thoughts hidden within them.
Well, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand.
Since a maid who had been kicked out after causing such a commotion had returned, she could know what kind of rumors would circulate among the servants without even needing to listen.
And on top of that, with a heavily pregnant body, carrying the Duke’s child.
In the midst of that, what was remarkable was the attitude of Butler Greig and Mrs. Charlotte, who greeted the ducal family as if nothing had happened.
Of course, even those two experienced people hesitated for a very brief moment in front of Deborah.
They seemed to ponder for a moment how on earth they should treat a maid carrying the Duke’s child, but that contemplation did not last very long.
“Give her a guest room on the second floor.”
When Raymond, who was holding one of Deborah’s arms, pushed her forward and spoke, Charlotte soon bowed her head, indicating she understood.
“Follow me.”
As if deciding to maintain her past stance for now, Mrs. Charlotte nodded her head slightly toward Deborah.
Leaving the stinging glares piercing into her behind, Deborah followed behind Charlotte and left the entrance hall.
“For now, among the rooms that get good sunlight, I prepared this one thinking it would be the most comfortable to stay in, but.”
“…….”
Despite it being late afternoon, Deborah slowly looked around the room where a fairly warm warmth still remained.
It wasn’t with the intention of inspecting the place she would stay. To put it bluntly, who was she to do so.
It was just that because it was a familiar sight, her eyes were drawn to it.
Because she remembered the times when she used to clean this room every single day.
“If by any chance it is not to your liking or uncomfortable to stay in, please tell me. If there is a separate place you want, you may speak as well.”
Mrs. Charlotte’s words entered the ears of Deborah, who was looking around the room.
Only then did Deborah turn her gaze to meet her face.
“……Thank you.”
To be honest, words like asking if she had been well or saying it was nice to meet again did not come out.
It was because she could somehow guess what she might be thinking right now.
Of course, because she was someone who controlled her emotions so well, it just didn’t show on the outside like others.
One of the people whose loyalty to the Cheister ducal family was higher than anyone else’s was Mrs. Charlotte.
In the eyes of such a woman, a lowly orphan, and a low-ranking maid who used to be under her at that, had conceived the bloodline of Cheister, so it was bound to be obviously displeasing.
No, would it be just her.
Who on earth would welcome the fact that she was carrying his child.
Thinking that way, her heart suddenly sank heavily.
Because it felt like even the child in her womb had become an unblessed existence because of her, she felt endlessly sorry to the child.
Mrs. Charlotte, who looked at Deborah with her head lowered in silence for a long time, soon tapped her shoulder quietly.
“You must have had a hard time coming a long way, so for now, don’t think about anything and rest comfortably.”
With those final words, Mrs. Charlotte closed the guest room door and stepped out.
***
Ah, she woke up instantly at the feeling of a heavy, tight pulling sensation in her lower abdomen.
An unfamiliar scenery.
Deborah, who slowly closed and opened her heavy eyelids, soon realized where this place was and let out a long, deep breath.
Slowly raising herself to sit up, Deborah quietly stroked her stomach.
Perhaps because the due date was approaching, these past few days her stomach had started to throb and tighten every now and then.
It also felt like the number of fetal movements, which used to be felt at all times, was gradually decreasing.
She had heard from Maria that it was because the space inside the womb narrows as the baby’s body grows bigger, but she hadn’t heard that there would be this kind of pain…….
The due date.
The fact that it really wasn’t long now suddenly approached with a heavy weight.
At times like this, she wanted to talk more with Maria, but the realization that there would be no one to share these stories with in the future made her anxious and suffocated.
‘That aside…… just how much time has passed.’
After Mrs. Charlotte left, Deborah had gone to the bed and lay down for a moment.
Though she was holding out stiffly pretending otherwise, in reality, her body was in a very exhausted state.
Traveling that long distance with a heavily pregnant body was one thing, but above all, perhaps due to being tense the whole time, her body felt drooping and damp like water-soaked cotton.
Even so, she didn’t know she would fall into such a deep sleep.
She had intended to just close her eyes for a very brief moment and wake up…….
It was just absurd even to herself.
If there was one thing that changed the most after conceiving the child, it was that the insomnia that used to follow her tenaciously had disappeared.
It was just around that time, when she was lost in various thoughts.
Knock, knock.
At the sudden sound of a knock, Deborah’s body flinched.
After a short interval, the door opened and Charlotte’s face could be seen through the gap.
Charlotte, who stepped slowly inside, turned on the lamp placed on the right table and approached the bed.
“I am about to prepare the meal, and I was wondering if by any chance there is something specific you want to eat.”
At the words quietly asked, Deborah shook her head with a momentarily flustered face.
“Ah, I am fine with anything. You…… don’t have to pay special attention like that…….”
Of course, Charlotte was better than other people, but that didn’t mean it was comfortable either.
How could a situation where she, the housekeeper of Elfengreen, personally walked over to ask about such a trivial matter be comfortable.
That was why she said it.
However, the words that came back were something that made Deborah’s words meaningless.
“I cannot do that. The bloodline of the Cheister family is in your womb.”
“…….”
The flatly spoken words, if looking at those words alone, were not exactly wrong.
To her, who served the Cheister family, the child in this womb would naturally have the same meaning.
So, taking care of the meals of the woman carrying that bloodline was also a proper duty that she ought to do…… it probably meant something like that.
Even though she knew it, today of all days, those words sounded very bitter.
Deborah murmured softly toward Charlotte, who was waiting for an answer.
“Then…… please make it something easy to swallow.”
To be honest, there was no way she would have an appetite. In this kind of situation.
Even so, she couldn’t skip the meal either, so Deborah conveyed her wish to her that something easy to swallow would be good.
Hearing those words, Mrs. Charlotte finally nodded her head.
After saying she would go down soon to have it prepared and to wait for just a moment, Mrs. Charlotte opened the door again and disappeared.
“Phew……”
Deborah, who was left behind, finally let out a long breath as if exhaling the air that had been blocked.
Like that, the first day at Elfengreen was drawing to a close.
