Chapter 22
And so…
Feeling as though he had been completely defeated, Adolf trudged back home.
The words Mikael had spoken earlier refused to leave his mind.
“Stay away from that woman.”
“She may be nothing more than someone interesting to you, but she’s much more than that to me.”
“…Seriously.”
Feeling strangely irritated, Adolf kicked a small stone lying on the road.
“What does he even know about me?”
How could Mikael possibly know whether she was merely someone he found interesting—or not?
His chest felt as though it were burning.
With a deep sigh, Adolf lowered his head.
…But one thing was undeniable.
Mikael’s feelings for that woman were incredibly deep.
When Count Allison had warned him in that unwavering voice…
Adolf had honestly been shocked.
Because he had seen a side of Mikael he had never witnessed before.
That warning had been entirely personal.
A voice filled with genuine emotion.
A voice unconcerned with status, appearances, or noble dignity.
The kind of firm warning that could only come from a man who had cast aside every restraint expected of a noble.
It was a voice Mikael had never once used in Adolf’s presence before.
The determination in his words…
The burning desire to protect someone…
It had all been unmistakable.
Just what kind of relationship did those two share…
For Mikael to go so far?
And why…
Did seeing them together disturb him so much?
Ha…
Shaking his head, Adolf finally returned home.
The moment he entered, he collapsed onto his bed.
“…So then…”
“What exactly am I feeling?”
Just as Count Allison had said…
Was she really nothing more than someone he found interesting?
Adolf still couldn’t answer that question.
There was only one thing he knew for certain.
Even though he had decided not to pry…
He couldn’t stop wanting to know more about her.
Her name.
The place she had come from.
The life she had lived until now.
What kind of name she carried.
What kind of person she was.
What stories she held within her heart.
“…Just who are you?”
His curiosity about every single part of her was growing stronger.
And that…
Was becoming a serious problem.
4. Reunion
It was ridiculous.
The mere thought of going on a date had kept me awake all night.
Standing before the mirror as dawn broke, I looked at my reflection.
My sleepless face looked exhausted.
It had been a long time since I’d seen myself looking like this.
Staring at the unfamiliar version of myself, I let out a small laugh.
Meeting Mikael…
Was definitely awakening feelings I had never expected.
I decided to leave for work early today.
Although my body was tired from staying awake all night…
My heart felt surprisingly light.
My wardrobe consisted entirely of monochrome clothes.
Still, every outfit had a different design.
After carefully considering each one, I chose my favorite and neatly dressed myself.
“…Why am I…”
So nervous?
Every time I looked in the mirror, my heart fluttered pleasantly—
As though I were a teenage girl experiencing her first crush.
Just because I had met my first love again…
Just because those faint childhood feelings—feelings I could barely even remember—had begun blooming once more…
Could a person really change this much?
It felt strange.
Even when Diana died…
I hadn’t felt like this.
For so many years…
My life had been numb and colorless.
It was embarrassing.
Part of me even thought I was behaving foolishly.
But…
I decided to welcome these long-forgotten feelings.
However…
After arriving at the gallery early and taking in the peaceful scenery of the countryside at dawn…
I suddenly stopped walking.
Someone was standing in front of the gallery, quietly staring at the building.
Even from behind…
The young man’s figure looked painfully familiar.
Sensing my presence, he slowly turned around.
Our eyes met.
His eyes trembled.
His expression crumbled.
He was someone I could never forget…
No matter how hard I tried.
“…Mother?”
“…Nick?”
It was Nick.
Nick Hwidrian.
He had come to find me.
The fact that I’d stayed awake all night worrying about my date became meaningless.
My date with Mikael was canceled almost immediately.
Since Nick had appeared unexpectedly, I sent Mikael a message explaining that I probably wouldn’t be able to see him today.
Thankfully, he understood right away.
He sounded disappointed…
But replied that he would come visit me once everything had settled down.
There were no customers in the gallery that morning.
Strangely enough…
Arwin didn’t come today either.
I sat across the table, quietly watching Nick eat the sandwich I’d made.
An awkward silence hung between us.
Which wasn’t surprising.
“Mother!”
The moment he had seen me earlier…
Nick had burst into tears.
He ran over and threw his arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably.
He eventually regained his composure and reluctantly let me go…
But ever since then…
Everything between us had felt painfully awkward.
Of course it did.
For seven years…
We had never hugged.
We had barely even looked each other in the eye.
Both of us were equally bewildered.
The moment I placed my homemade sandwich in front of him…
Nick, apparently starving, began devouring it eagerly.
I quietly watched him eat.
He looked thinner than before.
Perhaps he hadn’t been taking proper care of himself.
At the coming-of-age banquet, his cheeks had still carried a healthy fullness.
Now they had become slightly hollow.
He wasn’t emaciated…
But it was obvious he’d been through difficult times.
“The sandwich is delicious, Mother.”
“…I’m glad you like it.”
After eating for quite a while, Nick finally spoke.
I answered briefly.
To be honest…
His visit had come completely out of nowhere.
I couldn’t imagine why he had come.
The Duke had most likely already signed the divorce papers.
The ducal household had undoubtedly let me go.
There was no reason not to.
More importantly…
The Duke and I had made a contract.
That was precisely why Nick’s visit worried me.
If he had come looking for me…
Did something happen to the ducal family?
…Though it was no longer any of my concern.
“So…”
“What brought you here today, Nick?”
“…”
Nick looked at me after swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.
His eyes held a complicated emotion I’d never seen before.
He silently chewed as he stared at me.
Regardless of why he’d come…
The sight of him was strangely endearing.
Instinctively…
I wanted to take even better care of him.
“You don’t have to rush.”
“Take your time.”
“But first…”
“Wait here for a moment, Nick.”
When I smiled…
The tense atmosphere softened ever so slightly.
I stood up and went into the kitchen behind the counter.
A few moments later, I returned carrying several things I’d prepared for him.
Freshly brewed hot coffee.
And…
A cheese tart.
His favorite.
“This is one of our new menu items.”
“Give it a try, Nick.”
I remembered how much he’d enjoyed the cakes I’d baked for him before.
Nick quietly looked at the coffee and tart.
“…Thank you.”
He accepted them carefully.
I noticed that his expression trembled slightly.
Even his hands were shaking.
He slowly took a bite of the tart.
Then…
Tears began streaming down his face.
Startled, I looked at him.
“…Why are you crying?”
I quickly handed him a nearby handkerchief.
He accepted it and wiped his face.
Watching someone cry while happily eating a tart was…
A rather strange sight.
Nick couldn’t answer immediately.
After a long silence…
He finally spoke.
“…Because it’s delicious.”
“…”
“It’s really delicious.”
“And…”
“The cakes you used to make…”
“They were always so delicious.”
“…”
“I always wanted to tell you.”
“I wanted to thank you…”
“For all the cakes you’ve made for me over the years.”
Nick muttered the words almost to himself.
After wiping away his tears…
He reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Mother…”
“Please come back to our family.”
I stared blankly at him.
“I was wrong.”
“…Nick.”
“I wasn’t unaware of everything you did for us.”
“I knew.”
“I really did.”
“I wanted to become closer to you.”
“I wanted us to be a real family.”
“…”
“But…”
“I was too young to find the courage.”
“So…”
“The very first thing I did after becoming an adult…”
“Was come looking for you.”
“I never imagined you would already be gone.”
“Nick…”
“Father told me about the contract.”
“He told me everything.”
“He said you became our mother…”
“Only to protect us.”
“…”
“It was all my fault.”
“I don’t want us to end like this.”
“So…”
“Please…”
“Will you come back to our family?”
For a long while…
I couldn’t find any words.
Confusion.
Shock.
Countless emotions rushed through me at once.
I couldn’t understand.
Why had Nick suddenly appeared…
Only to tell me all this?
It was so completely unexpected…
That all I could do was sit there in stunned silence.
Eventually…
I smiled gently at him.
“Nick.”
My voice quietly broke the silence.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not going back.”
Gently…
I removed his hand from mine.
I watched all the color drain from his face.
“…Why?”
Nick’s question came immediately.
His round eyes filled with confusion.
“Why won’t you come back?”
“Please…”
“Tell me why.”
“Isn’t things better this way?”
“Our relationship, I mean.”
“…”
“From the very beginning…”
“I only entered the ducal family to protect all of you.”
“And now…”
“The time for me to leave has simply come.”
It seemed the Duke had explained the contract to the children after I left.
Judging by Nick’s reaction…
He still hadn’t heard about Diana’s death.
As expected…
Even the Duke probably found it difficult to speak about it.
The children had only just begun to come to terms with everything.
“But…”
