Side Story 2. Our Home

“Miss Lierre!”

“Yes!”

The woman spun around at the voice calling her. The end of her braided hair couldn’t keep up with her body’s rotation speed and slapped her neck with a smack.

Ann Lierre swept her bright blonde hair that tickled her neck back behind her. As expected from the warm voice, the person who called her familiarly was the laundry lady.

“What are you doing standing under a tree dripping with water? Come inside.”

“I was taking a walk since the rain stopped. I should go in soon since it’s almost time for the young master to wake up.”

“The days have gotten much longer. The sun is already this high. I think there was a delicious smell coming from the kitchen?”

Ann Lierre smiled broadly. Talk of meals always made her happy.

“The food at the ducal residence is always delicious.”

It was one day in late autumn a few years ago when Duke Chesterfield called her back. She couldn’t find any trace of his past sharp appearance in the man who politely extended his hand in a handshake, saying he was sorry for rudely dismissing her.

It was the duchess who gave her the answer when she was confused about which was the duke’s true appearance. She had been staring intently at the duke throughout his greeting with Ann, and as soon as her turn came, she warmly grasped both of Ann’s hands like an irreplaceable friend.

And Ann clearly saw it — the venom rising in Duke Chesterfield’s eyes the moment they held hands.

Ann, who had been deceived by his gentle attitude in front of his wife, quickly reached a conclusion. Duke Chesterfield was indeed a scary person. And at the same time, he performed the role of perfect protector for the young master.

Marsha smiled brightly.

“Has the young master finished writing his reflection essay?”

“Barely. I don’t know if His Grace will approve of it though.”

Just the day before, Percy had been running down the corridor when he stepped on the bare wooden floor and slipped. He managed to avoid falling by grabbing onto a chest of drawers attached to the wall, but the large vase on top of the chest wasn’t as lucky as Percy.

When Ann and Celian rushed over at the crashing sound, the duke had already arrived at the scene. With the child standing in front of him with his head hung low, the duke continued his gentle lecture.

Though she was also at a loss, Ann thought the duke’s lecture didn’t contain brotherly affection. But she definitely felt his sense of responsibility as a guardian.

Ann bid Marsha a good day and stretched lightly.

It was time to go have a delicious breakfast.

***

Bright sunlight streamed through the windows, and the savory smell of bread tickled their noses. Light smiles floated on the faces of those sitting around the dining table in comfortable clothes……

……or not. Celian poked Izer in the ribs with her elbow.

“Izer Chesterfield, soften your expression.”

“……”

It was no use. Celian deliberately made a clattering sound as she put down her fork. At the noise from his left, he turned his expressionless face toward his wife, then saw the hand that had disappeared from the table and his face hardened even more.

“Lian, eat more.”

“Someone’s making such a scary face that I can’t eat. I have no appetite.”

“……Don’t say strange things and eat.”

“Would you be okay if I got indigestion and collapsed?”

“……”

His black eyebrows twitched, then his wolf-like cold eyes became gentle as if asking what the problem was. Miss Lierre, who had been at a loss, sighed in relief.

Celian picked up her fork again as a reward for her husband’s softened gaze. She seemed to understand why Izer had threatened Celian by using his own health as hostage.

“Izer, it’s just one broken vase. Percy is reflecting too. You should also lighten up and forgive Percy.”

“Can you say that after seeing the state of his reflection essay?”

“Not everyone in the world writes as well as you do.”

As soon as Celian retorted, Izer’s lips clamped shut like a clam. The slight upturn of his mouth corners was evident.

The morning’s cold war ended there for now. After finishing their meal, Izer and Celian moved to the second-floor living room. Percy, who had cleaned his plate despite his upset feelings, disappeared to his room with Miss Lierre.

Celian spoke to her husband following behind in the sunlight with a cheerful tone, pushing aside the morning’s awkward atmosphere.

“It’s sunny as if there was never a storm. Once the roads are cleared up a bit, we could go out……”

“It’s not about penmanship, Lian.”

“……Huh?”

Celian realized Izer had brought up that topic again. Her husband’s eyes were serious as she turned halfway around to face him.

“The letters got bigger toward the bottom. He used tricks to fill the required length. You know that too.”

“But Izer, asking a child to write a five-page reflection essay in one day was unreasonable. It was too much.”

“It’s not too much. Percy is nine years old now. He’s old enough to go to boarding school. We can’t coddle him forever.”

“You’re not coddling him at all. Miss Lierre is a good tutor, and Percy is a good child.”

The direction of Percy’s education was one of the elements where the couple’s opinions didn’t align. Izer, who had let the child play when he was young, had revealed his ambition to raise Percy as the finest boy in Treven as soon as Percy turned eight.

But there was someone here who could neutralize even this strict man. Behind the door Celian gently opened, a small bed was visible. The maid sitting beside the baby’s crib reading a book bowed silently to the master couple.

When entering the nursery, all adults whispered as if by agreement.

“Is she sleeping?”

“It seems so.”

Celian felt a movement behind her. It was the sound of Izer stepping forward to see the baby.

“Did she eat her soup?”

“Yes, she finished it all today too. You don’t know how gentle and lovely she is, Your Grace.”

“Did she pee too?”

“Of course. The moment she whimpered, I changed her diaper right away.”

The topic of conversation conducted in such businesslike tones, as if checking the current status of a business partner, was extremely cute.

Celian held back her laughter and looked down at the baby. She still remembered Izer’s face becoming terrifyingly grim as if Owen’s medical diagnosis was a death sentence.

“You’re pregnant. About two months, I think……”

“How do we get rid of it?”

That day Celian had a huge fight with Izer.

To her declaration that she would give birth no matter what, Izer growled that he couldn’t allow such a terrifying thing. To her hysterical cry asking if he was human for talking about killing the baby as soon as he learned of its existence, he responded that her husband was a bastard then and now.

A chill settled over the house that had been peaceful for a while. Celian packed her bags and moved to the villa. Izer, who came carrying her favorite foods and flowers, was nicely kicked out at the door. It was for the cruel reason that he might have put medicine to kill the baby in the food.

After a week of separation from Celian, Izer raised the white flag with a haggard complexion.

“I lost. Do as you want.”

If she was going to give birth, it had to be as safe and healthy as possible. From that day on, the ducal residence’s dining table was filled with foods said to be good for mothers and fetuses. Dr. Caleb’s letters that flew to their house every other day contained detailed methods for caring for expectant mothers and lists of foods Celian had particularly enjoyed eating when she was pregnant.

Although unlike the first pregnancy, which was quiet throughout, the second one frequently involved Celian rushing out of the dining room with nausea just from smelling food.

On such days, Izer would immediately put down his utensils and follow her. Bending down or kneeling became his basic posture.

Celian was too honest to lie and say she was fine to her husband, who looked like he had vomited too.

“Izer, I think one child is enough……”

Izer looked at her belly, which showed signs of swelling even though it had been only a few months, and firmly suppressed the words “let’s get rid of it right now.” Because carelessly trying to kill a healthy fetus with drugs would endanger Celian too. For that reason alone, he prayed to God every night, hoping the baby would be healthy.

“Please give me a daughter. If it’s a son, I don’t think I could look at him kindly.”

Fortunately, God heard his prayers.

Thanks to being born a daughter, Estelle Chesterfield, who received overflowing love instead of her father’s jealousy and resentment, was destined to grow up as a young lady like a white lily. Very pretty and splendid, but with a fragrance toxic enough to kill small animals.

The ‘small animals’ dying beside her would be young men, and the toxic ‘fragrance’ would be Izer Chesterfield’s murderous gaze. Anticipating the future, Bess thought her first niece’s prospects were simply pitiful.

But that was still a future more than ten years away, and the baby now was sleeping peacefully.

Celian whispered to the maid.

“Change Estelle’s clothes. The muslin dress we bought last week would be good. The beige one with purple ribbon, you know what I’m talking about, right?”

“Yes, I’ll put beige shoes on her too. I’ll dress her up very prettily, so don’t worry, my lady.”

The baby opened her sleepy eyes at the adults’ voices. Though she looked tired, unfortunately today’s nap ended here.

***