#Side Story 3

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While waiting for the ducal couple to arrive and engaging in small talk, the afternoon sunlight gradually stretched deep into the reception room.

The Marquis’s heir, looking out the window, spoke up.

“Look, aren’t they coming?”

He straightened his upper body as if examining something closely, having been leaning against the window, tired of the noble ladies’ tedious chatter.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the window, and Melissa, without realizing it, rose from the sofa and craned her neck to look outside.

“It seems so.”

She sat back down on the sofa calmly, but fidgeted with her bracelet to hide her nervousness.

‘The Duke has really come.’

For some reason, Alicia became more nervous at the news of his arrival and began fixing her pretty dress and already well-rolled hair.

The Marquis’s heir, standing by the window, watched his wife’s behavior with disapproving eyes.

It wasn’t the first time his married wife had shown such behavior in front of young men.

Now she was even displaying her instinct to impress married men—a contemptuous sneer emerged.

“Finally, we get to see the Duke even here in the countryside.”

The noble ladies also seemed somewhat excited.

While they had been living as neighbors with the old duchess of Linderto, it would be their first time seeing her son, the heir to the Linderto family.

And with his wife too.

They had secretly suspected something when Melissa Linderto became a mute doll whenever family conversations started.

That there must be some problem in the Linderto ducal family as well.

Knowing that even a family that had everything had things they wanted to hide gave them a subtle satisfaction.

Of course, they knew it was a frivolous feeling.

“The Duke and Duchess have arrived.”

The butler knocked and announced.

“Very well. They arrived on time. First, bring them to the reception room.”

Not having seen her son and daughter-in-law for a long time, Melissa felt subtly nervous.

Every minute and second felt slow.

After the butler left, shortly after, the reception room door opened.

Those who had been sitting or leaning somewhere rose from their seats in unison, as if they had been waiting for the sound of the door.

Their expressions, all looking at the opened door simultaneously, varied.

But they all tried not to show their surprise.

The ducal couple they had been waiting for looked even more perfect than expected.

The young Duke was so attractive it was eye-catching, and the Duchess beside him exuded pure elegance.

The Marchioness and Countess stared at them with slightly parted lips, and the young Hampton couple also appeared visibly tense.

Dominic and Ellin were equally surprised to see the reception room.

“I didn’t know there would be so many other guests……”

Before Dominic could finish, Ellin moved toward Melissa.

Even before uttering a greeting, Ellin kissed Melissa’s hand and brought it to her cheek.

“I missed you.”

It was an instinctive action she wasn’t even aware of.

Though she had been nervous about how to apologize when meeting the old duchess, upon seeing her, she felt only as if she were meeting her own mother whom she had missed.

Melissa also seemed a bit taken aback by Ellin’s action.

Soon, as the warm feeling transmitted through her hand and heart, Melissa’s resentment melted away all at once like snow.

She was so moved that tears even welled up slightly in her eyes.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well.”

She wanted to maintain a cold expression as if she hadn’t forgiven them yet, but her voice trembled faintly.

Watching the two who needed no words, Dominic laughed with a “hmph,” as if he had known this would happen.

The others, unaware of the inside story, just smiled at each other’s faces.

Unlike their certain(?) expectations, it was a very touching family reunion scene.

* * *

“My goodness, to think the artist who painted that picture was the Duchess.”

“I heard it was the work of some noble lady, but I never imagined.”

The Marchioness and Countess looked at each other in amazement before fixing their gaze on Ellin.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

A somewhat aggrieved look was also directed at Melissa Linderto.

“Do you know how much effort I put into acquiring it? To think the creator was so close by!”

Melissa Linderto’s shoulders rose ever so slightly at their fuss.

“Let’s consider it for the sake of this surprise.”

“I was curious about what kind of person the Duke was. With a son like this, I would have boasted to the entire neighborhood until my mouth dried up.”

The Countess looked at the Duke again with genuinely admiring eyes, and Melissa’s shoulders rose a bit higher than before.

The dinner atmosphere ripened much more pleasantly than Melissa had expected.

The presence of neighbors at what could have been an awkward gathering naturally created a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Throughout this, Alicia Hampton continued to observe the ducal couple with suspicious eyes.

Checking if there was anything suspicious about the seemingly affectionate couple.

Whether they might be pretending to be a perfect couple in front of people.

“Since we’ve gathered for such a meaningful occasion, we should raise a toast.”

Everyone nodded and smiled in agreement with the Marchioness’s words.

As the servants were about to pour wine into the glasses, Dominic lightly stopped a servant from pouring into Ellin’s glass.

Melissa looked at this curiously.

It was at that moment that a slight blush spread across Ellin’s cheeks.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

The other noble ladies were quicker to notice than Melissa, who hadn’t caught on at all.

“Oh my! Could it be!”

“That’s it, isn’t it?”

The two made a fuss and sent congratulatory looks to the couple, but Melissa still hadn’t realized.

“It seems you’ll finally see a grandchild. Congratulations.”

Only then did Melissa understand the reason at the Countess’s words and looked at the couple with a surprised face.

“Is it true?”

When Ellin nodded slightly, the napkin in Melissa’s hand slipped to the floor.

Her eyes, wondering if this was a dream or reality, soon filled with tears.

“Mother.”

Dominic had expected his mother would be happy. However, he became a bit flustered when she was too shocked to continue speaking properly.

“Heuuuuk!”

Everyone at the table didn’t know how to react when Melissa Linderto suddenly burst into tears.

When she, who normally breathed with such dignity, couldn’t hold back and erupted with tears of joy, the ladies sitting beside her also had small tears forming in their eyes.

When Ellin rose from her seat and approached to comfort Melissa, Melissa embraced her tightly with joy.

“I’m so, so happy. Today is the best day of my life. Thank you, Ellin.”

“I’m the one who should be grateful that you’re so happy.”

Ellin also didn’t know how to react to Melissa’s response.

“I… sniff. I wanted such a cute grandchild so badly. Sob.”

Melissa looked childlike and innocent as she brought a handkerchief to her face to sniff back tears and runny nose.

“I’ve never seen the old duchess so happy. Why are we tearing up too.”

The wrinkled corners of the neighboring ladies’ mouths also softened.

The warm atmosphere of celebrating new life enriched the dinner gathering.

Even Alicia Hampton, who had been eyeing the ducal couple suspiciously the whole time, finally let go of her doubts and brought her wine glass to her lips.

She felt foolish about what she had been doing all this time.

From when they first arrived until now, the ducal couple had stayed inseparable, and the Duke’s eyes were filled with affection when looking at his wife.

And what about the Duchess?

She didn’t need to try to show off their marital love in front of others—it came naturally. How much she was loved. And how much she loved her husband.

She felt almost pathetic trying to measure the affection flowing between this couple with her own eyes.

She realized only today that she herself had been unknowingly pretending to have a happy marriage.

That act had been so routine, like breathing, that she hadn’t noticed until now.

She kept drinking from her glass, feeling a mixture of envy and jealousy bubbling up in one corner of her heart at the sight of the ducal couple.

After the warm yet somewhat chaotic dinner ended, all the guests left.

“I think I drank too much today because I was in such a good mood. I’ll head up to my room first.”

Melissa, moved by the news of Ellin’s pregnancy, had drunk wine repeatedly. As a result, she was quite intoxicated and retired early to her bedroom.

The night at the countryside mansion became incredibly peaceful.

Ellin and Dominic came out to enjoy the night air and walked hand in hand.

The white moonlight gently illuminated the two of them.