Although Elodie couldn’t accept it in her heart, she knew in her mind that Theodore Baniche was her father. So, the exchange happening between Duke Baniche and the old lady…

“Elodie, would you like to do some coloring?”

At the sudden question, all three turned to look at me. Among them, Elodie’s eyes were the widest.

“Coloring? Why?”

“Because I have something to discuss with these two.”

Elodie raised her head.

“I want to stay with Aria!”

“No.”

I spoke firmly.

“This is a conversation only for adults. Elodie, can you be by yourself for a little while?”

Elodie hesitated for a moment, but instead of being stubborn, she reluctantly took out her coloring book.

“…But you have to come back quickly.”

“Of course.”

I turned to the Duke and the old lady.

“You two won’t talk for long, will you?”

“We’ll try not to.”

Unlike the Duke who answered immediately, the old lady took a moment.

“…There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Really?”

I stared at her intently.

“…”

Instead of answering, the old lady slightly averted her gaze. I let out a deep sigh. It seemed I needed to provide some assistance to these two presumed mother and son.

“Both of you, please come this way.”

I guided the Duke and the old lady to the storage room attached to the cafe. It would be a lie to say I didn’t think about respecting their privacy. But this conversation could determine Elodie’s future. For Elodie’s sake, I needed to know exactly what their relationship was. As I entered the storage room, I briefly explained.

“This storage room is fireproof, so it also blocks sound. You can rest assured that your conversation won’t leak out.”

“Thank you.”

Again, the old lady didn’t respond. Instead, she just looked down at her hands. I thought Duke Baniche might say something, but he too remained silent. Contrary to the expectation that they would start talking immediately, it took quite a while for the silence to lift.

Finally, it was the old lady who spoke first.

“…It’s been a long time, Theodore.”

“So you’re not denying it anymore.”

There was relief in Duke Baniche’s voice.

“Why did you deny it earlier?”

“I was afraid.”

“…Of me?”

“No.”

The old lady shook her head.

“I didn’t want Elodie to know that I’m her grandmother.”

“Why?”

I couldn’t hold back anymore and interjected.

“Elodie likes you. If she had known earlier that you were her grandmother…!”

“In this world, things aren’t always what they seem.”

The old lady answered with a sigh in her voice.

“You’re too young to understand that, Miss Bertin.”

“…I never dreamed that Mother was in this village.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

The old lady spoke in a half-mocking tone.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t hide knowing Elodie was my granddaughter. I simply cared for her thinking she might be my granddaughter. Then you appeared.”

“So that’s when you found out. That Elodie was your granddaughter.”

“Yes.”

The old lady nodded.

“…Why did you avoid me?”

Duke Baniche’s voice was dripping with hurt feelings.

“Because when I left, you weren’t in your right mind.”

The Duke looked as if he’d been hit on the head. The old lady gave a bitter smile.

“You’re not denying it.”

“…No.”

“Elodie is my granddaughter, but you are my son. I saw with my own eyes how you were falling apart, how could I dare face you?”

“It was my fault then.”

“Theodore.”

The old lady called him in a gentle voice.

“You know as well as I do that it wasn’t your fault.”

“…But I almost hurt you, Mother.”

“Yes. And you probably tried to hurt Miss Bertin here too.”

“…!”

A trembling voice escaped from the Duke’s lips.

“How did you…”

“No one knows a child better than their mother.”

The old lady turned halfway.

“I apologize for the many offenses, Miss Bertin. I’ll apologize on his behalf, so I hope you can forgive my foolish child.”

I was just opening and closing my mouth, unable to find words to respond, when—

“Mother, you don’t need to do that.”

Duke Baniche stepped towards me. I inadvertently looked up to see strange emotions swirling in his red eyes.

“I’ll apologize formally. I troubled you with baseless assumptions without knowing you well. I ask for forgiveness for all the rudeness I’ve shown until now.”

“…”

I swallowed dryly. To be honest, the troubles caused by Duke Baniche felt like ancient history. Right now, he was a father doing his best for Elodie, and that was the only fact that mattered to me. But if my words could bring some peace to this mother and son…

‘I might as well do it.’

I looked straight at the Duke.

“I forgive you.”

“…!”

The Duke’s eyes widened.

“And as much as you’re sorry to me, please be even better to Elodie. Elodie is really…”

My throat choked up and my eyes stung, causing me to blink.

“precious to me.”

“It’s the same for me.”

The Duke answered quietly.

“I swear on my life, Elodie…”

“That’s enough.”

The old lady, or should I say Duchess Baniche?

She cut off the Duke’s words.

“No one is asking you to give up your life. So it’s best not to say such extreme things.”

“…”

Duke Baniche didn’t seem to agree with the old lady at all, but he didn’t argue. An awkward silence fell. I couldn’t find anything to say and just rolled my eyes around. The silence would have lasted even longer if the door hadn’t suddenly opened.

“Elodie!”

Startled, I turned around and approached Elodie. Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly locked the door. But I thought it would be fine since the conversation inside couldn’t possibly leak out…

‘Was she scared being alone?’

Seeing Elodie’s face all covered in tears, my guess turned into certainty.

“Elodie.”

As I knelt down and hurriedly hugged her, I heard a small sniffling sound.

“Why, were you very scared?”

“…”

“It’s okay. The adults are done talking now. Let’s go outside and play, okay?”

Elodie shook her head in my arms. I took a deep breath. Surely not…

“Grandmother.”

Oh no.

“Is she really my grandmother? My real, real grandmother?”

She heard everything. Is this what it means to feel devastated? I closed my eyes. This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out.

‘I should have locked the door. No, she definitely shouldn’t have been able to hear before it opened…’

I opened my eyes. Elodie, her eyes welling up with tears again, was looking at me.

“I don’t think I’m the one who should answer that question.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood up, still holding Elodie tightly. Elodie, clinging to me, turned her gaze towards the old lady.

“…Is it true?”

Elodie’s desperate voice was heard.

“Are you really my grandmother? I mean, my real grandmother…”

“Yes.”

The old lady answered with a voice full of regret.

“Elodie, you are my granddaughter. My most precious granddaughter in the world.”

With those words, Elodie’s barely maintained self-control seemed to crumble. She burst into tears with a loud wail. Still holding Elodie, I carefully approached the old lady. The old lady shook her head and tried to step back, but I spoke before she could act.

“You’re her grandmother. Please comfort Elodie.”

“…”

The old lady carefully took Elodie from me and began whispering incomprehensible lyrics into the child’s ear in a soft voice. The effect was immediate. Elodie stopped crying abruptly and looked up at the old lady with wide eyes.

“It’s the lullaby you used to love.”

The old lady smiled faintly.

“How I’ve wanted to sing it to you all this time…”

“I remember.”

Elodie whispered quietly.

“I thought I heard it in my dreams.”

“It wasn’t a dream.”

There was a melancholic tone in the old lady’s voice.

“Ever since you were a baby, you would stop crying whenever you heard this lullaby. Oh, my Elodie… You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Elodie burrowed even deeper into the old lady’s arms. I quietly went outside and closed the door. Right now, Elodie and the old lady needed time to themselves.