Chapter 13

“…….”

As soon as I heard Leonel’s words, I should have immediately asked who would say such a thing, but I was so startled that I couldn’t say anything in response. Even if it wasn’t her, I wasn’t ready to believe it. Leonel had his own way of deducing things.

“…… Is that really true? “

“Leonel.”

Perhaps because he was still a child and couldn’t control his emotions, tears welled up in his brown eyes. I reached out to console him, but he quickly pulled back, avoiding me. It was just like before. I thought things had improved slightly by facing each other’s faces, but……

“Leonel.”

I didn’t know where to start speaking from. I never expected to lose the trust I had barely gained with Leonel all at once.

Whatever she says, Leonel won’t believe her. He wasn’t the brightest kid in the room, and he’d know if she was lying.

“Why would you think that?”

“…….”

She had known for a while now, but Leonel was afraid of being disliked. So, he had gotten into the habit of keeping things to himself. Even now, he remained silent, not saying anything. Maybe he was afraid that she would dislike him.

“Leonel, it’s okay, just tell me.”

Amelia gave up on going to the restaurant and hesitated in front of Leonel. Even if she ate in this mood, she wouldn’t know if the food would go into her mouth or up her nose. Leonel didn’t ask any questions that might expose her, so she was amazed at how quickly he realized.

“I’ve never said that I’m leaving Siegfried.”

“Mother…… asked me about the culture of nobles.”

Leonel was the heir of the Siegfried family. Naturally, he received a lot of education, including the culture among the nobles. As time passed, Leonel would soon have to start socializing.

“Does that mean I want to leave Siegfried?”

“All the noblewomen Mother asked about were either widows or people who had been thrown out of their families because they couldn’t bear children, right?”

She was trying to mix her questions with other things, but it seems he quickly noticed. She didn’t just ask about noble ladies. As if she was curious, she asked about things related to the palace and the empire.

“And……”

It was hard to figure out her plan based solely on her questions. Anyone who knew Amelia well would know that she would never leave Raphael’s side.

“Above all, Mother hasn’t met Father recently at all.”

“It’s just that we share the same room every day but we don’t meet.”

“Is it because…… you can’t stand him?”

His eyes were filled with tears. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him as she looked into his brown eyes. Amelia chose to change the subject.

“The Grand Duke is busy, so we didn’t have time to meet each other.”

If it were the original Amelia, she would have made an effort to meet Raphael, but recently she had been confined to the library. Somehow, this strange cohabitation grew familiar. They faced each other at night but never exchanged a word. They slept at each end of the bed, afraid that their bodies might touch.

“I’m fine.”

“It seems like there’s some misunderstanding……”

“Now Mother doesn’t have to be sad anymore. It’s better this way.”

Every day, Amelia would get drunk and sob uncontrollably. And she showed all those behaviors to Leonel. It was definitely not just simple drunkenness. It was nothing short of domestic violence.

“Why are you saying these things to me?”

“…….”

“Do you want me to take you with me?”

Leonel’s attitude of giving up without even trying made her strangely angry. She touched the corners of his sunken eyes, which seemed to threaten to spill over at the slightest touch, and a tear slid down her finger. He had become a child who couldn’t even cry out loud.

The truth was that she was angry because she felt sorry for Leonel.

“From now on, don’t call me Mother.”

It’s not that she didn’t think about getting a divorce on her own. Although he was looked down and criticized as a half-breed, Leonel was the heir of the Siegfried family. Escaping Siegfried alone and escaping with Leonel were two different levels of difficulty. It was foolish to choose a harder and more difficult way when there was an easy and comfortable way.

But she couldn’t leave the child behind and turn her back on him. She couldn’t leave him alone in that terrible future.

“…… So should I call you the Grand Duchess from now on?”

With tear-stained eyes and cheeks, Amelia gave a small smile and shook her head. How could she tell him to call his mother Grand Duchess?

“No, I meant that you should call me Mom from now on.”

“Mom…?”

According to her memory, Leonel had never called Raphael and Amelia ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ They were always just mother and father. Even after some time had passed, he only called Raphael ‘Your Grace, Grand Duke.’

“The word ‘Mother’ is too stiff.”

He looked so cute crying with his eyes wide open in surprise that she couldn’t help but smile. Come to think of it, she wanted to pinch those chubby cheeks at least once.

“Ah…!”

“It’s soft.”

“M-mother……please stop.”

“I won’t let go until you call me Mom.”

He must have been so embarrassed that he didn’t seem to know that his tearful reaction was making her even more playful.

“Come on, say it.”

“Mo… Mom.”

A child was still a child, after all. Amelia couldn’t help but laugh brightly at his attempts to hide his emotions, not knowing what to do with her affection. His rosy cheeks and the still-moist corners of his eyes were so adorable.

She knew Leonel’s future. And there was no way she could leave him alone, knowing the horror of it.

***

” ……. “

Beneath a wide, sun-drenched window sat a man who seemed to suit the sun better than anyone else. His dazzling blond hair was so captivating that even the intense sunlight seemed to lose its brilliance.

But there was nothing warm or relaxing about him. Instead, there was a tight tension as if a string had been pulled taut. His sharp golden eyes contracted vertically as though it was searching for something.

“Continue the report.”

“Yes, Her Highness the Grand Duchess is still in the library today.”

Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment at Edward’s words. He tapped his index finger rhythmically on the desk, the weariness of someone in power was evident.

“The library… How many days has it been since the Grand Duchess hasn’t come out of the library?”

“It has been two weeks now. I heard she stays secluded in the library and only comes out for meals with the young master.”

What could be her intention this time? Raphael’s mind was in turmoil because recently, Amelia was doing something she doesn’t usually do.

“Did you increase her budget?”

“Yes, I raised it all as you requested last time.”

There was no problem. She no longer came to him and caused trouble like before, nor did she cling to him unnecessarily. But things didn’t improve no matter what he did. She didn’t appeal to him at all, except for the fact that she resembled Evelyn. She was just a wife he took on impulse. Naturally, there was no way the results would be good.

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess hasn’t visited me for two weeks.”

“That woman?”

“She hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol. Naturally, she hasn’t spent any money either.”

He was annoyed, thinking what method she would use to get on his nerves this time. He couldn’t even understand why he’d let himself be manipulated by such a woman for years. If something bothered him, he could just get rid of it. He had always been that way and he had never hesitated.

Was it because she resembled Evelyn?

“What should we do.”

“Leave her alone.”

She was a woman who would be dealt with soon anyway. It would be better to leave her alone than to scratch an itch unnecessarily. Leonel would soon be old enough to leave his mother’s embrace without any problems.

“Investigate what books she’s reading in the library.”

“Understood.”

Amelia Seraphin, that woman who always called him Raphael as she pleased. But when did it start? She began calling him ‘Your Grace’ instead of Raphael. That wasn’t all. She used to summon him with every excuse imaginable to defy his orders to stay out of his sight. But now, she was making an effort to avoid him rather than to meet him.

“Can a person change overnight?”

It was strange. She was definitely not a woman who could just sit still like this.

A woman who couldn’t fall asleep without alcohol every night would now fall asleep with a fresh face. Her eyes which were full of longing, and her behavior of wanting to touch him, had disappeared as well.

“Yes? If you’re talking about Her Highness the Grand Duchess…”

“I have to find out what kind of act she’s putting on this time.” 

He knew from Edward’s slurred reaction that what he was saying was nonsense. There was no way Amelia Seraphin, that woman, would change.