Chapter 26

– Chapter 26 —

The moment he came into contact with the employee and felt uncomfortable all over his body, Aiden thought of Erin.

After this moment passes, he will go to Erin and receive a very sweet reward.

Thinking about it that way, his heart pounded at that awfully good moment.

He’s looking forward to it.

Just like a candy you eat after taking a medicine that is bitter enough to make you vomit as soon as you put it in your mouth, it becomes incredibly sweet after.

While leaving the employee behind and heading to Erin’s place, Aiden changed his mind.

He thinks that this training is not too bad.

To him, Erin felt like a panacea.

Far from feeling unpleasant when coming into contact with Erin, he felt comfortable, warm, and pleasant.

It was so sweet that it could numb the tip of his tongue. Thus, it was addicting.

Thinking of Erin like that, it seemed that he would be able to overcome having contact with other people.

She was really an interesting wife.

The more he thought of Erin, the more subtle his smile grew.

His steps quickened as if he was running.

Aiden and Erin were sitting in the pavilion.

Erin’s hand fell from the top of his head before he knew it.

Aiden couldn’t help but feel empty about it.

He didn’t want to touch anyone else, but he wanted to keep feeling Erin’s touch.

Aiden glanced at Erin, then slowly tilted his head to the side.

He rested his head on Erin’s shoulder.

“Aiden…..?”

Aiden closed his eyes.

When he didn’t respond, he felt Erin’s gaze looking down at him.

“Aiden. Are you perhaps tired?”

Erin asked cautiously in a low voice, as if not wanting to disturb him.

“Ngh……”

Aiden buried his face on Erin’s shoulder, pretending to be asleep.

The sound of Erin’s laughter mixed in the air was openly heard by his ear.

The wind blowing with her laughter felt good to him.

He feels like he could really sleep like this, not long after feeling hazy.

But at that moment, he felt one hand of Erin supporting his head and the other gently grabbing his shoulder.

Aiden entrusted himself to Erin the way she did.

Erin dropped Aiden lightly from her shoulder.

I want to stick with her longer.’

The body temperature he had been feeling for a while had disappeared, and Aiden was sad as he closed his eyes.

Erin carefully grabbed Aiden and laid his upper body down.

Aiden’s head rested on Erin’s lap.

Before he knew it, Aiden was resting on Erin’s lap.

“You’re tired, right. Get some rest.”

Erin said that while stroking his hair.

Aiden tensed his body in that unexpected situation.

Then, he quickly relaxed his body, fearing that Erin would feel heavy on her legs because of him.

All of Aiden’s bewildered actions were transmitted through Erin’s knees.

Erin said with a small laugh. “Aiden. You’re not really asleep, right.”

Aiden closed his eyes tighter at Erin’s words, who was already convinced.

He knows he has already been caught, but he hates the idea of having to wake up and open his eyes now.

Erin’s eyes narrowed and then curved at his stubborn act of pretending to sleep.

Of course, Aiden couldn’t see her smile with his eyes closed.

Erin patted Aiden on the head, even though she knew that he was pretending to be asleep.

Then she spoke softly, as if talking to a sleeping person.

“If it’s too hard for you, don’t force yourself.”

“I proposed this in the hope that the same thing would not happen to Aiden in the future. But, I did not want to torment you.”

Erin said that to Aiden with sincerity in every word.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do either

If there had not been anyone around Aiden to care for him, he would have found a way to slowly improve his condition on his own.

But he was the heir to the Leinster Family.

For now, they might just think of it as part of his personality, but later on, when he goes out into the social world, there will be people who’ll notice.

Notice that Aiden felt afraid of others’ touch, his weakness.

If this fact became known, there would be too many people from all sides who would pressure him.

If possible, I want to help him overcome this trauma and get along well with others while he’s still young

In the current situation, this was the best way Erin could think of.

“Even so…..

Erin said while pressing Aiden’s forehead, which tensed when she looked.

“Make sure you will never overdo it.”

Erin’s resolute words were filled with worries.

Aiden, who had once opened his heart, worked hard not to disappoint her, even though it was still difficult.

Even though that appearance was praiseworthy, she was feeling thankful.

So, even more, she wanted to be of strength to Aiden.

It was then that Aiden, who had been stubbornly pretending to be asleep, woke up.

He got up and looked straight into Erin’s eyes.

“It wasn’t hard.”

“Really?”

Erin looked at Aiden’s expression and widened her eyes.

Aiden opened his mouth with a reflection of Erin in his eyes.

“If I endure it a little bit, I can be praised by

Erin.”

“Whenever I think about it, I’m looking forward to it.”

Aiden smiled widely.

“Alright. From now on, I’ll do whatever Aiden wants.”

“Okay. That’s enough for me.”

Erin didn’t even know what Aiden was thinking while he smiled like that.

However, one thing she could be sure of was that Aiden’s smile was real and that he looked better than before.

Erin ruffled Aiden’s hair more pleasantly.

Erin was quite satisfied with it as it is now.

Whitney’s matter has been solved, and under Erin’s management, the employees start working in their respective positions.

The relationship between Aiden and the Duchess was a matter that had to be developed little by little.

Aiden was also training every day to make contact with others.

This current condition was a very calming

thing.

Erin smiled satisfied.

But truthfully, there was still someone whom he did not have much interaction with yet.

Duke Logan Leinster.

Up until now, Erin did not pay much attention to the Duke.

Even if there is a part that raises some doubts, it won’t change much.

The Duke of Leinster is someone who has no interest in anyone.

Neither in the Duchess nor in his son, Aiden, was he interested.

He only fulfilled his duty as a duke.

So Erin tried not to do anything about it either.

She thought so.

Until she witnessed the Duke’s unusual appearance in person.

That was during breakfast this morning.

After the Whitney incident, the Duchess actively paid attention to Aiden.

She was the same in the morning when they ate together.

It’s still very awkward, but she passionately asked Aiden questions and wondered about his routine.

In particular, she kept asking what Aiden was thinking and feeling.

There was a conversation between the Duchess, Aiden, and Erin, but the Duke didn’t say a word and just ate in silence.

Erin looked at the Duke without thinking much.

But strangely, Erin could not take her eyes off the Duke.

The Duke might seem to have an expressionless face, but if you look closely, his eyelids occasionally trembled and his neck twitched.

He was staring at her nervously.

The Duke of Leinster was constantly conscious of none other than the Duchess, Isabella.

As he is the most difficult person, she wanted to confirm his reaction.

That’s what it looked like in Erin’s eyes.

She couldn’t believe it at first.

‘No way. I must be mistaken. Maybe he has another reason.’

Erin watched the Duke of Leinster’s behavior, thinking it could be due to some other cause.

In the original story, the relationship between the ducal couple was poor.

The way the two of them looked after returning to the duchy was not much different.

The only exchange between the two was to pretend not to see and faithfully fulfil their duties.

‘But it wasn’t like that?’

Once her suspicion arose, the appearance of the Duke looked different.

The more she watched the Duke put meaning into his actions and observed him, the more she came to the same conclusion.

“So, the Duke of Leinster loves his wife, huh.”

Erin noticed.

After that, the Duke’s new behaviors appeared one by one.

His gaze was always on the Duchess.

Still, he couldn’t get close to her or talk to her properly.

Erin was unfamiliar with the Duke.

The Duke of Leinster was an impenetrable existence.

There was a sense of intimidation that could not be overcome just by him being there.

The numerous rumours surrounding him were also great.

The rumour about the hero that gets the chief’s head of the enemy in a war he went to as a teenager.

That was him, the head of the Leinster family.

The way other people see him as someone who is perfect without lacking anything.

That too, towards the cold-looking Duchess.

Come to think of it, he didn’t attend breakfast just because it was his duty but he attended because it was a time he could see the Duchess under the pretext of his duty.

It wasn’t that he was forced to have breakfast together, but that he wanted to face her even if there was no friendly conversation between them.

‘But why has the relationship between the two of them become like this?’

If he just had expressed his feelings, at least their relationship wouldn’t have been as cold as it is now.

Erin was observing the Duke even until tea time after the meal.

“I’ll take my leave first.”

The Duchess got up first.

Erin’s gaze turned to her for a moment, then to the Duke again.

Before she knew it, he had already raised his head.

The Duke’s gaze followed the movement of the Duchess.

But his mouth was tightly shut, as if he had no intention of opening it.

When the Duchess left and the door was completely closed, the Duke’s gaze fell.

It was subtle but, sadness and regret showed across his face.

That’s how the couple ended their breakfast.

After breakfast that day, Erin went to the Duke on a whim.

“Father! We met here again.”

Erin smiled brightly and greeted him.

The Duke’s eyes looking at Erin were strange.

Neither the Duchess nor Aiden approached the Duke, who always had a serious face.

There has never been a case where he smiled so recklessly.

Erin thought the Duke would simply ignore her of course.

However, the Duke, who was unfamiliar and did not know how to react, did not ignore Erin.

It wasn’t a bad sign.

Rather, she thought it was a positive sign.

‘So, it’ll be okay if I get a little closer, right?’

– To Be Continued –