Chapter 22

…So…

Somehow, thinking he had been completely defeated, Adolf was tumbling back home.

The words he heard from Michael a while ago were stuck in his head and did not go away.

[I’m talking about not touching that woman.]

[She may be just an interesting person to you, but not to me.]

“…What the!”

Adolf felt heartbroken and kicked a stone in the street for some reason.

“What do you know about her?”

Whether she’s just an interesting person or not, how does he know?

Feeling burnt inside, Adolf sighed deeply.

…But it was clear that the man had intense feelings for that woman. Adolf was actually quite surprised when he heard Count Allison’s voice warning him in a firm voice.

Because he saw in him a new side, he had never seen before. It was clearly a private warning.

A voice full of personal feelings, without thinking about the person’s status or image standing in front of him. 

Such a firm warning voice can only come out when the nobleman is ready to throw everything away.

Of course, it was a voice that had never been said before in front of him. His voice, which he uttered to protect someone, contained a burning desire. 

‘What the hell is the relationship between the two of them, and why is he even doing this to me? And why do I keep getting so disturbed by when I see them together?’

Sigh.

Adolf shook his head and arrived home. Entering his own house, he lay flat on the bed.

“…Well, what exactly is this feeling?”

‘As Count Allison said, am I just looking at her with interest?’ 

Adolf was still unsure of anything about his own heart.

There was only one thing for sure.

Even though he decided not to wonder about her, he kept feeling like he wanted to know more about her. 

Her name. 

Her hometown.

The stories of her past.

He wanted to know what name, personality, and kind of story she had.

“…What kind of person are you?” 

It was such a big deal for him that he kept getting curious about everything about her.

***

It was funny. 

She couldn’t sleep because she was so excited to hear him ask to go on a date. She looked at herself in the mirror, in the morning light. 

Her face was pale after not having slept the whole night.

A tired look after a long time…

As she looked at the unfamiliar face, she smiled.

Meeting with Michael was definitely giving her a different feeling.

She decided to go to work early today. 

She was tired from not sleeping, but she felt good.

It was just achromatic clothes, but the designs were all different. After a while, she picked the design she liked the most and put it on neatly.

“…Why am I so…”

‘You’re nervous, right?’

The whole time she looked in the mirror, her heart was pounding happily as if she had become a teenage girl.

How can a person change because of the meagre feelings that bloomed for a while in their childhood that they couldn’t even remember?

It was unfamiliar. 

It wasn’t like this when Diana died. It has been an insensitive life for a long time. She felt it was embarrassing and thought it was silly, but she decided to accept the excitement after a long time in a pleasant way.

However.

When she got to work early and reached the gallery looking at the dawn scenery of the countryside, she suddenly stopped walking. 

A boy looking at the gallery… 

His back was very familiar. 

The boy, feeling a presence, turned around and met her eyes.

The boy’s eyes widened, and her expression began to waver.

That child is… even if she tries to forget, she cannot forget.

“….Mother?”

“Nick?”

It was Nick.

Nick Whidrian. 

That child came to me.

***

The date with Michael was cancelled immediately, disregarding the sleepless night.

Fortunately, Michael received her message that Nick came suddenly and said it would be difficult for her to see him today.

He was disappointed, but he replied that he would come to see her when the situation was settled.

There were no customers in the shop this morning, and Irwin did not come today for some reason. 

She sat at the table and watched Nick eating the sandwich, and there was an awkward atmosphere between them. 

That would be it…

“Mother!”

It was because Nick, who burst into tears as soon as he saw her earlier, ran to her and hugged her and cried out loudly.

He soon came to his senses and pulled himself away, but there has been an awkward atmosphere ever since.

It was natural.

In the past 7 years, they haven’t even hugged each other, let alone eye contact. Both Nick and Cassia were perplexed for a long time. When he took out her homemade sandwich, Nick was busy munching on it as if feeling hungry.

Cassia looked at Nick quietly, and Nick seemed to have lost weight, perhaps because he hadn’t been eating well for a long time. There was obviously enough fat on his cheeks until the coming-of-age banquet, but now they are slightly dented. It wasn’t as thin as it was, but overall it looked like he had suffered something.

“The sandwiches are delicious, Mother.”

“…I’m glad you like it.”

After eating a sandwich for a while, Nick finally uttered a few word. 

She answered briefly.

Actually, Nick’s visit was quite unexpected. 

She couldn’t even figure out why this child came.

Perhaps the Duke had finished signing the divorce papers. 

The Duke must have let her go. 

He has no reason not to do that. 

Above all, there was a contract between the Duke and Cassia. So, she was somewhat worried about Nick’s visit. If he came to see her, she wondered if something was wrong with the Duke’s family.

…But it was not her concern now.

“So, why did you come to this place, Nick?”

When Cassia asked Nick who put the last piece of sandwich in his mouth, the boy looked at her for a moment.

He looked at her with complicated eyes that she saw for the first time, and he continued chewing the sandwich.

Regardless of why the child came here, his appearance was beautiful. 

Instinctively, Cassia wanted to take care of something more.

“You can talk slowly. More than that, wait a minute, Nick.”

When she smiled, the tense atmosphere seemed to loosen a little.

She got up and went into the kitchen behind the counter to prepare something for Nick.

It was hot coffee and Nick’s favourite tart with cheese.

“This is a new menu item in the cafe, so please try it, Nick. It reminded me of Nick enjoying the cake I made for him.”

Nick glanced at the coffee and tart she offered him and slowly responded with a small ‘Thank you’ and took it. 

She could see Nick’s expression and hands tremble slightly. After taking the tart in his mouth, Nick immediately began to chew.

Tears began to flow from Nick’s eyes. 

Cassia looked at Nick in embarrassment.

“…Why are you crying?”

She pulled out a tissue that was nearby and handed it to Nick. Nick took it and wiped his face. It could be said that it was strange to see the tears shed while enjoying the tart.

Nick couldn’t answer her question for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

“It’s just- it’s delicious.”

“…”

“It is very delicious. And it has always been really delicious. These are the cakes you made.”

“I was just trying to tell you. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed the cake.”

Nick mumbled something incomprehensible. Soon Nick, wiping away his tears, grabbed her hand.

“Mother, please come back to our family.”

Cassia stared blankly at the child.

“I was all wrong.”

“…Nick.”

“It was not that I was unaware of my mother’s hard work. I knew it very well. I wanted to get to know my mother, and I wanted it to be a close relationship.”

“But I was too young to be brave. So, as soon as I came of age, the first thing I wanted to do was visit my mother. I didn’t know she’d be gone so-”

“Nick.”

“I also heard from my father about the contract. If it was all because of us. They say you became our mother to protect us.”

“I- I was all wrong. I don’t want to break up with my mother like this. So, can you please come back to our family?”

Cassia couldn’t easily keep up with words. 

It was because of the bewildering and complicated feelings that came upon her. 

It was confusing. 

Why is Nick suddenly appearing and saying this to her?

It was a kind of request she could not have expected, so she just had to feel full of confusion. 

But how much time has passed? 

Cassia smiled softly at Nick.

“Nick.”

Words fell from her mouth.

“I’m sorry. I am not going back.”

She gently pushed the child’s hand away. 

She could see Nick’s face turning white.

“…Why?”

Nick asked a question. 

A big question filled the boy’s hazy eyes.

“Why aren’t you coming back? Can you please tell me?”

“So, isn’t it much better now? Our relationship. From the beginning, I just entered the Duke’s mansion to protect you guys, and I only left when it was time to leave.”

Perhaps the Duke talked to the children about the contract after she left…

From Nick’s reaction, it seemed that he had not yet heard of Diana’s death. After all, it must be difficult for the Duke to speak easily, and the children must have already made up their minds.

“But…”