CH 5

The child was born small and weak due to congenital factors. Moreover, his growth was slower than his peers, and he always carried illnesses. Perhaps it was because of the shocks the mother experienced during pregnancy.

In addition, life as a servant was extremely difficult and harsh. She couldn’t feed the child properly, couldn’t comfortably see a doctor, and couldn’t provide him with the care he needed.

As memories of the past flooded her mind, Lariana shed tears.

“…Lari?”

Cain trembled as he approached Lariana, who was crying uncontrollably. However, she refused his hand. Like an innocent wild animal, she struggled and pushed Cain away, hitting him randomly.

“Kalix always suffered… because I had no money… I couldn’t see a doctor… because I was poor… So why, why did you come now?”

He couldn’t offer any answer to her question. Cain endured everything while keeping Lariana in his arms.

Until the pitch-black night turned into the reddish dawn, Lariana, who didn’t know how to stop her outburst, seemed to have exhausted herself and fell silent.

Amidst the silence that settled in the carriage once again, the delicate voice of Lariana resonated.

“…You have a lot of money, right?”

As if the dawn was seeping into the carriage, a reddish hue began to permeate soon. The two people huddled together also became tinged with red.

“Do you have something you want? If you have good memories in Serren, do you want me to buy it?”

“Ha…”

At Cain’s joke about buying the Serren Kingdom, Lariana faintly smiled. Lifting her body, which had been leaning on Cain, she looked at Kalix lying on the opposite side. Thinking of how she had only suffered so far with the precious son of a Duke, her heart ached.

Cain gently brushed away Lariana’s fallen strands of hair, tucking them behind her ear. The spot where his touch passed felt as if it were on fire. Lariana lowered her head, brushing her ear as if to cool it down.

“Your Excellency. Kalix is in pain. Maybe there was a problem when I was carrying the child… Kalix, Kalix is your son, so please, please make him better.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Cain peered intently at his wife and son sleeping soundly on the opposite sofa in the carriage. In reality, he was focused almost solely on Lariana. How was this possible? Her mysterious blue eyes, which had always been praised by anyone, were still as beautiful as ever.

Her blonde hair, flowing with radiance, her fair skin so pale that veins were visible, and even her cheeks and lips had a pink hue as if perpetually flushed…

She looked exactly like she did when she was once called Martenssen’s Songbird.

Certainly, when she was by his side, she faded away, contrary to being called the belle of society. The last image of his wife that Cain remembered was that of a fragile flower that could wither with even the slightest touch.

And now, Lariana… She looked exactly like Lady Heliosen, the woman he first laid eyes on eighteen years ago.

Her life as a duchess had been slowly killing her, but her life as a servant had unexpectedly brought her back to life.

Could such contradictions exist? Throughout the carriage ride, Cain repeatedly questioned the goddess Vuerin. If he were to have Lariana by his side again, would they inevitably meet the same fate as before?

However, the goddess remained silent.

“Your Excellency, we have arrived at Celese Castle,” announced Hayden, the aide.

As the carriage came to a stop, Cain realized that he had been solely focused on finding Lariana and hadn’t given much thought to what would happen after he found her. In this situation, with nothing having changed between them from the past to the present, he couldn’t bring her back to the ducal estate.

Fortunately, there was a mansion nearby that served as a retreat and was located near the borders of Serren. Except for his early childhood, he had rarely visited it, and it had been forgotten by his family due to the numerous properties they owned. That made it even more suitable for his purpose.

Cain approached the sleeping Lariana. Her hair, tied up in a bun, and her black servant’s attire didn’t suit her at all. Once they reached the castle, he would immediately let her hair down and dress her in a gown.

He cautiously lifted his slumbering wife. As the carriage door opened, he carefully descended with Lariana in his arms.

“Your Excellency… What about the young master?” asked Hayden in surprise upon seeing Cain carrying his sleeping wife instead of their young son.

It was only then that Cain realized Hayden’s inquiry referred to the existence of Kalix.

“Ah… He’s in there, sleeping in the carriage,” Cain replied, gesturing toward the carriage.

He saw his son, who resembled his past self as if looking into a mirror. The moment he laid eyes on Kalix, memories of his childhood naturally flooded back. Emotions engulfed him instantly upon confronting his nightmarish past. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to endure it if he had faced only his son without Lariana.

On a day as joyful as today, he didn’t want to be trapped in hell because of his son’s resemblance to his past.

His tightly sealed lips parted. Looking at his wife in his arms and smiling faintly, he somberly spoke to Hayden.

“Hayden, move the child.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Hayden went to the carriage and lifted the sleeping Kalix in his arms.

With Lariana still in his embrace, Cain headed toward the entrance of the castle. Normally, when they arrived at the main entrance of the castle, the servants would come out and line up, but today there were only the butler and the housekeeper present.

“Greetings, my lord. It’s been a long time.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Denis, the housekeeper.”

The servants, who had been waiting for their lord in the forgotten place, showed a hint of excitement.

Cain nodded nonchalantly to the grey-haired old butler, Luso, and the kind-looking middle-aged housekeeper, Denis.

“Is the bedroom ready?”

“As instructed by Lady Ester, it has been prepared in advance. We have kept only the minimal staff, and Denis and I will be waiting on the third floor, where you usually stay.”

“Carefully chosen individuals, I assume?”

“Of course.”

“I’m tired.”

“I will attend to you, Sir.”

Cain slowly looked up at the castle. The flag bearing the emblem of the Delacroix family, a rose emblem, fluttered as if welcoming guests.

The castle, built of gray granite, wasn’t particularly large, but the verdant turrets gave off a sense of tranquility that resonated with Lariana’s blue eyes. If there was one flaw, it was the patches of ivy clinging to the castle walls.

Seeing the tall and sturdy stone walls enclosing the entire castle brought him a sense of relief.

In this place, Lariana would never be able to escape again, not even for a second.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Denis had worked at Celese Castle for twenty years, but he had never seen the owners even once.

At first, he was curious about the owners. The Delacroix family, who led the esteemed Delacroix Duchy among the three Martessen dukes, intrigued him. What kind of people were the owners?

However, such thoughts vanished after the current Duke of Delacroix, Cain Delacroix, became the lord.

‘The Butcher of Martessen.’ That was the title given to their lord, Duke Delacroix. He was renowned as a hero who defended the Martessen Empire and also known as a merciless killer on the battlefield.

To think that such a monster was the lord… Sometimes, fear would creep into Denis’ mind, wondering if he would be able to preserve his life if he ever came face to face with him.

However, naturally, the actual lord he encountered was not a monster but a human. Granted, he had an unrealistically exquisite appearance and an imposing aura, but he didn’t seem like a monster who randomly killed people.

Moreover, he treated women with great caution. Especially when it came to addressing the lady dressed in a maid’s attire lying on the bed, he treated her as if she was his wife.

“Do we have any sleeping incense?”

“No, we don’t. However, there’s a sorcerer living near the castle, and I can quickly fetch some for you.”

“Alright. Go get it.”

“Well… I will dress the young lady you brought in ragged maid’s clothing in a new negligee for her.”

Denis was concerned about the young lady in tattered maid’s attire whose face was not visible.

He didn’t know where she was brought from, but to catch the attention of the Duke, who was the subject of countless rumors, as a maid…

as a fellow servant, he felt that her future wouldn’t be smooth sailing.

Denis told the young maid to bring the recently acquired negligee, barely salvaging the situation.

“No need. I can do it myself. Prepare some hot water in the bathroom. Your name is Denis, right?”

“Yes.”

“Denis, prepare the hot water and dress for her. Also, summon a skilled doctor, not a sorcerer, to the castle for treatment.”

“Understood.”

“And make sure no one disturbs her until I call for her. Take care to ensure the child doesn’t come to the bedroom. Oh, and it would be a good idea to burn some sleeping incense in the child’s room too.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Due to the eventful night, Lariana felt heavy in her body. As her hand brushed against her abundant hair, she instinctively pulled her son closer, pressing her face against his soft cheek and lightly kissing his cheek. She smelled a refreshing fragrance.

A fragrance reminiscent of alcohol in a young child? Her heavy eyelids quickly fluttered open.

“Lari, are you awake?”

The one she held in her arms wasn’t her son. Cain’s drowsy voice resonated in her ears.

Startled, Lariana sat up, finding it difficult to gather her senses.

Her head felt like it was splitting apart. And why were her eyes so bleary? The room appeared hazy, almost unpleasantly so. Her throat felt dry, making it hard to speak.

“Kalix, where’s Kalix?”

“The child is asleep.”

In a daze, Lariana slowly crawled towards the edge of the enormous bed. Cain followed beside her.

She had been wearing a maid’s attire before falling asleep, but now she was dressed in a revealing negligee. Moreover, her untouched blonde hair cascaded down to her waist.

“M-My clothes…”

“I dressed you.”

Her mind suddenly cleared from the fog of sleep. She realized that she had been dressed in this revealing negligee, leaving her body fully exposed. Rising from the spot, Lariana took a few steps back, using both hands to cover herself.

However, her arms felt smooth and slippery, almost as if they were covered in oil or cream. Could it be…

“B-Bathing… the maid must have done it, right?”

Lariana’s wide eyes looked both adorable and puzzled, causing a slight smile to form at the corner of Cain’s lips. He shrugged his shoulders.

“We are husband and wife. So, naturally, it should be my duty.”

Ha! Lariana let out a loud snort. Filled with discomfort, her body shivered, and she glared at her ‘husband’. Her gaze was inscrutable. There was tension in her clenched teeth, and her fist trembled slightly.

“Are you telling me you took advantage of me?”