CH 13

Thanks to Ashte and Nawara for sponsoring this chapter!

5 more left for Nawara. 

At first, things went as planned. Ezekiel noticed at once that this was strange, but he made a fuss even though he knew his wife was not guilty. Losing the ring that symbolized their love must have stimulated his underlying emotions.

[“Erzen! Erzen!”]

How much she laughed at the screams coming from the hallway. Charlotte was extremely determined to keep the two apart. When she gets angry and weeps, no matter how deep her love is, it will cool down.

But after that, things took a strange twist. Ezekiel didn’t leave his wife’s room all night. And what that meant was obvious.

‘After having Miguel, he never slept with me.’

Charlotte’s expression hardened. She tried to hide her impatience, but it was not easy for her. As she looked at her son in her arms, she whispered a promise to him.

“Don’t worry. Your mother will surely take her place.”

As soon as Charlotte finished talking, the child opened his eyes. The child who saw the mother’s face blinked his eyes beautifully and laughed.

“Ahh…”

“Madam! Are you okay?”

The moment she saw the child’s golden eyes, her head felt dizzy. She looked into her son’s eyes as if she was possessed then Charlotte beckoned her maids to support her.

“Yes, Miguel… As long as I have you…”

A strange sense of satisfaction calmed Charlotte even in the midst of her emptiness. She leaned down and kissed her son’s forehead reverently.

The child let out a high-pitched laugh.

**********

Ezekiel had been constantly looking for Herace since that day. Herace closed her eyes and bit her lips every time he came, but she didn’t say anything. Taking off her robe and getting to bed quietly became part of her routine.

He took everything away from Herace when he stormed in every other day. Not only physical strength, but also sleep and time. Herace, who used to hug Erzen from morning till evening, fell asleep late in the morning and would fall into a coma-like sleep until afternoon. Erzen struggled, missing his mother’s arms, but it was not easy to wake her up as if she were dead.

Herace looked at the child, who was smiling as if he was happy to see her, with an apologetic face as she tried to breastfeed him in the late afternoon. But even she couldn’t even do that because Herace felt like her chest was going to fall off.

Besides, even her milk didn’t come out like before, so Erzen couldn’t fill his stomach from his mother’s milk alone. If not for his nanny, Erzen would have otherwise struggled with hunger and a slender belly.

There was only one good thing that happened after her husband started looking for her. Some of the fats she had been suffering from since giving birth had gone away. But for Herace, being forced to take time away from her son was a loss more than anything else, so exhaustion and depression were all over her face.

Anna, unable to see Herace’s pale face, stepped out. Instead of telling the helpless-looking woman to rest more, Anna smiled brightly, suggesting that she build up her stamina. Herace, who had only been looking at her sleeping son with a dazed mind, was led outside by Anna.

“I’d rather stay with Erzen…”

“The young master is asleep. It’s good to be beside him, but you need to be healthier than you are now to take good care of him.”

“…..”

“Once the young master learns to walk, you’ll have to go for a walk together. If even a short walk is difficult, the young master who will run around later on will frustrate you.”

Thinking of her son playing in the airy garden made her heart warm. Herace nodded slightly and touched the well-groomed bushes. It was a warm day, so a greenish color filled the whole place. In the fresh air that could not be compared to the inside of a room, Herace walked with a slightly relaxed face.

She was a little out of breath after being under the warm sun for a long time. Herace stopped walking and found a place to sit. In front of a round arch with rose vines, a long, flat marble chair greeted her. When Herace settled down, Anna sat right next to her and took out a handkerchief.

“The sun is shining a little intensely.”

A worried hand came down, wiping the sweat on her lady’s forehead. But the handkerchief that reached her chin couldn’t go any lower.

Herace was wearing a dress with a collar that reached almost to the neck. She wore a dress with a slender neck, exactly as worn by priestesses at the temple. The tender skin on her neck that was exposed below the embroidered ends of the fabric were red. Anna, who looked at it with upset eyes, finally said something, “Just wear a comfortable dress and put something around your neck.”

Herace blushed slightly and placed a finger on her neck. Her bruised neck was a mess. It was the work of her husband Ezekiel.

Thanks to this, Anna had to go through the trouble of carefully applying medicine to her Lady three times a day. However, once she healed, it will go back to the same state again.

“It’s embarrassing to be seen by others. I’m actually ashamed of what you see… “

“But, that’s the master’s fault. How can it be like this every time… Once we go back, I’ll apply another layer of medicine.”

Herace nodded, patting the irritated skin one more time. The two got up. There was still a lot to see in the garden. But before they could even take a few steps, someone called them.

“It’s been a while, Madam.”

The owner of the voice was Charlotte. Ezekiel’s mistress, and the woman who gave birth to her husband’s child on the same day as Herace… Anna, recognizing the owner of the dazzling blonde hair, openly frowned her face. Ignoring the sour mood, Charlotte slowly approached Herace.

As their distance grew closer, those standing behind Charlotte bowed hastily to Herace. Herace’s blue eyes saw a cloth carried by someone who seemed to be a nanny. It was hard to see because it was wrapped tightly, but it was clearly the child named Miguel. At first glance, his silver hair that was the same color as her husband’s hair could be seen.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen each other alone isn’t it?”

After seeing the child for a moment, Herace looked at Charlotte, who spoke to her, with a puzzled look on her face. She thought they might meet one day, but she never dreamed that it would be now. As she closed her mouth with a bewildered look on her face, Charlotte spoke again with a lively voice.

“You should have made time sooner…”

Herace’s face hardened slightly at the tone that seemed like she was talking to a subordinate. Charlotte held her head high and didn’t bow her head when she saw Herace. She was acting as if she were superior to Herace.

“Well, it’s all right, now that we’ve met like this.”

To anyone who didn’t know, Charlotte would’ve looked like the Duchess. Dressed in a blue satin dress and adorned with jewels, she was gorgeous and didn’t look cheap. Her shoulders and chest area were exposed a little too much for the weather, but the silk woven lace adequately covered it, giving a natural feel.

In comparison, Herace wore a comfortable ivory dress with a small pearl earring and a gold ring. The corners of Charlotte’s lips rose slightly as she glanced up and down at Herace’s monotonous outfit.

“…Let’s go, Anna.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Herace, who didn’t want to face Charlotte, turned away. Anna quickly followed after her. There was explicit hostility behind Charlotte’s smile, as if it was directed towards an opponent.

“Are you ignoring me and my son now?”

Herace’s intentions were clear, but Charlotte followed her with her long dress. She reached out to Herace as if it were natural. Anna did not hide her contempt as Charlotte’s hand was about to touch Herace’s shoulder.

“What are you doing!”

The well-groomed hand moved away. Herace sent glances to Anna at what she had said. But unlike Herace, who wanted to end the encounter, Charlotte raised the corners of her lips and lifted in her hands. She moved her hand and twisted the ring in her finger a few times and then…

Slap!

“Ahh!”

“Anna!”

How strong are those thin arms? Anna crumpled to the floor right away. Surprised, Herace leaned over to Anna, who had fallen. Her cheek was red and bleeding. It was clearly cut from something.

Herace looked at Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte turned her ring back to its place, watching the two women slumped beneath her. The large sapphire on her index finger had a little bit of red blood on it.

“How dare a maid treat me like this, the one who gave birth to Serpence’s heir… Consider yourself lucky that it’s just like this.”

“A maid? And what of you? You’re a filthy b*tch who’s no better than a maid! You seem to be proud of having a child even when you’re just a mistress. Yes, you are a mistress! A dirty mistress that steals men from other people!”

Although wounded, Anna’s spirit did not die. Anna screamed at her as she got up. She wasn’t going to run away, but Charlotte flinched as she tried to back away, blushing, and then paused. She was not a filthy woman, and she was not a maid… She raised her venomous eyes and lifted her hand again.

“What? You arrogant thing!”

Slap!

Charlotte was about to swing her hand but instead a sharp sting touched Charlotte’s cheek. Charlotte, who had never imagined that she would be hit, looked at her opponent with dazed eyes.

“How dare you…”

Herace was glaring at Charlotte. The trembling body and swollen palm looked fragile, and only the blue eyes were fierce. Herace showed her anger at Charlotte and smirked.

“Who do you think you are to hit my maid?”

“You… you…”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that, you lowly mistress.”

There was no woman who didn’t know what to do when faced with her husband’s mistress. She was a noblewoman too… The true Duchess.

Charlotte held her swollen cheek and pointed her finger at Herace. She wrinkled eyebrows and pursed her lips. Charlotte’s face was a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

“Haah… it may not be official, but I’m more or less at the position of a noblewoman…”

Charlotte knew who she was. Although she gave birth to a son who was close to becoming successor, she was still a mistress from lowly origins. Even in the past, she knew that she had nothing to say even if she was stoned to death by Herace, an aristocratic Duchess.

But she felt strangely confident. Somehow she thought she could do this. Behind her was her son cheering her on. It’s okay. Anyway, this woman’s place will soon be hers. She can pretend a little ahead of time…