Chapter 19
Scrape, scrape.
He scraped a ripe apple into a fine puree for the baby to eat.
When Matthias brought a spoonful of the finely mashed apple to the child’s lips, the baby opened its tiny mouth and began to nibble and suck happily.
“He’s eating…”
“Looks like he was hungry. We shouldn’t give him too much apple, though. I’ll get some formula ready.”
“I’ll mix it right away.”
Maybe the sweet apple had awakened the baby’s appetite, because the child finished an entire bottle of formula afterward.
Then, with a tiny burp, the baby hiccuped.
Matthias gently rubbed the baby’s back with practiced ease.
Soon enough, the baby, safe in his arms, began to nod off.
After crying all day, the little one was exhausted—and now, with a full belly and Matthias’s gentle touch, he drifted quickly into slumber.
Soft, steady breaths filled the air.
As Matthias listened to the peaceful sound of the baby’s breathing, he turned his head slightly.
“Right, I actually came to tell you something. The village chief… isn’t going to…”
He paused mid-sentence.
Eleanore, who had left the baby in his care, had fallen asleep sitting on a wooden stool.
Her head was drooping forward, her posture awkward and uncomfortable, but she seemed too tired to notice.
Matthias called to her softly.
“Baby’s mother.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t sleep here like that. Go upstairs and rest properly. Baby’s mother?”
Eleanore didn’t stir in the slightest—fast asleep.
She wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away.
The same could be said for the baby nestled against Matthias’s chest.
Matthias let out a quiet laugh.
“Mother and child, both sound asleep…”
After a moment of hesitation, he went upstairs and brought down a blanket.
He spread it gently over Eleanore’s shoulders.
He could have picked her up and carried her to bed, but he knew that if he did, she’d probably wake in a panic.
That morning, Sophie had left early to attend her youngest daughter’s wedding in the city, so Eleanore would be able to rest quietly in the kitchen without anyone disturbing her.
“Let’s put you to bed, little one.”
Matthias pressed a gentle kiss to the baby’s forehead—a habit from caring for his younger siblings—and carried the sleeping child upstairs.
All the while, he was fully aware of the presence watching them from outside the inn window.
* * *
The person watching Eleanore, the baby, and Matthias was none other than James.
“That wretched woman,” he muttered.
“She’s a witch. She must be a witch.”
Thinking about it, everything had gone wrong ever since Eleanore appeared.
He had been humiliated in front of the entire village, and his godfather had fallen into financial hardship.
Things had gotten so bad that when James’s father went to see the village chief, the man refused to meet him, saying he had no time.
“She fooled everyone with that innocent face.”
Just as she had smiled sweetly and tempted him before, she must have deceived others in the same way.
And now it turned out she had a man hidden away all along—
a big, rough-looking brute who seemed more like a mercenary than a gentleman, with the face of some courtesan’s gigolo.
All this time, she had hidden the fact that she had a man.
She had pretended to be pure and tragic so that everyone in the village would pity her.
But in truth, she was the most vile woman of all.
“Argh!”
Unable to contain his fury, James stomped hard on the ground.
His rage boiled over.
He was the victim—the one whose heart had been trampled by that viper—so why was everyone taking her side?
He felt humiliated.
The one who had truly blackmailed him and ruined the chief financially was Matthias, but James’s twisted anger had nowhere to go, so he turned it all toward Eleanore.
He lingered near the inn for a long time.
About an hour passed before—
Click.
The door opened.
“Phew.”
Matthias stepped outside, holding the baby in his arms.
The baby, who had woken up, was fussing softly.
“You ate plenty, so why the fuss?”
“Huuh… waaahhh.”
“You’ll wake your mother at this rate. Let’s take a walk.”
With the baby in his arms, he started down the narrow forest path.
Startled by Matthias’s sudden appearance, James hid behind a tree until he was out of sight, then crept out cautiously.
His heart pounded.
Matthias had left the inn.
That meant only one thing—Eleanore was alone inside.
Glancing around, James crept toward the inn.
Through the window, he saw her—Eleanore, sleeping soundly.
She wore a simple brown dress.
At first, that modesty had been what he liked about her.
Modern women, he thought, were obsessed with luxury and jewels, but Eleanore had seemed frugal and down-to-earth.
But now he knew—that too had been an act.
“She needs to be taught a lesson.”
A woman like her had to be punished—so she would learn fear, learn who he was.
She would kneel before him, beg for forgiveness, and plead for her life.
James’s eyes darted around.
Beside the inn, a pile of firewood was stacked against the wall.
It hadn’t rained in weeks, so the wood was bone dry.
He reached into his pocket and brushed his fingers against the item inside.
He swallowed hard and glanced around once more.
No one. There was no one.
Chhh—
Chhk, chhk.
Fwoosh.
The small spark began to spread.
A cruel grin twisted across James’s face as the flames began to crawl outward.
* * *
Why was the road of parenthood so long and grueling?
Just when you got used to one thing, another problem arose—and when you finally solved that, yet another challenge appeared.
At least the baby seems calmer now, Eleanore thought with relief.
Watching the baby drink his formula soothed her.
She was exhausted from comforting him all day, but the poor child must have been even more tired.
He was only a few months old—everything in the world was still new to him.
“Yawn…”
Eleanore covered her mouth as she yawned.
Watching Matthias sway gently with the baby in his arms made her eyelids grow heavy.
Maybe it was the release of tension, but drowsiness washed over her.
Before she even realized it, she was fast asleep.
It was a deep, dreamless sleep.
After some time had passed, she awoke to a strange, suffocating heat.
“Huh…?”
Her eyes opened to a haze of smoke.
“What the— cough, cough—what’s happening?”
She began to cough violently.
Her mind was foggy, unable to process what was going on.
Just moments ago, Matthias had been rocking the baby to sleep—she was sure of it.
But now, both he and the baby were gone, and the entire room was filled with smoke.
Her nose burned; every breath stung.
She could barely breathe.
It was as if… there was a fire.
“The baby! Matthias!”
She shot up and cried out.
“Baby! Cough, cough!”
Her coughing fit worsened.
Frantically, she searched for something to cover her mouth and nose.
There—a blanket lay on the floor.
She soaked it with water and pressed it over her face.
With the damp blanket shielding her from the smoke, she stumbled toward the kitchen and escaped into the hallway.
Oh, no.
The dining area on the first floor—the part of the inn used as a tavern—was completely ablaze, flames spreading rapidly across the wooden walls.
Thankfully, the main door still looked clear of fire.
But Eleanore couldn’t bring herself to run straight for it.
Her baby nephew might still be upstairs.
What on earth had happened while she’d been asleep?
Was it a tragic accident? A natural fire? Or… had the duke set it on purpose?
Her mind was a mess, but first things first—she had to find the baby.
She ran upstairs, calling out desperately.
“Baby! Baby!”
She flung open every door—hers, the baby’s, even Matthias’s.
But the baby was nowhere to be found.
A wave of fear mixed with relief washed over her.
Wherever the baby was, at least he wasn’t trapped in this fire.
Cough, cough.
The heat was growing unbearable.
Eleanore hurried back toward the staircase—
—but when she reached it, she froze.
“No…”
The flames that had been spreading below had already devoured the wooden stairs and were now crawling upward toward her.
