Chapter 43
A Mother’s Touch
As Cedric Glaston finished organizing his thoughts, a familiar set of footsteps reached his ears.
The person who appeared was Blan, whom he had sent to investigate the apothecary.
It seemed he had come straight back after seeing Yvonne leave the hotel.
“Boss, I looked into what the Leroy Lady purchased at the apothecary just now.”
Cedric rose from his seat and gave a small nod.
It was a signal for him to continue.
“It was ginger candy.”
“Ginger has a soothing effect on the stomach, so it’s usually sought out by people with weak digestion or by pregnant women.”
Cedric’s steps, which had been headed outside the hotel, paused for a brief moment.
But only for that moment.
As he boarded the waiting carriage, he gave an order.
“Set up a meeting with the Duke of Leroy soon.”
Tap.
Tap…….
Inside the quiet carriage, soaked in the colors of the setting sun, only the sound of fingers tapping against the window frame echoed rhythmically.
It was a habit that surfaced unconsciously whenever Derrick Glaston was deep in thought.
Lately, that habit had been appearing more often.
More precisely, since the garden party.
Running into Cedric in the lounge that day, and the existence of the final lounge he had never been able to confirm, lingered as an unresolved unease and anxiety.
Logically speaking, that alone wasn’t enough to be certain of anything.
Perhaps it was precisely because he couldn’t be certain that he felt even more anxious.
Still, when he thought rationally, his anxiety stemmed from a possibility that was extremely unlikely.
Unless it was a day for bridal lessons or a day Logan permitted it, Yvonne never went out at all.
And yet, why was it?
Why wouldn’t this unease fade.
Why did it only grow stronger with time.
I should have checked back then.
If Cedric hadn’t stopped him, he would have been able to check the lounge before the attendant arrived.
Tap, tap.
Just as Derrick folded his lightly tapping fingers and slammed his fist down unconsciously—
……Yvonne?
The carriage Yvonne was riding in passed right in front of him.
His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight.
If she was returning to the Leroy estate after finishing her bridal lessons, she should have been riding either a Glaston family carriage or a Leroy ducal carriage.
But the carriage Yvonne was in was an ordinary hired carriage.
The moment he realized that, an unpleasant emotion spread rapidly like flames.
The same sense of unease he had felt at the garden party.
After arriving at the estate, Derrick immediately sought out the coachman who had driven Yvonne that day.
“I was told you’re the one who has been escorting Yvonne each time.”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
“Did you take Yvonne all the way to the Leroy estate today?”
The coachman hesitated, unable to answer right away.
According to his original orders, he was supposed to escort Yvonne to her residence.
But he hadn’t fulfilled that duty properly.
However, judging by how Derrick emphasized the word ‘today,’ he sensed that lying would only lead to worse consequences.
“N-No.”
“I let her off at the plaza.”
At the honest confession, Derrick’s gaze sank coldly.
“……Every time?”
“Not every time.”
“There were just a few days like that.”
“There were times she said she wanted to take a walk.”
A chilling chuckle slipped through Derrick’s teeth.
That was the moment suspicion turned into certainty.
Derrick closed his eyes, suppressing the surge of emotion rising within him.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the coachman prostrated himself and begged for forgiveness.
“I-I’m terribly sorry, Sir Derrick.”
“It was my fault.”
“That’s right.”
“It was clearly your fault.”
“And if this matter goes awry, you will be held responsible.”
At Derrick’s lethal warning, the coachman swallowed hard.
His deeply bowed body trembled uncontrollably.
“From now on, if Yvonne asks to be dropped off anywhere other than the Leroy estate, refuse.”
“And report it to me immediately.”
“Y-Yes!”
After dismissing the coachman, Derrick ground his teeth.
Strength poured into his clenched fist.
Based on what had been revealed, there was more than enough possibility that Yvonne had met Cedric.
If not him, then some other man.
So she was pretending to be innocent while fooling around with another man behind my back.
Because Yvonne hadn’t been easy to win over, he had considered waiting all the way until the wedding.
No matter how much she resisted, she would end up marrying him anyway.
There was no need to rush.
But if the woman who shed tears while pretending to be innocent had other intentions, then it was a different story.
Tap, tap.
Derrick’s fingers, which had been tapping the desk irritably, came to an abrupt halt.
At last, he made his decision.
I need to confirm it.
Rather than continuing to be consumed by anxiety like this, it would be better to confirm it now.
And take what was his.
After returning to the estate, Yvonne told Cindy that she had already eaten dinner.
She then bathed alone and stepped out of the bathroom.
She was walking blankly toward her room when she suddenly came to her senses at the smell of food.
“Ugh…….”
Yvonne covered her mouth and hurried into her room.
The food smell didn’t follow her inside, but once her stomach had turned, it refused to calm down.
After dry heaving repeatedly, Yvonne took out the ginger candy she had bought earlier and put it in her mouth.
As the candy melted and the ginger scent spread, her churning stomach seemed to settle.
Only then did the tension drain from her body.
She realized anew how much strength retching drained from a person.
Lying her exhausted body down on the bed, Yvonne traced her lower abdomen.
The hand caressing it trembled faintly.
Her lower belly was still flat.
It was hard to believe that a baby was growing inside her.
She had been taught that pregnancy was a blessing.
But was the child that had come to her now truly a blessing?
Welcomed by no one.
Not even by her mother.
Instead of happiness, she felt only fear and dread.
Should she not have trusted Cedric on the day she ran into him at the exposition?
The thought came too late.
But it was meaningless.
Even if she went back to that day, she would have ended up trusting him again.
She wouldn’t have been able to push him away.
What should I do now…….
As fear swallowed her, the first person who came to mind was her mother.
Her mother had said her body grew weak after giving birth to her.
Unable to entrust the child to her father, she had supported them on her own.
By the time Adel turned ten, she had grown too frail to work any longer.
Still, her mother had been wise.
Whenever Adel faced a difficult obstacle, she would advise her on what to do.
And when Adel followed her advice, even the hardest problems were resolved.
Her mother was weak enough that Adel felt she needed to protect her.
Yet when Adel was by her side, nothing was frightening.
It felt as though any difficult problem could be solved as long as her mother was there.
But now, she wasn’t.
“……Mom.”
She spoke the title aloud for the first time in a long while.
A title that could never receive an answer.
As she spoke the word she had missed so dearly, the emotions she had been holding back surged all at once.
“I’m so scared…….”
The moment the words left her mouth, the fear overwhelmed her.
Never had the world felt as bleak and terrifying as it did today.
For the first time since she began caring for her mother, Yvonne cried out loud.
Like young Adel, crying in her mother’s arms.
When Adel opened her eyes again, the world was bathed in golden light.
It was also the warmest time of day.
As Adel stared blankly out the window, she realized she had become younger.
And that this was not the ducal estate.
This place is…….
It was the house where she had lived with her mother.
And there, naturally, was her mother.
“Adel.”
Her mother stood with the setting sun behind her.
Her face couldn’t be seen clearly.
No matter how much Adel squinted, that part remained blurred, as if erased.
Yet her voice was painfully clear.
In that moment, her mother approached.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s okay, my baby.”
Her mother held the trembling child and soothed her.
Just like she had done in those memories from long ago.
The hand stroking her back.
The warmth.
They were vividly real.
Adel tried to speak the title that had lingered in her throat all this time.
But no voice came out.
The emotions she couldn’t release piled up in her chest and turned into sorrow.
Mom.
Mom…….
Adel desperately clung to her mother.
But there was nothing to grasp.
Only the warmth of being held remained.
The child cried for a long time, overwhelmed by grief.
“Mom…….”
When Yvonne finally stopped crying and opened her eyes again, everything had disappeared.
Only the morning sunlight shimmering at the edge of her vision gently caressed her.
Like a mother’s touch.
