I Became The Mother Of A Worn-Out Protagonist

Chapter 7

 

I could clearly see through the obvious lie, but I was somewhat pleased to see him desperately trying to protect it. “Thank you, Cassel.”

 

“I-I didn’t come here to hear that!” he quickly retorted.

 

“I know. I’m just glad you came, Cassel.”

 

And I really meant it. The worried expression on his face as he rushed over was incredibly endearing.

 

Then, Cassel’s face turned as red as a radish. He looked around as if he didn’t know what to do.

 

Watching him, I cautiously reached out my hand and gently stroked his soft, curly hair.

 

His body trembled slightly, and his eyes met mine with a mixture of caution, confusion, and undeniable affection.

 

Feeling my fingertips tremble, I wondered if I had ever affectionately stroked his head like this before. “Could I be rejecting such an adorable child… rejection?”

 

My thoughts were strange. In my past life, I was born into a wealthy family, had everything I could want, and my relationship with my family was smooth. Besides, I didn’t dislike children. If anything, I liked them.

 

Could it be that memories from Sheriel were unconsciously influencing me to think like this?

 

“Sorry for touching your head without permission. I was going to brush off the dust.”

 

As I withdrew my hand, Cassel blinked. His touch as he cautiously stroked his own hair was hesitant.

 

Then, as if coming to his senses, he tightly pursed his lips. “Don’t touch my head like that next time.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“And if you’re so sick you vomit, just don’t eat with me.”

 

His unexpected words made my eyes widen, and I chuckled. “Are you worried about me?”

 

“No!”

 

He immediately denied it and turned his head away.

 

“I know you weren’t worried, Cassel. But still, you should try. Once you get used to it, you won’t feel sick anymore.”

 

Of course, eating together for a while would be difficult. The feeling of vomiting was dreadful.

 

But if we gradually improved our relationship through other means, it would be okay to spend more time eating together in the future.

 

“You’re trying? So does that mean you’ll spend more time with me?”

 

His eyes seemed cold as he asked. It felt like there was some emphasis on his last words.

 

“Why is Cassel so angry?” I wondered.

 

“I’m going to spend time with Dad now. Even during meal times like this, you’re going to take him away from me.”

 

His last words seemed to have an accent.

 

“Why? Why is Cassel so upset?”

 

“I’m sorry. Did Mom say something wrong?”

 

At my response, Cassel clenched his lips tighter in discontent. Then he quickly turned his head.

 

As the adorable Cassel’s face disappeared from view, it felt like darkness was enveloping everything in front of me.

 

“There’s nothing wrong. Did I ever care about such trivial things from the start?”

 

“What should I do? Cassel’s mad! How do I calm him down?”

As I hesitated, Casel approached the door as if he were about to leave.

“Casel, just a moment!”

Then the child’s footsteps stopped, and a puzzled face appeared before me.

“Mom, Casel is the most important.”

“So?”

“Spending time with Casel is better and more precious than with anyone else, even if it means observing our cute son from behind.” If only I could see Casel’s cuteness, I could do anything.

Then Casel blurted out, “…Didn’t really ask.”

Wasn’t this it? Yeah. That’s right. Casel still doesn’t really like me much. I felt anxious at the thought of the child suddenly leaving without seeing me. But then, Casel hurriedly approached me and handed me something.

“The maids said you would like this.”

 

As I opened my hand, I saw a cute, round chocolate.

“They say eating something sweet makes you feel good.”

Then, as if he had finished his task, he closed the door and left.

Smiling softly as I looked at the small, round chocolate in my hand that Casel had given me, I couldn’t help but feel worried.

 

‘Will eating this make you feel better? This is the first time I’ve received something like this. It seems like a waste to eat it. Casel.’ My chest felt warm and itchy.

 

***

 

I took a deep breath, relaxing my facial muscles, and knocked on the study door.

The door opened soon. As the secretary who opened the door saw my face, he hesitated and looked inside the office.

 

Then, a man who rose up abruptly approached me. My husband was looking at me with his characteristic stern eyes.

 

But as if in response, I, with a familiar smile, cheerfully said, “I brought this, thinking you might get tired while working. Would you like to have it?”

 

“Fine. Leave it and go,” came his chilly reply, like the winter wind. The secretary, who was trying to read the situation, timidly said to me, “Madam, I apologize.

 

The Duke is quite busy at the moment…” “Lithvel, what are you doing? Close the door quickly.” “Yes, understood.”

 

With a thud, the door closed with a cold sound, and I heard the secretary’s apologetic whisper.

 

The gazes of the maids left alone in the corridor wavered.

 

“Madam, are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine.” I smiled gently and slowly turned towards the bedroom. And as soon as the maids were out of sight, I slammed the bed with frustration and gnashed my teeth.

 

‘How many times is this now! Damn husband!’

 

“Sigh.”

Since that incident, I tried various ways to approach my husband. But every time, he erected a solid wall between us.

 

‘Want to take a walk in the garden together?’ ‘No. It’s fine.’ ‘The weather is nice. You said you wanted to look around the Duke’s estate. Can’t we go together?’ ‘Fine. I decided not to go today.’

 

‘I came to check on the affairs, but there are some parts I don’t understand. Could you spare some time?’ ‘I’m busy.’ Fine. Okay. Busy.

 

Those three phrases coming out of his mouth seemed to drive me crazy. ‘What’s so busy! What’s so fine! Why is it so difficult to say anything!’

 

I buried my face in the pillow. My whole body felt weary and exhausted.

 

Should I really make such an effort for a person I don’t even want to see? But the harmony between parents is also important for the growth of the child.

 

What I, as a mother, couldn’t understand, he as my husband could fill in. For our adorable Cassel, I needed to make a little more effort.

 

“Yes. For our Cassel, there’s nothing I can’t do. If I can only keep our child’s beautiful smile, I can do anything!”

 

Come to think of it, what is Cassel doing now?

 

Because I show concern for my husband, he disappears somewhere and doesn’t even show his face in the garden. “Cassel, I miss you. It would be cute to see you eating cake with squishy cheeks.

 

” Rolling a small chocolate in my hand that I couldn’t eat earlier, I blinked. Then, I heard a knock on the door.

 

I told whoever it was to come in as soon as I heard the sound. The person who came in was Daisy. I was surprised by her sudden entrance and raised my eyebrows.

 

 

“Daisy, what’s the matter?”

“Madam. Lady Pencel sent a letter.”

“Lady Pencel?”

 

Even though I tried to recall, I had never heard of such a name.

 

‘Is she a friend made after marriage? But Sheriel didn’t have any memories of entering society after marriage.’

It was strange, but I received the letter Daisy handed me.

I was astonished by its contents as I opened it carefully.

 

“Lady Pencel thanks you for accepting the invitation and asks if there is anything special to consider?”

 

“Oh my. She seems kind.”

 

“No. I haven’t accepted any invitation…”

 

Come to think of it, when Daisy was copying the sentence onto the invitation, she talked to me without properly looking at what she was writing. Did she make a mistake back then?

 

Ugh.

What do I do now?

Even though I only glanced at it, the letter I wrote, expressing my joy at the thought of her coming, was quite long.

 

Since it was about celebrating my son’s birthday, it would be enough to just play along. Yeah. After all, I was living in the Duke’s mansion like Sheriel.

 

And if it’s Lady Pencel’s son, it wouldn’t be bad to mingle with Cassel. Even if Cassel doesn’t want to go, it’s a good opportunity to make friends. An event essential for our child’s sociability!

 

Smiling brightly, I thought about whether Cassel would be angry if he heard.

Then, oddly, the name Pencel kept bothering me.

“Daisy. What’s the name of Lady Pencel’s son?”

 

Rather uninterestedly, she answered, “His name is Radius Pencel.

 

I’ve heard he resembles his gentle parents and is mature and kind like an adult.”

 

Radius Pencel. Yeah. Where have I seen this name before? Oh, it’s the surname of the sub-male lead in the novel “Torn Wings”! The sub-male lead that future Cassel exterminates and kills! ‘Huh…?’