I Became The Mother Of the Male Lead Who Lives With An Adulterous Man

It was a warm sunny morning.

Rachel sat at the table in the small breakfast room with Graham and had a hearty meal.

Graham felt great.

“Mom, you said you’d spend today with me, right?”

“Of course. Mommy and Graham will have a special day today.”

“Just you and me? Wow, that’s exciting!”

The child’s plump cheeks turned red and puffed up when he smiled.

Rachel was also happy to see Graham excited. She looked to see if anyone around her could hear and then whispered to the child.

“We’re going on a trip soon. Today I’ll have to finish packing the things we need for the trip.”

“A trip? When?”

“Let’s just pack our bags and leave once Dad comes home. How does that sound?”

“Awww. Do we have to wait until Dad comes home? Can’t we just leave today and go by ourselves?”

“I have something to give to Dad. We’ll have to wait a bit.”

“Chee. Mom is too nice. You don’t have to give him a present.”

Rachel smiled brightly at Graham’s words.

Theodore would probably disagree. What Rachel was about to deliver was divorce papers, with a mountain of alimony for him to pay!

“Let’s pack a bunch of Graham’s favorite things, and a bunch of mom’s favorite things. We’ll leave the things you don’t like here and only take things you like!”

“Is that really okay? Then I’ll leave my dad behind!”

“You’re leaving your dad behind? Ahaha!”

As Rachel shook her head and laughed out loud, Graham looked at his mother.

“Can I not do that…?”

“Of course not, Graham can leave him behind if he wants to.”

“Yay!”

Graham put his fork down on the table and leaned over to hug Rachel’s waist tightly.

“That’s good. I hate my dad. I only like my mom. Dad hurts mom, and makes her sad. He even takes mom away from me sometimes, so I really hate him. But I love that mom said she was leaving dad behind!”

She smiled and stroked Graham’s golden hair.

She could see all of Rachel’s pain in this little boy’s eyes. Her heart ached.

Graham giggled as his mom’s hand stroked his hair.

“I’ll protect mom.”

Suddenly, she remembered Cian’s words.

 

‘Graham has both of the things needed to learn swordsmanship. Talent and the desire to protect someone.’

 

Cian had seen right through Graham after just one meeting. He saw something in him that even his father, Theodore, didn’t. He was a remarkable man.

“Graham, if you don’t mind, would you like to learn swordmanship?”

“Sword?”

Graham, still clinging to Rachel’s waist, lifted his head and blinked.

“Uh-huh. Do you remember the Grand Duke you met before? He’s very good with a sword. He said he’d teach you if you’d like.”

“His Highness.”

Graham rolled his eyes away, deep in thought. He seemed to recall the residence of the Grand Duke Dicarsignac.

Graham’s eyebrows rose and fell as he mumbled, but he soon locked eyes with Rachel again.

“I want to learn.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to do something if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s great. I’ve wanted to learn swordsmanship for a long time.”

“But Graham, you don’t look happy?”

“No, it’s just…”

Graham paused for a moment, thought about it, and then said.

“He’s just weird.”

“What do you mean, weird?”

“I don’t know.”

Graham hung his head, unable to find the right words to express his feelings.

“I don’t like him like my mom, but I don’t hate him like dad either, and sometimes I get mad when him and mom are together… But I don’t think he’s a bad person, I think he’ll get better, but he’s not good yet.”

She smiled and patted him on the back.

“It’s okay not to know. Think about it slowly, and when you find out why you think His Highness is strange, tell mom. Okay?”

“Okay! Thank you, mom.”

Rachel, who was observing Graham as he was thinking, asked, curious.

“What about Princess Dolorosa? You got to meet and play with her for a bit the last time we were at the mansion.”

“Ah… That kid.”

“Kid?”

Calling Dolorosa, who was three years older than him and of a higher rank, a child. It was the kind of thing that would get him in trouble if anyone overheard, but luckily no one was around.

Graham said in a serious voice.

“I feel sorry for the little girl, she doesn’t have a mom. I have the best mom in the world, and I don’t want to be without her, but I don’t know how she can live without one.”

“Really?”

Rachel nodded.

Compassion and pity were not unreasonable feelings to start a relationship with. It seemed like it would only be a matter of time before they were together, just like in the original story.

A smile tugged at the corners of Rachel’s mouth, proud of her son for already starting to fall in love.

“Anyway, I’ll work hard to learn the sword and become a great knight!”

“I’m looking forward to it! Wow, it would be really cool if our Graham became a knight!”

“Ehehe. Yay! I will defeat the bad guys and protect my mom!”

Rachel hugged the excited Graham tightly, his cheeks flushed red.

 

* * *

 

Theodore had been confined to the small townhouse the whole time.

Berengella, who’d become extremely sensitive, kept her eyes wide open and watched to make sure Theodore didn’t escape.

For a woman who cared so much about what people thought of her, the whispers of others and living in a small townhouse were an annoyance itself. She spent her time throwing tantrums at her son and drinking.

Two weeks had already passed. He’d never been without Jane for so long.

Differences in social status, having a predetermined partner, and disapproving parents. Now, he was trapped and they couldn’t even meet each other! Why was God putting him through this ordeal?

Berengella’s nagging rained down on Theodore, who was in despair.

“Do you mean to tell me that you intend to see that bitch again after being so humiliated? Even if it tarnishes the family’s reputation, this is a good thing! As long as I’m around, the Count will never see that girl again!”

Theodore was afraid of Berengella, but at this point, he was starting to get irritated.

“What do you mean, a bitch? Jane is my lover!”

“Shut up, Count! Your wife is Rachel Elrosa. To become Count Elrosa’s wife, she’d have to be at least of the same status as Count Fram’s family!”

“You always talk about honor, decency, and virtue-does mother know anything about love!”

“Do I need to know such things?”

“This is the woman your son loves! Please accept her!”

“Do you even know what that damn thing is doing? And you’re still saying such things? There are widespread rumors that thing has gone to the Elrosa Mansion!”

“Jane’s at the mansion? Is that true?”

“That’s right. It’s not enough that that lowly thing dared to set foot in the historic Count’s mansion, but also shouted at the countess, asking where the count was. Now she’s making a fuss and rumors are flying all over!”

His heart was beating like crazy.

‘I can’t believe Jane went all the way to the mansion, alone, to look for me! That’s really touching. I thought she was just a child, but she’s so brave and not even afraid of the rumors.’

He was lost in thought while giving a cursory response to Berengella’s nagging.

‘Ah, Jane! I guess I should go see her. Mother says that as soon as I go outside, I’ll be arrested for insulting His Royal Highness, but would that really happen? There are plenty of other people who do that on the terrace besides me!’

Theodore still didn’t know what the problem was.

He bit his nails as he paced aimlessly around the living room of the townhouse, which was even smaller than his bedroom at Elrosa Mansion.

‘Why did that damn Grand Duke Cian do such a stupid thing to a perfectly good subject? How dare he tear down the terrace curtains! What if it wasn’t me who was there but a marquis or a duke?’

The thought that Cian might have known everything and torn the curtains on purpose was unthinkable.

‘Forget it, let’s just think about seeing Jane for now. I’ll need to be brave to end this damn predicament. Only courage can lead lovers, separated by evil forces, to a happy ending.’

At that moment, he saw his face reflected in the mirror. Blonde hair and blue eyes, the appearance of a prince from a fairy tale. The thought fueled his courage.

‘Alright. I’ll go to bed early today and sneak out at night when mother goes to bed. I’m going to find Jane.’

He crawled under the covers and thought about how he was going to whisper his love to Jane when he met her, and how to comfort her if she got upset.

“Count, it’s dinner time!”

Berengella shouted angrily, but Theodore pretended not to hear.

Although there was a maid who served them in the townhouse, she could not speak and was illiterate. It was Berengella’s job to inform her son when meals were ready.

“Count!”

The piercing call fell on deaf ears.

He forced himself to sleep while thinking of his sweet Jane.

 

When Theodore woke up in the middle of the night, the first thing he did was check whether Berengella was asleep. Fortunately, she was drunk and sleeping deeply.

A moment later, he left the townhouse and went to Jane’s residence.

Jane’s house was brightly lit, as if waiting for Theodore. His heart was pounding.

He quickly rang the doorbell and knocked on the door.

“Jane, Jane! It’s me, Theodore! Hurry and open the door!”

He heard something moving inside the house. There was also a loud falling sound.

It seemed she was so happy she didn’t know what to do.

What kind of expression would Jane make? Would she run out and hang onto him with a happy face?

Would she tell him she missed him, ask what took so long, then cry?

Maybe she’d kiss him deeply as soon as the door opened, then he’d say something like this.

‘Haha, was my Jane lonely? It’s been a while since we met and we have a lot to catch up on.’

He’d pat her on the back and take her into the house. She’d quickly close the front door and kiss him again. Afterwards, they’d have a great time, as always!

He won’t be able to stay for long since he had to go back before Berengella woke up, but it would be enough time to enjoy together.

A smile appeared on Theodore’s face.

After a while, the front door opened. However, what greeted Theodore was not a lover’s cuddle, a whimper, or a kiss.

“My…!”

Thwack!

Water rained down on Theodore.

“You piece of trash!”

Wham!

The slap struck his wet cheek.