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

Dolorosa was the daughter of Sigar.

She was an illegitimate child born to a maid who worked in the imperial palace, named Lily.

Sigar already had a crown prince, Atreille. Neither Empress Beatrix nor Emperor Sigar welcomed Dolorosa.

The maid got scared and ran away, leaving the child alone.

No one was there to protect her.

Ten days after she was born, Sigar looked at the young Dolorosa, crying from hunger, and said this.

 

‘Cian, kill her.’

 

He couldn’t kill the child. She was innocent. She’d just been born.

Then, for the first and last time, Cian refused Sigar’s order.

 

‘I can’t kill her.’

‘Then, will you die instead?’

‘I… Please let me raise her.’

 

Nineteen. He was barely even an adult. Cian had never been in love, let alone married, yet he suddenly blurted out that he would raise the child.

He thought Sigar would say no, but surprisingly, he agreed willingly.

So much so, in fact, that he changed the law so that Dolorosa would be seen as Cian’s full-fledged child.

 

‘Currently, imperial law does not recognize adopted children as legitimate children. How about this, brother, I will make her yours in full. If you want her to inherit your fortune and title, bow down and beg.’

‘I’m grateful for your grace.’

 

That’s how the imperial law changed.

A child, adopted or illegitimate, could now be register as one’s own and is able to be listed on the list of nobles, if desired. They could also pass on titles and property to these children.

It was because of this law that Rachel decided to annul her marriage to Theodore. She could still claim Graham as her child on the noble register, even if she was unmarried!

Cian knew that Sigar was trying to prevent him from getting married.

In the social world, Cian was a more desirable groom than anyone else. With his good looks, military power, fame, and wealth, he was both strategically and personally appealing.

But the moment the law changed and Cian adopted Dolorosa, he disappeared from the marriage market.

Raising a child whose identity was never revealed, the silent Archduke became easy prey in social circles. Hidden women, promiscuous personal life, dirty tastes, and unfounded rumors swirled around him.

It didn’t matter.

Even if he was ridiculed, there was nothing he could do about it.

Because he couldn’t leave that small child alone.

 

‘I like cherries! Let’s make it our secret password!’

‘Then since Dad likes raspberries, I’ll use raspberries as my password.’

‘Okay! Dolly’s dad is the best!’

 

His daughter’s brightly smiling face came to mind. Without realizing it, the corners of his mouth were about to rise.

Feeling like he was going to laugh in front of Sigar, Cian bowed his head further and lowered his voice.

“Dolorosa is doing well.”

“Is she? Next time, bring her to see me too. I’m curious how she grew up.”

It was a request he had no intention of granting.

Cian hoped that Dolorosa could live freely, far away from Sigar reach.

It was because of Cian’s wish that in the original story Dolorosa met Graham.

As soon as Dolorosa became an adult, Cian sent her on a long journey, and on her journey, the child met Graham, a mercenary who became a murderer.

Cian, who had no way of knowing what would happen in the future, was desperately hoping at this moment that his brother’s attention would shift away from Dolorosa.

 

* * *

 

Graham and Rachel talked for a long time in the parlor, bathing in the warm afternoon sun. This was Graham’s idea, and Rachel’s face was full of worry and concern.

“Graham. Isn’t sword training too hard? Would you like Mom to talk to His Highness again?”

“Not at all! It’s fun. I feel like I’m getting stronger every day!”

“But… Mom is so worried about you since your body swells and hurts like this every day.”

Graham’s body became covered with wounds within a few days. Not to mention the bruises, there were many places where he bled due to getting scratched or falling. Morning and evening, his body was swollen and his muscles were tense.

At first, she blamed Cian, wondering how he could do this to such a small child.

But Graham would voluntarily run through the garden and swing his sword even when Cian wasn’t around. He didn’t cry when he got hurt, fell, or was in pain.

Now it has become a part of their routine to sit in the parlor every evening and massage Graham’s aching body.

Rachel pressed firmly on the soles of Graham’s feet. The child burst out laughing, perhaps because it tickled.

“Ahaha, Mom. It tickles!”

“Even if it tickles, you have to endure it. You’ve been running around all day. If you don’t want it to be swollen tomorrow, we need to give it a good massage.”

“Hehehe! It still tickles!”

Eventually, Graham took his foot out of Rachel’s hand. The child turned around and laid down with his head on her lap. After training for a few days, his movements had already become much faster.

“Mom, I’m happy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Dad isn’t here, and I get to play with mom every day, not a nanny or anyone else!”

“If Graham says he’s happy, mom is too.”

“Ehehe. I’m the one who makes mom happy, right?”

“Of course you are.”

“My mom is the best in the world.”

“Mom loves Graham more than anything in the world as well.”

Graham, who was giggling at his mom’s confession, asked.

“Mom. We’re supposed to go on a trip. When is it? I’m all packed, but it’s a shame we haven’t left yet.”

“Ah… Our trip…”

Rachel also wanted to leave Elrosa Mansion quickly, but they had no choice but to wait, she hadn’t yet found a suitable place for them to stay after moving out.

They also haven’t received the compensation she’d requested from the employees or Theodore’s alimony.

Many things had happened, but other than kicking out the employee and Theodore from the house, nothing came of it.

She’d tried to buy a house with the money she had left, but she didn’t have enough.

The only place Rachel could afford with the money she had was a house on the outskirts of the city, which was either on the verge of collapse or already collapsed due to lack of maintenance.

She wanted to live in the center of the capital, or in an aristocratic mansion so that Dolorosa and Graham could easily meet, but it was too expensive. With the money Rachel had, it was difficult to even rent a room in a mansion.

‘I had a hard time with housing prices in my previous life as well, I can’t believe it’s going to be like this again now that I’ve come here! If I had to possess someone, why couldn’t it be a rich villainess!’

It was useless to complain at this point.

She’d also looked into the mansion previously owned by Rachel’s parents, the former Count Fram, but Theodore had sold it and the new owner was still living there.

It was fortunate that Theodore’s property hadn’t been seized yet and they could still reside at the Elrosa Mansion. The mansion was eerie with Theodore’s traces still present, but it was convenient, familiar, and large.

She patted Graham, who was happily humming a song.

“Mom wants to go on the trip with Graham, but she can’t decide where to go. I think we should stay at home until we decide on our destination.”

“All right. I can wait. If every day is like today, it’s okay not to go out on a trip to play.”

Rachel smiled and shook her head.

That was out of the question.

Even if it took a while, they had to get out of Elrosa Mansion.

“Other than that, Graham. Is there somewhere you want to go when we leave home?”

“There is! There are a lot of places I want to go! There are ten or maybe a hundred places!”

“Really? I didn’t know there were so many places you wanted to visit. Where do you want to go?”

“A big bakery! I want to eat lots of sweet bread there. Also, I want to go to a store with lots of toys and a store that sells real swords! An ice cream shop, too!”

These were all stores found in the center of the capital.

The best part of life is shopping. Graham knew what he was talking about.

‘Alright. We’ll have to live in the center of the capital. We don’t have to get out of here right away, so let’s take our time and think about it.’

If she combined all the compensation and alimony, she would at least be able to afford a small house in the center of the capital.

Just then, the doorbell rang on the porch.

Graham and Rachel exchanged glances and shook their heads. They weren’t expecting any visitors.

“Who is it? Graham, mom will go see who it is, so lie down and rest.”

“I’ll go with you, just in case it’s someone bad.”

Despite her assurances, Graham followed his mom to the front door.

Rachel grabbed the doorknob and raised her voice.

“Who is it?”

“My name is Nick, and I’m an aide to His Royal Highness Archduke Cian Aisa Dicarsignac. I’m here to deliver something to Lady Rachel.”

“Aide to His Highness the Archduke?”

It looks like her long-awaited reward has finally arrived!

Overjoyed, she quickly opened the door.

Nick, standing at the entrance, was wearing a fancy robe, and behind him were four huge carriages.

Oh, my gosh, carriages!

Nick looked at Rachel, whose eyes widened in confusion.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rachel. As I said, I’m here to deliver something.”

“Yes, please continue.”

Clearing his throat, Nick spoke in a stern voice.

“A message from His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty said that he was very impressed with Lady Rachel, who maintained her integrity and did not help Theodore, who plotted a rebellion and insulted the imperial family.”

“Uh…”

It was unexpected that the emperor would be impressed.

As Nick continued, the few remaining employees of the mansion gathered nearby to observe the situation.

“He also said that the Noble Council was moved by Lady Rachel’s loyalty in freely providing information about her husband. I would like to deliver this reward to Lady Rachel, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor, the representatives of the Noble Council, and His Royal Highness Archduke Cian.”

Rachel stood straight and nodded.

Cian had said he’d reward her, and she’d been secretly excited; there was no way he was going to give her a measly sum. How much would he give her? Five thousand gold or maybe ten thousand?

With her heart pounding and body shaking, she mentally calculated the amount Nick would tell her, and the price of a house in the center of the capital. The moment Nick told her the reward, Rachel was so shocked that her mind went blank.

“… What? Aide, I’m sorry, but could you repeat that again?”

 

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