IFLDMHF | Chapter 100

Episode 100

Faced with an unexpected question, I was so taken aback that I even choked on my breath.

“Are you alright, Aunt?”

Marianne hurriedly patted my back. Then, as if feeling guilty for putting me in an awkward spot, she whispered apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Aunt. Actually, I already knew, but Dior kept insisting…”

When I looked at her with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘About what exactly?’ Marianne lowered her gaze gloomily and muttered.

“That you like someone other than Uncle.”

Oh, dear…

“No way! Aunt said that was nonsense!”

Dior declared confidently, pouting in indignation.

“But you were the one who said Amy’s words couldn’t be trusted!”

“That was about something else!”

As I watched the two children start bickering again, I finally realized what I had overlooked.

Amy had loudly accused me of marrying Euclid while loving another man.

And the children had heard her.

I had dismissed her nonsense by calling it rubbish and ignored it.

I hadn’t anticipated that the children would interpret my response as failing to set clear boundaries.

‘It was a situation where they could easily misunderstand… I was foolish to let it slide.’

To be honest, at this point, correcting the misunderstanding felt meaningless. Too many people already knew about Evgenia’s past.

Maybe that’s why I hadn’t considered it important.

Now, I had no face to rebuke Amy for speaking carelessly in front of the children.

Although I had completely failed to grasp how their argument had escalated, I couldn’t deny that I was the cause. As I pressed my fingers to my forehead, Dior hesitantly asked, his voice trembling.

“Aunt… do you really… really like someone else?”

It seemed that my prolonged silence had only made him more anxious.

Looking at his tear-filled eyes, I felt an urge to tell the truth.

The honest feelings I hadn’t even shared with Anne, my closest confidante, or with Euclid himself.

After a moment of hesitation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Well… What do you think, Dior?”

“Hmm. Since Aunt said it was nonsense…”

“Wait! That word—‘nonsense’—I misspoke because I was flustered. Can you forget I said that?”

It was a bit late, but I still wanted to take it back. I hastily corrected myself.

“Alright!”

Thankfully, Dior, being a kind-hearted child, saw my troubled expression and nodded without hesitation.

Then, fidgeting with his fingers, he carefully answered.

“Aunt got mad when Amy said that.”

“Yes.”

“So… it didn’t seem like you liked anyone else.”

“I see.”

“And…”

Unlike Marianne, who kept cutting him off, I simply listened quietly. Maybe that gave him more confidence.

Dior’s small mouth moved, and his voice grew firmer.

“Aunt, you always, always look at Uncle.”

“…!”

“I really like Uncle the most, so I look at him every day too!”

Oh! And also at Sister and Aunt!

As if worried we might feel left out, Dior quickly added that part.

But I was too stunned by his perceptiveness to respond.

“So… I think Aunt likes Uncle, just like I do. But Sister keeps saying I’m wrong.”

As if recalling the injustice, Dior pouted, looking like he was about to cry. Then, his voice, tinged with both hope and anxiety, asked,

“Am I really wrong, Aunt?”

At that, Marianne let out a deep sigh, as if exasperated. She also shot me another awkwardly apologetic look.

“…”

As I looked at the stark contrast in their expressions and gazes, a complicated feeling welled up inside me.

The idea that Aunt didn’t love Uncle but someone else must have been a shocking revelation for the children.

Especially for kids who relied on and adored Uncle almost like a parent.

‘Maybe they were hurt by it.’

These were children who had so quickly and purely accepted me as family.

I didn’t want to leave them wounded, nor did I want to lie.

After some thought, I made my decision and spoke.

“Dior, you’re right.”

“…Huh?”

“Really, Aunt?”

Seeing Marianne’s widened eyes and Dior’s delighted grin, I couldn’t help but smile myself.

“Yes. In fact, I’ve never liked anyone other than the Duke.”

Unlike before, once I said it, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

Until now, it had been taken as an absolute truth that I loved the Crown Prince, so I had never been able to voice my true feelings.

I felt as though I might cry just a little.

And I had the fleeting thought that, when the day came for me to confess to Euclid in person, I might really end up in tears.

The children, too, seemed overwhelmed with emotion.

“See, Sister! I was right!”

“Aunt, really? I’m so happy!”

Their joy was infectious, and I found myself just as happy.

But I couldn’t let myself get too carried away.

“But this is a secret. You must promise to keep it.”

“Yes!”

The children answered enthusiastically before tilting their heads in confusion and asking in turn.

“But why?”

“Why is liking Uncle a secret?”

“That’s…”

Instead of answering, I could only force a wry smile.

Because I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.

That Euclid might not believe my feelings.

Or worse…

“…Pardon? Delano, what did you just say?”

“I asked if Madam is a burden to you. I apologize. I know it’s an impertinent question…”

Even knowing that, Delano wore a resolute expression, as if it was something he absolutely had to ask.

Seeing this, Euclid realized that Evgenia had truly established herself as the rightful mistress of the Rudion duchy.

In fact, considering all she had done for Rudion until now, it would have been stranger if she hadn’t.

“Looking back now, it is truly shameful and regretful, but I was afraid that even after marrying, Madam might still hold lingering feelings for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“……”

“But now, I no longer think that, not in the slightest. In fact, I even wonder if Madam’s vows during the wedding were not sincere. Of course, I cannot claim to know Madam’s true feelings, but at the very least, I believe she wants to build a good relationship with Your Grace and is genuinely making an effort. However, Your Grace…”

Even without hearing the rest, Euclid could guess what came next.

Delano had witnessed everything—how Euclid repeatedly pushed Evgenia away in the office.

It was obvious what he meant.

Why was Euclid not only failing to take the initiative to approach Evgenia but also turning away and rejecting her when she tried to get closer?

And, as he had already mentioned, what Delano truly wanted to ask was—did Euclid find Evgenia burdensome?

“I apologize, Your Grace. Of course, Your Grace’s feelings are important as well… but watching from the sidelines, I felt so ashamed and troubled that I overstepped my bounds.”

“No. I understand completely.”

And he truly meant it.

Euclid let out a bitter smile, wishing that Delano had rebuked him more harshly, even condemned him.

Because—

“If Madam truly feels burdensome to you, or if there are other reasons, perhaps it would be best to have an honest conversation with her.”

Upon hearing his response, Delano had spoken with a voice filled with hope.

But Euclid could not even consider the suggestion.

To have an open and honest conversation with Evgenia?

For Euclid, that was closer to an impossibility than anything else.

The truth was, rejecting Evgenia did not bring him any comfort.

No—if anything, the guilt he felt was far heavier than the regret Delano harbored.

Whenever he saw the way Evgenia’s eyes, initially filled with a hint of hesitation and expectation, turned to disappointment because of his response, it felt as if he himself were the one being rejected.

It was unbearable.

Yet, even so, he could not stop pushing her away.

Euclid had never intended to have a normal married life when he agreed to this marriage, and that resolve remained unchanged.