Chapter 11
By the time I came to my senses, we had already arrived at the Bellomon Duke’s estate.
It takes over an hour to get from the orphanage to the mansion, and I slept the whole way without waking up even once?
I must have been really exhausted.
I got off the carriage, lightly tapping my shoulder with my fist. But despite all that sleep, I still felt completely drained.
“I need to wash up and get some more sleep…”
“I-MOOO!!”
A loud voice cut off my mumbling. When I turned my head, I saw Lucian running towards me with an angry expression.
“Luci— UGH!”
Lucian charged straight into me, headbutting my stomach. It felt like my organs were about to burst.
“Ugh…”
“Auntie, I hate you! I really hate you!”
Lucian didn’t care that I was in pain. He just kept throwing a tantrum.
“Lucian, you shouldn’t do that!”
The nanny, who had rushed over, grabbed Lucian’s fist, but stopping him was easier said than done.
Lucian was bigger and stronger than other kids his age. The poor nanny, struggling to hold him back, ended up falling backward.
“Lucian! Where did you learn such a bad habit like hitting people?”
I raised my voice, unable to watch him any longer.
“If you’re upset, you should talk about it instead!”
When I grabbed his shoulders and scolded him, he finally stopped hitting me. But his chest kept rising and falling in anger.
“What are you upset about? Tell me properly, without yelling.”
“It’s because you…!”
“No shouting. Take three deep breaths first.”
Lucian panted angrily for a moment before inhaling deeply. Then, with a slightly quieter—yet still loud—voice, he spoke.
“You left me behind!”
“…What?”
What nonsense is he talking about?
“I asked you to take me with you, but you went out alone and didn’t come back!”
His voice cracked with emotion, and tears welled up in his eyes. Seeing that, I couldn’t scold him anymore.
“Huaaaaah!”
Lucian started crying loudly—so miserably that my heart ached just listening.
“Lucian, what are you saying? Why would I ever leave you?”
I asked, not knowing how to comfort him.
“You always say you’re tired and want to go somewhere quiet to rest!”
“Well, that’s…”
I couldn’t deny it.
Whenever Lucian threw a fit, I often said:
‘Riley, just lock me up on a quiet island. I’d be happier that way…’
But I never said it in front of Lucian.
When did he overhear that?
So, he was sneaking around again instead of sleeping…
They say birds hear words spoken in the daytime, and mice hear words spoken at night. Looks like that was true.
“Lucian, I only said that because I’m old. Just wait until you’re my age—every day will feel exhausting! That’s all I meant, not that I wanted to run away from you.”
No matter how stubborn or troublesome he was, Lucian was my only family. How could I ever hate my sister’s child? No matter what, he was still my little one.
“But I waited for you for so long… And you didn’t even take me with you.”
“That’s because… you didn’t apologize to Baron Czernin.”
“Liar! You just like someone else more now!”
“…What?”
“You smell like another kid!”
“…Huh?”
His words hit me like a slap to the face.
“You smell like a baby! A lot!”
I sniffed my sleeve. Since I had spent the whole day washing kids, the scent of soap must have stuck to my clothes.
But it was faint—barely noticeable unless someone had an extremely sensitive nose.
What is he, a cat or something?
I knew Lucian had sharp senses, but could he really distinguish different people’s scents?
“And your hair! You have weird ribbons in it! You weren’t wearing those when you left!”
I reached up and touched my hair.
Sure enough, there were small pink ribbons tied into it. The kids must have put them there while playing yesterday, and I had forgotten to take them out.
“I knew it! The kid you met secretly must have put them there!”
Normally, he barely even looked at me when I asked for his attention. But now, he was examining me like a detective.
His loud voice was giving me a headache.
“Fine, Lucian. I did meet other kids.”
“…So it was true.”
Tears welled up in his eyes again.
I grabbed his hands firmly and spoke.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
I tried to keep my voice calm. I needed to explain why I had met those children, why it was for his sake, and why he had nothing to worry about.
“Auntie did it all for you…”
“Liar! You always say it’s for me, but all you do is to scold me!”
“That’s because you keep breaking our promises—”
Before I could finish, Lucian swung his fists wildly again. Since I was kneeling to meet his eye level, his punch landed squarely on my forehead.
“Ow!”
“….”
I clutched my throbbing forehead, and Lucian froze.
He must have realized he had gone too far.
“Lucian, you—!”
This was too much.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If he kept using violence, I’d have no choice but to discipline him…
“Ah…”
Just as I was about to scold him, dizziness washed over me.
My head spun, my vision went black, and then—
“Lucella!”
“Auntie!”
How many times have I fainted already…?
And then everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in my bedroom.
I’m so thirsty.
I had no idea how long I had been asleep, but my lips and throat were completely dry. My body felt stiff, but my head was clear.
I need some water first.
I reached for the servant’s bell and pulled the cord.
I expected a maid to bring water soon, but instead—
“Auntieeee!!”
The door burst open, and Lucian ran in.
His face was streaked with dried tears.
Did he… cry this whole time?
Since the moment I collapsed?
As I sat up to comfort him, I realized how hard it was to move my body.
“You should stay lying down, Miss.”
Just then, Riley entered the room and gently pushed me back onto the bed before handing me a glass of lukewarm water.
“Now that Lady Lucella is awake, you should stop crying too, young master.”
At her words, Lucian wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His eyelids were red and swollen from all the crying.
I forced my sore throat to speak.
“Riley, how long was I out?”
“A full day. It’s 9 a.m. now.”
“Then… Lucian, has he been like this the whole time?”
Riley didn’t answer. She just smiled awkwardly.
But I understood what she meant.
I placed my hand on Lucian’s head as he continued to wipe his tears.
“Lucian, I told you. I would never abandon you.”
“That’s not why I was crying.”
“…Then why?”
“Because you suddenly collapsed.”
“…”
“It was my fault. I got mad at you, and that’s why you fainted.”
Lucian pouted, trying to hold back his tears again.
“I only have you, Aunt. If you die…”
“Hey, Lucian, I’m still alive, you know?”
I waved my arms to show him I was fine.
“If you’re gone, I’d really be all alone…”
Hearing those words, I stopped moving.
“…Is that what you were thinking?”
Lucian had always been a mischievous troublemaker. It was hard to guess what went on in his little head. There were times I wished I could take a peek inside just once.
But now, I could finally see a little bit of Lucian’s world.
A mother who passed away too soon, whose face he couldn’t even remember. A father too busy to come home. No siblings to lean on. No friends to play with.
I was really the only one he had.
So, of course, he was upset when I went to see other kids instead of staying with him. And when I collapsed, he must have been terrified of being left all alone.
“…So that’s why he turned into a villain.”
In the original story, Lucian became a villain after I ran away.
Honestly, I never understood why my escape affected him so much. He never showed any affection for me. He never once said, “I like you, Aunt.”
All he ever did was annoy me, yell at me that he hated me, and cause trouble.
So I thought, maybe he didn’t need me at all.
But now, I realized—just like he was my only family, I was his only family too.
That thought made me want to cry.
