Chapter 26
Edwin lowered his head again. He still seemed unsure.
“There are lots of toys at my house, and so many delicious snacks. You can eat as much chocolate as you want.”
I tempted Edwin with things I knew he liked.
“And Amelia will be there too.”
“…Amelia?”
The biggest influence on the male lead was always the female lead.
“Yes. She’s staying at my house until her uncle recovers. What do you think?”
I placed another piece of chocolate in Edwin’s mouth and waited for his answer.
His round eyes darted around as he thought. Then, as if making a firm decision, he nodded and spoke.
“Okay.”
Hearing the answer I wanted, a smile spread across my face.
‘It won’t be long now.’
The day Edwin would meet the Duke was getting closer.
I clenched my fists in excitement. Everything was going according to plan.
“Too much chocolate will ruin your teeth. Just eat a little… huh?”
Lucian was about to scold a child for eating too much chocolate when he suddenly noticed something.
For some reason, Lucian was pouting, his lips sticking out far.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Following Lucian’s gaze, Claude turned to look.
There, Lucella and Edwin were happily sharing chocolate. They whispered to each other as if sharing a secret, then smiled brightly at each other.
Lucian’s eyes turned red. He was on the verge of tears.
Claude quickly got up and rushed over to him.
“Lucian, what’s wrong?”
“…”
“Hmm? Don’t cry. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Claude tried to comfort Lucian.
Lucian was the nephew of Lucella, someone Claude cared about. He couldn’t just stand by and watch the boy cry.
“Hey, little one.”
Claude even used a gentle word he normally wouldn’t.
“I’m not a little kid!”
Lucian, who had been silent until now, suddenly shouted. His small chest heaved up and down with frustration.
‘Lucian is still like a baby.’
Lucella’s words to Edwin earlier stabbed at Lucian’s heart.
‘I’m not a baby anymore. I take care of Cherry and Damon like a good big brother!’
‘Wow, how mature you are.’
Lucella was always kind.
But when it came to Edwin, she was different.
It was obvious how special Edwin was to her.
Lucella praised Edwin for being mature. That meant she liked mature people.
And yet, she called Lucian a baby.
That could only mean one thing…
“Lucian, you shouldn’t talk like that to the marquis.”
“You don’t love me, right?”
“What?”
Lucella had placed her hands on her hips, ready to scold him, but the unexpected question made her freeze.
“You don’t love me.”
“Don’t say that, Lucian. I love you more than anything in the world.”
“No, you don’t! You like Edwin way more than me!”
Lucian clenched his eyes shut and shouted.
Claude hurriedly hugged him, but it didn’t help.
“When I ask you to play with me, you always say you have to go to the orphanage! And when you’re there, you always look for Edwin first! You’ve never fed me before, but you gave Edwin chocolate! I can eat chocolate too, you know!”
“…”
“And just now, you whispered secrets with him! You think I wouldn’t notice?”
As he spoke, his sadness overwhelmed him.
“You called me a baby, but you said Edwin was cool and mature.”
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he rubbed them roughly with his fists.
“I’m sorry, Lucian. But I—”
“Don’t come near me!”
“…”
“I hate you!”
Lucian screamed and ran outside without looking back.
Lucella tried to chase after him, but the orphanage teacher stopped her.
“Lady Lucella, please give Lucian some time alone.”
“But he misunderstood! I need to clear things up and wipe his tears…”
“He needs time to calm down first. Lucian needs to sort out his feelings. Comforting him comes after that.”
It was advice from a professional.
Lucella sighed deeply and slumped into her seat.
“Sigh…”
A heavy sigh filled the room.
Sitting on a chair, I buried my fingers into my hair in frustration.
It was true—I had been so focused on Edwin lately that I hadn’t given Lucian enough attention.
‘I didn’t think he would feel this way.’
If he had just been throwing a tantrum, wanting me to care about only him, it would have been easier.
But he was convinced that I liked Edwin much more than him.
I had thought it was just childish jealousy, but what Lucian felt was deeper—betrayal.
‘I wasn’t thinking clearly.’
Lucian was always a child with strong jealousy and possessiveness.
And yet, the one person he believed was always on his side—his aunt—had put another child before him.
How painful that must have been.
And this was just the beginning.
Soon, Edwin would meet the Duke and become his heir.
Not only that, but Edwin would grow up receiving the love of a father—something Lucian had never experienced.
How would Lucian feel watching that happen?
The one person who had always belonged to him—his aunt—had brought this boy into their lives.
He would feel like everything was being taken away from him.
And worse, it was me who had made it happen.
I knew Edwin would become the Duke’s heir because I knew the original story.
But Lucian didn’t know that.
To him, I was the one responsible for everything.
Right now, he was just sad.
But what about when Edwin officially became the heir?
Would Lucian start to hate me?
Would he resent me for betraying him?
Lucian only had me as family.
“Lucian…”
Why hadn’t I thought about making him the heir instead?
Why had I just accepted that Edwin would take the position?
Even if it was in the original story, Lucian was still my family.
Regret weighed heavily on me.
I had been so focused on changing his fate that I hadn’t considered his feelings at all.
But I couldn’t undo what had already been done.
I couldn’t leave Edwin in an orphanage when I knew he had a father.
I couldn’t ignore the truth now that I knew it.
‘But I can’t leave Lucian like this either.’
This wasn’t just about our relationship.
If Lucian felt completely abandoned, he might change.
He might turn into a villain.
He might try to take revenge on Edwin for stealing everything from him.
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed from all the overwhelming thoughts. Thinking about Lucian crying alone outside made my heart feel even heavier.
What should I do about this?
“Lady.”
Lost in my thoughts, I lifted my head at the voice beside me. At some point, Claude had come and sat next to me.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m… not alright.”
I tried to force a smile, but I couldn’t. My heart felt so heavy that my lips wouldn’t curl up properly.
“Don’t worry too much. Kids at that age act like their family’s love is their entire world.”
“…Hearing you say that makes me feel even guiltier.”
Claude was right. I was Lucian’s whole world. But I had betrayed him like this.
“If you explain properly and apologize sincerely, he’ll forgive you soon enough. As I said before, you are Lucian’s whole world. No child would reject an apology from the person who means everything to them.”
“I hope you’re right… but Lucian has quite the personality.”
A stubborn little troublemaker. Would he really accept my apology?
