Chapter 39
‘I finally made it happen.’
I licked my dry lips as I watched the Duke and Edwin standing face to face.
This wasn’t exactly how I had planned it, but in the end, the two of them met successfully.
In the original story, the Duke immediately recognized Edwin as his son the moment he saw him.
Even though things had unfolded differently here, fate had a way of keeping things on track. The Duke would surely accept that Edwin was his son.
“What is your name?”
“Edwin.”
“Edwin… Did your mother choose your name?”
“Yes.”
When Edwin nodded, the Duke’s gaze grew even softer.
“Do you know who your father is?”
“No. I’ve never seen him. My mother raised me alone.”
“How old are you? When is your birthday?”
“Well…”
Edwin hesitated, overwhelmed by the rapid questions.
“I’m not trying to scare you,” the Duke reassured him gently. “I just need to know. Please, answer me.”
It was a side of him that he never showed to Lucian.
“I’m the same age as Lucian—six years old. My birthday is in December.”
“December… Ha.”
The Duke let out a short breath—part sigh, part disbelieving laugh.
‘He broke up with Iris in the summer, so…’
Now that he had done the math, he must have been convinced.
That Edwin was, without a doubt, his son.
“Edwin… my son.”
Of course.
The Duke knelt down and pulled Edwin into his arms.
“Huh?”
Edwin’s eyes widened at the sudden declaration.
He wasn’t the only one shocked.
“What is happening?”
“Did he just say ‘son’?”
“Could it be… a secret child?”
The servants murmured in disbelief.
“A… son…”
Even the veteran butler looked completely dazed. Claude, too, was speechless.
But their reactions didn’t matter to me.
“Lucian.”
I walked over to Lucian and placed my hands on his small shoulders.
He blinked at me silently before turning his head to look up at me.
“Auntie.”
“Yes?”
“Why did Father call Edwin his son?”
His young face was full of confusion. He didn’t fully understand, but he knew something was wrong.
“And he knelt in front of Edwin. He told me before—he doesn’t kneel for just anyone.”
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
Lucian was right.
The Duke never knelt. Not even when holding Lucian. In fact, he had barely ever held Lucian at all.
And yet, he had knelt before Edwin.
And not only that, he had embraced him. He had comforted him with words far softer than anything he had ever said to Lucian.
Both were his children.
But only one was born from the woman he loved.
“…There must be reasons we don’t know,” I said, gently stroking Lucian’s head.
Even though I had finally achieved what I wanted, I felt no joy.
Why was I so powerless?
Why was I so weak that I couldn’t protect Lucian?
If only I were his mother instead…
The thought burned inside me.
For the past few days, the Duke’s mansion had been in chaos, preparing for Edwin’s arrival.
While the Duke personally visited the orphanage to complete the adoption process, the servants worked on setting up a room for the “new young master.”
A high-ranking magician from the Magic Tower came to conduct a paternity test.
The result was obvious.
A perfect match.
The Duke’s vassals were in shock.
The Duke himself? He cried tears of joy.
It didn’t matter how the vassals felt—he was just overjoyed to have found the child of the woman he had loved so deeply.
But none of them were as shaken as Edwin himself.
It was already overwhelming to suddenly gain a father.
But learning that his father was also Lucian’s father? That left him completely stunned.
And to make things even more difficult, he had to adjust to a completely new living environment.
Even though he had once cried, begging to stay at the Duke’s mansion, he now struggled to adapt to his new room.
I wanted to comfort him.
But I didn’t go to him right away.
Because Lucian was struggling too.
Lucian was the most important child to me.
He must have already felt like his father was being taken away.
If I went to Edwin first now, Lucian would be heartbroken.
So I stayed by his side.
I made sure the servants’ excitement wouldn’t make him anxious.
But there was no way to completely shield him from the truth.
Lucian, after watching the changes in the mansion, slowly began to understand.
That Edwin was his brother.
“Auntie.”
“Yes?”
“So… Edwin is Father’s other son, right? That makes us brothers?”
“…Yes.”
“But Edwin’s mother isn’t my mother. How can we be brothers?”
It was too complicated for a six-year-old to understand.
“That’s just how it is.”
I didn’t want to explain things like “mistress,” “illegitimate child,” or “half-brother” to him.
So I gave him a vague answer instead.
“Come here, Lucian. I’ll hold you.”
He ran into my arms and hugged me tightly.
“Auntie… I feel weird.”
“Weird how?”
“Edwin wanted to live here. He said he wanted a family.”
“Yes.”
“So I’m happy that he got what he wanted.”
In the original story, Lucian had been furious.
He had seen Edwin as an intruder who stole what was his.
But now, he felt sympathy.
That was a relief, in a way.
“But… when I think about Father being Edwin’s father too, it feels weird.”
I patted his back, encouraging him to keep talking.
“I used to wish my father was someone else. Because he’s so scary.”
“…”
“But when he’s with Edwin, he doesn’t look scary at all. He looks really, really kind.”
“…Lucian.”
“So when I see them together… it hurts. Like getting pricked by a needle.”
Lucian touched his chest.
“He never acted that way with me…”
His voice trailed off.
His face was full of pain.
He didn’t even realize how hurt he was.
“Lucian, are you jealous of Edwin?”
“…Yeah.”
He nodded without hesitation.
“Do you hate him?”
“No.”
This time, he shook his head firmly.
“Then… what about your aunt?”
I carefully spoke while watching him.
“Lucian, don’t you hate your aunt?”
“Why?”
“Well… because I brought Edwin here, and that made you feel left out.”
Lucian’s feelings were just as important as his future.
Even if I did this to prevent his dark future, I still felt guilty.
If my selfishness had hurt him, I was willing to apologize until he forgave me.
“I don’t hate you, Aunt.”
But Lucian shook his head.
“I told you before. I said I hated you, but I never really did.”
“…”
“Even when you scold me or make me sad, I don’t hate you. Because now I know that you love me a lot.”
“Lucian…”
“Am I wrong?”
“…No.”
I shook my head and pulled Lucian into a tight hug.
If I didn’t, he might see my teary face.
“My little chickpea, when did you grow up so much?”
The child who once doubted my love now understood my feelings without me saying a word.
“I’m not a chickpea! I’m much bigger than Amelia and Edwin!”
“Yes, yes.”
I buried my face in Lucian’s shoulder as he wriggled in my arms.
His growth always made me feel both overwhelmed and guilty.
‘Lucian has already done more than enough.’
Now, the rest was up to me.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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