Chapter 40
After leaving Lucian’s room, I headed straight to Duke Bellomon’s office.
As I opened the door, I met the duke’s gaze just as he was getting up from his chair.
“I was just about to call for you. You came at the right time.”
The duke, sitting on the sofa to the left of his desk, gestured for me to take a seat.
I sat across from him and asked in a puzzled voice,
“You were going to call me?”
“Yes.”
The duke nodded. He hesitated for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words, before finally speaking.
“I wanted to thank you.”
“Me?”
The unexpected words left me stunned.
“Yes. Thanks to you, I found a son I didn’t even know existed.”
For the first time since I came to the Bellomon estate, the always proud and upright duke lowered his head toward me.
“Thank you. Truly.”
“Ah…”
I was at a loss for words.
I had never seen the duke act so humbly before.
“There’s no need to thank me. It all happened by chance.”
I chose to be modest on purpose. I had gone through a lot to bring Edwin to the duke, but I couldn’t tell him everything.
“Even so, without you, I would have never known Edwin existed. I also wouldn’t have known he was being abused at the orphanage.”
The duke’s face darkened as he thought about the orphanage director and his accomplices. But he quickly controlled his expression.
“Lucella, if there’s anything you want, just say it. Whatever it is, I’ll grant it.”
Hearing those words, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
This was the same man who had never cared about Lucian, the same man who always treated me like a nuisance.
Now, just because I found the son of the woman he loved, he was suddenly acting differently?
Along with my bitterness, a wave of anger and sadness surged within me.
“Anything I want?”
“Yes. If it’s something I can do, I will.”
As the duke nodded arrogantly, I opened my mouth.
“Please don’t forget that Lucian is also your son.”
“…What?”
The duke frowned, looking as if he didn’t understand.
His reaction made me even angrier.
“It’s natural to favor your own blood. After all, Lucian was a child you had unwillingly, while Edwin is the son of the woman you truly loved.”
And since you went through so much trouble to find him, you must feel even more attached.
“But, Duke, Lucian is your son too.”
“…”
“Edwin must be confused by all of this, but so is Lucian. He suddenly gained a half-brother overnight.”
For now, he might just feel confused, but in the future, who knows how he’ll react?
“Soon, he’ll understand what it means to be an illegitimate child. And when he does, he’ll feel even more lost. When he reaches adolescence, he might struggle even more.”
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I mean that Edwin isn’t the only one who needs your care.”
A child should receive unconditional love from their parents.
Since Lucian was born as Duke Bellomon’s son, he deserved his father’s love too.
“I won’t ask you to cherish Lucian. Just don’t treat them differently.”
Looking into the duke’s wavering eyes, I firmly added,
“That’s my only wish. It’s the reason I came here.”
With that, I stood up.
“You promised to grant my request, so I’ll trust you.”
I didn’t wait for his answer. If he had any conscience left, my words should have made him think.
“Just to be clear, you don’t need to worry about me mistreating Edwin. I may not care for him as much as I do for Lucian, but I still cherish him—just like all the children I met at the orphanage.”
“…”
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
I bowed to the silent duke and turned away without hesitation.
I could only hope that he understood my words.
Edwin sat on his bed, swinging his legs.
“It’s so soft.”
The bed felt as fluffy as if a hundred stuffed animals were piled on it.
Not only was it huge, but it was also beautifully decorated.
There were colorful cushions and plush toys arranged neatly beside his pillow.
“I can’t believe this is my home…”
He recalled what the duke had told him that morning.
“Edwin, you are my son.”
“Does that mean… you adopted me?”
“No. You were always my son. We were just apart for a while, but now we’ve finally met.”
Then, Duke Bellomon had hugged him warmly.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to find you, my son.”
That single sentence melted Edwin’s heart.
It felt like all the tears he had shed in the past were now being repaid.
Not only did he have a family, but he also got to live in such a big and beautiful house.
“It’s all thanks to Lucian.”
If Lucian hadn’t allowed him to stay, none of this would have happened.
But the person he was most grateful to was Lucella.
Because she had brought him here, he was able to meet his father.
“Where is everyone, though?”
He wanted to see Lucian and Lucella.
He also wanted to play with Amelia.
And now that he thought about it, he hadn’t even said goodbye to Rona and Lua yet.
Edwin wanted to go outside and find his friends.
But he hesitated.
He had spent his whole life being cautious, and he quickly realized that the people in the mansion were not very welcoming toward him.
Whenever adults passed by, they whispered behind their hands. The servants who had smiled at him before were nowhere to be seen.
“This isn’t what I wanted…”
He pouted in disappointment.
Knock, knock.
Edwin, who had been staring at his toes, lifted his head at the sound of knocking.
“W-What?”
Unfortunately, Edwin had never learned about knocking. He simply widened his eyes like a startled rabbit at the sound of someone knocking again.
Knock, knock, knock.
“W-Who is it?”
He finally gathered the courage to speak.
Maybe it was Amelia or Lucian. That would be nice.
“We are the retainers of House Bellomon. We have come to greet the young master.”
Edwin didn’t understand the words “retainers” or “young master.” The only thing he understood was that they had come to see him.
“Wait a moment.”
He couldn’t just ignore guests who came to see him. Jumping off the bed, he hurried to the door.
“Sorry for visiting so late.”
As soon as he opened the door, three or four people bowed politely. They all looked quite old.
Edwin hesitated, gripping the doorknob.
Since he was shy around strangers, the situation made him uncomfortable.
As he slowly tried to close the door, a man slipped his hand between the gap.
“My apologies if we startled you. We simply wanted to welcome the young master…”
The man at the front, Count Benjamin, let his shoulders drop in disappointment.
Feeling guilty, Edwin opened the door again.
“Thank you, young master!”
The group, led by Count Benjamin, quickly entered the room.
Their eyes swept over the luxurious furniture that filled the space.
The room was decorated with rare and expensive items, all personally arranged by Duke Bellomon himself.
“…”
The retainers exchanged quick glances. Some of them nodded as if they understood something.
Then, Count Benjamin stepped forward and spoke first.
“Let me introduce myself properly, young master. I am Count Henry Benjamin. I assist the duke in managing the budget.”
“I am Alex Hennen! I work with the duke on…”
“I am…”
One after another, they started introducing themselves.
Edwin’s eyes darted around, unsure where to look.
“Oh dear, it seems we overwhelmed you.”
Count Benjamin gave him a sympathetic smile.
“But there’s no need to worry. We are here to support you, young master.”
“M-My support?”
Edwin’s eyes filled with confusion.
Count Benjamin spoke confidently.
“We will help you grow into a great heir of House Bellomon. One day, you will become a worthy head of the family…”
“Oh my, so this is where everyone was.”
A familiar voice interrupted him from behind.
Count Benjamin immediately fell silent.
“Lucella!”
Lucella had arrived.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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