Chapter 43
“Amelia went to comfort Lucian.”
Amelia is kind and caring. She wouldn’t just leave Lucian alone when he’s hurt.
Even though Edwin knew that, his chest still hurt a little.
“What are you doing that you didn’t even hear me knocking?”
Edwin jumped at the sudden voice behind him.
There stood the Duke of Bellomon, who had entered without Edwin noticing.
“F-Father…”
“You still feel awkward calling me that, don’t you?”
The Duke gently patted Edwin’s head. But his touch felt stiff and unfamiliar.
“If you keep saying it, you’ll get used to it.”
“Yes, sir…”
“Anyway, what were you looking at so seriously?”
The Duke looked out the window. There, he saw Lucella and Claude.
“Edwin, if anyone ever bothers you, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
He was worried that maybe Lucella might be trying to keep Edwin in check.
But Edwin shook his head.
“No one’s bothering me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Everyone’s been kind to me.”
And that was the truth.
Lucella was always sweet, and while Lucian could be mischievous, he never bullied Edwin.
“Yesterday, some men came by and introduced themselves as vassals.”
They were very polite and respectful. The servants treated Edwin with care.
But that kindness wasn’t the same warmth Edwin truly wanted.
He longed for the kind of affection Lucella gave to Lucian or the special connection between Claude and Amelia.
That kind of closeness only seemed possible in a real family.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The Duke smiled with relief.
But even seeing his smile didn’t bring Edwin comfort.
Somehow, everything still felt awkward and uncomfortable.
“Well then, I’ll be off. See you at dinner.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Edwin gave a polite bow as the Duke walked away.
Even though he had finally found the family he so desperately wanted… Edwin still felt like an outsider.
Even though Edwin’s adoption was finalized, the Duke remained very busy.
He had to return to the capital soon and wouldn’t be back for months.
So, to prepare, the Duke tried to finish all his important work before leaving.
He also had to assign tasks to his vassals and assistants.
During this time, I naturally became the one to take care of Edwin.
Looking after both Lucian and Edwin wasn’t easy—not just because Lucian was wild, but for another reason too.
“Why are you two so quiet?”
Lucian felt awkward around Edwin, who had suddenly become his little brother.
And Edwin kept watching Lucian nervously.
They were uncomfortable around each other every day.
But I couldn’t keep them apart.
They were going to live under the same roof, so they needed to get along.
Still, I didn’t want to force them either.
“If you’re not going to talk, then just play separately. Lucian in your room, Edwin in yours.”
“I don’t want to!”
“Me neither…”
They were always curious about each other but didn’t know how to act when face-to-face.
Honestly, I understood.
They were friends just yesterday, and suddenly, they were brothers. Of course it would be awkward.
But there was one person who could fix all that in an instant.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll just have tea with Amelia.”
“Let me join!”
“Me too!”
Yes, it was Amelia.
“You said you didn’t like hot drinks just the other day.”
“I don’t dislike hot drinks anymore!”
“I learned yesterday that you’re supposed to slowly enjoy the tea’s scent…”
“Do you even know what ‘enjoy’ means?”
Edwin shook his head.
He didn’t even understand the words he was using!
Still, it was so cute how he studied just to get closer to Amelia.
‘Wait, is the Duke already teaching Edwin manners?’
He hadn’t even been adopted for a month, and already had a tutor.
‘So even his real son can’t escape the Duke’s strictness, huh.’
At first, I thought the Duke would bring in tutors for Lucian to fix his behavior.
But in the original story, the Duke actually gave more tutors to Edwin than to Lucian.
It wasn’t just because Edwin grew up in an orphanage—
It was because the Duke hoped Edwin would become the perfect heir, even more than Lucian.
Of course, Edwin could handle all of this. That’s why he became the main character.
‘The Duke really is intense.’
I was honestly a bit tired of the Duke’s strict ways.
“Big sis, I’m here!”
Amelia peeked in right on time.
“Amelia!”
“You’re here!”
Just like that, the two boys ran to her excitedly, like puppies. All awkwardness was forgotten.
“Amelia, where’s your uncle? Did you come alone?”
“Uncle went to the clinic for a moment.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
Did his wound reopen? Did he catch a cold from the chilly weather?
“It’s nothing serious. He just had something to talk about with the doctor.”
“Really?”
I let out a relieved sigh.
“You’ve been asking about Uncle a lot lately.”
“Have I?”
“Yes. If you’re that worried, why don’t you go check on him?”
Amelia giggled with her hand over her mouth.
Was she teasing me?
“Oh, and now that I think of it, I think I heard him say he had a headache. Or maybe he felt dizzy…”
“Gasp!”
I quickly covered my mouth with my hands.
He must have caught a cold from walking with me every day just to cheer me up.
And his health wasn’t even good to begin with!
“Amelia, is it okay if I go to the clinic?”
“Yes. I’ll take good care of Lucian and Edwin.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back quickly!”
I waved at Amelia and hurried to the clinic.
Luckily, the clinic wasn’t far from the playroom, so I got there quickly.
“Whew.”
I was a little out of breath from walking fast.
I stood in front of the clinic door to catch my breath.
Because I was standing so close, I could hear voices from inside.
“…Almost fully healed…”
“…Still pretending to be…”
Their voices were too quiet to understand the full conversation.
Not that I enjoyed eavesdropping anyway.
I knocked on the door to let them know I was there.
“May I come in?”
The quiet conversation stopped immediately.
Then I heard quick footsteps and the door suddenly opened.
“You, my lady?”
It was Claude.
“What brings you here…?”
“Amelia told me. I was worried your injury might have gotten worse.”
“Thankfully, I’m fine. I only came for a check-up today.”
“I see.”
So I worried for nothing.
“But… by any chance…”
Claude trailed off, glancing nervously between the doctor and me.
He really looked like a child who was scared after getting caught doing something wrong.
“Did you hear anything?”
“Hear what?”
“The conversation between me and Dr. Celine.”
“No, I didn’t hear a thing.”
“I see.”
Claude’s face noticeably brightened at my answer.
And for some reason, even the doctor looked very relieved.
“How was the check-up? Are you okay?”
I asked, though I still felt a bit suspicious.
“Unfortunately… the results weren’t very good.”
“Really?”
That’s strange.
In the original story, Claude healed quickly. He should’ve been fully recovered by now.
“Yes. Right?”
Claude sighed deeply and looked at the doctor.
“Y-Yes, I’m terribly sorry, but that’s correct,”
The doctor quickly nodded.
“The scrapes have healed, but the fractured leg hasn’t recovered yet. In my opinion, it’ll take at least… no, at the very least, two more months.”
“So there you have it.”
Claude looked downcast as he turned away from the doctor.
“Staying at the duke’s house for another two months… I feel bad for being a burden for so long.”
“You don’t need to feel that way. The Duke already gave his permission, so please stay as long as you need.”
“Yes. I’ll try my best to recover quickly.”
He added quietly,
“Though… it’s not really something I can control.”
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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