The Male Lead’s Father Refuses to Break Off Our Engagement

Chapter 16

 

“That’s…”

Cassis glanced at Evelia, then looked away.

“Perhaps for a while.”

“After that?”

“Nothing has been decided yet.”

Ruth shoulders drooping in disappointment, looking at Evelia this time.

“Lady Evelia, if I find the four-leaf clover you mentioned earlier, will your wish really come true?”

Evelia regretted it looking into Ruth’s eyes, which were filled with earnestness.

‘I shouldn’t have told you.’

It was easy to tell what Ruth was thinking with his little head.

‘I’m sure you want to make a wish for me to be your stepmother.’

How could even that wish be similar to mine?

Evelia remembered herself as a child, looking for a four-leaf clover whenever she saw a shamrocks. What did she wish for when she searched the lawn?

 

―I also want to have my family back.

Young So-yoon searches for a four-leaf clover while sweating profusely, knowing in her head that nothing more than grass will make her wish come true.

Sometimes she would blame herself for not finding the four-leaf clover and that her father wouldn’t come to pick her up.

Could Ruth fall into that kind of guilt by any chance?

Fearing that Ruth would go through the same process as herself, Evelia spoke firmly to the child.

“It’s just that there is such a thing, it’s not really that a four-leaf clover could grant wishes. It’s hard to find it, so don’t try to find it. Okay?”

“… Yes.”

Ruth answered in a weak voice.

However, Evelia didn’t know that Ruth’s eyes were shining as he clenched his fists tightly.

 

* * *

 

The weather was cloudy, but at night it started to rain. The rain that wet the ground little by little quickly turned into a downpour.

Evelia, who fell asleep while thinking about what to do next, was awakened by the cool sound of rain.

I tried to fall asleep again, but I couldn’t sleep because my mind was disturbed.

Eventually, she got out of bed and stood by the window where water drops were forming, looking up at the sky and thinking.

‘What should I do now?’

Even though I knew in my head that I had to leave immediately, I kept running into practical problems.

It is an ambiguous situation whether to stay here, return to Count Venion’s house, or leave here to find a new life.

It was time to let out a sigh at the situation where the plan was completely wrong. Suddenly she saw something moving in the garden.

‘What?’

It was too small to be called a gardener.

After noticing that the hair she could see in the rain was black, Evelia ran out of the room with a silent scream.

She doesn’t know what made her run down the hall and out into the garden.

When she came to her senses, she was already standing in the garden.

Because of the rain, my hair and clothes were completely wet at that moment. She was barefoot because she didn’t have time to put on her shoes.

However, Evelia didn’t care that the soles of her feet were being torn by the stone, she ran and called out to the person squatting in the garden.

“Ruth!”

Evelia, who quickly ran to Ruth, and helped him to his feet.

No matter how long it had been in the rain, Ruth’s cherry-like lips were slightly bluish.

“What are you doing here…”

Evelia couldn’t bear to speak. Because she seemed to know the answer even if she didn’t have to ask.

Ruth was out at this hour to find the four-leaf clover that was said to grant wishes.

Alone while everyone else is asleep, in case Evelia or the nanny will stop it.

“I told you not to look for it because it is difficult to find. And I told you something like that couldn’t grant a wish!”

Even though she knew she shouldn’t be angry at Ruth, Evelia involuntarily raised her voice.

The person she is angry with may not be Ruth in front of her, but her past self.

It was anger toward young Han So-yoon, who was foolishly looking for a four-leaf clover despite being hurt again and again.

Receiving Evelia’s anger, Ruth laughed rather than being frightened.

Before Evelia could point it out, the child held out what was in his hand.

“I found it.”

What the child held out was a rain-soaked four-leaf clover. Evelia thought for a moment that she was mistaken, but it really had four leaves.

Soon, Ruth’s body staggered, and then fell toward Evelia. Evelia, holding the child in her arms, touched his forehead quickly.

Despite the cold rain, Ruth’s forehead was slightly warm. He had fever.

“Is anyone there? Someone please come out!”

The servants heard Evelia’s shout and ran out.

“Oh my God, Young master! What are you doing in the middle of the night!”

The servant carried Ruth on his back and hurried to the room. Even in the midst of that, Ruth didn’t open his hand holding the four-leaf clover.

 

* * *

 

“It’s not a serious cold, so don’t worry about it.”

After examining Ruth carefully, the doctor finally spoke up.

“If he takes a fever reducer and gets a good night’s sleep, the fever will drop by tomorrow morning.”

“Good work.”

Cassis, who had been waiting for the doctor’s words with a stiff face, approached Ruth. Ruth’s breathing was a bit rough, but regular.

Cassis, who lowered his head to check Ruth’s breathing, Cassis turned to the nanny, who had come running.

“Help her.”

His gaze turned to Evelia this time.

“It is late at night. Please go back and rest.”

Evelia shook her head.

“I’ll see Ruth for a little longer.”

The nanny waved her hand in surprise.

“Lady, I will take care of the young master, so go back quickly and get some rest. Lady was also caught in the rain. You will catch a cold if you stay.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Evelia realize that she hadn’t even changed her clothes yet. As soon as she realized that, she belatedly felt her body tremble.

The nanny tugged at her arm.

“My God, you are shaking like this… Go quickly and wash away your cold energy with warm water so you don’t catch a cold. Hurry up.”

Evelia was pushed back to her room by the nanny.

But even as she washed herself in the warm water the maid had hurriedly provided, she couldn’t shake her thoughts of Ruth.

Eventually, she washed up and headed back to Ruth’s room.

“Lady, you should be sleeping, why are you here again…”

Noticing Evelia’s dark expression, nanny stood up instead of telling her to go back.

Evelia sat down on the chair next to the bed where the nanny had been sitting a while ago and looked around.

On the bedside table lay the four-leaf clover Ruth had found earlier. The nanny, who followed Evelia’s gaze and turned her head, explained in a whisper.

“Looks like he went out looking for it. Why did he look for shamrocks in the middle of the night?”

“If you find a four-leaf clover, your wish will come true. It seems that there was a wish the young master wished for.”

“The wish he wants to make…”

Evelia smiled bitterly and carefully held Ruth’s hand. His soft hands were a little hotter than usual.

“Can I be with young master for a moment?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

The nanny seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then left the room with the excuse of bringing some water to drink.

Evelia squeeze the lukewarm washcloth and placed it on Ruth’s forehead.

Ruth’s eyelashes fluttered as the cool air woke him up, and his eyes opened slightly..

“Who..?”

“It is me.”

“Lady… Evelia?”

Ruth, startled, tried to force his unopened eyes.

“The doctor told you to get some rest. Don’t wake up and go to sleep.”

“Ugh, but….”

Evelia stopped him, but Ruth continued to fidget.

Rather than trying to see her, he looked around as if looking for something.

‘No way?’

Evelia, just in case, put the four-leaf clover that had been lying on the bedside table into Ruth’s hand.

“Looking for this?”

Ruth, who checked the four-leaf clover with half-open eyes, smiled brightly.

“Thank god… I didn’t lose it.”

I’m sure he must have aches and pains all over his body, but is that four-leaf clover more important than that?

For some reason, Evelia speaks with a crackling voice.

“I told you not to look for it because it’s hard to find.”

“Lady Evelia?”

“What are you looking for in the rain? It’s just grass. There’s no way your wish will ever come true.”

If I said that, I thought the naive Ruth would ask, ‘My wish will not come true?’ But, unexpectedly, Ruth whispered in a calm voice.

“I know, but…”

“…….”

“I still wanted to find it.”

Ruth held out the four-leaf clover to Evelia again.

“You said you wanted to find it.”