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

Chapter 34

 

Evelia took two children out for a walk in the garden. She wanted to go to the drawing room alone with Samuel, but she couldn’t.

For whatever reason, she was Duke Adelhard’s fiancée. There was no way she could talk to a stranger alone.

So she chose the garden.

“Do you want to go over there and see the flowers? Let me show you how to make a shamrock bracelet!”

“What’s that?”

“I’m making a bracelet out of white flowers.”

“Okay!”

As soon as the children came out of the garden, they ran to see the flowers. Thanks to this, Evelia was able to sit at the table with Samuel alone.

Samuel put something like a brooch on the table. When I asked what it was, it was an artifact that could cast soundproof magic.

Thanks to this, I was able to talk without being noticed by the maids waiting a little further from the table.

“I found the person you told me about.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the place where the young lady used to live was a village in Viscount Owen.”

“Owen….”

I knew it when I heard the name. It was definitely an area that remained in the memories of ‘Evelia’.

“That’s right. So, did you find my mother’s whereabouts?”

“Yes. Lady’s mother is now…”

Evelia’s eyes widened in amazement at Samuel’s answer.

 

* * *

 

That night Evelia had a dream.

It was a dream when young Evelia lived peacefully in a seaside village with her angelic mother.

“Mom!”

“My Eve, did you go to the beach with your friends? Are you hungry?”

Mother poured unconditional affection on her that she had never received in her previous life or in her current life.

She hugged her warmly, kissed her blushing cheeks, and looked at her with a happy face throughout the meal.

The affection was so sweet that I didn’t want to wake up.

It was a dream, but Evelia instinctively recognized that it was a real memory of the past ‘Evelia’.

In fact, as if my body had reacted, when I woke up, my eyes were covered with tears.

“My lady, are you okay?”

Laura, who had come to wake her up, was startled as she pulled back the curtains. Evelia quickly wiped her face.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“It’s a nice day today, so you’ll feel better soon.”

However, contrary to Laura’s reassurances, Evelia’s mood didn’t improve. Or, more accurately, it didn’t get any better.

Uninvited guests arrived before breakfast.

“Evelia!”

A woman shouted, her voice echoing through the mansion. At first she thought it was Countess Venion, but when she listened closely, her voice was different.

“What should I do?”

After seeing the situation, Laura looked at Evelia, not knowing what to do.

“Who is that?”

“She didn’t say who she was.”

Laura pursed her lips and whispered softly into Evelia’s ear.

“She has pink hair.”

It seemed that she had finally arrived. Evelia put down the teacup she was holding and rose from her seat.

As she left the room, Laura followed closely behind her in surprise.

“Are you sure you want to go?”

“Yes. She is someone I must meet.”

Evelia hurried downstairs.

As Laura said, standing in front of the door was a woman with half white hair and half pink hair similar to Evelia.

“You shouldn’t do this!”

“Just a moment, Evelia!”

She struggled with all of her body to shake off the servants who were holding her, but it was not enough to overcome the strength of the young men.

Evelia commanded as she ran down the stairs.

“Let her go.”

“But…”

“It’s okay, let her in.”

After listening to Evelia’s words, the butler pondered for a while and then nodded to the servants.

As soon as the servants let go, the woman staggered towards Evelia.

In an instant, the woman’s face was covered with tears.

“Oh, Evelia, my daughter. How have you been?”

There was a gasping sound in her voice. It must have been a big shock to actually hear what I had vaguely imagined.

While everyone was surprised, only Evelia cast a cold gaze at the woman.

“You look just like this when you were a child. You’ve grown up so pretty.”

“What are you doing here now?”

“I heard the story from Count Venion. You’re getting married soon….”

Evelia was overcome with the urge to strangle Count Venion, who was not in front of her.

What is the reason why this woman brings up the story of Count Venion?

Count Venion was warning that he could contact the woman at any time.

This time, it was to inform her of the marriage, but next time, he could send an assassin.

“The Count was very disappointed that you went to Adelhard’s mansion before you got married…”

Hearing the woman’s voice made my heart pound and I felt like I was going to cry, as if I was meeting my real mother, whom I had never seen before.

If I hadn’t heard from Samuel yesterday, I might have embraced the woman and cried out loud as ‘Evelia’ instinct led me.

How have you been? The last time I saw you, I was very sick. Did the pain get better? Are you okay now?

But…

Evelia slammed the woman’s outstretched hand as if to hug her.

“Eve.. Lia?”

Looking at the surprised woman, she twitched her lips.

“My mother…”

Evelia recalled the dream she had last night.

 

―My Eve, did you go to the beach with your friends? Are you hungry?

 

It was what she said.

“My mother always called me Eve.”

Eve, my Eve. My pretty daughter.

Before she met Aria, her mom was the only person in the world who called her by her nickname.

Could such a mother call her daughter ‘Evelia’ because she hasn’t seen her for 10 years?

At least the mother in my memory was not such a person.

Of course, that alone couldn’t deny the person in front of her. The decisive proof was what Samuel said yesterday.

 

―Lady’s mother passed away 14 years ago. They said it was an epidemic.

 

If it was the real Evelia, I would have passed out as soon as I heard those words. The real Evelia, the one in her body, also burst into tears.

Besides, 14 years ago, Evelia was eight years old, that is, the age when she left her hometown.

If she died of an infectious disease, it meant that she died shortly after Evelia left.

 

―This is nonsense. Count Venion said he would send a doctor, but is it too late?

―Count Venion never sends a doctor.

 

Count Venion, who said he would send a doctor to her mother if she followed him, did not keep his promise.

As a result, Evelia’s mother died alone without her daughter.

Evelia didn’t know that, and she endured all the humiliation for her mother throughout her stay at Count Venion’s family.

Like an idiot, really stupid…

Evelia firmly asked the woman in front of her who seemed bewildered.

“I will ask you. Are you really my mother?”

“That, yes. You don’t remember this mother, Eve? It’s been so long that this mother has called you Evelia.”

Evelia’s voice naturally lowered as she answered.

“I certainly gave her a chance.”

She gestured to the butler.

“Here is someone who pretends to be from an aristocratic family. Hand this person over to the knight.”

“Ev-Eve?”

“Are you really okay?”

The butler asked cautiously. He wanted to know if I was sure it wasn’t my mother.

‘I believe in Samuel’s intelligence.’

When I asked how certain he was of that information, Samuel said 100 percent.

If he said that, Evelia’s mother was dead.

“Yes. Because my mother is already dead.”

The woman gasped and knelt at her feet and begged.

“I-I just did what Count Venion told me to do. Please have mercy…!”

Evelia pulled the hem of the skirt the woman was holding on to with a cold expression.

“I told you, I already gave you a chance. If I hadn’t known all the facts, you would have fooled myself and laughed at me inside, right?”

“No, absolutely not…”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and take this person.”

“Yes, Lady.”

“Please, please!”

The woman who pretended to be Evelia’s mother was dragged into the hands of the servants. Evelia watched her walk away, then turned her head away.

I didn’t know what kind of conversation that woman and Count Venion had. Maybe that woman was also threatened.

But what does that matter? Even if the woman was being blackmailed by her, there was no need to pity her from the moment she deceived her.

Evelia gathered her heart and asked the butler once again.

“Please prepare a carriage.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

Evelia’s eyes shone fiercely, as if they were sparks.

“To Count Venion.”