The Terminally Ill Stepmother Will Now Disappear

Chapter 10

Jeremy often said that he needed to protect Joshua at all costs.

So Helena imagined him differently—a small boy with a sharp tongue and a mischievous smile, with innocent eyes full of naive sincerity and plump cheeks.

However, Joshua didn’t fit any of those descriptions.

Instead, he had a firm gaze, and even his gaunt cheeks seemed hardened.

“I’ll take care of you too.”

Helena thought to herself, ‘Do these children not eat properly?’

“You seem like a good mother to have come into the household.”

With refined manners, a well-crafted smile, and smooth, natural conversation, Joshua’s presence was closer to the ideal of a noble.

“I hope you don’t have too many expectations.”

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting much.”

He spoke politely, but there was an underlying tone of subtle irritation—very much like a true noble.

Yet, Helena remained indifferent, even when faced with remarks designed to provoke her.

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

She didn’t feel upset or offended that the boy clearly disliked her.

In fact, perhaps it was a perfectly natural reaction.

Compared to life in Eskel’s estate, this was a significant improvement.

“How are you doing father?”

“I’m well. How have you been?”

“I’ve been studying.”

“…I see.”

With Caligo, Joshua seemed to be closer to his own age.

Unlike the cold, distant tone he had used earlier, he now radiated warmth.

It wasn’t hard to see how much he truly cared for his father.

Then, from a distance,

“Joshua!”

Jeremy’s voice rang out like the flutter of a butterfly as he ran toward them.

The boy rushed toward his twin brother and embraced him tightly.

“It took you so long to come back.”

“How have you been?”

Unlike the teary-eyed Jeremy, Joshua handled the reunion with maturity.

He gently patted Jeremy’s head as if to comfort him.

It was a remarkably affectionate gesture, in contrast to the distant demeanor he had shown to Helena.

The twins clearly depended on each other for support and protection.

“You didn’t send a letter and suddenly show up now!”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy at the Academy.”

Helena had many siblings.

But there was no one in that vast number she could truly rely on.

What if she had a sibling like Joshua or Jeremy, someone she could share a bond with?

Perhaps it was just a futile thought.

“Jeremy, Joshua has just returned. Give him some time to unpack his things.”

“Oh, right!”

Only then did Jeremy realize that his twin hadn’t even removed his traveling coat.

“Once you’ve settled, come to the backyard. I’ll be waiting.”

“…The backyard?”

It had once been overrun with weeds and had little significance. So why, instead of inviting him to the library or dining room, did Jeremy choose the backyard?

Joshua didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

After a brief moment, Joshua left with Caligo, and Helena, with a bewildered expression, turned to Jeremy.

“Why the backyard? I was planning to work in the fields.”

“Oh.”

Somehow, the backyard had become Jeremy’s sacred space.

Without realizing it, he had invited Joshua there.

Helena, who had her territory suddenly stolen from her, was baffled.

Embarrassed, Jeremy huffed more than usual.

“I told you! It’s my territory! What’s the problem with me going to my own place?”

“Oh, I see.”

She noticed how flustered he was. He was cute.

“May I dare suggest something to the landowner?”

“What, why?”

“Since your precious twin has returned, it’s the duty of the owner to treat them well, isn’t it?”

“But I can’t cook.”

“And I can.”

Jeremy caught on that Helena wanted something.

“What do you want?!”

“I’ll make something for you, so help me with the fieldwork later.”

“Okay.”

The owner? The landowner is getting pulled into this kind of deal?

Helena chuckled softly as she watched Jeremy, pure and innocent, accept her suggestion.

It was clear how much he cherished his twin.

“Are you happy Joshua is back?”

“Of course, I am! How could I not be happy?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Why wouldn’t you know? You had siblings too.”

“But none as precious as you.”

Jeremy’s voice was firm, his twin defended with unwavering loyalty.

“He’s sensitive and kind-hearted. He gets hurt easily. If you ever hurt him, you’ll regret it.”

“That sounds nice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Having a sibling like Joshua.”

Helena smiled softly.

“You really care for him, don’t you?”

They had been together from the very beginning—inseparable, like halves of a soul.

Joshua’s happiness was Jeremy’s happiness.

“…Of course.”

But why didn’t you have a sibling like that?

For the first time, Jeremy began to wonder about Helena’s past.

***

My father married a woman he didn’t like.

And then—

Joshua clenched his fists.

The way his father looked at that woman…

It was like a warrior raising a sword—strict and composed.

Yet, even that steadfast composure crumbled in front of her.

Jeremy had witnessed it firsthand, his own two eyes bearing witness to the collapse.

“I will never accept it.”

Father and Jeremy. That was enough for family.

They didn’t need anyone else, especially not a mother. Three was sufficient.

“Is Jeremy in the backyard?”

Joshua, dressed differently, headed toward the backyard.

The backyard in his memories was more like a graveyard than a garden.

With muddy soil and gloomy weather that worsened in the fall, Joshua couldn’t understand why Jeremy had summoned him there.

“Yes, he should be with the madam now.”

Jeremy with her?

In a hurry, Joshua made his way to where Jeremy was.

While not as intense as Joshua, Jeremy still had a significant amount of caution.

Of course, Joshua knew that his twin had experienced more loneliness than he did.

That’s why, whenever left alone in the estate, Joshua had been concerned for him.

Just as Joshua had longed for a mother, Jeremy had yearned for one just as desperately.

But after experiencing Melissa, Jeremy shut the door to his heart.

The idea of his twin embracing a new mother, let alone Eskel’s daughter, was incomprehensible.

Thus, he sought out the backyard.

“…What is this?”

But the backyard was no longer the dismal, grave-like place it once was.

The garden had been meticulously cleaned, with a space for tea and a proper vegetable storage shed.

And—

“A field?”

Though seeds hadn’t been planted yet, it was clear that someone was preparing to cultivate the land.

“Joshua!”

Suddenly, Jeremy emerged excitedly from the field, mixing soil and sand together like a child at play.

He looked far from the reserved, melancholic figure that had spent countless hours within the estate walls.

“Jeremy, what are you doing?”

“Well, you see, I made a deal.”

“A deal? Did that woman make you do this?”

“Not exactly… um…”

Jeremy found it hard to explain that he was trading fieldwork for food to be prepared by him.

It was simply too embarrassing.

How should I say this?

At that moment, Jeremy, who seemed troubled, was saved by a surprising figure.

“You’re here.”

It was Helena.

She arrived with a silver tray, laden with cookies, salads, fruits, and other small delicacies.

At the bottom tier, a steaming pot sat, releasing fragrant steam.

“What took you so long!”

“I’m sorry. Did you wait a long time?”

Jeremy, unlike Joshua, was much more aggressive.

“…Not really. I didn’t wait that long.”

“That’s a relief.”

Despite his usual demeanor, he seemed surprisingly kind toward her.

With excitement, he quickly moved the food she brought onto the table.

“Joshua. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Huh? Food?”

In the past, the twins rarely prioritized meals.

They lived without understanding the joy of eating.

The idea of enjoying food felt foreign to them.

With so many delicious dishes in the world, to the twins, it felt like chewing straw.

As if the world was full of misery, even their taste buds seemed to have lost sensation entirely.

“Hurry up and eat!”

Yet, the Jeremy of now wasn’t the same as before.

Joshua was puzzled, wondering what had happened.