I became the mother of the main character living with the adulterer. - Chapter 19

It was a warm and sunny morning.

Rachel sat at a small breakfast table with Graham, enjoying a sweet and cozy breakfast.

Graham was in an exceptionally good mood.

“Mom, you’ll stay with me all day today, right?”

“Of course. Today, you and I have a secret mission.”

“Just the two of us? Wow, that sounds exciting!”

Graham’s cheeks flushed bright red. His plump baby cheeks rose up round and rosy.

Seeing Graham so happy made Rachel feel good too. She checked if the servants were listening before she whispered to the child.

“We’re going on a trip soon. Today, we need to pack things we’ll need for the trip.”

“A trip? When are we leaving?”

“We’ll pack first, and once Dad comes home, we can leave. How does that sound?”

“Ugh, do we really have to wait for Dad? Can’t we go just the two of us today?”

“I have something to give to Dad. Just wait a little longer.”

“Tch. Mom, you’re too nice. You don’t have to give Dad any presents.”

Rachel smiled brightly at Graham’s words.

Theodore probably wouldn’t see things the same way. What Rachel was planning to give him were divorce papers. Not to mention, there were mountains of alimony to be paid!

“Let’s pack a lot of things you like, and a lot of things I like. We’ll leave the things we don’t like behind, only bringing the things we love!”

“Really? Then I’ll leave Dad behind!”

“Leave Dad behind? Hahaha!”

Rachel shook her body and laughed out loud, while Graham looked at her anxiously.

“Is that not okay…?”

“Not at all! If you want to leave Dad behind, we can absolutely do that.”

“Yay!”

Graham put down his fork and leaned toward Rachel, wrapping his little arms around her waist.

“I’m really happy. I don’t like Dad. I like only you, Mom. Dad hurts you and sometimes takes you away, so I really don’t like him. But I’m so happy you’re going to leave Dad!”

Rachel smiled warmly, gently stroking Graham’s golden hair.

It seemed that even this little child could see how much Rachel was suffering. It made her heart ache.

Graham giggled as he enjoyed his mother’s affection.

“Mom, I’ll protect you.”

Suddenly, Sian came to mind.

‘Graham has both the talent and the desire to protect someone. He has everything needed to learn swordsmanship.’

Sian had seen right through Graham in just one meeting. He had noticed something that even Theodore hadn’t. Sian was an impressive person.

“Graham, would you like to learn swordsmanship?”

“Sword? A sword?”

Graham, who had been clinging to Rachel’s waist, looked up and blinked in confusion.

“Yeah. Do you remember the Duke we met before? He’s really good at sword fighting. If you want, he’ll teach you how to use a sword.”

“The Duke.”

Graham seemed to be thinking, possibly recalling the Duke’s mansion.

He fidgeted and furrowed his brows for a moment before meeting Rachel’s eyes again.

“I want to learn.”

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I really want to! I’ve always wanted to learn sword fighting.”

“But Graham, that doesn’t look like a happy face.”

“No, it’s not that….”

Graham paused for a moment as if trying to find the right words, then continued.

“That person is strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure.”

Unable to find the right words to express his feelings, Graham lowered his head.

“He’s not as good as Mom, but he’s not as bad as Dad either. When he’s with Mom, I feel angry sometimes… but he doesn’t seem like a bad person. He might get better, but he’s not good yet.”

Rachel patted Graham’s back, smiling.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to understand it all yet. Just think about it slowly, and when you figure out why you feel he’s strange, you can tell me. Alright?”

“Okay! Thank you, Mom.”

Rachel, who had been watching Graham closely, teasingly asked, “What about Princess Dolorosa? We met her for a bit when we visited the mansion last time.”

“Ah… that little brat.”

“Little brat?”

Despite being three years older and of higher rank, Graham called Dolorosa a “little brat,” which would have been a serious problem if anyone had overheard. Fortunately, no one was around.

Graham said seriously, “She’s pitiful. She doesn’t have a mom. I don’t understand how she lives without one. I think the world is so scary without a mom.”

“Really?”

Rachel nodded her head.

Feeling sympathy or pity is a perfectly reasonable way to start developing feelings of love. It seemed that, like in the original story, the two were likely to become close over time.

Rachel felt proud and pleased seeing her son already beginning to feel love for someone, and a smile appeared on her lips.

“Anyway, I’ll practice sword fighting hard and become a great knight!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it! Wow, our Graham will be so cool when he becomes a knight!”

“Hehe. I’ll fight off the bad guys and protect you, Mom!”

Rachel hugged Graham, whose cheeks were flushed bright red, as he excitedly boasted.

***

Meanwhile, Theodore had been stuck in his cramped townhouse all day.

Berengella, increasingly on edge, glared at Theodore and made sure he didn’t leave the townhouse.

For Berengella, who cared greatly about others’ opinions, the gossip and the cramped townhouse life were nothing but frustrating. She spent her time drinking and complaining to her son.

It had already been two weeks. She had never gone so long without seeing Jane.

Social class, love but with a predetermined partner, and disapproving parents. Now they were even locked in the tower, unable to meet each other—Oh Goddess Yennisia! Why do you give me such trials?

As Theodore sank into despair, Berengella’s scolding came pouring out.

“After all that humiliation, you plan to meet that woman again? How could you disgrace our family’s reputation even more! As long as I’m here, that woman will never meet with the Count again!”

Although Theodore had always feared Berengella, by now, even he was beginning to feel irritated.

“That woman is Jane! She is my lover!”

“Shut up, Count! The Count’s wife is Rachel Elrosa. To be the wife of the Elrosa Count, she needs to be of noble birth, like the daughter of Count Fram!”

“All you care about is honor, dignity, and virtue! Do you even know what love is?”

“Do I need to know such things?”

“She’s the woman I love! Please accept her!”

“Do you even know what that worthless woman has been doing? There’s rumors everywhere that she’s been to the Elrosa mansion!”

“Jane went to the mansion? Is that true?”

“Yes. The common girl dared to set foot in the prestigious mansion, and not only that, she had the audacity to ask where the Count was, even raising her voice to the Countess. The rumors are spreading like wildfire, it’s chaos!”

His heart raced wildly.

“Jane came all the way to the mansion to find me! I’m so moved! I thought she was just a child, but she came to find me, fearless of the rumors, so brave!”

As Berengella continued her nagging, Theodore lost himself in thought.

“Ah, Jane! I have to go see her. My mother may get arrested for insulting the Crown Prince once she steps outside, but surely that won’t happen, right? Others have done the same thing on the terrace at the banquet, so what’s the big deal?”

Theodore still hadn’t figured out what the actual problem was.

He aimlessly wandered around the small sitting room of the townhouse, smaller than the bedroom in the Elrosa mansion, nervously biting his nails.

“Damn Duke Sian! Why did he have to do such an absurd thing? How dare he rip the curtains on the terrace! If it had been the Marquis or the Duke there, what would have happened?”

The thought that Sian might have known everything and ripped the curtains never crossed his mind.

“Never mind. For now, I’ll just focus on meeting Jane. To end this damn situation, I need to find the courage. Only courage can lead the lovers separated by evil forces to a happy ending.”

At that moment, he saw his own reflection in the mirror. His blonde hair and blue eyes made him look like a prince from a fairy tale, and it gave him the courage he needed.

“Alright. I’ll go to sleep early tonight, and once Mother falls asleep, I’ll sneak out. I’m going to find Jane.”

He crawled into bed, imagining how he would whisper his love to Jane when they met, and what he would do if she was upset and needed comforting.

“Count, it’s time for dinner!”

Berengella shouted in annoyance, but Theodore pretended not to hear.

There was one maid who served them in the townhouse, but she was mute and illiterate, so it was Berengella’s job to announce mealtime.

“Count!”

Her sharp command came again, but once again, Theodore ignored it.

Thinking of the beautiful Jane, he forced himself to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Theodore woke up first and checked if Berengella was asleep. Fortunately, she had passed out from drinking.

In a rush, Theodore left the townhouse and headed straight to Jane’s house.

The lights in Jane’s house were brightly lit, as if waiting for him. His heart raced with excitement.

He quickly rang the doorbell and knocked on the door.

“Jane, Jane! It’s me, Theodore! Open the door!”

He heard the sound of hurried movement from inside, followed by a loud crash.

She must be so happy, not knowing what to do.

What kind of expression would Jane have? Would she come running out with a joyful face and cling to him?

Would she say, “Why did you come so late? I missed you,” and start to cry?

Maybe as soon as the door opened, she would kiss him deeply. In that case, he’d say,

“Haha, our Jane must have been lonely. It’s been a long time since we’ve met, and there’s so much to talk about.”

He’d pat her back and take her inside. He’d politely close the front door and kiss her again. Afterward, they would spend a passionate time together as always!

Since he had to return before Berengella woke up, he couldn’t stay too long, but there would be enough time to enjoy their reunion.

A smile spread across Theodore’s face.

A moment later, the front door opened. However, what greeted Theodore wasn’t the affectionate gestures, complaints, or kisses of his lover.

“Jee…!”

Splash!

A bucket of water poured over Theodore.

“You worthless bastard!”

Smack!

A slap landed on his wet cheek.