Ruka blamed herself for angering her mother so much. Claire held her in her embrace. Her heart ached for Ruka, and she heaved a sigh. âI donât want you ruining your life either.â
Charlotte had been taken into the emergency room when Ren came. Scarlet, her husband, Richard, and Angela were waiting outside in the corridor. They looked worried as well. âWhy did she faint all of a sudden?â Ren asked Scarlet.
â| donât know. The servant called for me all of sudden. She already fainted when I got to the tea room.â
Angela wanted to tell him what happened, but Richard held her back. The announcement of Renâs relationship with Ruka now would hit Scarlet like a bullet train.
The doctor finally came out of the emergency room. Charlotte had awakened, and she was lying on the bed that was being wheeled out of the room.
When she saw Ren, the lady closed her eyes and sighed.
She was taken to a ward, and Scarlet went inside alone. She was worried a crowd might affect her motherâs rest. Not long after she went inside, she came back out. âMom wants you inside,â she told Ren.
He nodded. The moment his mother looked at him, he knew he must be the reason why she fainted.
Ren went into the ward. Charlotte had sat up, and she was giving her son a look of complaint. He took a seat. âHow are you doing, Mom?â
âFine, no thanks to you.â She turned her head away angrily.
Ren moved closer to the bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He pressed his cheek against his motherâs hair, and he cooed, âIâm sorry, Mom. Please donât stay mad at me. Tell me what happened.â
Charlotte loved him the most ever since he was a kid. He could easily calm her when nobody else could. His apology wiped out most of her anger, but still she shot him a glare. âYou told me you have a lady you like. Itâs Ruka, isnât it?â
Ren was surprised, but only for a moment. He nodded. âYes, it is.â
âWhy...â Charlotte felt her chest tightening up. âAre you trying to make everyone mad? Out of all the women in this world, and you pick Ruka?â
Just like Rukaâs parents thought the fault lay with their daughter, Charlotte thought the fault lay with Ren. She didnât blame Ruka for this; she thought her son must have done something to make this happen.
Ren caressed his motherâs back while calming her down. âItâs not what you think, Mom. We love each other, Ruka and I.â
Charlotte let out another big sigh. âShe's your sisterâs goddaughter. Canât you at least stay away from her?â
âBut | thought you wanted me to marry someone.â Ren picked the exact conversation she would love to have.
âYeah, but you canât just...â No matter how she looked at it, Charlotte was still miffed. She had watched over Ruka ever since she was a child, and she used to come over to play really often. Charlotte thought of her as a granddaughter, so this came as a shock for her.
Not to mention she was very conservative and traditional. Of course it was hard to accept a girl whom she thought of as a granddaughter marrying her son. She shook her head and looked away. It was a silent protest.
Her son held her in his embrace and rested his chin on her shoulders. He went with the act like a childâ tactic. âIâm not gonna marry anyone but her. You refuse, and no grandkids for you.â
The last time he acted like a child was, well, back when he was a literal child asking for a candy. She couldnât believe her thirty-
three year-old son would do the same thing again, but this time, he was asking for a wife instead of a candy.
Charlotte couldnât hold back anymore. She chuckled and turned back to thump her son. âYou shouldn't threaten me, you know.â