Chapter 23

I can’t just foolishly hope for something that I know is impossible. But still, I want to dream, even just for a little bit.

‘But first, we have to celebrate Letty’s birthday.’

I can’t believe the evil spirits chose to attack the same day as Letty’s birthday. With a sigh, I put the cake down on the center of the table.

I thought as I neatly put the candles on the cake. How come did the evil spirits suddenly appear?

Furthermore, Sia and the priest went to Lord Canelo’s castle, is it okay for Calix not to go with them?

As soon as I picked up the last candle while I was still dizzy with my thoughts, a little doll stepped into the kitchen.

“Mmm, Mom······.”

“Oh my, Letty! Did wake up?”

Letty rubbed her eyes and yawned. Then I rushed to her and picked up the child.

“Oooh, it smells delicious.”

“Uh-huh, Your Mom, aunt Alice, and your uncles cooked it. We made all the food Letty likes.”

“Wow! I’m so excited!”

And as if to prove that she’s already wide awake, Letty’s eyes glistened as she smiles.

Will and Sean arranged for Letty’s seat. Then I put a kiss on the child’s cheek and sat Letty down.

Mom, I like it so much! As I watch Letty, who hugged my neck tightly and spoke in a very cute way, a smile naturally spread around my lips.

Then I suddenly felt a piercing gaze boring through me and Letty.

I gently rolled my eyes towards the direction and saw Calix staring at us with a strange look on his face.

Goosebumps crept all over me in an instant. No way, hasn’t he realized that Letty is his and my child?

Up to now, I thought he’s already discerned the situation······. I kept glancing at Calix, wondering what’s going on in his mind, however, I couldn’t read his expression at all.

‘His attitude towards Letty makes you feel like he’s already noticed something······.’

Whether about the gift, or the time he had difficulty with little Letty, or when he was being oddly friendly······.

‘If the time comes he asks if Letizia is my daughter, what should I answer?’

Sooner or later, I’ll have to convey to him the truth······. but the problem is, how would I explain to him the reason why I still chose to run away even though I’m already carrying his child.

To do that, I have to disclose to him that I have recollections of my previous life······.

‘Will he believe me?’

Far from believing it, he might treat me as an insane person. But I won’t be able to clear the misunderstanding without saying anything.

‘That’s why I have to tell Calix the whole story······.’

It was at that moment.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, I felt dizzy and everything turned black in front of me. I tried to support myself by grabbing the table.

‘What’s this, What’s wrong with me?’

I held my hands together and took a deep breath.

And after a while, fortunately, my condition calmed down. I sighed and moistened my throat with water. ·····I must have been too stressed out.

‘For now, let’s focus on Letty’s birthday party, then let’s think about it again later whether I’m going to tell Calix my secret.’

Even if I tell Calix the truth, Sia was also a problem.

She certainly has feelings for Calix. And when she finds out that Calix has a child······ she might try to harm Letty. Even if she is the divine lady, she is also just a human being. There was no way she would not have any malicious feelings such as jealousy and hatred.

‘Technically speaking, a Divine Lady is different from a Saint. Even if they were said to be chosen by God, they’re still not some extraordinary human beings. Aside from the fact that there seems to be something wrong with Sia somewhere.’

It’s not just because I’m annoyed with her. But the person, Sia herself, somehow felt dissonant.

Oh. Did Letty feel the same way as I did, that’s why she was so wary of Sia?

I gazed at the child. Letty was wearing a birthday hat.

It was a bit funny because the hat was a little big, and it seems that it was biting the child’s head. I smiled while looking at Letty.

“Happy birthday, my daughter.”

“Yes! Sing me a happy birthday song!”

“Alright.”

We sat around the table and sang a birthday song together. And because Letty insisted that we should invite him too, even Calix attended the birthday party.

He clapped his hands awkwardly, and it was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh. My goodness, the Grand Duke of Rochester singing on a child’s birthday! If the nobles of the capital had seen it, they would have been greatly astonished.

But Calix’s suffering did not end there.

“Mister! Let’s go buy Letty’s gift!”

That’s what Letty demanded with her arms stretched out at him.

Calix blinked his eyes in a daze. With that look on his face, Letty runs to him while jumping, and Calix, although hesitating, still hurriedly grabbed her when Letty almost fell.

Eventually, he carried Letty and took her to buy a present.

“I guess she knew it was her Dad by instinct.”

While wiping my hands after washing the dishes, Alice came up and said. I nodded my head, quietly agreeing with her observation.

Other than William, all the other adult men were with Letty, looking out for her. Even Sean was somewhat uncomfortable.

I can’t believe Letty’s behaving so friendly to Calix, whom she’s never seen before. It was quite amazing. Does she know he’s her dad?

And Calix too, perhaps·····.

“Laure, I need to tell you something.”

Alice’s voice interrupted my thoughts. What does she mean? I turned to Alice with a puzzled look on my face, and the moment I saw her eyes, I had a hunch.

‘You want to tell me the reason why you sent the letter.’

The reason why, while we were hiding so well until now, she suddenly chose to send a letter exposing our location to Calix. Alice and I really had something to talk about.

I answered back with a nod.

“Sure. Do you want us to talk here?”

Then Alice glanced toward the living room and grabbed my arm.

“No. Not here. Let’s go to my room.”

“·····Alright.”

I glanced at the living room where her gaze was directed. Sean and Will were sitting on the couch and taking a nap. Is it something that the two of them shouldn’t hear?

I looked at Alice again. Her face was somehow rigid as she climbed up to the second floor with me. And until we got inside her room, she didn’t utter a single word.

Thud.

Click.

Alice, who locked the door, turned around to me. I sat on her bed and stared at Alice blankly. What does she need to say so privately that she even has to lock the door?

“Laure, this is something I only learned a while ago.”

“Okay·····.”

I nodded my head, calmly persuading Alice that she can continue with her explanation. Alice bit down her lips, then came over next to me and sat down.

“I’ve been busy researching in the Lord’s Castle all these time, and Sean······ it’s my fault that I trusted him too much. I shouldn’t have forgotten that everyone has darkness in their hearts.”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Sean?”

Alice’s gaze, which was directed down at her hands all these while turned to me. She stared at me with infinitely apologetic eyes. Then Alice’s lips, which were trembling as if she were hesitating, opened gently.

“Sean, he makes tea for you every morning.”

“Yes······. Is there something wrong?”

“The tea was poisoned.”

“······What?”

I could only blink for some time because Alice’s words wouldn’t register to my mind.

Then my frozen body soon began to turn slowly. Sean······ was poisoning my tea? Every morning?

“T-That’s impossible. Why would he? Sean wouldn’t do anything like that······!”

My heart was stricken and my eyelids trembled. It’s inconceivable that Sean would do something like that to me. I could never believe it. He was like an uncle or a father figure to me. He was a kind and warm-hearted guardian. Why would that kind of person······.

“Think about it, Laure.”

“······.”

“No matter how generous Sean is, Will is more precious to him than you. He is his only son.”

Alice spoke calmly, touching my shoulder.

“Sean wanted to get ahold of you. Knowing your real identity, he probably thought you might also leave one day. That’s why he fed you this poison······ ‘Torum’ little by little to make you addicted.”

Alice pulled out a small crystal bottle from her pocket and shook it. It contained a light green liquid.

“This poison is not fatal, but long-term consumption makes the person addicted to it infertile.”

“Gasp······.”

I swallowed my breath. I couldn’t believe it at all. Infertility, I can’t believe Sean······ tried to make me infertile.

‘Why, why would he do such a thing?’

I squeezed my trembling hands tightly. I leaned my head down and just looked at the floor. I could feel my vision darkening. Then Alice’s voice continued to be heard.

“······Having a successor is a very important matter in aristocratic society. If you’re declared infertile, the idea of going back to your former fiance would be highly impossible. That must be what Sean had thought.”

“······I can’t believe it.”

I muttered.

“How could, Sean, to me······.”

My teeth trembled at the sense of betrayal. It was really true that you could trust no one in this world. Feeling like my tears would come out, I clenched my teeth.

“He treated me so well, and he cared for me like a real family·····.”

“······.”

Alice patted me quietly on my back. After a few minutes, I heard her say in a cluttered voice.

“I haven’t told you so far, but Sean was like that kind of person from the beginning.”

Alice’s eyes deepened as if staring into the distant past.

“He’s a virtuous person but······ his blood and flesh are more important to him than the others. An old man who can do anything for his only son. That’s why I also left this city. I didn’t want to be tied to Will’s side for the rest of my life. Though that’s what Sean wanted.”

“······.”

“Why would Sean approve of you and Will’s fake marriage in the first place? It’s because he knows there’s a possibility that Will might be left alone someday. He felt so bad for his only son, it’s driving him crazy, he was trying to take advantage of you.”

I nodded silently. Because that’s what I thought too. Sean wouldn’t have accepted me with the best intentions.

“But I didn’t expect that he would try to poison you. ······I don’t think he has any intention to cause you harm. But trying to make a healthy person infertile, that is by no means, unforgivable.”

“······.”

I stayed quiet for a while, and then implicitly brought up the question I kept having in my mind.

“······Is that why you sent a letter to Calix?”

Alice replied, honesty could be seen in her eyes.

“Yes. I was hoping Grand Duke Rochester would come looking for you. It’s also partly because of Sean, but…”

She halted for a moment and stammered. As if hesitating to bring the topic up. But soon she said with a determined expression.

“I work in the Lord’s castle and I sometimes receive news from the capital. I haven’t told you, but rumors are rampant among the nobles that Grand Duke Rochester has gone completely insane and is traveling all over the continent.”

“······.”

“Why would he go crazy roaming around the world? It’s all to find you, Laure.”

I didn’t have a hard time figuring out why Alice hesitated.

She was worried I’d feel guilty about leaving Calix behind.

I wavered and opened my mouth.

“Calix·····.”

But the moment I was about to pour my heart out,

Thud!

We heard something fall outside the door.

Then Alice and I hurriedly rushed towards it to see what made the sound.

When we looked down on the floor, Will sitting in the hallway came into view.

Will, with a pale complexion, bit his lips and asked.

“What, what are you talking about? Did my father really poisoned Laure?”

Alice and I exchanged glances. A silent signal went back and forth between the two of us.

After a while, Alice replied on my behalf.

“It’s just as you heard. Your father, Sean poisoned Laure. ······Probably for about 15 days.”

“That’s imposs······.”

Will seemed terribly shocked. He lowered his head and swept his face with both hands. The gray eyes that were seen through the fingers were filled with guilt. And when he lifted his head again and looked back at me, he said in a quivering voice.

“Sorry, I’m very sorry, Laure·····.”

“Why should you be sorry, Will.”

I shook my head. It was Sean who poisoned me, not Will.

Nevertheless, Will seemed to feel responsible. He staggered to his feet and apologized again.

“I’m really sorry. Laure······. No, I beg your forgiveness. My Lady, Marquis of Ecree. What my father did······ can’t be forgiven by any apology.”

“Don’t be like that, Will.”

I held his hand and dried it which was damp with his tears. Will lowered his gaze and didn’t dare look straight into my eyes.

“Suddenly treating me like a noble······ Please don’t. For the last seven years, I’ve already considered you as my real family. Please don’t be like this, hmm?”

Will bit his lips in anguish, but after a while, he finally opened his mouth.

“······I understand. I mean, okay······.”

Finally, the eyes that eventually looked up at me were expressing thank you and sorry at the same time. Then I smiled at Will with sorrow in my eyes.