Chapter 26
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Chapter 26
Edwin lowered his head again. It seemed his deliberation was far from over.
"There are tons of toys there, and so many delicious snacks. You can eat plenty of that chocolate you love."
I tempted him with things I knew would appeal to Edwin.
"And Amelia is at our house too."
"...Amelia?"
The female lead undoubtedly wielded the greatest influence over the male lead.
"Yes. She's staying at our house until Uncle's fully recovered. What do you think?"
I placed another piece of chocolate into Edwin's mouth as I asked.
After his round eyes had rolled about for a moment, Edwin nodded with determination and opened his mouth.
"Okay."
A smile bloomed across my face at his answer.
'There's really not much time left now.'
Until the Duke and Edwin would meet.
I clenched my fist tightly where no one could see. I was relieved that everything was unfolding exactly as I'd planned.
* * *
"Eating too much will rot your teeth. Just a little—wait, huh?"
I was about to scold the child devouring chocolate at an alarming pace when I noticed something odd in Claude's expression.
For some reason, Lucian's jaw had dropped wide open.
'What's wrong with him?'
Claude followed Lucian's gaze. There, Lucella and Edwin were affectionately sharing chocolate.
The two of them whispered together for a while as if sharing secrets, and finally faced each other with bright smiles. Naturally, Lucian's eyes began to redden at the sight.
Lucian was on the verge of tears. Claude rose from his seat and hurried over to him.
"Lucian, what's wrong?"
"..."
"Hmm? Don't cry. Tell Uncle what's the matter."
Claude coaxed Lucian. He was Lucella's nephew, after all. He couldn't bear to see tears from a child she held so dear.
"Hmm? Little one."
He used a term of endearment he would normally never employ.
"I'm not a little one!"
Lucian, who had been silent until now, let out a sharp cry. His small chest heaved with ragged, heavy breaths.
'Lucian is still so much like a baby.'
The words Lucella had spoken to Edwin moments ago pricked at Lucian's small heart.
I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a wonderful older brother who takes care of Cherry and Daemon!
'Oh, how mature he is.'
Auntie had always been a caring person.
But with Edwin, it was different. It was clear, without looking closely, that she regarded him as special.
Auntie praised Edwin for being mature. It meant that the person Auntie liked was someone mature.
And yet that same Auntie had called him babyish. Which meant...
"Lucian, is that any way to speak to the Marquis?"
"Don't you love Lucian, Auntie?"
"What are you talking about?"
I was about to place my hands on my hips in indignation, but Lucella's brow furrowed at the unexpected question.
"You don't love Lucian."
"Don't say such things, Lucian. I love you more than anyone in the world."
"That's not true! You like Edwin way, way more than Lucian!"
Lucian squeezed his eyes shut and cried out. Claude rushed to embrace him, but it was no use.
"Even when I ask you to play with me, you always say we have to go to the Orphanage, and when you come to the Orphanage, you always look for Edwin first, and you never feed me—you only give chocolate to Edwin. I know how to eat chocolate too!"
"...."
"Just now, the two of you were whispering secrets together. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
The words tumbled out, and sorrow swelled in my chest.
"You call me a baby, but you tell Edwin he's so mature and cool."
Tears hung precariously from Lucian's eyes as he spoke in hiccupping gasps. He scrubbed at his eyes roughly with his clenched fists.
"I'm sorry, Lucian. But I love you...."
"Don't come near me!"
"...."
"I hate you, Auntie!"
With a piercing cry, Lucian bolted outside without so much as a glance back. Lucella rushed to follow, but the Orphanage teacher held her back.
"Lucella, please give Lucian some time alone."
"But Lucian is misunderstanding. I need to clear this up and wipe away his tears...."
"He needs time to calm himself first. Lucian must learn to manage his own emotions. Comforting him comes after that."
These words came from a professional, not just anyone. With that, Lucella could only sigh deeply and sink into a chair.
* * *
"Sigh...."
A heavy sigh, as though the ground itself were collapsing beneath me, scattered across the floor. I sat slumped in my chair, tearing at my innocent hair.
It was true that I had been so preoccupied with Edwin lately that I'd neglected to give Lucian my attention.
'I never thought he felt this way.'
It would have been better if he'd simply demanded that I love only him and no one else. But to say that I clearly loved Edwin far more than him—
I'd thought it was simple jealousy, but what Lucian felt toward me was betrayal.
'I was shortsighted.'
Lucian was a child with more jealousy and possessiveness than most.
His only ally in the world, the aunt he believed in, had pushed him aside and prioritized another child—how much sorrow must have overwhelmed him?
This wasn't merely about the present situation.
Soon Edwin would meet the Duke of Bellomen and become the heir to the Duke's household.
That wasn't all. Edwin would grow up receiving the paternal love that Lucian had never known.
How must Lucian feel watching this? To lose everything he believed was his—my affection, the heir's position, all of it.
And all of this was my doing. I know the original story, so I know Edwin will become the Young Duke no matter what, but Lucian doesn't. He can't.
In his eyes, I must seem like the architect of all this misery. After all, I was the one who found Edwin and brought him to the Duke's Mansion.
He's already suffering like this, so how much will he resent me when Edwin becomes the Young Duke? How deep will his sense of betrayal run? Family is all he has—and that family is me.
"Lucian...."
Why hadn't I considered making Lucian my heir? Why had I been so intent on handing everything over to Edwin? Regardless of the original story's trajectory, Lucian was my child—my blood ran through his veins.
Shame weighed so heavily that I could scarcely lift my head.
In my desperate attempt to prevent the tragic fate assigned to Lucian, I had given no thought whatsoever to what he might feel.
Yet I couldn't undo what was already done. I couldn't leave a child who had a father to languish alone in the Orphanage.
I already knew everything—so how could I, as an adult, turn a blind eye to a child's suffering?
'But I can't simply abandon Lucian either.'
This wasn't merely a matter of severing my relationship with him. There was a real danger that Lucian, feeling betrayed by me, might transform into a villain—corrupted and vengeful, seeking retribution against Edwin for taking everything from him.
"Ugh..."
My head throbbed as worries crashed over me like a tide. The thought of Lucian outside, crying alone, twisted my heart.
How on earth was I supposed to fix this?
"Young Lady."
I was still clutching my head in anguish when a voice reached me from beside. I lifted my gaze to find Claude sitting at my side—though I hadn't noticed when he'd arrived.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm... not alright."
I attempted a smile, but it wouldn't come. My heart was too heavy. The corners of my mouth remained stubbornly frozen, refusing to rise.
"Please don't trouble yourself so. Children that age tend to treat their family's affection as their entire world."
"...Hearing you say that only makes me feel worse."
Claude's words were true. I was Lucian's entire world. And yet I had struck him such a cruel blow.
"If you explain yourself clearly and apologize sincerely, he'll forgive you quickly. As I mentioned before, you are Lucella's entire world to him. No child would refuse forgiveness from the person who means everything to them when they offer a genuine apology."
"I wish that were true, but our Lucian has quite the temperament."
A stubborn, willful child—would he truly accept my apology?
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