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Chapter 72




Did I hear wrong just now? Without realizing it, I looked at Terdeo’s red lips. His glossy, plump lips seemed to tempt me. Terdeo gently lifted my chin with one hand. As I swallowed hard with tension, the sound seemed unusually loud. Was he as nervous as I was? His thick Adam’s apple bobbed prominently. When his long, thick eyelashes lowered, a shade fell over his red eyes. I hadn’t noticed how close Terdeo had gotten until I stared at those eyes for a long time, feeling as if I would be sucked into a whirlpool. It seemed like everything in the world had stopped. Even the flow of the air around us.
‘Huh.’
Instinctively, I held my breath and closed my eyes slightly. My heart was pounding as if it would go crazy, partly due to Terdeo’s scent getting closer. I was reaching my limit from holding my breath. My shoulders trembled from the lack of air, and my cheeks turned red. Or was it because of the tension? At that moment, Terdeo’s sharp nose lightly touched mine. Just the slightest touch of our noses made me feel as if an electric current had run through my body. Terdeo is right in front of me. Just thinking about it made my palms sweat. He slowly moved his fingers that were holding my chin. His long, slender fingers grazed my neck teasingly. His large hand softly cupped my face, and his scent became even stronger. I could feel his hot breath so close that it seemed like the mansion itself was about to shake. Instinctively, I clenched my fists. Just then, I heard someone else’s breathing from the left.
“Eh, eh...”
Startled by the sudden sound, I turned my head sharply toward the source. The doctor was frozen in place, staring at us.
“I, I was just going to ask... how long we need to wait...”
Oh, right. The doctor was supposed to wait in the bedroom! Terdeo, who had turned his head, spoke in a voice colder than ice.
“I clearly told you to wait.”
“S-Sorry... I’m so sorry! Please, continue! I’ll wait here all night!”
The doctor, who shouted loudly enough to make the mansion shake, quickly fled. As soon as the doctor disappeared, a cold reality hit me like a downpour.
‘W-What just...’
My lips trembled at the thought of the heated moment that almost happened just now. What exactly did I almost do?
“Huh.”
As Terdeo exhaled a hot breath, my shoulders shuddered. I didn’t have the courage to turn my head to face him.
“J-Just now...”
My voice was hoarse from tension. I tried to act calm, but my trembling lips made my voice shake. With each word, my face felt like it was being cooked in a hot oven. No, it was burning. The awkward silence pressed down on my shoulders. I almost wanted to call the doctor back who had just fled.
‘Please, someone come.’
At that moment, a loud thud echoed, as if a wall had collapsed. I jumped and turned my head reflexively. Then,
“Gulp! Theo!”
Terdeo, who had moved to my side, was now banging his forehead against the wall. Is he crazy? It sounded like his head was about to break!
“Are you okay?”
“...To the bedroom.”
Terdeo, still banging his head against the wall, looked down and muttered almost inaudibly.
“...Go to the bedroom first and get checked by the doctor.”
“You should...”
“Perechti.”
Terdeo, cutting me off, said firmly but with a pleading tone.
“If you don’t go now, I might have to keep banging my head until the mansion collapses.”
“I’ll, I’ll go.”
I wanted to ask what the connection was between me going and him banging his head, but seeing Terdeo about to bang his head even harder, I hurriedly moved to the bedroom.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
After taking about three steps, Terdeo called me back.
“Yes?”
“Tell the doctor to be prepared.”
I pretended not to hear and continued walking. I thought it was better not to pass on that last message. Behind me, the sound of Terdeo banging his head continued unabated. ...Clatter. In the quiet dining room, the sound of cutlery clattered. Today, time seemed to be moving particularly slowly. Selpheus, noticing the awkwardness, tried to break the silence.
“Yesterday...”
“Cough!”
“Puff.”
The moment the word “yesterday” was mentioned, Terdeo choked, and I almost spat out my food. Selpheus looked at us as if we were strange.
“W-Why are you two like this? Yesterday...”
“Nothing happened yesterday.”
Terdeo, who seemed to have stepped on a landmine, answered firmly before the question was even finished. It was a denial so intense that even a five-year-old could infer something had happened.
“Huh? I was going to say... my father...”
Selpheus, glancing at me, corrected himself.
“No, I was just going to ask if that woman had any other business.”
“Ah.”
Oh, you idiot. I quickly interjected before Selpheus could notice what had happened yesterday.
“Yesterday, that woman was sent away. She won’t come back, so don’t worry, Selpheus.”
“...I’m sorry, Mom.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Selpheus.”
“I shouldn’t have let her in... I wanted to hear her excuses. I thought she might apologize for leaving me.”
Selpheus, fidgeting with his fingers, bowed his head.
“But it seems she had other intentions. I won’t make the same mistake again. To me, you are... the only mother.”
Selpheus grabbed my hand on his shoulder.
“You are the only mother here. I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
Selpheus was gradually taking on the appearance of a successor to the Laphireon family. Children really grow up fast. Just a moment’s distraction, and he had become so mature. I felt a mix of pride and regret, and a sense of loss. I hugged Selpheus tightly, feeling a complex mix of emotions. He seemed to have grown taller and bigger.
“...So, you two, don’t fight over me.”
“Huh?”
“You haven’t said a word to each other since this morning.”
It seemed he thought our silence was due to the aftermath of Lady Ackerman’s visit. Given how awkward things had been since she left, it was understandable.
“It’s not like that, so don’t worry. Hurry up and eat your breakfast. You’ll be late for the academy.”
I forced a smile and returned to my seat, putting food in my mouth. I wanted to finish the meal and leave this place as soon as possible. Selpheus, who seemed to have cheered up, pointed at my lips while eating.
“Hey? Mom, you have bread on your...”
Clang! Before Selpheus could finish, the sound of a dish falling to the floor echoed. Turning my head, I saw Terdeo frozen, still in the position of having dropped his fork.
‘Sigh, that fool.’
I couldn’t help but sigh. Really.
“...Your Highness?”
Selpheus, alternating his gaze between me and Terdeo, tilted his head. Terdeo, without even wiping his mouth with a napkin, quickly stood up.
“...I have a lot of work. I’ll go first.”
Without meeting anyone’s eyes, Terdeo spoke stiffly and walked away strangely. Selpheus, who was sitting opposite, alternated his gaze between me and Terdeo, muttering, “Could it be...” I pretended not to hear, and the child, with a snort, called out to Terdeo with a smile.
“Your Highness! You have cream on your...!”
Bang! The moment the word “lips” was mentioned, Terdeo, who had been walking steadily, slammed his shoulder into a pillar.
“Huh.”
I sighed loudly and rubbed my forehead. Terdeo left the dining room without a word. Selpheus, sitting opposite, winked at me with an innocent smile and gave me a thumbs-up.
‘This is really bad.’
*** A little while later, thinking about the morning, my anger flared up again. Yeah, he probably wants to pretend nothing happened. He doesn’t know what to do, right? But I’m the same. Pretending it didn’t happen won’t make it go away.
‘He can’t be trying to act like it never happened...’
Is he planning to just brush it off? If so, he has no sense of responsibility at all. Once started, we should see it through! ...But that’s not right either. If he tries to act like it never happened...
“I’ll kill him.”
After gulping down a glass of cold water in one go, I slammed the empty glass down. The cake, the signature dish of the dessert café, tilted and spilled to the side. At the same time, the person opposite me, whose face had been pale, now flushed.
“Exactly! Your Highness, the Duchess, also thinks so!”
“...What?”
Oops. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts about Terdeo that I had momentarily forgotten the person in front of me.
“The Duchess, that family... they must be eliminated. They are murderers.”
The person opposite, Lady Ackerman, raised her voice, emboldened by my words. She seemed to think I agreed with her. After dropping Selpheus off at the academy, I had met Lady Ackerman on my way back. I had tried to ignore her, but she threatened to tell Selpheus if I didn’t listen to her. I didn’t want Selpheus to meet her again.
“Lady Ackerman. I was distracted and didn’t hear you.”
“Huh?”
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“...You didn’t hear a word I said?”
“No, not a word.”
Actually, I wouldn’t hear her even if she repeated herself. Lady Ackerman’s face crumpled. Seeing her like that, I felt a bit better.
“...Well, I’ll say it again.”
I thought the conversation would be quick, but it was taking longer than expected. The once hot tea had cooled and lost its flavor.
‘Strange. This dessert cafĂ© is famous for its delicious tea.’
“Duchess, you need to run away from that family... the Laphireon family.”
Ah, I see. It wasn’t the tea that had lost its flavor.
‘It was because of her that I lost my appetite!’
I held the teacup and calmly looked at Lady Ackerman.