Night of the Abandoned Duchess

“What…? Mother must have written it in the letter and sent it…”

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“All I wrote and sent was a thank you for finding Leo and a gift.”

For a moment, Rosalind looked blank, as if she had been hit in the back of the head.
Then, now that she knew everything, she burst out laughing.

Kyle’s face, which was spitting out at her, was suddenly repainted into a mean and mischievous look in her head.

“Kyle, you…”

Come to think of it, she didn’t remember seeing any spots like that on his back.

At that time, her head was white as though it had been bleached because of panic.
She couldn’t weigh things back and forth of anything, and the fact that he noticed was so complicated that Rosalind didn’t even think of trying to figure out the truth.

No matter how much she thought of his body, there was nothing similar to Leo.
She didn’t mix bodies with him anymore but had to go through it countless times during their marriage, so she couldn’t help but know his body.

“Haa… Did he deceive me?”

He was a duke who was good at handling people since before.
Kyle, who pretended to love her in front of a lot of people, and how easy it was for him to fool her…

“…Looks like something happened with the Duke.”

The Marchioness spoke eloquently towards Rosalind, who had a stunned face.

“I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t have asked mother… It was all my misunderstanding.”

“No.
Things like that happen, too.”

Wasn’t that what mother and daughter were like?

Thinking that, Rosalind smiled slightly as she thanked her for the warm voice.

She wouldn’t have talked to her mother if it had been her own business, though as Leo was lodged in between them, she reacted more violently than usual.

She was a passive, obedient daughter who had never confronted or questioned, and now she even quarreled with her mother, thanks to Leo.
Thinking about it like that, Rosalind felt a little strange about herself as her mother.

“I decided to show Leo to the Duke twice a week.
First of all, I don’t think he’s really trying to take Leo away from me.”

“He doesn’t really have any children, so he might take him as his successor.”

“Successor…”

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…The successor.

He whispered those words into her mouth.

“Well… It was burdensome and difficult for my father to say that I had to revive the family.
Although I didn’t know what I should do for my family, it was just too heavy to be responsible for something.
I don’t want to force Leo to put such a burden on him.
Of course, I don’t know if Leo wants it.”

Saying so, Rosalind lowered her gaze and smiled faintly.

“I want to let Leo live the life he wants, whatever it is.”

“Yes.
You are right.”

Suddenly, Helen took her daughter’s hand.
Her eyes widened slightly at the sudden warmth.

“The choice is made by Leo.
So, our job is to open up possibilities.
Don’t worry too much about it.
For now, you’re just showing his father, so let’s not make it too complicated.”

She nodded her head as if she understood the kind words.

“…I think it’s really hard for me to be a good mother.
There are many times when I am confused whether it is my greed or the path for my child.”

“From the moment you know how difficult it is, you have enough qualities to be a good mother.”

The warmth of the hands clasped her together.
The two mother and daughter smiled warmly at each other.

 

* * *

 

The day Kyle and Leo promised to meet.

Arriving at the castle, Rosalind tidied Leo’s clothes and spoke affectionately.

“You must listen carefully to what the Duke has to say.”

“Yes!”

Leo nodded his head and answered confidently.
Contrary to the confident smile on his face, Leo was unable to let his body sit still and was busy looking around the room.
Even if she asked him to pay attention, it was only for a moment.

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At first, Rosalind had originally planned to send only Leo with a servant, but she was bothered to send her child elsewhere.
Even though she told the servant several times that she should take good care of Leo, she was not relieved, and in the end, decided to accompany Leo herself.

“I’ll have to see his uncomfortable face again.”

She thought it would be better to see an uncomfortable face than to feel anxious after sending Leo away.

Soon after, Kyle came in with the sound of the maid’s knock.

“Did you have a hard time coming here?”

“No.
I came here comfortably.”

“What about Leo?”

“Yes!”

Leo nodded his head, and he smiled.
He glanced around the castle with Kyle curiously.

Needless to say, the castle was different from the original Leo’s house or Helen’s mansion.
First of all, there was a difference in size, and it exuded a refined yet elegant atmosphere as if reflecting the taste of the neat owner.

Leo, who continued to watch, suddenly stared at the sword crossed in the shape of an X in the fireplace.
It was hung as a symbol representing the family rather than for actual use, although Leo looked around the area with interest.

“What’s this?”

“This is a sword.”

“Then, are you going to fight with this?”

“Do you want to have a sword fight?”

In response to Kyle’s playful voice, the child nodded his head.
And so, he had the maid bring a wooden toy knife.

When Leo held a small wooden knife in his hand, his eyes widened as if in a strange way.

“A man must know how to protect his loved ones.
It always takes strength.”

“…Strength?”

Leo opened his mouth bluntly as though he was having a hard time, and he burst out laughing unknowingly.
It was cute and lovely to see his cheeks inflated and his eyes twitching.

“When you swing, you should never just hit it blindly.
You must approach it with a heart that you will not be swayed by the sword.”

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His voice was a little serious as if he was passing a sword to his pupil but also soft like a loving father.

Leo was awkward at first, but he quickly got to have fun with the sword.
The sword fight continued for such a long time, and after a long time passed, Leo cried out, saying he was hungry.
Before the child could cry any further, the servant led them to the table.

“I will enjoy this food!”

The meal was specially made for Leo with his favorites.
Leo immediately laughed, saying he was full, and after eating, he insisted on playing sword fight again.

“Can’t we play sword fighting again?”

“Do you still want to play sword fighting?”

When Rosalind asked, Leo nodded vigorously.

“No.
The Duke must be tired, too.”

“I’m fine.
Shall we play together?”

“Yes!”

Unlike a little while ago when he was clumsy in the room, this time they moved to the training ground.
The training ground was built on the east side of the castle and was often used for the soldiers to warm up or train.

Rosalind, afraid of swords and sharp things, didn’t go there often.
Thanks to that, she hadn’t been around the training ground for a very long time.

He gave Leo a wooden sword and carefully taught him this and that.
If Leo wielded his sword arbitrarily, he would accept it in moderation, and he also cautioned not to use it recklessly.
They seemed to be getting to know each other faster than expected because they used their bodies together.

Originally, Leo had a timid personality, but still, he was friendly to Kyle so easily, which made her feel sad.
As his father, she did want him to follow Kyle well.
Nonetheless, her mind was complicated as to what was going on and how.

“…You’re good.”

Even then, the little Leo holding the sword looked pretty cute and bright, which made her laugh.
Even though it was clumsy to anyone looking at it, even his appearance was just lovely in his mother’s eyes.

Though Kyle was playing with Leo, by looking at his swordsmanship, she could tell that he was very splendid.

Before Rosalind even married him, she was reminded of the rumors circulating that the son of the Spencer family was not only intelligent and beautiful, but also excellent in martial arts.
He went hunting at a very young age and caught a deer or a wolf…

She gazed at Leo, thinking about this and that, then turned her gaze away.
Despite bringing a few books to sit at the table and read, Rosalind didn’t even bother reading them because Leo was in front of her.

“I will stop.”

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“Then, shall we take a break?”

“Yes! I want to visit the garden!”

He must have been tired after playing for a while, so Leo said that he should rest.

Without showing any displeasure, Kyle accepted the complaint and responded kindly.
He dealt with Leo, who wandered here and there, and he was coping with the child’s persistent curiosity quite well.

No matter how challenging the child may be, it would be difficult to accept complaints.
However, just as she thought that Kyle could deal with children very well, Rosalind saw Leo approaching her.

“…Mom!”

A small flower was in Leo’s hand as he ran frantically.

Rosalind smiled brightly and rejoiced as if she had been given a bouquet of flowers from her lover.

“Are you giving it to mom?”

“Yes!”

The child nodded his little head again and again.
The thought of picking flowers for his mother with that tiny head and tiny hands was just so pretty and wonderful.

Rosalind held Leo in her arms, stared into his eyes and smiled.

“Thank you.
Later, when the petals fall, I will put them between books to dry them.
Then, every time I open the book, I will think of Leo.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she said back to Leo.

Rosalind, who was pretending to smell the flowers, saw Kyle, who was approaching her, and their eyes met.
The time spent with her ex-husband could not have been pleasant, and she only had an awkward expression.

She soon noticed that the maid approached her and placed a fragrant tea on the table.

Rosalind smiled and said thank you.

Kyle, who sat across from her, took his teacup to his lips, taking Leo and her into his eyes.
Even though it wasn’t that he was staring straight at her, his gaze felt very uncomfortable, so she continued to talk to Leo for nothing.

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