69 – Her Her (2)
“Um…Um…”
The Duchess’s face turned bright red like that of an adolescent girl. But she soon cleared her throat and regained her composure.
“Well…Yeah. There was no need to go this far. As the saying goes, your courage is incredible.”
“Oh, were you embarrassed? I’m sorry. This is how we greet each other in my hometown.”
“The excuse isn’t bad either. Now I want to believe the rumor that you made the crown prince urinate.”
“Thank you. I’ve never thought that being good at speaking was my best strength.”
“hahahaha… It’s fun. Definitely.”
She quietly looked into my eyes and gave orders to the servant without even turning her head.
“Ian. Could you please show Yuna and her friends to the guest room upstairs? It’s a pity that the duke isn’t there, but I want to spend time with parents and children for the first time in a while.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
“And I’d like to have a little chat with this guy named Eren. Of course he’ll follow me, right Eren?”
“Of course. It’s an honor, Mother.”
“It’s your mother… That’s right. Please follow me first. We have a lot to talk about.”
The Duchess quickly turned back and started walking towards her direction at a brisk pace. Perhaps she was trying to calm the blush that still rose on her cheeks. While I was smiling and imagining it, Yuna looked at me with strange eyes.
“…”
“…?”
I just smiled and Yuna shook her head and took my hand. It felt like she was squeezing her fingers a little painfully, but she wasn’t that bad. Because at least she didn’t get hit. I walked with her, not losing her smile.
The soft scent of tea passed her nose. I felt like I could guess the price of these tea leaves just by smelling them. That was why it was burdensome, and perhaps because of that, I had a very bitter taste in my mouth.
“How do you feel? Does it fit your mouth?”
“Yes. It’s really good.”
“I’ll spend a little on the kids. I heard she was an honest girl, but I guess the rumors I heard were wrong.”
“No matter how bitter the tea is, it will naturally become sweeter if you are with a beautiful woman.”
“… His speaking skills are quite good, but his speaking style is old. For a young person.”
That’s because it was tailored to you, Duchess. I wanted to answer, but I swallowed my truth with bitter tea. The Duchess also took a sip of tea and then turned her gaze towards Yuna.
“So, it’s me. What’s going on at home? I know she’s not on vacation yet.”
“I want to see my mother. Is that not enough?”
“It’s not impossible. But the last time we met, the atmosphere wasn’t that good, was it?”
“It was just a normal thing between us, wasn’t it, Mother?”
“It’s changed a lot since then. It’s almost unrecognizable.”
The Duchess laughed as if it was amusing and crossed her legs slightly.
“It was like that back then. I thought you had changed beyond recognition from before. It almost felt like you had become a different person.”
“…”
“So, maybe he lost his sense of tension because he got immersed in the academy life. I was worried, so I scolded him harshly. But then he suddenly came back with a change in personality, so it’s fun to imagine what could be the cause this time. What could be the cause? “What was it? Was that conversation helpful? Or…”
The voice that was dragging suddenly turned towards me. A sincere smile dripped from the corner of his mouth.
“As expected, was that child the trigger?”
Yuna couldn’t answer hastily. I also knew when to be silent, so I just kept my mouth shut. The Duchess looked at us and put her glass down as if she was amused.
“Seeing as you can’t answer, I guess that’s the right answer. Well, actually, it’s obvious to anyone. Of course, I was suspicious even then. There was a faint male scent coming from your room. I was hoping it might be the crown prince’s, but I guess it was that child’s. I guess it was something.”
“Mother.”
“So. In the end, it was all related to that girl, right? The thing about you turning timid. The incident at the ball. The incident where you f*cked up the crown prince. And the reason you came here like this. All of those things? “
“I…”
“No. Actually, there is no need to answer. That would be the correct answer. What I’m really curious about is what your relationship is with that girl. So, will you answer now, Yuna?”
Yuna did not answer this time either. Then the Duchess asked again in a nervous voice.
“Don’t waste time calculating and answer quickly. What is this girl? It’s just my wishful thinking, but is she some kind of collaborator hired to f*ck up Elise?”
“…”
“…Or is it what I think it is?”
The last words were quiet and in some ways scary. I could sense a clear sense of hostility even in his eyes.
With a crunching sound, Yuna’s sweaty hands tightly grasped the hem of her skirt. The moment of revealing her truth was like stepping into the air, she was always nervous and her heart was shaking. Especially when a hideous monster stands in front of her with its maw raised in front of her.
But Yuna soon raised her head. It was already too late for her to get frustrated. Therefore, she answered clearly in a clear voice.
“What your mother thinks is right.”
“What about that?”
When the Duchess asked, Yuna snatched my hand instead of answering. Her warm hand intertwined tightly between my fingers.
“I love Ellen.”
“…”
“Everything I’ve done so far was because of Eren. Even at the ball. The incident with the crown prince that day. And even coming here today. I did it all because I wanted to love Eren.”
“…”
“And Ellen also participated in all that because she loves me. To put it more directly, we love each other. She said that no matter what my mother thinks, that’s how we feel. So. ..”
“Yuna.”
“…Yes.”
“Did you get picked on by him?”
…
“…Yes?”
The duchess’s vulgar words were thrown like raw fish in front of Yuna, who was seriously continuing her words. It was so base and reeked of fishy decadence that even Yuna could not easily open her mouth. Meanwhile, the Duchess smiled and continued her words.
“No, I’m just asking. I was wondering why you fell in love with that boy so much. Did you get picked on by any chance? Is that why? Was the scent of a foreign man that sweet when you first tasted it?”
“Don’t talk like that.”
Yuna answered, trying to suppress her boiling emotions. However, the Duchess continued to make insulting remarks to Yuna’s face.
“What if you don’t say it like that? Do you want to acknowledge our pure love or something like that? Do you think you’re some kind of tragic heroine? I thought if I told you so honestly, you would be moved and shed tears. ?”
“I didn’t expect that from my mother. But even if she didn’t understand, I thought she would at least listen seriously. But you…”
“Do you think there is a need for me to seriously listen to such pranks by children? Wow. This is absurd. What on earth did the Academy do to make you such an idiot?”
“Mother!”
“Hmm…”
Sparks flew from the eyes of the two people who met each other. Caught in the middle, I scratched my head a little embarrassed. If you leave it like this, there will be a fight. I opened my mouth to calm Yuna down with those thoughts.
“Hey, Yuna. You should lower your voice a little…”
“Stay still, Ellen! We…We’re talking to our handsome mother!”
“Where are you raising your voice? Are you not scolded yet? I have to scold you again in a childish way like I did back then…”
“Let’s give it a try! Me too…I won’t sit still like I did back then!”
“What…What?”
At Yuna’s words, the Duchess and Yuna. Both of them were embarrassed and flinched. This is Yuna’s first time rebelling against her mother. The Duchess looked extremely embarrassed, as this was the first time her daughter had been treated so rudely. Strangely, they discovered something in common between the mother and son, and looked at each other for a while, taking deep breaths.
“This…Where does this come from?”
But the silence did not last very long. The Duchess, who had lost her cool for the first time, let out a loud scream, and Yuna, not to be outdone, also gave her a sharp look. As the two fierce, similar-looking eyes collided in the middle, a tension that seemed to shorten one’s life just by looking at them hung in the air.
“Hey…Ma’am…”
But even in moments like these, a savior was bound to appear. As everyone, including me, turned their gaze, the old servant from earlier approached hesitantly.
“I have something to tell you…”
“I’m busy right now.”
“Still, I feel like I have to give it to you…”
“Do you want to get cut?”
He flinched at the Duchess’ words. This may be because it was unclear what they were talking about cutting. He eventually decided to abandon his mission and preserve his life.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Come back later. I don’t think it will end anytime soon.”
The hero who appeared for the first time in a while made an ugly exit. However, I wanted to somehow maintain the calm atmosphere, so I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Hey, mother…”
“Don’t call me mother. Because I don’t want to be called that. You can’t be around Yuna. Don’t you understand yet? Because it’s not your place. Well, since he doesn’t even know that, he must have loved our stupid Yuna. That’s why the daughter “If you raise them, they will not know any favors and will just bite any man and think about leaving.”
“Mom, I told you not to talk like that!”
“Yuna. Calm down…”
“You can’t calm down! Do you look calm now?”
“If you can’t calm down, what are you going to do, Yuna? I guess you’ll only come to your senses if you get embarrassed in front of that guy. Don’t you think?”
In the end, the two people jumped up from their seats and approached each other. I also had no choice but to get up and go between the two people.
“Hey. First, let’s sit down and talk…”
“You just sit down! Me too…I can’t live with this anymore!”
Before she knew it, Yuna was clenching her fists with a red face. It seems that her anger towards her mother in another world and the things that happened to her duchess overlapped and caused her anger to explode. Meanwhile, the duchess was also expressing her anger by shaking her fingers.
“You can’t stand it? I’m really looking forward to it. Why don’t you give it a try? Huh?”
“You still have that attitude. In the past, you would have been scared and curled up in a tailspin. But not anymore. Did you think I would always follow your orders? Even when I was giving up my entire life?”
“What…What?”
“I’m also the daughter of a duke! Even if you’re my mother, I can’t tolerate you getting involved in my life any longer!”
“If you listen quietly, you bastard will become arrogant…!”
Finally, unable to hold back her anger, the Duchess raised her hand. Yuna flinched at her impending shock, but never avoided it. The Duchess’ palm flew mercilessly onto her cheek.
“Mother!”
At that moment, I intervened between the two people. It was clear that she would be reprimanded, but even so, she couldn’t watch Yuna suffer with her eyes open. That’s why I stood between them with determination.
And then, I hugged the Duchess’ body with all my strength.
“Ugh…!”
The sharp smell of perfume stung my nose, and the soft body crumbled in my arms. Although she was bigger than Yuna, she felt quite small when I hugged her. I spoke softly while hugging the struggling duchess as hard as I could.
“Calm down, please. Please.”
“Let go of this! Let go of this!”
“No. I can’t let go. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”
“You idiot…Let go of this…Let go of this…!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“If you calm down, I’ll let you go.”
“You…You…You…”
Perhaps because she was hugged too tightly, her breathing was suppressed and the Duchess’s voice faded away. She buried her nose in my shoulder and exhaled passionately, then let her hands go limp.
“Let go…”
“Shhh.”
“Let go… Tell me…”
“Shhh…”
“…Ugh.”
“…”
“…”
“…Are you calm?”
“Yes. So… Can you please let me go?”
As her breathing became more frequent, her tone of voice also became a little softer. But instead of letting her go, I continued to hold her and moved with her to her sofa.
“Now. Slowly…”
“…”
“It’s okay. Calm down and sit down.”
“I understand. I understand.”
She waved her hand in annoyance and sank down on her sofa. Perhaps because she was so excited, her legs seemed to be shaking a little, but despite this, she tried to remain calm and opened her mouth.
“Anyway. Yuna, if you keep acting like that…”
“…”
“If it comes out like that…”
But her words did not last long. Is there anything that bothers you? The Duchess lowered her raised hand weakly and looked to her side.
“…It’s okay now, so go back to your seat.”
“Oh, me?”
Only then did I raise my head. Even then, I was squatting next to her sofa.
“Okay. Quickly go next to Yuna over there.”
“Yes? But you said just now that it’s not your place next to Yuna.”
“Uh…Huh? No, that’s just a metaphor…”
“And if you feel like you’re losing your composure again, I’ll help you again. I noticed your legs were shaking a little earlier. I thought it would be good for me to help you.”
“…”
I thought there would be a lot of yelling. But surprisingly, the Duchess turned away from my gaze and answered in a muttering tone.
“Do whatever you want.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
When I answered with a smile, she cleared her throat and looked straight ahead. I tilted her head a little as I looked at her.
Hmm…
For some reason. It seems strangely weak to me.
Her eyes were still looking away from me. However, the feeling of embarrassment was much stronger than that of being ignored. No matter how calm I tried to act, I couldn’t even hide the reddening of my cheeks where I had kissed earlier.
Now that I think about it, I heard that the duke is not at the mansion. From the looks of it, it seems like quite some time has passed since you were away.
…
Perhaps, as the Duchess said, it was actually she herself who became vulnerable to the scent of a man outside of her family.
It’s just a suspicion, but it was quite fun to imagine. No, maybe the duchess had some kind of admiration for his son. That may be why she reacts weakly to a man her son’s age who takes care of her.
Or maybe Yuna and I have similar tastes in men. Even though it’s just a guess, the real Yuna also said she would have liked me. Surprisingly, the Duchess may also be weak at pushing things too hard.
Either way, one thing was clear. It seems like she can take advantage of this situation.
The moment I thought of that, I stuck my face out onto the armrest next to the sofa.
“Duchess.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you embarrassed right now?”
“What?”
She frowned like she did to Yuna. But as soon as she made eye contact with me, she immediately looked away.
“No.”
“Oh, I think your tone of voice has changed.”
“I told you it wasn’t like that.”
“As expected. That can’t be possible. Oh, I’ll just have a cup of tea.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
As soon as I heard that story, I took a sip of the Duchess’ tea, which was not mine. Naturally, a surprised voice followed.
“No, that’s mine…!”
“Wow. This is delicious. The Duchess’s one has a lot of sugar in it. I can see that it doesn’t taste bitter at all.”
“Isn’t that…?”
“Can I have one more drink? It’s very sweet and good.”
“No!”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“That’s not true…Just do whatever you want.”
She lowered her head as if she had given up, and I raised the teacup again. I glanced at her opposite side and saw that Yuna was shrugging her shoulders as if she was fed up. It seemed like he was too used to me.
“As expected, you have to add a lot of sugar to make it taste better. Can I drink more?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Also, squatting is a bit difficult. Can I sit on the armrest?”
“I told you to do whatever you want.”
“Then can I marry Yuna?”
“As you wish… Hey!”
She eventually screamed. But I still answered with a smile on my face.
“Why can’t that be done? Because I’m a commoner? But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also engaged to a commoner.”
“That’s different. And what’s important is not whether they are commoners or nobles, but the other person’s abilities…”
“Ability? I think you secretly acknowledged earlier that I am more capable than the crown prince.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Or do you not like me? I don’t think that’s the case?”
“Ugh…”
“Then you will let me get married? Yes?”
“Ugh…Really!”
The Duchess stood up from her seat once again. But this time she felt more embarrassed than angry.
“Yuna, where on earth did you get such a crazy kid?”
“…I guess so.”
“That’s not true! There’s nowhere in this world like you…!”
She was about to scream when she saw my brightly smiling face and slumped her shoulders. And a long sigh fell from her mouth.
“Ha…”
“Duchess.”
I approached her like that. Then he spoke in a serious tone, grabbing the armrest of her chair instead of her hand.
“I will act so as not to embarrass the author.”
“…”
“I know that I am a lowly commoner. But I don’t think Yuna and I can live without each other anymore. Although I may not be able to completely please my mother…”
“…”
“But for now, can you please keep an eye on me?”
I couldn’t do any small pranks this time. Therefore, I put my sincerity into it even though I knew it would be difficult to get through. I hope it penetrates the Duchess’ frozen heart.
For a long time, Yuna and I just stared at the Duchess’s lips. When her expression cleared up for a moment, I had some hope.
But the next moment, what came out was not an answer, but empty laughter.
“…hahahahaha.”
A deflated laugh leaked from her bright red lips. She laughed helplessly for a while and then lifted her head weakly.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that simple?”
The answer contained the fatigue that had been suppressed for a long time. It even made me feel like I could see the wrinkles hidden behind the thick makeup.
“If Yuna were just my daughter, I might have allowed it. What does it have to do with me that she wants to meet a man she likes? But that’s not the case, and that’s the problem. She’s not just the daughter of a duke. She’s the daughter of a duke. “It’s the last hope we carry.”
“Mother. I…”
“Yuna. It’s not a question of whether you can carry it or not. You have to carry it. That’s the only way for Richmond to stand up again. Why don’t you know that?”
The Duchess’ voice became fierce again. She clenched her fists, looking like she was about to explode.
“If there had been a war, the Duke would have been able to achieve something. But this world is so f*cking peaceful. No, even if there had been a war, the Duke would already be too old. You are the only chance we have left. .”
“…”
“It’s only you. That’s right…There’s no one else but you. Our duke family’s last hope, tool, and successor are everything!”
There is no one outside you…
…
The one word I couldn’t say out of my strength lingered in my head. In the end, that was the problem. The deep and dark circumstances of adults who ignore personal feelings.
Even though they belong to adults, their own circumstances tear the delicate skin of children and make them erupt.
There was nothing we could say about that, so we stayed silent for a long time. Only the gently flowing clock’s mainspring was ticking as if urging for an answer.
“Mother.”
Nevertheless, I opened my mouth. In the end, the only thing that could be met was sincerity. Even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I had no choice but to give it a try.
That’s why I opened my mouth with my fists clenched.
“…!”
But those words were muffled without a trace under the huge noise that rang out from the other side of the hallway.
Boom!!!
“Wait…Wait. First, to your ma’am!”
“Get out of the way.”
After the sound of something collapsing and the urgent cries of the old servant, the heavy voice of an unfamiliar man rang out. Before we could figure out who the owner of the sound was, his footsteps quickly approached us.
And the next moment, he appeared in front of the doorway with a popping sound.
“Ah…!”
Upon seeing him, the Duchess opened her mouth in shock. But he looked back at us without wavering. Then he said something very briefly.
“I’m here.”
Hearing his heavy voice, the already pale face of the Duchess turned even whiter. She revealed his identity with her lips trembling due to her nervousness.
“Duke…”