Night of the Abandoned Duchess

Chapter 75

“Mom, this is where we used to live, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s very different!”

Leo was jumping and bubbling in front of the fireplace. He glanced around and ran to the fireplace.

“Mom, there was still a fireplace!”

“Oh, that’s right. Is this still there?”

Rosalind looked at the fireplace with softly folded eyes.

Although the house lacked much, she and Leo loved this fireplace. Sitting around the fireplace and basking in the fire, she felt like she could endure the cold winter and the cold days. In particular, the child liked to listen to Rosalind’s stories in her arms in front of the fireplace.

“I heard Leo liked the fireplace, so I left it.”

Rosalind turned around, and Anna, the nanny who had come in, gave a wink. She wondered if it was something the two of them did secretly, and she couldn’t help but laugh. They hadn’t even turned on the fireplace though it felt like a part of her heart was warming.

“It was so pretty. I feel like I have received such a wonderful gift unexpectedly.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

He grinned.

“Leo liked it, too.”

Leo, who had been wandering in front of the fireplace, approached the window this time. He hopped over the window, blew his breath, and wrote something over it.

Rosalind looked at him silently as her eyes darkened slowly.

She had previously raised Leo alone here. At first, she was afraid and scared that she would raise the child alone, but as time went on, she luckily got used to it little by little.

However, just because she was more adapted than before doesn’t mean she was becoming proficient at everything. The weight of taking responsibility for her own life had taken place in her, even if it was a little bit.

…The many days when she was clumsy at that time passed through her mind.

It was a difficult time because she couldn’t even breastfeed properly, and the time she spent fussing over not knowing how to soothe the crying baby. Then, when Leo opened his mouth clumsily, saying “Mama,” it was just like magic.

The moment when the baby, who had barely babbled, curled his tiny mouth and turned to her.

She had always been a poor mother, and she was so grateful to Leo, who called her mother so lovingly. Being parents was more about this. Every single thing was difficult, and as much as it was difficult, she was so happy.

“Leo, come here.”

Rosalind, who was immersed in the feelings, called out to the child softly. Leo, who stood by the window and was glancing out, rushed towards her.

“Mom, coming here reminds me of the past.”

“Mom is also remembering the old days. Our Leo also suffered a lot.”

Even though she wanted to give the best like everyone else, the circumstances didn’t allow her, so she had to pick and choose and do the minimum. While there were no major financial difficulties, because she did not know what would happen in the future, she had to be frugal.

“I liked it!”

“Really? What do you like?”

As Rosalind asked, Leo rubbed his face against her dress, acting childish.

“Mom gave me two presents on my birthday, and two of everything!”

She burst out laughing. She wasn’t sure Leo would remember that.

She was worried about Leo, who grew up without a father. So, she used to give two presents for each birthday. Saying this was mom’s and this was dad’s.

“Did you remember that?”

“Yes!”

A small smile crept across Rosalind’s face at that cheerful reply. When she first became pregnant with Leo, she was afraid and worried about everything and even resented her situation. There were days when she swallowed tears every night.

However, after she gave birth to Leo, he became a support to sustain her. Because of him, she was able to stand up again even when she was desperate and difficult.

“Do you remember all that? Our Leo is smart.”

She smiled as she ruffled the child’s soft hair with her hands. Leo quickly puts a smile on his lips. Looking back, it was very difficult back then. How could the process of setting herself up on her own be easy?

The good and bad emotions were intricately intertwined.

“I can see you raised Leo well alone here… No, I couldn’t even see it, but my eyes kept imagining it, so I wanted to do something like this.”

Rosalind turned her head to look at Kyle.

“Well, I know it’s no use to regret later, but…”

The voice is calm but a little self-mocking.

“Still… I wanted to.”

However, she could feel all his sincerity in each and every word. Rosalind stared at Kyle.

“I hate you.”

She opened her eyes in a glare, playfully.

“I really hated you.”

Really, really.>

There were a lot of really tough moments. She remembered those moments when she first met him again and felt even more resentful.

Nevertheless, as time passed, those moments faded little by little. Of course, they didn’t totally disappear, although her memories with him settled on top of the blurred memories. The love he gave her made the painful memories a little less painful.

“Still, it’s good. I guess there’s nothing better than that.”

Rosalind leaned lightly on his shoulder.

He was firm and warm, standing like a pillar. The next moment, Kyle’s hand gently squeezed her hand.

“Still, it was because I decorated it well, so even if it didn’t look good, it was cozy in its own way.”

She smiled faintly as she recalled the past.

“A house is more about the people inside than its size.”

When she was in her father’s castle, every day was hard and arduous. She was enduring each day under an authoritative father, but she felt more comfortable living here with Leo. She was living each day with all her heart even though her body was tired.

And, the house she was in now, she was so happy every day with him. She was so happy that she was worried that this happiness might not be hers.

“Let’s come from time to time.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

It was touching that he even did this for her. He seemed to care for the difficult times of those days. She knew he was heartbroken for the times he couldn’t be with her though she didn’t expect him to be this much.

“It’s a waste to leave such a pretty villa alone.”

As it was a place where hard memories were buried, the steps to this place were not entirely enjoyable and good. Rosalind was thinking a lot in many ways. The biggest reason she decided to come was that Leo also wanted to see Joseph.

But, looking at this beautifully transformed house, it made her want to cry.

“Thank you.”

Though instead of crying, Rosalind smiled.

As Anna, who was watching her, also smiled, Chloe gave a laugh in her arms.

“Why don’t you take a look inside, Madam?”

With Anna’s beckoning, Rosalind nodded her head. She quickly grabbed Leo’s hand and started looking around the house.

“It’s nice to play like that.”

Rosalind looked at the children and smiled softly.

Arriving here yesterday, they toured the house and organized their luggage.

Leo, who invited Joseph today, had a meal together and was smiling broadly. Even though he was told to eat slowly, he said that he should eat quickly and play. The child finished his meal as if he was inhaling everything and diligently cared for Joseph.

Seeing how he liked Joseph so much, she wished they had come a little sooner.

After finishing eating almost at the same time, Leo and Joseph started playing together in the villa’s garden.

“If you run around like that, you’ll fall.”

Rosalind, who was sitting on the table chair looking at Leo in the distance, raised her voice, but the child didn’t seem to hear it, perhaps he was playing too rough Then, she turned to look back at Kyle with worried eyes.

“I’m afraid he might get hurt…”

“It’s been a long time since they met, how nice it was. Let them be.”

She gave Leo some warnings, but Kyle didn’t care. He only looked at Chloe in his arms as he smiled.

“Chloe is quiet.”

“I know.”

“Leo is too busy playing with Joseph. Chloe will have a good time if you leave her to Anna…”

She got suspicious as the end of his words went up into the air.

“When will the wife play with me?”

Rosalind’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar, sinister face.

“We can go to bed early, maybe.”

He murmured lowly, and she jumped as if she had heard something she couldn’t hear.

“I’m listening!”

Rosalind, who was rebuking him, talking like that like a small child, looked cute that he smirked.

“What do you think?”

“It’s not…”

She turned her eyes to and fro as if she was getting stabbed. Then, she blushed slightly and was about to open her mouth.

“Excuse me… a guest has arrived.”

A servant announced the arrival of a guest.

“A guest…?”

As the tea in front of her cooled to a lukewarm temperature, a man cautiously approached, following the servant’s guidance.

It was Martin, Joseph’s father.

Rosalind greeted him without hiding the pleasure of meeting him after a long time, and Martin greeted her with a soft smile as well. Among them, Kyle was the only one who could not understand the situation and looked at two people who looked similar in age in turn.

“Long time no see.”

Rosalind bowed her head at Martin’s greeting.

“Yes, it is.”

“I don’t think it’s my job as a father to leave my child alone and not visit him, so I came here to pick him up.”

Joseph’s father, Martin, was not a noble though he was a wealthy man with a lot of money from his business. His wife lost her life in an accident shortly after Joseph was born, leaving him to take care of Joseph in his busy time as a single parent.

Usually, young men would easily remarry, but Martin continued to raise the child alone after his wife’s death. Of course, he seemed to have a lover, as she had been told by Joseph that he was going to get married soon.

“If it gets late while they are playing, I was going to let him sleep here and send him back tomorrow.”

“Haha. Then, did I make a useless trip?”

“No. It is no different for parents who care about their children.”

Rosalind put a smile on her face as she understood him.

“I am so glad that you understand me.”

“It’s nothing.”

“What’s going on here?”

At the warm atmosphere, Kyle opened his mouth with a slightly cool voice.

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