Abandoned Maid of the Grand Duke - Chapter 64

content/trigger warnings: dubcon/noncon, coercive relationship, incest (side characters)

He suddenly recalled a young girl shyly smiling and extending her hand, traces of a fleeting season when she’d laugh and tussle alongside the woman he loved.

“When I grow up, I’ll marry you, Marquis!”

“Oh my, look at this bold one!”

“Why do you keep teasing me, my lady? You already have the Young Grand Duke.”

“Stop playing around, you cheeky child.”

Count and Countess Kloze laughed aloud at Luina’s playful teasing of the little girl. Though there was no malice, Louisa blushed, embarrassed to have such words spoken in front of her.

It was a childish confession, one no one took to heart—a sweet, fleeting notion that would one day make her shudder with embarrassment when she recalled it as an adult.

He had believed she would grow up, bring home a good man, and, looking back on that day, they would all laugh about it together. He had lived, trusting that it would turn out that way.

In that future, they would all be there together. Though he could never publicly claim him as his son, Piurn would be there with him, and by his side, the woman he loved most in the world, Luina. The Count and Countess of Kloze, like family to him, and the young girl he’d known and adored since childhood.

Although it wasn’t so long ago, now it felt like a distant dream, a moment he would never have again.

Perhaps it was a memory so painful that even recalling it made him want to shut his eyes and close his ears.

But ignoring that ache would only lead to future regrets, regrets as heavy and painful as those precious times they had shared.

So he couldn’t let it go, couldn’t ignore it. There was too much lost to leave it behind, and it weighed on his heart, piece by piece.

“It’s time to move forward before it’s too late.”

As Kainri said this with a wry smile, Ernst frowned.

“You’re heading in the wrong direction.”

Kainri didn’t answer. Instead, he felt he could understand, just a little, why Ernst couldn’t let go of Julie. His mind knew he shouldn’t, but there was nothing he could do. Even knowing it wasn’t the right path, he kept moving forward because it’s impossible to turn back.

Whether it was the right or wrong approach could be judged later. In fact, he already knew this wasn’t the right path. But what else could he do without the cards in his hand?

‘You just do what you have to.’

Once, he had called Ernst mad for doing the same thing. Now, he was the one doing it, amused by the irony as he offered his goodbyes. As he turned to leave, he came face-to-face with Julie, who had just arrived home.

“Oh, Marquis!”

“Miss Julie. I’m glad I could say goodbye before I left.”

Behind her, Ernst’s face tightened, though he shrank back slightly at Lilian’s cheerful babbling in his arms.

“Twisted, twisted!”

“Huh? Lilian, what did you just say to your mother?”

Julie’s smile froze as Lilian continued, oblivious to her surroundings.

“Twisted! Bro-thel, bro-thel!”

“……”

“Julie, that wasn’t me saying it—”

Of all the words she could’ve picked up, that’s the one she says perfectly. Julie’s expression darkened, and it was clear Ernst wouldn’t be able to interject.

“Then who’s the one who brought up a brothel?”

“Huh?”

“Who’s the one who mentioned a brothel, hm?”

Or could it be a certain someone went without telling me?

“No!”

“Mad-man, mad-man!”

Ernst’s face went pale. Kainri also flinched.

What was he to do? If the child had spoken, it sounded like he went to a brothel. If he said it, it would mean he’d told Ernst to go to one.

Deciding it was beyond saving, Kainri simply made his exit.

“Hey, explain yourself!”

He heard Julie’s voice yelling after him, but he was already on his way.

As he hurried away, he heard a crash and Julie’s frustrated sobs from the house. But he thought, ‘At least they’re doing well.’

The last time he visited, she had kept her distance even after giving birth, but it seemed that couple had grown closer since then.

With a hand on his chest to steady himself, he looked up at the blue sky, seagulls circling above the harbor.

Though nothing had changed, he realized something new.

As long as one is alive, each day begins anew.

Step by step, let us walk with resolve, until the day we can finally lay down this weight in our hearts. Stand firm, until the day our desires are fulfilled.

And so, Kainri’s tumultuous day came to an end, with the hope that tomorrow would be a better day.