I Never Wanted His Child - Chapter 174

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Mikhail was watching Emilia planting flowers in the garden. She had been holding a large bouquet of flowers in her arms as she got off from the carriage.

She seemed to be smiling continuously as she conversed with Dell.

In fact, as soon as he saw the carriage arrive, he immediately went downstairs. However, Emilia did not enter the mansion and instead headed straight for the garden.

Eventually, unable to wait any longer, Mikhail opened the door and walked toward the garden.

“Your Grace, wouldn’t it be better to go inside and work?”

“It’s a nice day.”

He sat in a spot where he could see the entire garden and began reviewing documents.

“I advised her to plant flowers, and now she’s doing it right away.”

Boestin, who had appeared with her hands behind her back, sat across from Mikhail and rested her chin on her hand.

“It seems no one noticed that the garden has changed.”

Mikhail had indeed planted more trees, and although some of them appeared to be flowers, they hadn’t bloomed yet.

“That’s only something you know. It’s not noticeable. If you’re going to do something, make sure it shows. Men act so half-heartedly.”

Mikhail narrowed his eyes as he looked at Boestin, who was blocking his view.

“….Can’t you see I’m working?”

“It didn’t look like you were working; your eyes were elsewhere.”

“What about Dahlia? Why did you come down?”

“She took her medicine and fell asleep. And besides, can’t I go for a walk whenever I want?”

“If you want to do as you please, then go back to Valoh.”

“You’re being petty.”

Boestin shook her head while giving Mikhail a long look.

“You didn’t come out to pick a fight, did you?”.

“Yes, I did.”

“Do you want to be kicked out?”

“I think you want to be hated by Emilia. But, honestly, it seems like you’re hoping for something else.”

“I see your intuition is off.”

“Hmm. You’ll regret it.”

He had never regretted a decision in his life. After all, even if he regretted something a little, what would change? A small addition wouldn’t be noticeable.

“Leaving Dahlia locked up like this won’t help. It’ll only get worse.”

“…”

“Trauma doesn’t heal easily. The more isolated she gets, the more frequent the episodes will become.”

“She doesn’t even remember what she did.”

“That’s because Dahlia is in an unstable state. I don’t know what happened, but you’re going to have to make a choice soon.”

“Choice?”

“Either eliminate the cause of Dahlia’s trauma, or help her overcome it. This can’t continue as it is.”

Boestin’s gaze shifted toward Emilia.

“Whatever you choose, it won’t be easy. But as a friend, I wish you good luck.”

She stood up, called out Emilia’s name, and Emilia, who had been focused on the flowers with the gardener, immediately turned toward Boestin. She stood up quickly and greeted her. The two of them spoke as if they were quite close. The content of their conversation wasn’t clear, though.

Mikhail placed the documents down on the table and grabbed a cold glass of lemonade. The clear droplets of water that had formed on the surface of the glass ran down his hand. He drank it in one go, but the thirst still didn’t subside.

“Ha.”

Boestin, as though to tease him, crossed her arms around Emilia’s. She glanced at him, then pressed herself closer to Emilia with a victorious smile, which strangely irritated him.

In truth, Mikhail hadn’t really paid attention to her since that day.

“Kartho, what do you think?”

“If you’re asking about Madam, she didn’t look well the day she came back from the Loren estate.”

“Since then, now?”

“It seems similar, but recently, there’s been a subtle change in the atmosphere.”

“Right. She asked me if I would forgive her.”

He thought of her, following his every command because of the guilt she felt. That should’ve made him feel pleased, but the more he thought about it, the more disgusted he became.

“Keep an eye on Duke Loren.”

“Yes, I’ll inform Sir Byne.”

“What about Madam Loren’s condition?”

“…It’s not good. We’ve managed to bring her out, but we’ll need to prepare ourselves mentally.”

“It’s truly strange. Those who don’t seek forgiveness seem to cling to life desperately, while those who seek it vanish so easily.”

“What do you want to do, Your Grace?”

At Kartho’s words, Mikhail looked at Emilia, who was planting flowers. When she wasn’t near him, she seemed to be happy.

If he weren’t around, she probably would be fine.

The thought made his chest tighten.

‘Do I not want her to be happy?’

Only then did Mikhail confront his feelings a little.

‘Do I not want her to be happy?’

He was confused. He had wanted her to be happy, and he had waited for that moment, to give her a life of unbearable pain.

But now, the thought was different from what he had imagined.

He didn’t want her to be happy. That was his conclusion.

❖ ❖ ❖

The next morning, the city of Bartsch was in a stir as news spread through the Muven gossip column. It was raining heavily outside as the rainy season started again.

News of Lady Leah von Chevron’s pregnancy!

She had previously been mentioned in connection with the scandal at Heinrich’s estate. Now, only a short time later, it was revealed she was pregnant, leaving everyone in shock.

While she hadn’t disclosed the identity of the father, everyone was bound to think of the same person.