Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 35

Liliana blinked her eyes sullenly.

“But… I want to see mother.”

“…”

This is like talking to the wall.

Realizing so, Elliot just chose silence.

She glanced up at the window to the office where Anriche was embedded, with a gloomy face and spoke slowly. “…If we go visit, will it be a hindrance to mother?”

‘No, how long will she only talk about mother?’

Finally, the unbearable Elliot asked a question in a mean voice.

“Do you like my mother that much?”

“Yes, I like her.”

Without even a bit of hesitation, Liliana replied firmly. At that, he asked again with a sulky face.

“…Then, do you like me or do you like my mother?”

“Huh? Of course, it’s your mother.”

“…”

He was at a loss for words. This was not just anybody else. How long must he lose his fiancée’s affection to his mother?

Suddenly, at that moment, Liliana grinned like fresh spring flowers.

“But among men, I like Elliot the best.”

“…Oh, really?”

Asking back, he pretended nothing had happened and turned his head away indifferently. However, Elliot’s lips were twitching faintly. It was because he was holding back the tip of his lips, which was constantly trying to rise upwards, with barely enough force.

Even though he was not as good as his mom, she still said he was the best among men!

Wouldn’t this still be a good thing as well?!

Elliot tried hard to think as positively as he could.

“Because… when I see mother, I feel like I have a goal.

“What are you thinking?”

“If I become an adult, I want to be a nice person like mother.” Concluding her words, Liliana’s sweet voice tickled his ears.

He stared at his fiancée. Looking at it, this was the first time Liliana had ever talked about the future.

“I’m sure you could be.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

Then, her cheeks were dyed red like apples. Elliot, who saw her happy face, finally burst into laughter.

‘Yes, if Liliana likes it.’

That’s when Elliot was enjoying the happy feeling.

“Oh my, Liliana!”

Out of nowhere, they could hear a voice screaming loudly. And at the same time, Liliana’s face turned pale white.

“Uh, or-orphanage director…?”

In front of two children stood the Londini Baron couple. They looked like a peacock with inflated feathers.

The Baroness made a face of laughter and spoke her words to Liliana.

“Liliana. Why are you calling us that way? What do you mean by the orphanage director!”

“That’s right.”

Baron Londini, bowing his back, stared into Liliana’s eyes with a smile in his eyes. He continued, “Isn’t it uncle and aunt? Why did you change it like that?”

Having said that, he raised his hand and tried to stroke her head.

“Hiiikk…!”

Liliana, frightened, reflexively pulled herself back. Seeing that, Elliot frowned involuntarily. ‘I think Liliana seemed to be scared of those two?’

Meanwhile, Baron Londini withdrew his hand with an uneasy face.

“What is this, Liliana?”

“Ah, uh. That…”

“If others see it, they’ll think we’ve been harassing you! Isn’t that right, honey?”

“That’s right, honestly. You don’t even know about the grace of who raised you…”

The Baron couple conversed with each other, asking and answering among themselves. Meanwhile, Liliana was shaking like a rat in front of a cat, without even refuting a word.

With that, Elliot couldn’t hold it in any longer and sharply opened his mouth.

“You two, who are you?”

“Oh my! Hello, Valois Heir Apparent.”

“I’m late to greet you. Nice to meet you, Heir Apparent.”

The Londini Baron couple somehow tried to show him a good face. Though it didn’t really work. Elliot’s expression wrinkled even more in a completely different way than when he was dealing with Liliana.

“We’re a relative who’s been taking care of Liliana so far.”

“…Relatives?”

“Yes. Without us, Liliana might have been an orphan to beg for meals on a dirty road!”

Saying that, the Baron and his wife burst into laughter. It was as if they had heard a very funny joke.

‘What on earth is so funny?’ He stared at the two with cold eyes silently. Then, recalling what Liliana had uttered when seeing their faces.

‘Didn’t she just call her, ‘orphanage director?’

There seems to be a story behind it.

And it seemed to be a story that was not very pleasing for Liliana, who was crouching her body in a curl as if she wanted to somehow get out of both their gazes.

Elliott asked sternly. “What do you mean by that?”

“…Yes, what?”

“To my fiancée, didn’t you say she might have been ‘an orphan begging for meals on a dirty road.’?”

The boy continued his words clearly.

“Ah… That’s not what…”

“Tha-that, Heir Apparent. That’s…”

“Because you want to praise yourself, there’s no reason to pull others down.”

Finally, he drew the line coolly. The Baron couple looked embarrassed, with no sign of the spirit like when dealing with Liliana.

Moments later, a gentle voice rang out.

“Elliot, good job.”

“Mom?”

It was Anriche.

Overjoyed, Elliot and Liliana turned to bright faces and ran to her.

As she walked closer to them, Anriche wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the two children and turned her gaze back to the Londini Baron couple.

“If you’re an adult, shouldn’t you try to set an example in front of the children?”

“Du, Duchess!”

“At least, you shouldn’t have done anything rude to insult the fiancée in front of a child.”

At that cold voice, Baron Rondini and his wife quickly turned white. Still, Anriche continued her words. “First of all, didn’t I tell you earlier?”

She raised her chin as she spoke her words in an arrogant voice towards the Baron couple.

“Don’t bother our Liliana and never appear in front of her eyes, right?”

“That’s, I mean…”

“But, didn’t you just bother our Liliana?”

Anriche’s wry voice made the face of the Baron couple become dry.

“Having your daughter send me a letter and just barging in like this… you should be ashamed of yourself.”

In fact, she was not very happy with this meeting herself. In her mind, she didn’t want them to stick their toes in the townhouse at all, but…

“…”

Anriche peered down at Liliana, who was holding tightly to the hem of her dress.

The fact that those are her relatives.

Nevertheless, Aberyt County was a family with few blood ties. It might be unavoidable if things went this way, that there would be a rumor that ‘she had treated a few relatives badly.’

‘If it’s me, it’s all right because rumors have already spread that I’m a villainess…’

She couldn’t let Liliana get caught up in such rumors.

Anriche sighed.

“Elliot, would you like to go into the room with Liliana?”

“I will, mom.”

He hurriedly nodded his head and took the hand of the girl next to him.

Liliana looked behind her again and again as she followed Elliot into the mansion. After she was certain that both of them were gone, Anriche, with her arms folded, gazed at the Baron couple with her stiff gaze.

“Thank Liliana.”

At that cold voice, the Baron couple hardened their shoulders.

“If you weren’t Liliana’s relatives, I wouldn’t have even thought of seeing your faces.” Anriche narrowed her brow and turned her body.

“Come inside for now.”

***

Anriche brought the two of them into the parlor.

‘They are a relative of Liliana, so I should at least treat them to tea…’

After asking the maid for tea and refreshments, she didn’t even think about hiding her unpleasant temper.

So now, there was only uncomfortable silence in the parlor.

The Baron couple, who were pressed by Anriche’s spirit, were frozen tight, unable to even move their lips.

‘No, since when did she take care of the children like that?’

‘Ever since she took Liliana from me, I thought it was out of the blue…’

‘It’s frustrating, really!’

However, in the midst of this, they are just exchanging dissatisfied glances between each other. At that, Anriche smiled at the sight of them.

“It’s really impolite.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Didn’t you learn it when you were young? It’s not polite to talk to each other in front of people.”

Frightened, the Baron couple smiled awkwardly at her.

“Oh, that’s…”

“That’s enough. Even the least polite thing can be very difficult for someone.”

Both their faces were colored with shame at the outright sarcastic voice. Nonetheless, Anriche buried her body deep inside the sofa.

“Didn’t you say you have something more important to say to me?”

As she tried to calm herself down a little, Anriche recounted the contents of the letter they had sent. The gist of the letter was, ‘I have something to tell the Duchess!’

To be honest, in her opinion, it would have been better to write the business in the letter instead.

“What is it?”

“That’s…”

Baron Rondini, who was observing her face, opened his mouth nervously.

“Well, the Duchess… We were recently under a tax investigation.”

“I’m going to have to pay a huge tax!”

The depressed Baroness interrupts her husband and intervenes. “I heard that the family that commissioned the tax audit was the Duchy of Valois!”

The Duchy of Valois?

Anriche rolled her eyes.

She never asked for a tax investigation. So, if it’s someone other than her, who can act in the name of ‘Duchy of Valois’ would be…

‘Isn’t it just Alexei?’

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