Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 13

“….”

As if to block me from Rere, that woman tried to stand in front of me to hide my presence.

Due to that, I couldn’t see Rere anymore.

I didn’t want to part ways like this, and I still wanted to make good memories.

‘Maybe he’s trying to make me leave without regrets. It might be better to leave heartlessly.’

“That’s right, Rere. I said I was leaving. So take care. I hope you’ll be healthy.”

Let’s not look back.

She was the villainess of the black curtain family anyway.

There was nothing I could do. I’ve already decided to go and I couldn’t change the Duke’s mind.

I was about to get out without looking back. My hand already held the doorknob.

It was then.

“No! Mom Leona is the only mom I have!”

Rere, who was lying in bed, got up and rushed to me.

“Rere!”

The Duke, who couldn’t stop her sudden action, tried to come in haste, but the child had already arrived behind me.

“Mom…Mom! Are you going to abandon Rere, too?”

The child’s eyes, which had become red, and her cheek, which had become slimmer because she was sick for a few days, broke my firm heart.

As if I’m looking at my past self, my unyielding heart broke along with the child’s tears.

I held the child in my arms and glared at the Duke.

I made up my mind.

I’ll scream even if he said I change my mind easily like flipping the palm of my hand.

I’m not leaving.

“No! I’m not leaving. That’s right! You’re mistaken! I’m going to save the child. I’ll save you, too. And this family! So from now on, listen to what I’ll say!”

That’s right.

I’ll change it.

The future.

I clenched my fist with the child in my arms.

“Ha. What do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s not what you think you’re doing. Daddy, listen to what mom said!”

“You two…!”

But the Duke came close as if he was trying to take the child away.

But Rere stood in front of me and glared at him.

“If you bother mom…I’ll lie down here!”

He snorted at the discrimination of the child that he had never faced before.

“Rere. Are you rejecting your daddy?”

“Hnng! I like mom!”

“Why?”

“Because mom…! Gave me chocolate!”

Was it because of that?

“I like a mom who gives me choco!”

Rere, who was rubbing her soft cheeks on the hem of my dress, smiled broadly and raised her head.

For a moment, I was speechless and looked down at the child. Then I saw the bright eyes that seemed to contain the universe.

‘Yeah, whatever it is. As long as you like it.’

I’m sure that wasn’t the only reason.

Within a few days after she got sick, she smiled sweetly at me as if she became someone else.

‘I don’t know if she will change once she recovers, but…this is just the way the child catches people’s heart.’

When the child, who hated me so much, looked for me after being sick, it pulled the strings in my heart.

“Look. Look at me. Mom, you’re actually like Rere, aren’t you?”

But before I could answer, the Duke approached and reached out to the child.

His hand wasn’t friendly at all, so my arm instinctively knocked it out.

“No.”

“What?”

“I won’t leave. I will definitely save the child.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You must leave.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“As you wish, I will force you to go out.”

Such an unlucky guy. I want to beat this rotten bastard so bad.

The more he tried to force me out, the tighter I hugged the child.

“I’m never going out.”

“That’s funny. It’s not up to you to choose. If you don’t go…”

“Daddy!”

When he tried to use all kinds of methods to kick me out, Rere glared at him with a very angry face.

“Stay still, Rere. This is a problem between adults.”

“No, I’m going to talk! It’s not because mom wanted to leave, but it’s because daddy told mom to leave, isn’t it?”

At her words, the Duke choked.

“…That’s…”

After mumbling for a long time, he waved his hand awkwardly.

“Why aren’t you say anything! Did you really do it? Yet you told me that mom wanted to leave!”

When I saw the face of the arrogant man harden, I felt refreshed for some reason.

To the point that I cheered for Rere, who had been bothering me every day.

“Answer! Did you eat honey!? Why are you so tight-lipped? Daddy!”

The child continuously sprayed cider.

(T/N: Cider = if someone says something straightforward that other people usually cannot say)

As expected, the Duke, who did not even listen to me, sighed deeply and stretched his arm to Rere.

Of course, he was rejected by the child right away.

“…Rere, that’s…”

“Just where did you try to hug me?! Do you think I will feel better if you do that? Daddy! I’m really disappointed.”

“…Rere.”

“Darn it…if you kick my mom out, I won’t see you again!”

There was a long standoff between the two.

In the meantime, I felt the child’s cheeks on me again.

“No. I don’t want my favorite mom to leave…I hate it!”

It was not until he heard those words that the Duke took a step back.

“I understand, Rere. Calm down. What if you fall sick again?”

“Don’t make me laugh. You’re going to kick mom out!”

“I won’t. So calm down.”

“Really? Do you promise? Huh!?”

“Yes.”

Only then did Rere slip down and fall to the floor.

“Rere!” I squatted down in surprise, and Rere stretched her arms to me.

“Mom, put me in bed! I’m having a hard time because of my dad.”

The child’s rough breathing showed how bad her body condition was. I lifted up the child at once.

“Okay, I’ll lay you down. Let’s go to the bed.”

Nobody stopped me this time.

Rere, whose body was rather light despite being taller than her peers, leaned her head on my chest.

In the meantime, the child hugged me tightly as if she didn’t want to fall.

It wasn’t until she was laid down in bed that Rere fell asleep while panting.

“…Leave the child to the nanny and come out with me.”

As I brushed the child’s head, I had no choice but to follow him out of the room at his stern words.

The angry duke was ahead, followed by the woman he brought.

As soon as I got out of the room, his angry voice struck me.

“Good for you. You’re the first one who was able to take my daughter’s heart like that.”

“I appreciate your sarcasm. I didn’t know you were such a stingy person.”

“What?”

“Is this what you mean by doing what the child wants? Don’t do this anymore. Instead, do what the child really wants.”

He’s the man that I hated from the start.

Thoughtlessly bringing me in to become the child’s mother and spoiling the child as a form of love.

And even threw the blame on me for making things difficult for Rere.

I promised once again that I would never choose that man even If I died and was born again.

‘What’s the point of being handsome? When you’re so unlucky.’

I glared at him with my nose wide open.

Perhaps he realized he was unable to communicate with me anymore, so he only made eye contact while pouting his lips.

“Her heart won’t last long anyway. She easily gets tired of things.”

“So what?”

“Leave while I’m being nice. The moment the child hates you, you’ll regret not leaving now.”

“Are you worried? Or are you threatening me?”

There was no answer to that. Instead, his red eyes glistened.

As if I could see the madness in him, there was a clear intention in his gaze.

The intention of killing me.

However, the caterpillar wriggled stronger when it was stepped on.

“I’m not leaving. The more you ask me to leave, the more I’ll stay right here.”

The moment I saw the child’s sincerity, I was reminded of my past. If I abandon this child, I’d feel like I’m abandoning myself.

“…Do as you please.”

Duke Ian Petri, who had been watching me, sighed deeply and shook his head as if I was pathetic.

“You’ll regret it eventually,” he said, before moving away from me.

I looked at him for a long time in case he would come back and speak nonsense again before I turned my back.

Even though he was Rere’s father, I’m glad he doesn’t come to see Rere often.

‘Unlucky bastard. I need to go get some salt. I’m going to sprinkle it to the place he left off.’

But my days of suffering did not end there.

Now, as I was about to go to Rere with thoughts that it was finally over, the woman, who appeared to be the new mother, made eye contact with me.

“Stupid.”

“…What?”

“I’m talking about you. Stupid wench.”

It was a very different side of what she showed to the child.

The woman, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly glared at me haughtily.

“…I wonder what you mean by that?”

“What I mean? I merely pitied such a stupid human being.”

The woman wrinkled her nose, laughed, and turned away from me after she spat out what she had to say.

Well, there are women like that.

“Ha. Excuse me. Don’t you think it’s only appropriate to introduce yourself first?”

“The moment I introduce myself, you’ll want to cry at how insignificant your family was.”

“If that’s the case, you both are the perfect pair of cockroaches. You both look great together. Arrogant and…”

Unlucky.

The end was blurred because it was impossible to say that to a woman who looked like a noble lady.

The woman frowned and snorted.

“What’s a cockroach?”

Ah! There’s no such thing as a cockroach here, or maybe it had a different name.

Well, there was no way a daughter of a noble family would know about cockroaches anyway.

“It was used to describe a couple like you and that man.”

“Are you cursing at me now?”

“I’m not sure. It depends on how people perceive it, but it can’t be a curse. It seems like you’ll be here from today onwards, so let’s get closer, Ms. Unwanted Mother.”

It’s my turn to leave this spot.

The way to my room was where the duke went, so I was forced to follow him and went to the other side.

I had a safe trip, but I ended up wandering around the castle before I was finally able to come back to my room.

“Ha. From now on, I have to learn how to get around without May.”

A small commitment was also made.

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