One Day, I Picked Up a Mom - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One Day I Picked Up a Mother – Episode 34

 

‘What on earth is he thinking.’

 

Ink-black hair and eyebrows as if drawn. Snow-white skin and blue eyes that sparkled more than the red gem on his brooch.

 

Count Ludrio was more beautiful than anyone Iban had ever seen.

 

Incomparably more so than those men who claimed to be his mother’s boyfriends.

 

Probably even they would freeze up and be unable to raise their voices in front of this man like they did to him.

 

“What do you want to say?”

 

He approached the couch belatedly and sat down, crossing his long legs as he asked in a somewhat relaxed voice.

 

That leisurely attitude made Iban even more anxious.

 

“Why did you ask Luna to marry you?”

 

“Well.”

 

No proper answer came, but Iban had already spent a long time in his room guessing the reason.

 

And what Iban came up with was only this, even though he knew it couldn’t be true.

 

‘Because he likes Luna.’

 

Calling Luna back to this estate, taking only her to see the horses and showing off, suddenly talking about marriage.

 

“…Perhaps. Do you like Luna?”

 

If he really had come to like Luna, Luna would surely come to love him too.

 

Maybe she had already fallen in love with Ludrio. He was tall, handsome, and rich after all.

 

Then… would she leave me now.

 

Saying that a child like me is bothersome. Just like mother, Luna too would do that.

 

Iban’s pupils trembled finely at the anxiety that rushed in instantly.

 

Iban quickly examined Ludrio’s face.

 

“I suppose I should say yes.”

 

Thud.

 

For a moment, Iban heard the sound of his heart dropping to the floor.

 

‘A lie. It’s a lie.’

 

Even though he knew it was just words Ludrio had carelessly thrown out.

 

His vision became distant and he felt the blood draining from his fingertips.

 

“…”

 

The overly calm face, the lips moving indifferently, even the action of dryly tapping the back of his hand.

 

No affection could be found in that appearance. So it was definitely a lie.

 

Right, Ludrio didn’t like Luna.

 

He didn’t even like his own son.

 

“…”

 

“Iban, you don’t look well.”

 

Ludrio’s large hand that entered Iban’s field of vision lightly tapped the table. It was Ludrio’s signal to look up and face him.

 

Iban felt very disgusted by his command.

 

Even more so by the fact that he had no choice but to obey.

 

Suppressing his emotions, he raised his head with an obedient face and looked into Ludrio’s blue eyes.

 

“So you want to run away from me with Luna. To a place where no one knows your lies.”

 

Slow-moving lazy eyes were examining him one by one.

 

As if trying to see through everything.

 

‘Your fainting was quite natural.’

 

Just like that time.

 

Even if someone had watched his acting from the beginning, no one would have noticed it was fabricated. But Ludrio was different.

 

Eventually Iban lowered his head again. And just as he was about to shake his head to deny his suspicion, his voice continued again.

 

“I already know that you’ve been wandering around the garden looking for holes in the fence.”

 

“What?”

 

“The repair work will be finished after tonight anyway.”

 

Eventually Iban had no choice but to raise his head again.

 

If Luna was kicked out of this estate, he planned to escape through that hole.

 

He planned to meet Luna again that way…

 

“Iban, don’t rack your brain and just stay here. As the son of Luna and me.”

 

“…”

 

“If you want to continue being with Luna, this place will be your best choice.”

 

In the end, it was as the Count said.

 

If the Count had made up his mind like that, this was all Iban could grasp now.

 

“Above all, I’m currently hiding you and Luna from your birth mother.”

 

At the threat that seemed to say he would inform his birth mother if he made any foolish moves, Iban’s body tensed up a little.

 

“…Do you need us?”

 

“Yes. I need both a son and a wife.”

 

Even so, Iban didn’t like this choice.

 

Because Luna might come to like Ludrio more than him?

 

…As expected, Iban disliked Ludrio Rharhart.

 

“So stay under my protection. I won’t take Luna away from you.”

 

His fickle personality and high-handed attitude were bad enough, but most of all, the fact that he was openly deceiving them while hiding his true intentions was what he disliked most.

 

Iban still couldn’t understand why he was helping with his lies, why he wanted to marry Luna.

 

And that made the child very uneasy.

 

* * *

 

Returning to his room, Iban once again paced around in circles.

 

‘Don’t rack your brain and just stay here.’

 

Despite the clear warning, Iban didn’t stop his flowing thoughts.

 

It was because Iban had grown up in too harsh a place to readily entrust himself to the incomprehensible kindness of a stranger.

 

Why did he need a family.

 

Why did he want to keep Luna as his wife when he didn’t even like her.

 

He needed to figure out those true intentions, but unfortunately, Iban’s thoughts flowed in a very strange direction.

 

Mother, father, and me.

 

The Count and Duchess and me as their son…

 

If it became like that, no one could easily take Luna away.

 

Even if Luna realized all of this was false, it couldn’t be undone. The Count didn’t seem to want that either.

 

Even if mother came looking, it would be the same. If only Luna and the Count got married.

 

Iban still didn’t trust the Count.

 

If they were no longer needed, if they became bothersome, the Count would surely change his expression completely too.

 

So he needed to find out how long he would need them…

 

Whether it was because he couldn’t easily guess the Count’s true intentions, or because he wanted to believe his promise and just dream of happiness.

 

Iban’s thoughts flowed again to things like the large and magnificent estate, shiny fruits and well-prepared meals, soft clothes and cozy beds.

 

And also the image of happy Luna and himself standing beside her.

 

“Ugh, really.”

 

Iban, who had tapped his head several times to shake off the distracting thoughts, finally stopped spinning around and very carefully grabbed the door handle.

 

Iban opened the door without making a sound and crossed the corridor to enter Luna’s room.

 

Creak-.

 

Click.

 

Even though the sound of opening and closing the door must have been heard, not a single sign of life came from the dark room.

 

She seemed to have already fallen asleep.

 

Approaching Luna’s bed, Iban quietly stroked the hair of the woman who was breathing heavily and sleeping soundly.

 

‘Is there no remaining study today because she skipped lessons and played around?’

 

For the past week, Luna had sat at her desk every night for about three or four hours, earnestly looking at papers.

 

Even though he had clearly told her several times to tell him if it was difficult, she only said it was fine.

 

Or rather, he told her to say she was sick and skip the lessons, that he would make up a good excuse.

 

Even though he had held Luna’s hand several times and told her ways to escape from studying even briefly.

 

When did it start?

 

From the day we left Marha?

 

Luna no longer listened to what I said as well as she used to.

 

Starting with finding the brooch, and even with studying…

 

‘Is she getting dumber and dumber?’

 

Iban felt suddenly anxious about Luna’s changes. That’s when it happened.

 

“…Iban?”

 

Luna, who had suddenly flinched and hunched her shoulders as if sensing someone’s presence, hurriedly turned her head.

 

“Oh, it’s Iban.”

 

“Yeah, it’s me.”

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

 

“…I want to sleep together.”

 

Iban climbed onto the bed and hugged Luna tightly.

 

Then Luna let out a soft laugh like a melody and slowly patted Iban’s back.

 

“Alright. Let’s sleep together here.”

 

She spoke in a voice that seemed to have no worries at all. As if she truly felt this place was safe.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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