One Day, I Picked Up a Mom - Chapter 44

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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 44

 

Ludrio looked at Luna sipping her cold tea. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

 

“First, regardless of the Previous Count and Countess’s intentions, the marriage will proceed.”

 

So that she wouldn’t worry.

 

“Nothing will change. I promise.”

 

Luna, who had been looking down, briefly raised her gaze to look at Ludrio.

 

As if trying to verify the truth of his words with lingering distrust.

 

“I keep my promises.”

 

Eventually, Ludrio added another word to reassure her.

 

Then he observed Luna.

 

Would this satisfy her curiosity about wanting to know how the situation was unfolding?

 

…It seemed like she was curious about many other things besides this.

 

He had no idea what else to talk about or what explanations he might have missed.

 

“Luna, if you have more questions, ask me. I’ll tell you.”

 

However, Luna shook her head as if there was nothing more she wanted to ask.

 

“…Your promise is enough.”

 

Ludrio quietly observed Luna’s expression to see if those words were sincere.

 

“You don’t need to worry much about those people. I don’t know when we’ll face them again, but anyway, I’ll always be there too.”

 

Then he added a few more words.

 

Because this seemed like the story she would be most concerned about.

 

“…Yes.”

 

Answering quietly, he watched Luna still sipping her tea and warned her once more just in case.

 

“And next time, don’t go looking for them without me. Even though they’re old, they seemed to have enough strength left to get physical.”

 

“Ah…”

 

For a moment, an inexplicable sadness spread through the woman’s eyes. Or was it fear?

 

“So just keep courtesy to the bare minimum. That’s fine.”

 

Perhaps that’s why she went out to greet them despite his advice not to leave her room.

 

At first, when he saw her standing in front of the entrance beyond the window, he was quite bewildered.

 

He had clearly told her not to go outside.

 

Didn’t she know that meant not to get involved with them?

 

She wasn’t stupid enough not to understand, so he wanted to know why she went out on her own.

 

But after his bewilderment subsided, he seemed to understand the reason.

 

He knew the woman was kind.

 

Iban had said he asked for help from a woman who couldn’t pass by him being beaten.

 

A woman who was timid and unaccustomed to violence.

 

The woman was exactly as the child had described.

 

Even when he took her to the hunting grounds, she was someone who bowed her head deeply to avoid the dying prey, feeling very uncomfortable with the situation itself.

 

He could tell from her tense body, shaking gaze, and the way she bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.

 

The woman was tender-hearted.

 

Perhaps that’s why he felt comfortable with this woman, but this behavior was somewhat frustrating.

 

Of course, his explanation might have been quite insufficient.

 

“Even if you saw them leaving, you could have pretended not to see.”

 

Why would she go out and even greet those who didn’t hesitate to speak insultingly to him, expecting to hear anything good?

 

“…I didn’t go out because of courtesy.”

 

The woman, who had been thinking for a moment, shook her head while gripping her teacup tightly.

 

“Hm?”

 

“I went out because I didn’t want to stay intimidated, because I wanted to be confident.”

 

Ludrio couldn’t understand the woman’s words at once this time either.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I literally wanted to be confident.”

 

Perhaps reading the continued question in Ludrio’s expression, a more detailed explanation followed.

 

“If I had pretended not to know even after seeing them leave, it would have been because I was scared. Scared to stand before them who don’t view me favorably.”

 

Ludrio quietly waited for the next words.

 

“But if I hid once, I felt like I’d be intimidated every time I stood before them. You said we wouldn’t see them often, but still…”

 

The end of her sentence trailed off ambiguously.

 

As if she couldn’t clearly explain the reason for her actions either.

 

“It was my will.”

 

Will. Even after her lengthy explanation, Ludrio couldn’t easily understand what Luna was saying.

 

Ludrio became very curious about what that firm light reflected in Luna’s eyes, that unwavering thing, might be.

 

So after she returned.

 

Even after hearing the unexpected report that the Previous Count and Countess had decided to stay longer at the Duke’s Mansion instead of leaving.

 

Even after returning to his room and lying down on his bed, he pondered Luna’s words for a long time.

 

Not just today, but previously too, curiosity about Luna would often surge up.

 

Like when she said she didn’t want to live her whole life as a duchess.

 

Sometimes it seemed like information he needed to grasp in preparation for any possible situation, sometimes it seemed like personal curiosity about her.

 

Nevertheless, unable to find a clear answer, he could only roughly conclude his curiosity.

 

But this time, that wasn’t possible.

 

Ludrio fell into contemplation until dawn, forgetting even the thought that he should cut off his curiosity.

 

What could that strange light reflected in the woman’s eyes have been?

 

However, in the end, his curiosity didn’t reach a clear answer today either.

 

It would be quite some time from now before he would fully understand the meaning of what she had said.

 

Despite the long conversation and even offering an apology, he didn’t yet know that he understood less than half of Luna’s true feelings and wishes.

 

* * *

 

Early in the morning, Ludrio knocked on the door.

 

It was earlier than usual wake-up time.

 

He came to tell me that the Previous Count and Countess hadn’t left the Duke’s Mansion. For some unknown reason, the Countess had said she wanted to stay here longer.

 

Even so, he said that since greetings had been exchanged, we didn’t need to spend time together anymore.

 

They would have separate meals too, so there was nothing to worry about.

 

“Ah, I shouldn’t have greeted them.”

 

And in the end, I regretted my actions from yesterday.

 

I became anxious thinking that they, offended by my boldness, might not leave until they completely removed me from this place.

 

“I should have just endured it.”

 

Even if I could just brush it off, their insults would be even more devastating to young and tender Iban.

 

Thinking about the words that would pour out every time we faced each other made me sigh involuntarily.

 

I gently stroked the head of Iban, who was sleeping soundly, breathing lightly without knowing anything.

 

Still, what was comforting was that Ludrio was trying to protect us from them.

 

‘He’s strangely kind.’

 

As if trying to practice yesterday’s words about being more careful in the future, he came early in the morning to personally deliver the news.

 

Was it because I would soon become his wife, even if only in name?

 

Knock knock.

 

Then another knocking sound was heard, and when I opened the door, Ludrio was standing there again.

 

“Count?”

 

“Are you going back to sleep?”

 

“Oh, no.”

 

I hurriedly shook my head.

 

Seven-thirty. It was almost time to get up anyway, and perhaps because of worry, I wasn’t sleepy anymore.

 

“Then shall we take a walk together?”

 

“Yes, that sounds good.”

 

I blinked at his suggestion for a moment, then hurriedly nodded.

 

“…Put on some clothes before coming out. The wind is cold.”

 

Ludrio lifted the coat draped over his arm slightly to show it as he spoke.

 

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

 

“Wait here.”

 

Ludrio said that and turned his back first.

 

I hurried into my room and put on my outer garments securely.

 

Having been hit hard by the cold wind when I stood briefly at the entrance yesterday evening, I put on even thicker clothes before coming out.

 

Ludrio had also put on the outer garment he had been carrying over his arm.

 

He silently gave me a look and began to walk.

 

‘…What is he trying to say.’

 

His steps were much slower than usual.

 

He had clearly slowed his pace to match my stride.

 

As we left the estate, cold wind brushed past my face. I lightly shook my head to arrange my disheveled hair and looked up at Ludrio.

 

Though I hadn’t had many one-on-one conversations with him, this was the first time we were walking side by side like this while talking.

 

I suppressed my curiosity and slowly waited for him to bring up the topic.

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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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