She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 147

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 147. Through the Inferno (2)
“Rosena!”
Cecilia cried out in alarm.
CRASH!
But her voice was swallowed by the deafening roar of the collapsing roof.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the cascading dust, then opened them again.
The sight that greeted me was horrific.
Debris lay scattered in chaotic ruin.
Between the burning timber, the motionless limbs that had been revealed no longer stirred.
Flames consumed the fabric of her clothing with ravenous hunger.
Yet Rosena’s still form gave no sign of life.
“Good heavens…”
I pressed my trembling hand to my mouth.
My heart hammered against my ribs, my lips quivering uncontrollably.
But my mind already knew—there was no turning back from this.
Then Rainer seized my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace.
“We must hurry. There is no time.”
The ceiling’s collapse upon Rosena had been merely a warning.
Already the flames had spread to every pillar; the entire cabin would come down any moment.
“We must leave now.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
I barely grasped my senses and nodded.
Any hesitation, and the next thing to be crushed would be Rainer and myself.
We crouched low and began forcing our way through the flames.
With each breath, scorching smoke seared into my lungs.
“Cough, cough!”
My throat burned as violent coughing seized me.
Flames licked toward us from all directions, their tongues dancing hungrily.
One moment of carelessness and we would be consumed entirely.
Behind us, the relentless sound of snapping wood and collapsing structure echoed without pause.
CRASH!
“…!”
A pillar crashed down directly beside us.
We both twisted our bodies simultaneously, barely evading it.
Where I had stood mere moments before, a massive wooden beam engulfed in flames now lay.
“Haah…”
I gasped for breath.
My heart pounded as though it might burst from my chest.
How many times today had I danced upon death’s threshold?
Because I had already tasted death once before, its terror gripped my throat with even more vivid and relentless intensity.
“It’s alright, Cecilia.”
Rainer’s arms tightened around her, drawing her closer.
He pulled the jacket covering her head lower, shielding her from the flames and ash.
His breath was warm against her skin.
“We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer.”
The air around them remained scorching, and the walls and ceiling continued to crumble.
Yet with a single word from him, everything felt as though it would be alright.
“…Yes.”
Cecilia clenched her teeth.
She could not afford to lose consciousness here.
This second life had been so hard-won.
After enduring so much to reach this moment.
She could not let it end so meaninglessly with the person she loved at her side.
The two of them pressed forward once more.
They held their breath to avoid inhaling the smoke, supporting each other as they moved.
All that was visible was the crimson blaze and black smoke.
Yet they clung to consciousness through the warmth of each other’s presence.
And so, without stopping, they continued forward.
“My Lord! My Lady!”
Harry’s familiar voice rang out.
In the next moment, cool air rushed deep into their lungs.
“Ah…”
The breath they had been holding burst forth.
The jacket fell away from her vision, and she could see Harry approaching with a worried expression.
Around them, knights rushed about with buckets of water, extinguishing the flames.
“Good heavens…”
Harry’s face hardened at the sight of the Duke and Duchess, covered in blood and soot.
He had no time to ask if they were unharmed.
“You there! Quickly, take the Duke and Duchess to safety―”
As Harry turned and shouted to those around him.
A deafening roar erupted from behind.
Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the rear.
“…!”
The cabin, consumed by the inferno, was collapsing entirely.
The burning beams gave way, swallowing everything within.
Flames shot skyward, and shattered debris scattered in all directions.
Nothing remained that could still be called a cabin.
“Good heavens…”
Someone murmured in a daze.
Someone muttered in a dazed voice.
Everyone stared at the scene in stunned silence.
“….”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the flames either.
The inferno roared with such ferocity that it seemed to devour everything in its path.
Was this the end?
A curse that had stretched across two lifetimes, extinguished just like this.
Neither joy nor relief nor anger—an indescribable emotion stirred deep within my chest.
At that same moment, my body swayed and I lost my balance.
“M-My Lady! Are you alright!”
“Cecilia!”
My vision tilted.
I heard Rainer and Harry calling out urgently.
And that was my last memory in that moment.
* * *
“Mm….”
A shallow groan escaped through my parched lips.
My heavy eyelids slowly lifted.
“…Where am I?”
I furrowed my brow as I looked around.
My last memory was of watching that burning building.
My blurred vision gradually sharpened, and the surroundings came into focus.
A familiar ceiling and a soft bed.
A subtle grassy scent drifting through the window.
The Duchess’s Bedroom in Hays Estate’s Grand Manor.
“Sigh….”
A shallow breath escaped me.
I had survived.
The sensation of the bed against my back and the warmth of the blanket covering me
told me that I had made it through.
I reached out my arm to pull the bell cord.
“Ah!”
But a sharp pain immediately shot through my arm.
Only then did I notice the bandages wrapped around both my arms.
My legs were the same.
‘Good heavens. Had I been burned by the fire?’
I hadn’t realized it in my daze at the time.
It seemed I had sustained more serious injuries than I thought.
Click.
Just then, the door opened and Wendy entered.
Our eyes met as Wendy, carrying a towel and a basin, stepped inside.
“M-My Lady!”
Wendy dropped what she was holding and rushed over in panic.
“Oh, heavens. Thank God!”
She clasped her hands together, tears glistening in her eyes.
“My Lady, I’m so relieved….”
“Wendy. How did all this―”
“You mustn’t move yet! The doctor said you absolutely must rest. Your burns are severe, and you inhaled a great deal of smoke.”
Wendy continued her breathless explanation.
My injuries were far more serious than I had realized.
The carriage accident had caused significant trauma to my body.
And the smoke from the fire had made matters worse.
The fact that I had escaped the cabin conscious was nothing short of a miracle.
Wendy’s eyes were rimmed with red.
“I should never have ignored that donut dream. I should have stopped you somehow back then….”
If only she had, none of this would have happened—Wendy was genuinely blaming herself.
I carefully raised my hand and gently grasped Wendy’s.
“It’s not your fault, Wendy.”
“…My Lady.”
At my gentle words, Wendy’s throat tightened and she choked up.
If I didn’t change the subject, she would surely break down.
I quickly redirected the conversation.
“More importantly, how long was I asleep?”
“About four days.”
“Four days?”
My eyes widened at the longer-than-expected duration.
Wendy nodded and pulled the blanket up over me again.
“Yes, so you absolutely must not overexert yourself. You haven’t eaten anything during all that time.”
“…I understand.”
A moment of silence fell between us.
After hesitating, I quietly spoke again.
“Wendy.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“What happened to Rosena…?”
I saw Wendy’s shoulders flinch slightly.
I added quietly.
“…Did they find her body?”
Given that a burning beam had fallen on Rosena’s head and the cabin had collapsed, I didn’t believe she could have survived.
I held no such illusions.
“Well, about that….”
Wendy paused for a moment.
She hesitated for a moment, her lips moving silently before she answered carefully.
“The moment the lights went out, the Imperial Guard was deployed to search for her. However….”
Wendy exhaled a heavy sigh.

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