She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 148

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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 148. In the Ashes of All That Burned (1)
“When they found him, his entire body was charred black as coal, and he was so crushed beneath the collapsed debris that they could barely identify him.”
“…I see.”
“They only knew it was a person because his teeth remained. Without that, he would have just been scattered among the ash and discarded anywhere.”
Cecilia fell silent for a moment.
Rosena’s final moments came flooding back.
In the raging inferno, that face with wild, manic eyes gripping me tight.
The obsession and malice that drove her to rush at me, insisting we die together.
Yet her end was utterly hollow.
A death no one would wish for.
“That woman received divine punishment.”
Wendy spoke bluntly.
“The name Rosena will be remembered as a villain in Listea’s history for generations to come. Already, people at the Imperial Palace who named their daughters Rosena are filing for name changes.”
“…Yes. I suppose so.”
Cecilia nodded calmly.
She felt no pity.
Rosena had been given multiple chances over the years.
Had she acknowledged all her crimes in the end and spent her remaining life in penitence within prison walls.
She would not have been burned to death, crushed beneath a pile of burning wood while still alive.
In the end, everything was Rosena’s own choice and karma.
“My lady, I shall inform the Duke that you have awakened.”
Wendy rose abruptly from her seat.
“While you were unconscious, the Duke remained by your side constantly. He may be disappointed if he learns you’ve regained consciousness during his brief absence.”
With those final words, Wendy left the room.
And not long after.
The door burst open.
“Cecilia!”
Rainer entered.
His labored breathing made it clear he had rushed over the moment he heard the news.
“Are you well?”
“I’m fine. But…”
Cecilia frowned as she watched him approach the bed.
Up close, she could see he was injured everywhere.
His neck and the backs of his hands bore red scorch marks.
And scratches were clearly visible on his cheek.
“Rainer, you’re hurt.”
Cecilia gestured toward his cheek.
“Did you apply the medicine properly?”
“…Are you truly concerned for others at a time like this, my lady?”
Rainer sighed.
I rushed here with all my might out of worry.
And here you are, wrapped in bandages from head to toe,
fretting over a few scratches and minor burns.
“Still….”
Cecilia pouted, her expression troubled.
“I’m worried it might leave a scar.”
That handsome face marred by injury.
It was truly a tragedy.
“Your face is a treasure of all Listea, you know.”
“Now, now, Duchess of Hays.”
Rainer approached and gently pinched her cheek.
“Worry about your own health for now. You nearly died just moments ago.”
“Ugh….”
Cecilia thrust out her lower lip in a pout.
Rainer finally couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Then, carefully, he raised his hand and caressed her cheek.
“I’m so relieved. Truly….”
“Rainer?”
Cecilia looked up at her husband, then froze.
There was a faint shimmer of moisture at the corners of his eyes.
This man who was always composed and steadfast—
this was the first time I’d ever seen him show such vulnerability.
“…I was truly terrified these past four days.”
His voice came thick with emotion.
His throat bobbed, his jaw clenched tight.
“That I might lose you like this.”
“Rainer….”
Cecilia’s chest tightened.
He was a man who had already lost a beloved in flames once before.
I didn’t need him to explain what that situation meant to him—I understood.
And yet, he had walked into those flames again.
This time, to save me.
‘I’m grateful.’
I thought quietly.
‘That I didn’t become another wound for this man.’
Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it over his.
And carefully, I met his gaze.
His eyes were filled with sincerity and affection.
“Rainer, thank you for saving me from those dangerous flames.”
“….”
“Look at me. I’m alive because of you.”
Rainer nodded silently.
His face looked as though tears might spill at any moment.
Cecilia deliberately laughed with more playfulness.
“Don’t cry. I’m perfectly fine. If someone saw you like this, they’d think a funeral had taken place.”
“I wasn’t sobbing that heavily.”
“For you, that’s practically wailing.”
“…That can’t be.”
Cecilia giggled.
Then she lifted her hand and tapped her chest lightly.
“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll never leave you and die first. Not ever again.”
“What?”
“If I left you behind and died, the other women wouldn’t stand for it. I couldn’t bear to see that even in heaven.”
“Ha….”
Rainer looked down at Cecilia with an exasperated expression.
It was the look of someone asking how jokes could possibly come now, of all times.
Yet even so, he obediently lowered his head at her gesture.
Smack.
Cecilia pressed her lips gently to his with a playful smile.
“That’s my way of saying we’ll be together and happy for a long, long time.”
“Cecilia….”
“There’s nothing left to torment us now, is there?”
Rosena, Count Osburn, Evan, and even Elise.
All those who had been the source of their misery had destroyed themselves.
At last, they were freed from every chain that had bound them both.
“….”
Rainer remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“You’re right. There’s nothing left to hold us back now. …Except for one thing.”
“One thing?”
“These lips of yours that turn your husband’s insides upside down and chatter away without a care.”
“What?”
The moment a flustered Cecilia asked again.
Rainer lifted his hand and gently grasped her chin.
And without hesitation, he kissed her.
“…!”
Cecilia’s eyes widened in surprise.
This kiss was incomparably deeper and longer than the one before.
“Mm….”
Soon Cecilia slowly closed her eyes.
Soft sunlight streamed through the window.
After all the long, arduous trials had finally come to an end.
At last, a moment of peace was settling upon the two of them.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace Underground Dungeon.
Beneath the faint glow of torchlight.
Trisha Osburn paced the narrow confines of her cell, anxiously gnawing at her fingernails.
“Rosie… what’s become of my daughter…?”
Her lips had grown parched and cracked.
Since Cecilia’s last visit.
She had heard absolutely nothing.
In her complete isolation, countless imaginings gnawed relentlessly at her mind.
What had happened to her child?
Was she trapped somewhere in this prison?
Or had she escaped and was hiding somewhere?
Or perhaps—
The endless spiral of anxiety and imagination was slowly consuming her.
When her thoughts turned to the image of Rosena weeping, forced to bow her head at the guillotine platform.
Trisha could bear it no longer and leaped to her feet.
“Rosie! Are you really dead? Please, say something to your mother!”
She grasped the iron bars and cried out.
If there was any chance Rosena was somewhere in this dungeon.
Perhaps her voice might reach her.
But the response that came was not from Rosena.
“Shut up! Be quiet!”
“How many times is this? How much longer do we have to tolerate this madwoman?”
“Someone gag her!”
Other prisoners shouted irritably.
Some pounded their fists against the bars with sharp clangs.
But Trisha did not stop.
For her, only one thing mattered—whether her daughter lived or died.
Just then, a Guard passed by.
“Hey, you there! Wait a moment!”
Trisha pressed her face against the iron bars and called out desperately.
The Guard turned his head with obvious annoyance.
“What?”
“My daughter—what happened to Rosena? You must know, don’t you? Is she alive?”
At the flood of urgent questions, the Guard’s brow furrowed.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s impossible! You work in the Imperial Palace—why wouldn’t you know?”
Trisha’s voice turned sharp with desperation.
Complaints leaked from other cells, but she didn’t stop.
She pressed on relentlessly.
“Please, tell me! I’m begging you! Just tell me what happened to her!”
Trisha clung to the bars, her voice breaking with anguish.
“Even if she’s dead, just tell me that! I think I’m going to lose my mind!”
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the iron bars.
But the Guard merely twisted his lips into a sneer as he watched her.
“What a predicament.”
He leaned against the wall at an angle, crossing his arms.
Then, deliberately drawing out his words, he mocked her.
“No amount of pleading will help. I’ve received an Imperial decree not to tell you anything.”

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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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