She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 156

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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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Side Story 1. What Happened in Peloux (1)
No matter how momentous an event, time inevitably dulled its edges in people’s minds.
The affair of Evan Machi and Rosena Osburn, which had set the entire Empire ablaze, was no exception.
Over the course of two years, the memory faded gradually from people’s recollection.
Cecilia and Rainer, too, were living peaceful, ordinary lives.
In particular, Cecilia had become the godmother to the daughter Mary had borne two years prior.
Since then, she had been visiting the Imperial Palace frequently.
An afternoon when gentle sunlight settled softly upon the world.
In one corner of the Crown Princess Palace’s garden.
Fragrant tea and refreshments were arranged upon an immaculate table.
“Your Highness, the aroma of this tea is truly wonderful.”
“Isn’t it? It just arrived recently from the Eastern Continent. I wanted to share it with you right away.”
As Mary smiled brightly, Cecilia returned the gesture with one of her own.
Tea from the Eastern Continent.
The velvet tea incident from the past suddenly surfaced in Cecilia’s mind.
Back then, I never imagined a peaceful day like this would come.
The fact that I now stood as the Duchess, sitting across from the Crown Princess, felt strangely surreal.
Just then, the bright laughter of children echoed from one corner of the garden.
Cecilia and Mary’s gazes naturally turned in that direction.
Under the care of their nursemaids, the Crown Prince’s children toddled about at play.
The two young ones scampered across the grass, occasionally turning back to seek their mother.
Mary watched them with a gentle smile.
“These days, just watching those children makes the hours fly by.”
She spoke softly with a quiet laugh.
“Even when I’m exhausted from being busy all day, the moment I see them smile like that, all my fatigue melts away.”
Tiny hands. Plump cheeks. Even their clumsy steps.
In Mary’s eyes, everything about them was precious.
It was a feeling she had never known during her thoughtless days as a young lady.
“This is the joy that children bring―.”
She who had been speaking so cheerfully suddenly faltered.
Only then did she realize that Cecilia still had no children.
It was a topic that had already been discussed countless times in high society.
‘If the Duke and Duchess are so close, why don’t they have children yet?’
‘I know, right? Their wedding was two years ago, but they’d been together long before that.’
‘Maybe they look good on the surface, but they’re actually on bad terms?’
High society loved to gossip.
Whispers disguised as concern never ceased.
Mary was aware of this as well.
Should she apologize for her thoughtless remark?
But what if apologizing only made things more awkward?
It was during a moment of lingering contemplation.
“The Crown Prince has grown so much, hasn’t he?”
Cecilia set down her teacup quietly as she spoke.
Her tone carried an unspoken question about what had transpired.
“I do hope that later, he’ll become close with our Jeremy as well—just as the Crown Prince has with my husband.”
Cecilia smoothly redirected the conversation.
Mary’s eyes widened for a moment before relief washed across her face.
“Of course! The friendship between the Imperial Palace and the Hays Ducal Family will endure forever.”
Watching Mary speak with such enthusiasm about bringing the children to the Hays Ducal Mansion next time.
Cecilia smiled and nodded quietly.
Their tea time continued until the young princess grew drowsy enough for her afternoon nap.
* * *
Inside the carriage returning to the Duke’s Mansion.
“Sigh….”
Cecilia leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
The conversation from moments ago circled through her mind.
“…A child.”
Her quiet murmur dissolved into the empty air.
In truth, she had long since resigned herself to the reality.
During those five years of marriage in her previous life.
She had known that no child ever came.
She regarded it as separate from her relationship with Evan or the pressure from Elise.
Cecilia had already concluded in her heart that her body could not bear children.
‘I didn’t want to nurture false hope only to be wounded again.’
Rainer, too, had never burdened her with that concern.
He had never even broached the subject of an heir.
Rather, he had sensed the anxiety she couldn’t voice and always treated her with careful tenderness.
So she had convinced herself that the two of them alone would be enough for happiness.
That was how she had reasoned with herself.
But.
‘Kyaaaa!’
‘Now then, children. Be careful, or you’ll tumble over.’
Whenever she witnessed Mary tending to her children like today.
A sharp ache bloomed in the corner of her heart, and she couldn’t help it.
It seemed she had not yet fully released her longing for a child.
‘What would it feel like to have my own family….’
After all, Cecilia had no place she could truly call a maternal home.
She had heard there was an uncle—her only relative—in Peloux.
But there had been no contact since her parents’ carriage accident.
Perhaps that was why.
A part of me still harbored the desire to build a family of my own.
What if a small being existed in this world who resembled both my husband and me in equal measure?
I imagined that child dashing recklessly through the corridors of the Hays Ducal Mansion.
An indescribable emotion rippled quietly from the depths of my heart.
‘…Even living twice, some things remain unresolved.’
Cecilia shook her head quietly.
One could not possess everything, no matter how much one desired it.
She had already lived two lives that no one else could claim.
And had she not already completed her life’s purpose—her revenge?
‘That’s right. I mustn’t be greedy. Anything more would be excessive.’
This present life was enough.
Comforting herself with these thoughts, Cecilia slowly steadied her breathing.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
In the Study of the Hays Ducal Mansion, the sound of papers being turned echoed softly.
Rainer narrowed his brow slightly as he regarded Harry standing across the desk.
“So you’re saying this new business contact is someone from Peloux?”
“Yes. The terms they’ve proposed are quite favorable. It would certainly be worth going to verify in person.”
Harry answered composedly.
Rainer set down the documents with a displeased expression.
“Must I go myself?”
“If you were to go, my lord, matters would progress far more swiftly.”
Harry added with a cunning smile.
“Besides, you haven’t yet shown your face directly to Peloux. We should move before another house claims the opportunity.”
Harry clenched his fist, saying that Listea had become too cramped for them.
Just as he said, the Hays Ducal Family’s business was expanding without restraint.
Yet Rainer himself clicked his tongue softly.
Peloux.
It was a distance that required at least ten days of travel by carriage.
The prospect of being separated from Cecilia for over a month was deeply unwelcome.
It was then.
Screeeech―.
The sound of a carriage stopping came from outside the window.
Immediately after, a servant knocked on the door.
“My lord. The Duchess has returned.”
Informing him immediately whenever Cecilia returned from an outing was one of the primary duties of the servants in this manor.
It was among the household staff’s chief responsibilities.
Rainer rose from his seat as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“We’ll discuss the Peloux business trip again tomorrow.”
When he arrived at the entrance immediately after leaving the Study.
The carriage door had just opened, and Cecilia was stepping out.
The moment I saw her standing beneath the sunlight.
Rainer’s expression, which had been hardened by work, softened gently.
“Welcome home.”
“Rainer, I’ve told you—you don’t need to come out every time.”
Cecilia smiled warmly as she watched her husband brush a light kiss against her cheek.
Yet beneath that smile, Rainer detected something unusual—a subdued atmosphere that differed from her usual demeanor.
“Has something happened?”
His voice was low and gentle.
Cecilia faltered, unable to find her words.
Rainer was truly sharp and perceptive at moments like these.
“No, it’s nothing. I simply have something on my mind….”
Cecilia’s words trailed off uncertainly.
“M-Madam!”
Wendy came rushing down the corridor from the opposite direction.
An envelope was clutched in her hand.
“An urgent telegram has arrived for you, Madam.”
“An urgent telegram?”
“Yes, here it is.”
The envelope Wendy extended, breathing heavily, bore a seal that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
The moment Cecilia received it, she opened the letter immediately.
“….”
She had read only a few lines.
Yet her complexion gradually darkened.
“Cecilia.”
Rainer called her name softly upon noticing the faint tremor in his wife’s hands.
Wendy too gazed at Cecilia with a worried expression.
Cecilia slowly opened her mouth.
“…It’s a letter from Peloux.”
After drawing a deep breath, she continued.
“My Uncle has passed away.”

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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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