She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 35
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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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Chapter 35. Elise’s Evil Deeds (1)
“Haah…”
That night.
Cecilia let out a small sigh as she headed to the bedroom.
She had been caught up one after another by the mansion’s people who wanted to curry favor with the new duchess, and time had already grown quite late.
‘Rainer must already be asleep.’
The corridor, dimly lit with lowered lighting, was quiet.
Cecilia carefully opened the bedroom door so as not to disturb Rainer’s sleep.
But upon entering the room, Cecilia froze in place.
“R-Rainer?”
Rainer was not asleep.
What he was holding in his hand while dressed in a robe was…
A rope.
‘Wh-what? Don’t tell me, that kind of preference?’
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
Don’t tell me he was waiting for her like that?
“You’re finally here.”
Just then, Rainer slowly stood up with a subtly hardened expression.
His jawline was firmly set, and his eyes held a look of determination.
He approached one step, then another step.
His unhurried, slow approach felt like a predator.
Cecilia unconsciously stepped backward.
The hard door touched her back.
‘Sh-should I run away?’
Just as Cecilia was fumbling behind her back to grab the door handle.
“Cecil—”
“Kyaah!”
When Rainer, who had come close, held out the rope, Cecilia reflexively screamed.
“G-g-get away! You pervert!”
“…What?”
When the flustered Cecilia waved her hands, Rainer’s approaching steps faltered.
After blinking several times, he belatedly grasped the situation.
Rainer pressed his forehead and sighed.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”
“A-a misunderstanding?”
Cecilia was in a defensive posture with both arms crossed in front of her chest.
Rainer threw the rope aside and spoke in a low voice.
“I’m sorry for startling you. I was just going to ask you to tie me up.”
“What? To tie you up? Why, why?”
Looking at Cecilia who was still very much on guard, Rainer slowly closed and opened his eyes.
“This room holds many bad memories. I thought I might have those nightmares again tonight.”
“Nightmares… you say?”
Rainer slowly nodded his head.
“Yes, this was the very place where the noble Dowager Duchess used to ‘educate’ a lowly bastard.”
“…What?”
Cecilia hesitated.
This was the first time Rainer had brought up his personal story.
He lightly gestured with his chin toward one corner of the room.
It was an ordinary corner with not a single piece of furniture.
“I was beaten especially often in that spot.”
“How terrible…”
Cecilia looked back with a shocked face.
She seemed to see young Rainer crouched in the corner, covering his head with his hands.
Cecilia felt a stinging sensation in her chest.
“We should prevent what might happen. At least you shouldn’t get hurt.”
If he and Cecilia used separate rooms, that would also become gossip.
This was the best conclusion Rainer had reached.
His voice was calm, but his fingertips were trembling slightly.
“Rainer…”
Cecilia approached him closely.
Somehow she felt embarrassed and sorry for having misunderstood him.
Rainer laughed quietly.
“So, is the misunderstanding all cleared up now? Will you tie me up?”
“Tie you up, my foot.”
She unconsciously raised her hand and lightly touched Rainer’s wrist.
“We’re going to use the same room anyway. If you have nightmares, I can just wake you up.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“If it really becomes a problem, I’ll scream. Someone will come running.”
“That won’t be easy.”
Rainer smiled bitterly.
“That door is soundproofed.”
“What?”
“The noble Dowager Duchess didn’t want the sounds of abuse to leak out.”
“…What a truly vicious person.”
Cecilia frowned.
Elise was the one who did wrong, so why should this man carry those scars for life?
“Anyway, I’m not going to tie you up tonight. So let’s just sleep now, Rainer.”
“Then I’ll sleep on the sofa—”
“No.”
Cecilia shook her head and lightly pulled Rainer’s wrist.
“Don’t worry. I’m also used to getting hit, so I can dodge quickly anytime.”
“Are you calling that—”
“I think it would be better to handle whatever happens if I’m next to you. Or wait, do you hate sleeping in the same bed as me?”
“…”
At Cecilia’s last question, Rainer felt speechless.
Did this woman know how she looked at times like this?
“…Of course not.”
In the end, Rainer shook his head.
At those words, Cecilia smiled brightly.
“Then let’s both rest now. I’m tired since so many things happened today.”
* * *
‘Elise… was much more vicious than I thought.’
Deep in the night, Cecilia quietly looked at Rainer’s profile lying beside her.
Though his breathing was even and stable in sleep, tension still remained in his shoulders.
Seeing that, Cecilia somehow felt pity for him.
‘If she hated him that much, she should have just not taken him in…’
Rainer was a man who would have grown up splendidly even without Hays’ background.
‘Maybe I should have suggested not coming here.’
She felt like she had agreed too readily to Rainer’s suggestion that they should go to the estate.
Even if Elise had used the Royal Court as justification.
There weren’t no ways to avoid this.
Somehow it felt like she had only reopened Rainer’s wounds.
She could have investigated by coming here alone or through other methods.
‘…No, regretting it now won’t change anything.’
Cecilia carefully raised her hand and pulled the blanket to cover his shoulders.
Her eyes shone with firm determination.
‘Tomorrow I must visit the Records Room. For Rainer’s sake, I need to find out everything.’
* * *
The morning when the hunting festival began.
From early hours, the Hays Estate was busy with hunting preparations.
People from the Duke’s family and vassal families gathered at the entrance to the estate’s forest, with horses lined up beside them.
The leashed hunting dogs barked excitedly.
“Wahahahaha!”
Evan laughed loudly as if deliberately wanting people to hear.
Ever since arriving at the estate, he had been in high spirits.
‘So, all these people gathered here came to impress me, right?’
Evan looked around with a smug expression.
His pride, which had been suppressed at the Duke’s Palace in the Capital, was slowly raising its head again.
“Evan! You look so wonderful today too!”
Rosena, standing beside him, was the same.
Rosena saw Evan off with exaggerated gestures, deliberately speaking loudly.
“You must win today!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll catch the biggest game today, so look forward to it!”
When people’s gazes turned toward them, Rosena smiled even brighter and linked arms with Evan.
Then she kissed his cheek as if showing off.
Several people made disgusted expressions, but the two didn’t care.
Cecilia, watching this scene from a distance, shook her head disapprovingly.
‘Really, how dramatic.’
If this were the Duke’s Palace in Brisen, she would have certainly scolded them to maintain dignity.
But since Elise was here, she had decided to keep as low a profile as possible.
She came here because there were things she needed to find out in this house, not to have unnecessary quarrels with Evan or Rosena.
Cecilia turned her head.
Beside her stood Rainer, dressed in hunting attire.
Looking now, she noticed that the sleeve buttons of Rainer’s hunting outfit were undone.
“Wait a moment, Rainer.”
Cecilia carefully took Rainer’s wrist and personally fastened the buttons for him.
“There. You be careful out there too.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“This much is only natural. While you’re at it, hunt well too.”
“That’s also a given, but…”
Rainer chuckled and looked to the side.
Evan and Rosena, still noisily displaying their affection, came into view.
“Rainer…?”
When he didn’t respond, Cecilia looked up at him.
Rainer glanced toward Evan and Rosena with a mischievous expression.
“As my wife said, I don’t want to lose to them in anything.”
“What? What did you say?”
When Cecilia’s eyes widened, Rainer pointed to his own cheek with his index finger.
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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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