IELNDMH - Chapter 114 < The Embrace Of A Loving Family >

“...Ah, that’s ridiculous.”

Flower petals in this cold wave. I guess I saw it snowing wrong.

But even if I rubbed my eyes and looked again, nothing changed.

Those fluttering from somewhere were clearly light pink petals.

“I’m not seeing this wrong right now...?”

I asked confusedly, looking at the flower petals that had fallen on my open palm.

Mina then playfully shrugged her shoulders.

“Yes, I think you’re seeing it correctly?”

As I followed Mina's hand gesture and turned around, an unfamiliar panorama unfolded.

A dark garden with no grass or flowers, only bare trees, except for the flower bed where the devil's gift grew.

There, as if it had been there for some time, green life was sprouting.

The trees, which were always bare, turned green, and butterflies fluttered across the flower beds filled with colorful flowers.

An unfamiliar, warm, and soft wind passed by my cheeks, and the sweet scent of flowers filled my nose.

“Am I right? Spring has come soon!”

Mina's face became even more flushed with the sudden arrival of spring.

“Has spring really come to the North? Unbelievable... Is there one?”

Mina smiled, looking at me who still had a confused look on my face.

“Yes, it’s true that spring has come.”

Then she covered her mouth with her hand, leaned her body towards me, and whispered softly.

“Strictly speaking, rather than saying that spring came on its own, it is closer to being brought about by His Highness the Grand Duke on his own. Do you remember the Orangery?”

It's where Bianca first witnesses her bullying, and there's no way I'll ever forget it.

Now that I think about it, the interior of the Orangery was always in full bloom in spring weather like now.

“His Highness temporarily raised the temperature of the entire castle. The Orangery can always keep it warm, but to bring spring to the entire castle requires a significant amount of magical power, no matter how much the Grand Duke...”

Mina and I continued walking while talking.

“Cedric? Why do you have to do this..."

“Why would he do this, Your Majesty!”

Before I knew it, the twin statues began to appear in the distance.

When we finally got a little closer to the meeting place, Mina pointed to a nearby statue of her twins.

“For Your Highness and the Princess, of course!”

My eyes naturally went to where Mina pointed.

Cedric standing in front of the twin statues, and Bianca sitting on the picnic cloth spread out in front of him.

Butterflies, fascinated by the spring breeze, fluttered around the beautiful siblings.

Eventually, Cedric stretched out his finger in the air, and a white butterfly landed lightly on it.

At that moment, the wind blew, causing his black hair to gently flutter.

The sunlight shone even brighter on the beautiful face that was clearly revealed.

The child sitting on the picnic cloth puffed up his round cheeks.

The sight of him blowing dandelion seeds and bursting into laughter is just like a baby angel.

That moment when I was quietly looking at that picture-like figure.

"Uh? Your Highness!”

“Rebecca, you came earlier than expected.”

The two people's smiles sparkled dazzlingly under the warm spring sunlight.

In addition, Cedric's sweet voice welcomed me.

"Come on."

I ran straight towards them without looking back.

I thought that this path of running to the arms of my beloved family was so happy that it was scary.

***

Meanwhile, inside the reception room of the Princess Hall.

“It’s such a rare sight, isn’t it?”

Lobelia, who had her eyes fixed outside the window the whole time, turned her head in surprise at the sound of someone's voice.

"Ah... You must be Agnes, the Princess's nanny.”

Lobelia, recognizing her opponent, hurriedly stepped away from the window and lowered her head.

Lobelia looked embarrassed, but the nanny just smiled kindly and walked to her side.

Then she gently took Lobelia's wrist and led her back to the window.

Outside the window, the Twins Grand Duke family was enjoying a picnic.

“Oh, that’s...”

Lobelia blushed and tried to make an excuse, but the nurse gently shook her head.

“Everyone who uses this castle is probably watching them, knowingly or unknowingly. They are not only the most precious people to us...”

A warm smile spread across the nanny's lips as she looked out the window.

“The sight of those three people gathered together so happily is a very precious sight that we only recently got to see.”

It was just as the nanny said.

A spring day that is even more welcoming because it came so suddenly. The family of three sitting together on the picnic cloth looked extremely happy and harmonious.

Bianca was busy picking and collecting pretty wildflowers.

At the same time, she seemed to want to make her own ring to give to Rebecca, as she was fiddling with Rebecca's finger from time to time.

Rebecca kept fanning herself because it was hot and eventually took off her coat.

Still, she had several more layers of outerwear, and Cedric burst into laughter as he watched Rebecca take off her clothes one after another.

Rebecca scolded Cedric for some reason.

Cedric and Bianca laughed out loud at those words, and Rebecca, who had been holding on, ended up laughing along with them.

“Wouldn’t it be so nice just to see each other face to face, hoho....”

It was a time when a smile bloomed on the nanny's face as she looked at them.

“Ugh...”

Suddenly a pain-filled groan was heard.

She quickly turned her head and saw Lobelia barely standing, holding her head with one hand and the window frame with the other.

“Lobelia! Why are you doing this? What makes you uncomfortable?”

The nanny asked, reflexively supporting Lobelia's body.

For a moment she was holding her head and complaining of her pain.

Lobelia took a deep breath as if she was calming down little by little.

“Sometimes... It’s like this... For me, headaches are a long-standing incurable disease.”

Although she was not in extreme pain as before, Lobelia's complexion was still pale.

“If you have chronic symptoms, there must be some medication you usually take, right?”

“Yes, in my room...”

“I’ll help you. It would be best to go take some medicine and rest.”

The nanny helped Lobelia and headed to her room.

Lobelia's space was a small room right next to the Princess's study.

The nanny opened the door and as soon as she went in she sat Lobelia down on the bed.

“Thank you, Nanny.”

"You're welcome. Where is the medicine?”

“It should be in the drawer you see over there, in the third drawer.”

The nanny walked towards the chest of drawers pointed to by Lobelia.

She looked for the medicine and headed straight to the table where the water bottle was placed, but her steps suddenly stopped.

“...Why are you doing this?”

At Lobelia's question, the nanny suddenly came to her senses and shook her head.

“No, I’ll bring it to you quickly.”

She poured water into a cup and returned to Lobelia.

“After eating, take a deep sleep. If there is any change in Lobelia’s schedule, I will wake you up.”

"Really... Thank you so much, Nanny...”

Lobelia swallowed the medicine and lay down on the bed.

The nurse saw that she closed her eyes and walked straight to the door.

For a moment, she quietly walked out for fear of disturbing Lobelia's rest but then turned her attention to something that had been bothering her all along.

'Why did she do it like that?'

Although this was Lobelia's first time since being assigned, she had already been to this room several times, as all previous tutors had been through.

Even though the owner usually changed, the interior was always similar, and it still is.

Except for one thing: there was a piece of cotton cloth wrapped haphazardly over the full-length mirror.

'Oh my, haven't you finished organizing yet?'

The nanny didn't think it would be a bad idea to organize everything while she was there.

It was at that time when she unconsciously stretched out her hand towards the cotton cloth covered over the mirror.

“Nanny Agnes.”

The nanny's shoulders shook without realizing it at the sudden sound of her voice.

When she turned her head, she saw Lobelia sitting on the bed, staring at her, wondering when she had woken up.

"Yes... yes?"

She didn't know why her voice was shaking so much.

After waiting for Lobelia's next words with bated breath, she finally opened her lips.

“It was done that way on purpose.”

“....”

“Not only do I hate to see my body disfigured by my parents-in-law’s abuse, but I also have to face the fact that I lost my husband like a fool... It’s too painful.”

Lobelia's eyes sank pitifully.

Her hands, clutching her own chest, were trembling, as if to prove that what she said about her suffering was true.

“Oh my...”

The nanny, who was looking at her sadly, quickly withdrew her hand that was trying to grab the cotton cloth.

“I’m sorry for making you worry because of me, Lobelia. Hurry up and lie down and rest.”

Finally, the nanny left the room.

As the door closed and darkness filled the interior, Lobelia slowly got out of bed and headed to the window.

When she pulled back the curtain, she could see the Grand Duke's family still enjoying the picnic outside the window.

“...”

Lobelia watched the scene silently for a while.

Perhaps because she had a headache again, Lobelia went back to bed, pulling out her hair.

***

“Your Highness personally prepared this picnic basket?”

Bianca's eyes opened wide as she asked that.

It seemed like she couldn't believe that I had cooked it myself.

Cedric, who was sitting next to her, was also unable to hide his surprised expression.

Then, he let out a helpless sigh as if he realized something.

“It just means that the Grand Duchess chose the picnic basket herself.”

“Ah, that’s what you said!”

Bianca then nodded her head vigorously.

It seems that Cedric's guess was more plausible than my words.

“Yes, I chose the basket myself.”

“What a cute basket! As expected, Your Highness's insight is truly extraordinary...”

“I made the food in it myself.”

Bianca's smiling face stiffened awkwardly.

“...Yes?"

“Well, it was the chef’s skill to decorate it beautifully...”

I continued talking as I took the food out of the basket and spread it out on the picnic cloth.

“But you made all of this food yourself?”

Egg sandwiches, apple salad, and potato cream soup were placed in front of us one after another.

“Are you sure you...?”

“Your Highness made these foods? Directly?"

Cedric and Bianca could not hide their embarrassment.

Of course, with the help of the chef, the dishes looked much more appetizing, but they were simple dishes anyway.

Moreover, haven't Cedric and Bianca been people who have only eaten high-quality food prepared by top chefs ever since they were born?

'There's no way those two people would be satisfied with the food I made... I guess there isn't one.'

Why do I have to think about that only later?

I just felt sorry for myself.

“Yeah, that’s right! If it doesn't suit your tastes, you don't have to eat it! You can give it to the people who use the Dark Mansion. And if you ask the chef now, he will bring you a new dish soon...”

It was a time when I tried to pretend that nothing was wrong and continued talking.

“You’re giving it to other people? That's a no-no! No, I do not want!"

Bianca exclaimed, her face filled with pain like never before, and she stuck out her lower lip.

The child was so excited that horns sprouted from his small head.

“This is what Your Highness made for you and me!”

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