IHMEB - Chapter 75

“It’s been a while, Hannah."

Madame Cronach spoke in a whisper, then nodded her head exaggeratedly with a bright smile on her face.

“Did the Duchess say she liked that tea?”

"Yes?"

Madame Cronach smiled and dragged her into the carriage as Hannah stared at her in bewilderment.

“I bought something at the salon, so let’s go together quickly.”

Madame Cronach, naturally pushing Hannah into the carriage, locked the door from the inside and cried out to the coachman.

“To the salon!”

All right. All right.

The carriage started running towards Salon Arvo without Hannah's consent.

Madame Cronach felt cold sweat running down her back.

“There are a lot of eyes watching in the theater. You shouldn’t attract attention or cause a fuss.”

"Madame... Aunt Leonie.”

“You somehow recognize me.”

Even her daughter, Claudel, could not recognize her face as if it were someone else's.

She looked forward to the day when she would meet Claudel, and she used to imagine that as soon as Claudel saw her, she would say 'Mom' and hug her.

'How can she recognize a face that has become so ugly?'

Every time she looks in the mirror, she feels bitter.

‘But I am the mother who gave birth to her. I'm sure she hasn't forgotten her Mom's face.'

She said that she thought positively too.

But when Claudel did not recognize her at all, Madame Cronach swallowed her bitterness inside her. She consoled herself that it was probably because she saw her battered face which was clearly revealed. After all, she didn't wear any makeup when they first met.

“How could you not recognize me?”

“I didn’t recognize Claudel at all.”

Hannah shook her head.

“The smile on Claudel’s face was the same as before.”

Madame Cronach pressed her sad heart and rubbed her face for no reason.

“What happened? You are the owner of a salon! This is the capital, right?”

The village of Plogne was located at the southeastern end of Valmonde's territory and was located very deep in the rugged mountains. Even if she traveled by carriage or horseback, the road was difficult and it would take at least six days from the capital.

Hannah's face was filled with joy, surprise, and curiosity.

“If you are alive like this, why did you leave Claudel alone?”

Madame Cronach felt her heart heaving uneasily.

'How much can I say?'

Begging for her life and hiding, she was not without her help.

Her wish was only to return the sword she had struck to the culprit, who had desecrated the sacred tree that had stood for all the years and set fire to the village of Plogne.

It was one thing to worry and miss her daughter, but it was another thing.

Claudel's happiness was her wish, and revenge on her enemy was now her reason for living.

She knows that even if she seeks old revenge, the things lost under the flames will not return.

But what do survivors have to live for?

It felt like if she didn't even do this, things that were burned and insignificant, like bugs that were crushed, would become worthless and nothing.

So what is the difference between her and the enemy who erased the village from the world?

“Try saying something, yes?"

Hannah seemed frustrated and urged her on as if it was difficult to wait even for a moment of silence.

‘Aunt Leonie. Hannah loves the cookies my aunt bakes.'

A girl with her hair braided into two pigtails, and brown eyes shining brightly beneath her waist.

'Can't I just have one more?'

'No. We decided to eat each one at the same time. You'll eat it tomorrow.'

‘Tomorrow? Heeing.'

The girl made a sound of disappointment, but couldn't let go of her regret and mumbled. Her heart weakened, and she finally opened the lid of the jar out of generosity and handed out another cookie of her own.

'Good. Instead, you must keep it a secret from Claudel that you received one more.'

‘Of course. Thank you.'

Young Hannah kept her promise. She kept it a secret from Claudel that she was the only one who ate one of her cookies.

'But Hannah isn't a child anymore.'

A secret is no longer a secret the moment two people know it.

Besides, Hannah wasn't the innocent girl she used to be who promised secrets for a cookie.

Although she was happy to see Hannah again when she was all grown up, she was like a stranger to Madame Cronach.

She had no idea what kind of personality Hannah had or what kind of adult she had grown up to be.

It was too dangerous to reveal anything about the village of Plogne. Not only Hannah but also Claudel might be in danger.

Madame Cronach decided to give Hannah only her reasons.

“Look at me. Would you have been able to get up from the hospital with a body like this?”

"Ah...”

“I went to see Claudel. As soon as my burns got better and I could move, I went to the Castle Valmonde.”

“You came to Castle Valmonde?”

"Yes. But I was driven out by the Duke of Vermont.”

“You mean the Duke of Vermont?”

Hannah thought she just said bastard Duke, not Duke. She must have heard it wrong, right?

Madame Cronach was a little embarrassed but spoke calmly.

“He said he couldn’t admit that I and Evan were married.”

"I beg your pardon?"

“How can his niece, Claudel with the golden eyes of Vermont, be my daughter when I cannot prove that I am Evan's wife?”

Hannah clenched her fists and made a clenching sound. Madame Cronach was surprised because it seemed like she was muttering a curse in her mouth.

She would have stayed with Claudel at Vermont, anyway, at Castle Valmonde, for it does not appear that Hannah had any respect for the Duke of Vermont.

“You became Hannah Pebble.”

The entire village of Plogne was connected by narrow blood ties. In terms of ancestry, everyone was related by blood.

Plogne was their last name and the name of the community. As a citizen of the Oberon Kingdom, there was no need to have a family register.

“The Duke of Vermont ordered it. They say that a princess's maid cannot be a commoner. They adopted me into a vassal's family. I never saw my adoptive father or adoptive mother in person, and I stayed at the castle.”

"I see. It would have been nice for you to have met good people and grown up as a kid.”

“My parents are dead. I don’t even want to call other people mom or dad.”

The child who was a bit more spirited and mischievous than Claudel has become more mature.

Even Hannah's sage-looking appearance, as if she had glimpsed a lot of the other side of the world, despite being only 20 years old, made Madame Cronach feel proud of her, but it hurt as if she was stabbing an invisible wound.

“I am satisfied with being able to stay with Claudel. Because no one will understand our sadness.”

It was a pain that anyone who had not experienced it could imagine.

Life, people, home, and the world disappearing all at once.

Any accident or problem was bound to leave behind one of many.

Then, she could live the rest of her life with hope, holding on to it and comforting herself.

Therefore, what happened to the village of Flogne was bound to remain an even more cruel wound.

There really wasn't anything left.

Madame Cronach could guess that Claudel was the one thing Hannah could hold on to.

“Claudel said she couldn’t remember her mother’s face since she died.”

"What?"

“It wasn’t like that at first. After my uncle’s funeral, she couldn’t sleep when she was alone at night.”

"Ha..."

“The little one can't sleep, she misses her mom and she mumbles that she can't remember her mom's face. Staying up all night and feeling powerless during the day may not have looked good in the eyes of others. There was a rumor in the castle that Claudel was crazy.”

“Did the Duke of Vermont see that?”

“That can’t be right.”

Hannah crossed her arms and snorted.

“I made a fuss that if I heard that sound in my ears one more time, I would scold him. That's why I was able to stay with Claudel. She can sleep well at night if she has someone next to her.”

"I see."

Madame Cronach tilted her head.

“So Claudel is still an insomniac?”

"Yes. It didn’t get better.”

"What should I do? It must be difficult.”

Hannah shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at Madame Cronach, who looked as if she were sighing with concern.

“But she sleeps well every day.”

"How?"

“My Lord comes to Claudel’s bedroom every night.”

"Every knight? The Duke of Temnes?”

"Yes. The Lord really cares about Claudel.”

Hannah said with a proud look on her face.

“He comes here several times a day to see Claudel.”

"I see."

“Go see Claudel quickly. She would be so happy to know that her mother is alive.”

Instead of answering, Madame Cronach grabbed the hem of her dress.

"No. I can’t do that.”

Hannah asked back at her firm words.

“Why?”

“She became the Duchess of Temnes.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“If it were my daughter, it might be a problem.”

It was complicated.

It was a marriage between Vermont and the Temnes Marshal's family, and Claudel, who had the state marriage, was married into the Temnes family as a Princess of the Duke of Vermont.

Legally she was the biological daughter of the Duke of Vermont.

"Still...”

“You should know because you have worked at Castle Valmonde. The nobles’ problem is not that simple.”

This could be even more of a problem when the King's name was involved.

“Are you saying Claudel shouldn’t even know her mother is alive? It doesn’t make sense.”

Hannah's eyes turned red.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous. I feel so sorry for Claudel.”

Madame Cronach also felt a hot core in her chest.

"Hannah."

She wanted to speak as if she were the one spitting out everything she had.

She hoped that she could hug Claudel, her daughter, and rub her cheek as she cried and let go of her longing that had grown closer to resentment.

“If I tell her, will she remember me again?”

"Sure."

Even though she knew it wasn't good to be emotional, her head and heart played separately.

Finally, Madame Cronach nodded her head.

"Yes. I will naturally look for an opportunity to talk. Instead, you must keep it a secret until then.”

“Of course.”

Madame Cronach held Hannah tightly in her arms.

“It’s so good to see you again, Hannah."

"Aunt Leonie.”

The two shared a happy ending.

***

The voice of Baron Colon, the nagging butler, came to mind vividly.

'Isn't it because you don't date?'

'Date?'

'Greatness. So, until now, you've only been seeing your wife in the bedroom.'

The problem is that he only sees Claudel in the bedroom at night.

'What do you usually do while dating?'

'We do various activities and go on dates.'

'Isn't that something only people who cling to women servilely do?'

'We'll get to know each other better if we spend time together.'

When he heard those words, he didn't know it would be like this.

Kaian looked at Claudel, who was sitting next to him, in a perplexed mood.

The capital alone was located quite north, so it was a chilly winter, unlike the Rowen territory, which was far from cold all year round.

Although it wasn't the style that went up to the neck like Valmonde's, Claudel was wearing a thinly quilted top, a skirt with puffed backs, and a cute hat on top of her richly braided hair. Claudel glowed softly even in the dimly lit theater.

Her beautiful eyes looked at him several times, making eye contact as if they were concerned about his gaze.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Previous            Next