It Doesn't Matter Love - Chapter 123



122. Please protect me

The gusts of wind died down, and the swirling sleet trailed off. Just as the roaring sky began to quieten, Hardius arrived at Kramwitz's villa.

As soon as he entered the driveway, the butler recognized him and his eyes widened.

“Your Excellency, what is the matter?”

“Where is my mother?”

“She’s in the dressing room. She’s preparing to leave for Nowak for your engagement party.”

Shouldn't you also be in Nowak right now?

The butler looked at Hardius with that exact look in his eyes. Hardius lightly patted the butler's shoulder.

“There are still a few things left to clean up.”

After leaving a cryptic message, he passed the butler and went inside. Grojean followed diligently behind his master.

Halfway through the walk, the two men met eyes with a chimney sweep cleaning the fireplace in the parlor. A meaningful glance was exchanged.

Hardius started walking again.

“Hardius...?”

Kaitlyn also opened her eyes wide in front of her son, who suddenly appeared.

“You... are here... all of a sudden?”

“I came because I have something to tell you.”

"Now?"

"Yes."

Her son's eyes were calm, yet there was a sharp edge to them. Kaitlyn felt a chill, as if she were peering into the depths of a frozen lake.

“Speak.”

Instead of answering, Hardius turned his gaze to the maid who was fixing Kaitlyn's hair.

Kaitlyn stared at her son blankly, then said, “Would you like to go out for a moment?” and sent the maids out.

As she stared at the hem of her skirt disappearing through the crack in the door, she suddenly realized that Grojean hadn't followed her out, but was still in the room with her. She turned her head, and he averted his gaze and coughed. Kaitlyn's feeling even more strange.

“...Now, tell me. I thought you’d be busy preparing for the engagement ceremony by now. What’s so important that you’ve come all the way here to tell me?”

Instead of answering, Hardius stared intently at his mother's face.

Dark brown hair and eyes the same color as his hair, a nose as sharp as a pen's handle, and thin lips that held a gentle smile.

His mother's face always seemed new to him. It felt strange, like looking at a portrait of a stranger.

Her drooping face, her sunken cheeks, and the shadows under her eyes didn't evoke any emotion.

She is clearly his 'mother', how could this be?

Hardius opened his mouth, thinking dryly.

“...I don’t hate you. I’m not doing this because I resent you.”

A cold voice suddenly flowed out, tightening the air. Not only Kaitlyn, but even Grojean began to tense up.

"There was a time when I thought you were amazing. You took over for your incompetent husband, revolutionizing Meyer Steel and establishing the family. Well, now you're a shabby, predictable, old-fashioned figure... but I have to give you credit where credit is due."

“Hardius, what are you saying now...”

“What I mean is, if you hadn't tried to manipulate my life as you pleased, this ugly thing where you and your son are squabbling over power wouldn't have happened.”

Bam.

Kaitlyn dropped her earring. The last smile on her face gradually faded.

“...”

She straightened her back and looked back and forth between the aide who was turning away from her and Hardius, who was staring straight at her.

"Speak frankly, Hardius. Why do you suddenly appear and dare to threaten your mother?"

A chill began to settle over Kaitlyn's serious face.

Yeah, you were that kind of person.

Hardius thought bitterly.

That's how they were in a relationship from the beginning.

A relationship like a calm lake, watching over each other, but when one side shows their claws, they end up fighting and biting each other viciously.

Hardius had long ago killed a poor boy who had been deprived of parental love with his own hands. He had no desire to spend his life in misery, struggling through an unhappy childhood and falling into the abyss.

He felt neither regret nor sorrow. For him, his feelings for his "mother" were nothing more than the bare minimum he had to maintain to avoid social condemnation.

It would be the same for that woman, hos mother.

It seemed that feelings like 'son' and 'maternal love' never existed for her in the first place.

He couldn't tell whether it was her innate disposition, a twisted hatred for her husband, or an unnatural obsession and thirst for success. No, he didn't want to know.

He has killed the past. All that remains is the future.

“What on earth are you trying to say? Don’t hesitate.”

Kaitlyn asked coldly, her mask now instantly removed.

“Is that so?”

Hardius also smiled crookedly and put his hand on his jacket.

A moment later, Kaitlyn saw a pristine white envelope in her son's hand. A strange feeling of foreboding crept up her spine.

“That... what the heck...?”

“Don’t you already know?”

“...!”

Kaitlyn realized something like a bolt from the blue. Hardius stared coldly at his mother, then pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope and unfolded it.

I know what you did to Kanoa and the bastard.

Thud!

Kaitlyn struggled to shake off the dizzy feeling as she heard her heart pounding.

***

“Beppy is no longer a good servant.”

Beppy muttered, wiping away tears with his large fist. The atmosphere became solemn, and the faces of the family members darkened simultaneously.

“Beppy is bad. He is a bad servant.”

“No, sir, that’s absolutely not the case...”

Emilia, who had been speaking earnestly, let out a cough. Her pure white handkerchief was stained black. Just as the doctor had warned, she was coughing up phlegm mixed with ash.

“Beppy is a bad guy...”

The old man's words were interrupted by another cough that erupted from Emilia's mouth. The rough, harsh sound sent a shiver down the family's spine.

Charlotte shouted, "Stop it, mister!" and stepped forward. The child, blushing, stood in Beppy's way.

“If you keep saying such strange things, I’ll get really angry!”

Beppy flinched.

"First of all, you're not a servant. That's wrong. And you know what happened at the hospital. If we had left your leg alone, you wouldn't have been able to walk at all."

“...”

“And... if you look at it that way... I’m the real bad person. Because of me... because I insisted on staying longer, my sister ended up like that…”

Charlotte's face began to contort rapidly. The child, with tears streaming down her face, succumbed to a sudden urge to bury her face in Emilia's chest.

“Sister... I’m sorry... because of me...”

The whispering voice began to tremble, and then burst into tears again.

Emilia swallowed a sigh and hugged the child's body.

“Charlotte... You’re the one who needs to stop. Why are you doing this, too?... Such nonsense...”

“Oh my, everyone, please stop.”

This time, Mitch intervened.

"If we keep doing this, it'll only make things harder for you. That... was just an accident. We need to forget about it quickly."

The atmosphere became solemn again.

He spoke confidently, but everyone knew. Mitch, too, had been internally blaming himself all day. And not only that, but the rest of the family, including Kalia, felt the same way.

"There's no use regretting and blaming yourself. It won't help. Now is the time for us to help each other so Emilia can recover quickly."

Finally, Kalia stepped forward.

“Now, let us all pray together in that spirit.”

At Kalia's words, the family members held each other's hands. Amidst the roar of the fireplace, a soft prayer echoed. The air, which had been growing increasingly dark, began to calm down.

When they opened their eyes and let go of each other's hands, the family members looked at each other again as if nothing had happened and smiled faintly.

"Emilia, if you feel any discomfort or pain anywhere, don't hold it in and tell me. Do you understand?"

Kalia held her daughter's hand tightly.

“...Yes, I will.”

Emilia smiled brightly as she looked at her mother.

Her throat still hurts a lot. She also had a cough, a headache, and dizziness. Perhaps because she hadn't slept well, her head still felt heavy.

It wasn't just physical pain. Being in the middle of a fiery pit left profound psychological scars. The memory was so poignant that she trembled several times a day.

But, as Mitch had said, Emilia had to forget it quickly. If she collapsed like this, she would truly be surrendering to those who set the fire.

“Everyone, cheer up.”

Emilia raised her body with a cheerful voice.

It was probably thanks to her parents' dreams. It was also thanks to the man who held her trembling body tightly. The presence of the unborn child was a given.

Emilia felt something hot welling up deep within her chest.

"I'm really okay. I won't be depressed. I'll cheer up and work hard every day until the master returns."

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“...Sister.”

Charlotte once again dug into Emilia's arms.

At that moment, Maesen opened the door with a knock and appeared.

"Excuse me."

The soldiers who filled the small two-story house gave the family a sense of security, but at the same time, they made their hearts sink.

As long as they were there, the horrific thing of someone setting fire to the house would never happen again. But they were also a paradoxical presence, constantly reminding Emilia and the entire family that they were in danger, adding to her anxiety.

“The carriage is ready.”

At Maesen's words, Mitch sat up.

"Please wait for a moment."

He pulled a notepad out of his pocket. It was densely scribbled with items he needed to buy while strolling around the shopping district today.

Emilia's decision to stay in the cabin and pack her things until the very end could not be seen as mere stubbornness.

They were all immediate necessities. With everything burned down along with the house, more than a few things were missing.

“Do I just need to buy these?”

Mitch handed the note to his sister. Emilia, who had been reading it, nodded. Kalia, who had been watching the two, approached Maesen.

“Captain, please take good care of our child... Mitch. I beg you.”

“Don’t worry.”

Maesen said that for the time being, he must always be accompanied by a bodyguard whenever he goes out.

Kalia realized once again that their lives had changed completely from what they had been before.

As always, God's gifts are never light. It's unsettling and heartbreaking, but they must accept it.

Kalia steeled herself and looked back at Emilia.

“Still, I feel so relieved that the young master is so considerate.”

Kalia's forced smile made Emilia's heart ache. She clenched her trembling hands tightly.

“I’m sorry, Mom. And Charlotte, Mitch, and Uncle Beppy.”

Emilia continued speaking, looking into each of her family members' eyes.

"I'm so sorry and grateful to everyone. Honestly, right now... I don't know how to put it into words."

The family looked at Emilia with warm eyes, as if cheering her on.

"I... trust Master. This won't happen again. You promised, Captain. You'd risk your life to protect us."

Emilia looked at Maesen as if pleading. Maesen bowed his head with a solemn and serious look in his eyes.

“I will do my best. For the sake of the child... I know it will be difficult for everyone, but I hope you will trust and follow Young Master.”

The whole family became one in front of Emilia, who continued to speak with difficulty in a hoarse voice.

Charlotte and Kalia nodded, of course, as they had both pledged to willingly share in the 'gift of God'.

“Thank you, Mother. Thank you all.”

Emilia, forgetting her vow never to cry, felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Charlotte, too, began to sob. Kalia, too, dabbed away tears with her fingertips.

A long sigh escaped Mitch's lips as he watched silently. He couldn't completely shake off the fact that Hardius Meyer was the culprit behind all this.

But the nephew growing inside his sister's body instantly soothed his seething resentment and anger. Mitch wanted his sister to be happy. He felt he would do anything for that.

“Oh my. Why is everyone like this again?”

He pretended to sigh and approached Emilia.

“You said you were going to cheer up just a moment ago.”

He grumbled and pulled something out of his pocket. It was something he'd found when he'd followed the bodyguards into the forest at dawn.

The house was completely destroyed, and when he discovered it in the ashes, he was overcome with an indescribable emotion.

“Yes, take it.”

Mitch opened his palm. Realizing the object's identity, Emilia and the entire family's eyes widened.

It was a ring.

Emilia's trembling hand reached out and picked up the ring.

How on earth did they survive the blazing fire that seemed to swallow everything up?

The ring was shining brightly, without losing its splendid blue color.

The memory of the moment Hardius had put it in her eyes consumed Emilia. Her eyes stung, and tears welled up again.

What are you doing now?

The bandage wrapped around his shoulder, and the determined look in his eyes kept making her heart beat anxiously.

'I will become Duke Meyer. I must become one.'

'You are free, but I am not free yet.'

'I'm fighting with my mother. If she finds out about the child's existence...'


Her heart suddenly felt pounding.

Please, nothing happens.

A hot lump rose up Emilia's throat.

Mom, Dad.

Emilia held her parents' hands together as if praying, calling them in her heart.

Please protect that person. Please don't let anything happen to him...

***

"Yes."

Kaitlyn Meyer continued, trembling all over.

“It was you. As expected.”

Is it because her son was already on the list of suspects?

She was recovering from the shock at a rapid pace. Her eyes, now eerily calm, sent a shiver down Grojean's heart.

“It was you...”

Kaitlyn's stiff face and body relaxed, and the corners of her mouth turned up at her son.

“It’s quite something. Really...”

A cold voice continued.

“How much joy must have flown inside you while you were deceiving this mother all this time... Ha!”

Grojean suddenly felt dizzy, and his head went blank.

What the heck? Why is Kaitlyn Meyer so confident?

He never expected that kind of reaction. He thought she'd turn pale and collapse the moment she received the letter...

Could it be that she had read all the numbers? I was so confident I had perfected it... Did I miss something? Did I let my guard down again?

Seized by a palpable anxiety, Grojean quickly looked over at his master. Hardius was staring at his mother, frozen in place, with a cold smile on his face.


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