Episode 90. Venting
Meanwhile, at Count Wence's mansion.
Tercia had been staying at Count Wence's house since the palace banquet.
Eric was feeling unwell.
"Son. What are you going to do if you don't eat today? You're going to ruin your health?"
She approached Eric, who was lying on the bed with a haggard expression.
Tercia's heart ached at the sight of her son lying helplessly.
"I'll eat later, so please leave, Mother."
Eric, oblivious to his mother's feelings, simply told her to leave.
"How many days have you been saying that?"
"...I'll eat on my own."
Tercia sighed at Eric's words and picked up the spoon she had poured soup into. She then brought it to Eric's lips.
However, Eric's reaction was utterly cold.
He snatched Tercia's spoon away as if trying to snatch it away, then placed it back on the plate.
Tercia finally let out a loud scream at his refusal to eat anything.
“Eric!”
Her voice echoed through the room.
Eric simply lay there, pretending not to hear.
“Why are you acting like this! Since when did you become a love-obsessed child? Who is that, Rose?”
Tercia knew exactly why her son was acting this way.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she was certain it was because of Rose, that child.
He’d been feeling this way ever since the day she rejected him.
Eric, who had been lying unresponsive, finally stirred.
He raised himself and glared fiercely at Tercia.
“Watch your words, Mother. It’s just Rose.”
Tercia laughed at Eric’s aggressive tone.
“You’re mistaken. Think carefully about how you felt about Rose. She was worthless to you, a woman you thought was yours! You feel empty because the woman you thought was yours suddenly disappeared. That’s not love.”
Tercia spoke, scolding her son.
“And you must have never seen a woman behave so rudely towards you. I find it so strange.”
Eric cut Tercia off.
“Mother.”
Tercia’s mouth fell shut at the low, resonant voice. Eric’s eyes emptied, and he refuted her words.
“Rose’s smile keeps coming back to me.”
“It’s because you feel empty.”
"You're late, my dear."
How dare the commoner like you keep me waiting?
Tercia, who, true to her nature, would have been more than willing to throw cold pine nuts at her, calmly played the "good mother-in-law."
"I've been waiting."
She greeted Doana with a fake smile, not even rising from her seat.
Doana greeted Tercia and sat down. Then, she gave a halfhearted greeting to Beliana.
An hour had already passed, and the refreshments on the table were sparse.
"Oh, there's nothing to eat, Mother. My child wants more food?"
She shamelessly patted her belly without even apologizing for being late.
Tercia raised an eyebrow at her behavior and ordered the maid.
"The tea has cooled, so bring out new tea. And refill the refreshments, too."
"Thank you, Mother."
"I'm grateful, but I'm doing this for our grandchild."
Tercia implied, "I'm doing this for the grandchild in your womb, not for you."
Of course, that grandchild wasn't even on her radar.
Soon, the maid brought out warm tea and snacks.
Doana noticed a different aroma from the rooibos tea she usually drank and turned to Tercia.
"Mother, what tea is this? I only drink rooibos tea."
"It's ginger tea. I heard you've been having morning sickness lately. This is supposed to help, honey."
Doana had been pregnant in Korea, so she knew ginger tea could help with morning sickness.
"Why are you being so kind?"
She asked, looking at Tercia with a puzzled look.
"If the morning sickness gets worse, the baby won't get enough nutrients. Try it. I used to drink it often when I was pregnant with Eric."
Tercia's words eased Doana's suspicions.
She had mistakenly thought Tercia cherished her grandson. The reason Tercia accepted her despite her disapproval must have been because of Eric's bloodline in her womb.
She had no doubt that she would cherish his bloodline as much as she cherished Eric, even though she was known for her unwavering loyalty.
Doana found Tercia, who cared so much for her, amusing.
She lifted her teacup, determined to fully immerse herself in Tercia's kindness.
The rich scent of ginger wafted up to her nose.
Doana drank the tea.
It wasn't much different from the ginger tea she was familiar with.
It wasn't long after she swallowed the ginger tea that she felt a reaction.
It was so strong and spicy that it burned her mouth.
The taste of a truckload of ground ginger came up late.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Doana retched, unable to contain the nausea.
Meanwhile, at Count Wence's mansion.
Tercia had been staying at Count Wence's house since the palace banquet.
Eric was feeling unwell.
"Son. What are you going to do if you don't eat today? You're going to ruin your health?"
She approached Eric, who was lying on the bed with a haggard expression.
Tercia's heart ached at the sight of her son lying helplessly.
"I'll eat later, so please leave, Mother."
Eric, oblivious to his mother's feelings, simply told her to leave.
"How many days have you been saying that?"
"...I'll eat on my own."
Tercia sighed at Eric's words and picked up the spoon she had poured soup into. She then brought it to Eric's lips.
However, Eric's reaction was utterly cold.
He snatched Tercia's spoon away as if trying to snatch it away, then placed it back on the plate.
Tercia finally let out a loud scream at his refusal to eat anything.
“Eric!”
Her voice echoed through the room.
Eric simply lay there, pretending not to hear.
“Why are you acting like this! Since when did you become a love-obsessed child? Who is that, Rose?”
Tercia knew exactly why her son was acting this way.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she was certain it was because of Rose, that child.
He’d been feeling this way ever since the day she rejected him.
Eric, who had been lying unresponsive, finally stirred.
He raised himself and glared fiercely at Tercia.
“Watch your words, Mother. It’s just Rose.”
Tercia laughed at Eric’s aggressive tone.
“You’re mistaken. Think carefully about how you felt about Rose. She was worthless to you, a woman you thought was yours! You feel empty because the woman you thought was yours suddenly disappeared. That’s not love.”
Tercia spoke, scolding her son.
“And you must have never seen a woman behave so rudely towards you. I find it so strange.”
Eric cut Tercia off.
“Mother.”
Tercia’s mouth fell shut at the low, resonant voice. Eric’s eyes emptied, and he refuted her words.
“Rose’s smile keeps coming back to me.”
“It’s because you feel empty.”
“The things she said to me linger in my mind .”
“You're just reliving old memories that suddenly come to mind.”
“When I close my eyes, Rose’s image lingers.”
“It’s because you were quite shocked. You must have felt a lump in your throat when you were treated like that in front of so many nobles.”
She countered Eric’s words of longing for Rose, one by one.
Eric, mumbling in a low voice, stared blankly into Tercia’s eyes, saying nothing.
He simply stared at Tercia with a resentful gaze.
Tercia accepted Eric's gaze without averting it.
Eric's tightly shut mouth slowly opened.
"I miss Rose."
Tercia was about to immediately retort, but Eric suddenly burst into anger.
"Those clear eyes that looked at me! The gentle voice that whispered love!"
Eric's sudden outburst left Tercia speechless.
"...I miss everything. Even after being treated like that in front of all those nobles, I still miss Rose."
The sight of Eric hanging onto Rose was truly horrifying to Tercia.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to let Eric's words flow through her.
However, Eric's next words left her breathless.
"...Father and Mother. I hate you all."
Eric's voice flowed out, choked with rage.
The thought of Eric's hatred for her was truly shocking.
"Er, Eric!"
She stared at her son in disbelief.
"How could I have raised you...!?"
The son she had raised with such love and affection now harbored resentment towards her. He didn't even hesitate to use the word "hateful."
Her blood pressure soared. Tercia stumbled and touched her forehead.
"I don't want to say any harsher words, so please leave."
He didn't hide the resentful look in his eyes even when he saw Tercia's shock.
Tercia silently rose from her seat at Eric's words.
“Yes. I’ll let you go as you wish...”
Tercia’s expression as she spoke to Eric seemed somehow sad.
She trailed off and slowly turned around.
“Eat the soup before it gets cold.”
Tercia spoke softly and slowly left Eric’s room. Straightening her back, Tercia left the room, but only after leaving Eric’s room did she lose her balance and stumble.
“Madam!”
The knight guarding the room caught Tercia as she stumbled.
“It’s okay.”
Tercia waved her hand at the knight and spoke calmly.
Her pity for her son was turning into resentment toward Rose.
“What did she do to my son?!”
She wanted to drag Rose away and kneel before her son right then and there. She never wanted to let the woman she had kicked out back in, but seeing her son suffer because of Rose was also painful.
“Ha! How long has it been since you were divorced, and you’re coming back with another man?”
She disdained Rose, who had appeared with the Grand Duke, without even considering her actions in marrying Eric, who had already been divorced, three days later.
Her insides were seething.
Grinding her teeth, she chose Doana as the target of her anger.
Tercia's eyes were cold, and she stopped a passing maid.
"Prepare the tea party. Call Doana and the Countess. And prepare the food as I say."
She crossed her arms arrogantly with a stern expression.
The tea party seemed harmonious on the outside, but it was entirely a tool for Tercia to vent her anger.
"Tea party?"
Doana, who was lying around in her room, looked at the maid and asked.
"Yes. The lady prepared it herself."
Tercia had invited her to a tea party.
'What on earth did this old fox have in mind for inviting me?'
She clearly hadn't invited her with good intentions.
Tercia had been through a lot.
"Tell her I'm not going. I'm not feeling well."
Doana had no intention of accepting her invitation, which was so obvious.
"I heard the Countess is coming too. Are you sure you don't have to go?"
The maid asked again, as if to confirm.
"What? The Countess is coming?"
Doana, who had been lying there indifferently, responded immediately.
Now that Rose was gone, Beliana was Doana's rival.
Having failed to secure the Countess's position even after Rose left, she coveted Beliana's.
"Oh, this is annoying. I can't miss out on that, Beliana."
She didn't want to see them drinking tea alone with Beliana, leaving her out.
She thought that would make her own status seem incredibly low to others. She wasn't the mistress of the Count's house, but she wanted to be seen that way.
She wanted to openly declare herself the real power holder.
And she had no doubt that one day she would.
"I'll be there, so get ready right now."
Doana's eyes sparkled as she stood up.
"The dress is that red one."
She said, pointing to the red dress Rose had left behind.
It was a dress Eric had given her.
She'd stolen it before, but now it was hers.
She hadn't grown much, so the dress was perfectly fine.
It was a bit short, tailored to Rose's height, though.
Doana adorned herself with thick makeup, covering her skin.
Every time she saw the blisters, anger surged toward Rose.
"It's annoying... because of that b*tch Rose."
Because she was pregnant, she couldn't take any strong medication, slowing her recovery.
The blisters on her face hadn't completely disappeared, but she could cover them up to a certain extent with makeup.
However, covering them completely was impossible.
She spent a considerable amount of time trying to hide the scars.
It was about an hour later than Tercia had called.
But Doana didn't seem to mind.
She rose proudly from her seat. Then, uncharacteristically for someone late, she walked leisurely.
The maid guided Doana to Tercia.
When she opened the door and entered, Tercia and Beliana were already seated.
As Doana entered, Tercia turned her eyes toward the clock hanging on the wall.
“You're just reliving old memories that suddenly come to mind.”
“When I close my eyes, Rose’s image lingers.”
“It’s because you were quite shocked. You must have felt a lump in your throat when you were treated like that in front of so many nobles.”
She countered Eric’s words of longing for Rose, one by one.
Eric, mumbling in a low voice, stared blankly into Tercia’s eyes, saying nothing.
He simply stared at Tercia with a resentful gaze.
Tercia accepted Eric's gaze without averting it.
Eric's tightly shut mouth slowly opened.
"I miss Rose."
Tercia was about to immediately retort, but Eric suddenly burst into anger.
"Those clear eyes that looked at me! The gentle voice that whispered love!"
Eric's sudden outburst left Tercia speechless.
"...I miss everything. Even after being treated like that in front of all those nobles, I still miss Rose."
The sight of Eric hanging onto Rose was truly horrifying to Tercia.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to let Eric's words flow through her.
However, Eric's next words left her breathless.
"...Father and Mother. I hate you all."
Eric's voice flowed out, choked with rage.
The thought of Eric's hatred for her was truly shocking.
"Er, Eric!"
She stared at her son in disbelief.
"How could I have raised you...!?"
The son she had raised with such love and affection now harbored resentment towards her. He didn't even hesitate to use the word "hateful."
Her blood pressure soared. Tercia stumbled and touched her forehead.
"I don't want to say any harsher words, so please leave."
He didn't hide the resentful look in his eyes even when he saw Tercia's shock.
Tercia silently rose from her seat at Eric's words.
“Yes. I’ll let you go as you wish...”
Tercia’s expression as she spoke to Eric seemed somehow sad.
She trailed off and slowly turned around.
“Eat the soup before it gets cold.”
Tercia spoke softly and slowly left Eric’s room. Straightening her back, Tercia left the room, but only after leaving Eric’s room did she lose her balance and stumble.
“Madam!”
The knight guarding the room caught Tercia as she stumbled.
“It’s okay.”
Tercia waved her hand at the knight and spoke calmly.
Her pity for her son was turning into resentment toward Rose.
“What did she do to my son?!”
She wanted to drag Rose away and kneel before her son right then and there. She never wanted to let the woman she had kicked out back in, but seeing her son suffer because of Rose was also painful.
“Ha! How long has it been since you were divorced, and you’re coming back with another man?”
She disdained Rose, who had appeared with the Grand Duke, without even considering her actions in marrying Eric, who had already been divorced, three days later.
Her insides were seething.
Grinding her teeth, she chose Doana as the target of her anger.
Tercia's eyes were cold, and she stopped a passing maid.
"Prepare the tea party. Call Doana and the Countess. And prepare the food as I say."
She crossed her arms arrogantly with a stern expression.
The tea party seemed harmonious on the outside, but it was entirely a tool for Tercia to vent her anger.
***
"Tea party?"
Doana, who was lying around in her room, looked at the maid and asked.
"Yes. The lady prepared it herself."
Tercia had invited her to a tea party.
'What on earth did this old fox have in mind for inviting me?'
She clearly hadn't invited her with good intentions.
Tercia had been through a lot.
"Tell her I'm not going. I'm not feeling well."
Doana had no intention of accepting her invitation, which was so obvious.
"I heard the Countess is coming too. Are you sure you don't have to go?"
The maid asked again, as if to confirm.
"What? The Countess is coming?"
Doana, who had been lying there indifferently, responded immediately.
Now that Rose was gone, Beliana was Doana's rival.
Having failed to secure the Countess's position even after Rose left, she coveted Beliana's.
"Oh, this is annoying. I can't miss out on that, Beliana."
She didn't want to see them drinking tea alone with Beliana, leaving her out.
She thought that would make her own status seem incredibly low to others. She wasn't the mistress of the Count's house, but she wanted to be seen that way.
She wanted to openly declare herself the real power holder.
And she had no doubt that one day she would.
"I'll be there, so get ready right now."
Doana's eyes sparkled as she stood up.
"The dress is that red one."
She said, pointing to the red dress Rose had left behind.
It was a dress Eric had given her.
She'd stolen it before, but now it was hers.
She hadn't grown much, so the dress was perfectly fine.
It was a bit short, tailored to Rose's height, though.
Doana adorned herself with thick makeup, covering her skin.
Every time she saw the blisters, anger surged toward Rose.
"It's annoying... because of that b*tch Rose."
Because she was pregnant, she couldn't take any strong medication, slowing her recovery.
The blisters on her face hadn't completely disappeared, but she could cover them up to a certain extent with makeup.
However, covering them completely was impossible.
She spent a considerable amount of time trying to hide the scars.
It was about an hour later than Tercia had called.
But Doana didn't seem to mind.
She rose proudly from her seat. Then, uncharacteristically for someone late, she walked leisurely.
The maid guided Doana to Tercia.
When she opened the door and entered, Tercia and Beliana were already seated.
As Doana entered, Tercia turned her eyes toward the clock hanging on the wall.
"You're late, my dear."
How dare the commoner like you keep me waiting?
Tercia, who, true to her nature, would have been more than willing to throw cold pine nuts at her, calmly played the "good mother-in-law."
"I've been waiting."
She greeted Doana with a fake smile, not even rising from her seat.
Doana greeted Tercia and sat down. Then, she gave a halfhearted greeting to Beliana.
An hour had already passed, and the refreshments on the table were sparse.
"Oh, there's nothing to eat, Mother. My child wants more food?"
She shamelessly patted her belly without even apologizing for being late.
Tercia raised an eyebrow at her behavior and ordered the maid.
"The tea has cooled, so bring out new tea. And refill the refreshments, too."
"Thank you, Mother."
"I'm grateful, but I'm doing this for our grandchild."
Tercia implied, "I'm doing this for the grandchild in your womb, not for you."
Of course, that grandchild wasn't even on her radar.
Soon, the maid brought out warm tea and snacks.
Doana noticed a different aroma from the rooibos tea she usually drank and turned to Tercia.
"Mother, what tea is this? I only drink rooibos tea."
"It's ginger tea. I heard you've been having morning sickness lately. This is supposed to help, honey."
Doana had been pregnant in Korea, so she knew ginger tea could help with morning sickness.
"Why are you being so kind?"
She asked, looking at Tercia with a puzzled look.
"If the morning sickness gets worse, the baby won't get enough nutrients. Try it. I used to drink it often when I was pregnant with Eric."
Tercia's words eased Doana's suspicions.
She had mistakenly thought Tercia cherished her grandson. The reason Tercia accepted her despite her disapproval must have been because of Eric's bloodline in her womb.
She had no doubt that she would cherish his bloodline as much as she cherished Eric, even though she was known for her unwavering loyalty.
Doana found Tercia, who cared so much for her, amusing.
She lifted her teacup, determined to fully immerse herself in Tercia's kindness.
The rich scent of ginger wafted up to her nose.
Doana drank the tea.
It wasn't much different from the ginger tea she was familiar with.
It wasn't long after she swallowed the ginger tea that she felt a reaction.
It was so strong and spicy that it burned her mouth.
The taste of a truckload of ground ginger came up late.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Doana retched, unable to contain the nausea.
Comments
Post a Comment