LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 35
Liliana blinked with a sulky expression.
“But I miss Mother.”
“……”
It was like talking to a wall.
Elliot chose to remain silent.
With a pout, Liliana looked up at the window of the office where Anri-che was holed up.
“Still… if we go to see her, it might disturb Mother, right?”
No, how long are you going to talk about your mom?
Unable to hold back any longer, Elliot asked with a mischievous tone.
“Do you like our mom that much?”
“Yeah. I do.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Liliana answered firmly.
Elliot, with a sulky expression, asked again, “…So, do you like me or our mom more?”
“Hmm? Well, of course, it’s Mother.”
“……”
Elliot was left speechless.
How long would he have to let his fiancée’s affection be taken away by his mother?
At that moment, Liliana smiled brightly, like a newly bloomed spring flower.
“But among the men, Elliot is my favorite.”
“…Oh, really?”
Responding with a hint of surprise, Elliot quickly turned his head away, trying to appear nonchalant.
However, the corners of his lips were twitching slightly.
He was struggling to suppress the urge to smile as his lips wanted to curl up.
She said I’m her favorite among the men, even if I’m not as good as Mom!
This was still a win, right?!
Elliot tried to think as positively as possible.
“So… when I see Mother, it makes me feel like I have a goal.”
“What kind of goal?”
“I want to be a wonderful person like our Mother when I grow up.”
Liliana’s kind voice tickled his ears.
Elliot gazed at his fiancée.
Now that he thought about it, it seemed like this was the first time Liliana had talked about her future.
“You’ll definitely be able to do that.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Of course.”
At that, Liliana’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink, like apples.
Watching her happy expression, Elliot couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Well, if Liliana is happy, then that’s all that matters.
Just as Elliot was enjoying this pleasant feeling, a voice full of excitement interrupted.
“Oh my, Liliana!”
At the sound, Liliana’s face went pale.
“Um, Miss Orphanage Director…?”
Standing in front of the two children were Baron Rondini and his wife.
They were dressed flamboyantly, resembling a peacock with puffed feathers.
The baroness put on a sweet smile and spoke to Liliana.
“Liliana, why do you call me that? Miss Orphanage Director!”
“Right?”
Bowing slightly, Baron Rondini grinned as he looked into Liliana’s eyes.
“Just call me your uncle and aunt! That’s much more comfortable, right?”
Saying that, he raised his hand to pat Liliana’s head.
“Eek…!”
Startled, Liliana instinctively recoiled.
Seeing this, Elliot furrowed his brows without realizing it.
‘It seems Liliana is scared of those two.’
Meanwhile, Baron Rondini withdrew his hand with an awkward expression.
“What’s going on, Liliana?”
“Um, it’s just that…”
“If others saw this, they’d think we were bullying you! Right, dear?”
“Exactly! You don’t even remember the kindness we showed you when we raised you…”
The baron and baroness exchanged banter.
Liliana trembled like a mouse in front of a cat, unable to utter a word in protest.
Unable to watch any longer, Elliot spoke sharply.
“Who are you two?”
“Oh my! Hello, young Duke Valua.”
“Sorry for the late introduction. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young Duke.”
The Baron and Baroness Rondini tried hard to present themselves well to Elliot.
Their demeanor was markedly different from how they treated Liliana, making Elliot’s expression twist even more.
“We are relatives who have taken care of Liliana until now.”
“…Relatives?”
“Yes. If we hadn’t been here, Liliana might have ended up begging on the filthy streets!”
Saying that, the couple burst into laughter, as if they had just heard a hilarious joke.
What on earth is so funny?
Elliot looked at the two with cold eyes.
‘Did Liliana just call that woman “Miss Orphanage Director”?
It seems there’s a story behind this.’
For Liliana, it wasn’t a pleasant story at all.
She curled up, as if desperately wanting to escape the gaze of the two people in front of her.
Elliot gritted his teeth.
“What do you mean by that?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Calling my fiancée a ‘dirty orphan begging on the filthy streets’?”
Elliot spoke clearly and deliberately.
“They say ‘a’ is different from ‘o.’”
“I-I, um, Young Duke…”
“Don’t belittle others to boast about your own accomplishments.”
Elliot coldly drew the line.
The Baron and Baroness, once so full of bravado when dealing with Liliana, were now left embarrassed.
At that moment, a gentle voice rang out.
“Elliot, well done.”
“Mom?”
It was Anriche.
Elliot and Liliana beamed and rushed towards her.
She approached them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders.
“If you’re an adult, you should at least try to set an example in front of children, shouldn’t you?”
“Y-Your Grace!”
“At the very least, you shouldn’t have been rude enough to insult your fiancée in front of the kids.”
The Baron and Baroness turned pale at her harsh tone.
“Most importantly, didn’t I just say something earlier?”
With her chin lifted, Anriche spoke in an arrogant voice directed at the couple.
“Don’t bother our Liliana, and don’t let her see you at all.”
“W-well, that is…”
“But have you already attached yourself to our Liliana?”
The Baron and Baroness’s faces flushed red at Anriche’s biting tone.
“If you’re going to come barging in after sending just a single letter, you should at least have some decency.”
In truth, Anriche didn’t want this meeting at all.
If it were up to her, she would have prevented them from stepping a single toe into the townhouse.
“…”
Anriche looked down at Liliana, who was clutching her dress tightly.
After all, those nuisances were also Liliana’s relatives.
The Everitt Count family had always had few blood ties, and once Liliana began her social activities in earnest, rumors would inevitably follow like clouds.
It was undesirable for those rumors to include anything about “neglecting the few relatives.”
‘I’ve already got the reputation of a villainess…’
I can’t let Liliana get caught up in those rumors as well.
Anriche let out a deep sigh.
“Elliot, would you like to go into the room with Liliana?”
“I will, Mom.”
Nodding, Elliot took Liliana’s hand.
As Liliana turned back several times, she followed Elliot into the mansion.
With her arms crossed, Anriche cast a sideways glance at the Baron and Baroness.
“Make sure to thank Liliana.”
At her cold voice, the couple flinched, their shoulders tensing.
“If you weren’t Liliana’s relatives, I wouldn’t even consider showing you my face.”
Anriche narrowed her brow and turned her body.
“Now, let’s go inside.”
***
Anriche led them to the drawing room.
‘It’s ridiculous that I have to serve them tea just because they claim to be Liliana’s relatives…’
She asked a maid to bring tea and snacks, not bothering to hide her displeasure.
Thus, an uncomfortable silence settled over the drawing room.
The Baron and Baroness, pressed down by Anriche’s presence, were frozen, unable to even part their lips.
‘When did they become so concerned about the kids?’
‘I thought it was excessive when they took Liliana away before…’
‘It’s absurd, really!’
They exchanged glances filled with discontent.
Seeing their still-dazed expressions, Anriche couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’re quite at ease, aren’t you?”
“E-excuse me?”
“Didn’t you learn as children? Whispering among yourselves when there are others present is quite rude.”
The startled Baron and Baroness awkwardly smiled at Anriche.
“Ah, well, that…”
“Never mind. For some, showing even a modicum of courtesy might be very difficult.”
Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and the couple’s faces turned red with embarrassment.
Regardless, Anriche sank deeply into the sofa.
“By the way, you mentioned you had something important to discuss with me?”
Anriche recalled the contents of the letter they had sent.
The letter had been full of flowery language but boiled down to: “You must tell the Duchess something important!”
In truth, Anriche thought it would have been better if they had simply written down their business in the letter.
“What is it?”
“Um, well…”
The Baron of Rondini, who had been cautiously observing, opened his mouth carefully.
“Um, Duchess, we recently underwent a tax investigation…”
“And we were hit with an enormous tax bill!”
The Baroness interrupted, her face full of distress as she cut in.
“I heard that the family that requested the tax investigation was the House of Valois!”
The House of Valois?
Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.
She had never requested a tax investigation.
And the only other person who could act in the name of the “House of Valois” besides her…
‘It must be Alexei.’