The Black-haired Noblewoman, Who Disguised Herself, Seems To Have Been Doted On While Serving As The Caretaker For The Duke Who Dislikes Women - Episode 59

After leaving the salon, my husband released his hand from my shoulder and gently took my hand. Then, while holding my hand, he led me to his private room.

Whenever there was something to discuss, we always did it in the office where Mr. Curtis was present. So, I never expected to be brought to his private room, and I felt a bit nervous.

My husband gently made me sit in the middle of the large leather sofa, then sat right next to me. …It feels so close, and I’m a bit restless. Our hands are still clasped together.

My husband gently wipes my cheek with his other hand. It is only then that I finally remember that tears are streaming down my cheek.

My husband, who is uncomfortably close, stares at me intently with his beautiful blue eyes. Unable to bear it, I end up lowering my face and looking away.

“This has turned into such a big commotion……, and I’ve ruined the important tea party…… I’m truly sorry, sir. And…… I’ve been lying to you all this time……”

At that moment, as I said those words, my husband’s large palm once again touched my cheek.

“I can see that you must have had some very serious circumstances. …Will you tell me? Michelle. Everything that has happened to you so far. What has happened to you? I will never do anything bad to you.”

The gentle voice of my husband, who envelops me with kindness, is completely different from the stern expression and voice he showed to the Countess Everly and the others in the salon just a moment ago.

I finally opened up to my husband about my life so far.

“Just as Countess Everly mentioned earlier, I was the daughter of the third son of the Barony of Flandre and a young lady of the Everly family. My mother was said to have had her fiancé chosen by her parents when she was sixteen. The man was the owner of a large store, possessing ample funds, but he was a lecherous, violent, and terrifying old man────”

My mother Cynthia, who began learning how to work at her fiancé’s shop as part of her training to become a bride, was reportedly beaten by the old man multiple times even before they got married. Whenever she made mistakes at work due to her inexperience, he would slap her on the cheek and hit her with his cane. And when the day’s work was done and she was about to return to the mansion, he would suddenly start speaking in a sweet voice and groping her waist and buttocks.

“Raising you strictly is all for your own good, you know? Just because you’re a noble’s daughter doesn’t mean you can lounge around the house. Now that you’re marrying into a merchant family, you need to work hard. …I can’t wait for you to come and marry me.”

With a foul breath whispering lewdly in her ear, her fiancé’s repulsive demeanor made Cynthia cry every night. She didn’t want to marry that man; she desperately wished for a different match. When she once pleaded with her parents, her real father beat her so severely that her face swelled up.

It was my father who saved such a mother.

My father, who was in love with my mother, abandoned everything and ran away with her.

And in the southern town far from our hometown, he worked tirelessly to protect my mother and me. Until the day he passed away. Two years later, my mother also left this world due to illness. Until the very end, he was worried about me.

“Michelle… I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I have to leave your side so soon… We chose to go against our parents and live like this, just the two of us… I might make things difficult for you from now on… After Mother goes to heaven, I’ve asked your uncle to take care of things… There might be times when you’ll be treated harshly… But please, live strongly, Michelle… My dear Michelle… I’m sorry…”

Until just before she passed away, my mother held my hand and continued to apologize on the bed. My chest ached, and it was painful. I felt incredibly lonely and sad. The thought of being all alone was terrifying beyond measure.

But I never thought that it would have been better if my mother had married that old man as my grandparents said. Because I was happy. Born as the daughter of my father and mother, cherished and loved every day.

In my memories, my father and mother were always smiling.

With a gentle and warm smile, they were looking at little me.

The things my father taught me about drawing and writing. The times he patted my head with his big hands. The times he lifted me high or gave me a piggyback ride. The gentle way my mother tied my hair every morning. The times she would cuddle next to me while I slept, stroking my head and back. The times she would cut freshly baked pies into small pieces and bring them to my mouth────

What I remember now are just those small fragments of days filled with great love. So many pieces of happiness. My treasures.

This was the first time I had confided in someone about my parents.

My husband never took his eyes off me for a moment, but he never interrupted either; he just held my hand and quietly listened to my story.