When I Took Back My Beloved Child Who Had Been Taken From Me, My Husband's Obsessive Love Began. Why? - Episode 2

Three years since Lucienne’s parents passed away.

Finally, the mourning period had ended, and by the time Lucienne was brought to the palace as a candidate for Crown Prince Craig’s consort, the number of candidates had been significantly narrowed down.

Among them, the most promising candidate was Claudine, and the reason everyone was talking about it was that the Crown Prince was the only one she had truly opened her heart to.

However, that alone is not enough to become a consort.

The Crown Prince Craig’s magical power is outstanding even among the emperors of the past, and the temple priests have been struggling to select a woman with magical power suitable for him.

If the strength of the magical power and compatibility do not match, it is difficult to conceive a child.

There probably isn’t a woman with a perfect match for Craig, but the priests in the temple, who measure magical power, were being cautious in trying to find at least a woman who was somewhat close.

It is secretly whispered that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to not limit oneself to just one person, which might also be related to the fact that the emperors of the past had concubines.

Even so, only one or two children were born safely, and the current emperor, Bertrand, had three concubines besides Aurelia, but the only child born was Craig, who Aurelia had given birth to.

As expected, it seems that the empress chooses the partner with the most compatible magical affinity, as most of the emperors throughout history could only have children with the empress.

However, rather than simply being a matter of compatibility, it was believed that only a consort recognized by the gods—an empress—could bear children. This led to secret debates about whether it would be better to take two empresses instead of a beloved concubine.

“Hey, Lucienne. How do you feel about seeing His Highness again after such a long time?”

“…I’m nervous.”

“There’s no need for that. His Highness is a very kind person. Well, everyone says he’s cold or strict, but that’s not true at all.”

Lucienne disliked watching Claudine whispering as if revealing a secret and laughing cheerfully.

Actually, I was the first one to know about Craig.

Disliking herself for thinking that way more than anything else, Lucienne stepped into the familiar room with a gloomy feeling.

It is a sunny salon that my late mother often used when having tea with Aurelia, and it leads directly from the terrace to the courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded by high walls, restricting entry to those outside the royal family, allowing even young Lucienne to roam freely.

Of course, the same goes for Craig, which is why they were able to spend time together.

However, the salon of my memories had completely changed its atmosphere over these three years.

The sofa where my mother always sat is gone, and a rather flamboyant patterned sofa has been set up instead.

Instead of Aurelia’s favorite table, a large, imposing table had been placed, and several young ladies and their attendants were sitting around it, drinking tea.

The women’s gazes uniformly turned towards Lucienne, scrutinizing her from top to bottom.

With Lady Aurelia having moved to the detached palace, there is no mistress in this imperial palace now…

Aurelia, who was quite close to Lucienne’s mother, is said to be mourning in the detached palace due to her deep sorrow.

However, it was rumored that the truth was that she had been on bad terms with her husband Bertrand for a long time, disliked her son Craig, and was living in a detached palace.

Lucienne knew from Aurelia’s letter that it was half true, but she kept her mouth tightly shut without telling anyone.

Aurelia is afflicted with an incurable disease.

It seems that the proud empress had no intention of informing her husband, who did not care for her, and had kept it a secret even from her son, Craig.

Aurelia has been unable to figure out how to interact with her son, whom she fears due to his excessively high magical power, ever since their parent-child relationship fell apart.

After Lucienne’s mother passed away and I started interacting with Aurelia, I learned that when the young Craig, suffering from his overwhelming magical power, came to her for help, she had strongly rejected him.

Every time Aurelia touched Craig, she was struck by severe fatigue and nausea, and she instinctively shook off his outstretched small hand.

Since then, Craig has stopped complaining about his hardships, and a distance has grown between him and Aurelia.

Even so, it seems that Aurelia tried to get closer to Craig several times as he grew up.

Each time, Craig would reject him, and his pride was so high that he couldn’t even apologize on his own.

Even for Craig, the past wounds of being rejected by his mother must have been deep.

As Aurelia spoke with a hint of regret, Lucienne gently suggested several times that she should be a bit more straightforward and convey her feelings directly to Craig, but her advice was never accepted.

If I can handle things well…

I was thinking that at least I could convey to Craig about Aurelia’s illness today, hoping to mend our parent-child relationship.

However, exposed to the cold stares of the young ladies, Lucienne was on the verge of breaking down.

With a slight murmur, Craig appears there.

“Your Highness! Today, I have brought Lucienne with me!”

Lucienne was taken aback by Claudine, who spoke up first before anyone else.

It is utterly disrespectful to speak before Crown Prince Craig.

The other young ladies were also taken aback, but Craig quietly nodded without showing any concern.

“It’s been a while, Lucienne.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Actually, I wanted to express my feelings more in words.

How much I was encouraged by the kindness during my parents’ funeral, how lonely I felt not being able to see you for the past three years, and how happy I am to see you again after such a long time.

None of them could come out as words, and I couldn’t say anything because I was too conscious of everyone’s gaze.

Just bow my head and bite my lip.

In these three years, Craig, who was once a boy, was gradually becoming a young man, and with that came an air of dignity that, along with his beauty, made him seem unapproachable.

“Lift your head up, Lucienne. Everyone, relax.”

The words are gentle, but the tone is harsh.

That might be why he’s considered cold, but Craig is just clumsy and ends up being curt.

Lucienne, who had raised her head at the same time as the young ladies who were bowing to the Crown Prince’s appearance, relaxed her tension just a little at the sense of nostalgia.

However, when I suddenly noticed Claudine standing next to Craig, my mood plummeted.

It seems that no one is questioning Claudine’s attitude, as if it were natural for her to stand next to Craig.

It feels like I don’t belong anywhere anymore…

Lucienne watched Craig and Claudine, feeling her faint hope fading away.

I was thinking that maybe, if we met again, I could return to being next to Craig.

I was hoping that Lucienne might listen to my rambling story.

Nevertheless, next to Craig was Claudine, and while Craig had only been nodding along to Lucienne’s conversation, he was now whispering something to Claudine.

Lucienne is the same as the young ladies who are looking at it with envious eyes.

Claudine laughs happily and calls out to Lucienne.

“Lucy. Let’s talk together over here.”

Claudine’s bright and friendly smile is no different when she interacts with Lucienne at the marquis’s residence.

Since her uncle and aunt became the masters of the marquisate, Lucienne’s familiar servants have been leaving one after another.

In the gradually uncomfortable mansion, Claudine’s brightness always saves me.

So even though it should be the same now, for some reason Lucienne was on guard.

“Hey, Lucy. It’s been a while since you talked to His Highness, hasn’t it? Why don’t you tell him what you’ve been doing locked up in the mansion for the past three years?”

“Well… nothing in particular…”

There was really nothing.

Lucienne, who intended to observe mourning for only one year, was scolded by her uncle and aunt, who called her a cold-hearted daughter.

The reason is surely to eliminate Lucienne from the candidates for the consort.

Everyone knows that my uncle and his wife strongly desire to make Claudine their daughter-in-law.

During my parents’ funeral, Craig might have been seen holding Lucienne’s hand.

In these three years, the only one who remained was Ritte, who had been serving as a maid since my parents were alive.

“Eh? You can’t be serious that there’s nothing going on, right? After all, Lucy has been exchanging letters with the Empress.”

Everyone who heard those words gasped in surprise.

Everyone knew that Aurelia was on the verge of being estranged not only from her husband, the emperor, but also from her son, Craig.

Craig was staring at Lucienne with a cold expression he had never shown before.

Lucienne finally realized that all of Claudine’s kindness until now had been a lie.