When I Took Back My Beloved Child Who Had Been Taken From Me, My Husband's Obsessive Love Began. Why? - Episode 32

“……Mother is sleeping right now.”

When they were alone in the room, Leoldo murmured softly.

Craig was surprised as if his inner thoughts had been seen through, but he nodded slightly and replied.

“I see. Then, we have to play quietly so we don’t wake them up.”

“Are you going to play, sir?”

Until now, I’ve come to see Leoldo, but we’ve never played together. — Except for a few times when we went to the garden.

I just looked at his face to check if there were any disturbances in his magical power.

When the “magic intoxication” occurred again, I held his hand as much as possible to help stabilize his magic, but Leoldo might not remember it very well.

Considering that, playing with his father must be surprising for Leoldo.

“If possible, I would like to spend more time with Leoldo from now on.”

“……Is it also with you, Mother?”

“Ah…”

At Craig’s words, Leoldo showed a hint of wariness and glanced briefly towards the bedroom.

It’s not typical behavior for a two-year-old, but Leoldo is trying to protect his mother, Lucienne.

I might not be able to say that we lived together since birth, but it was shocking to think that the mother who had been by my side for just a month was better than the father who had shown his face.

However, I am also surprised by myself.

Leoldo thought for a moment, then handed the doll he was holding to Craig.

“I’ll lend you this. It’s a treasure that my mother gave me.”

“Will you lend me your treasure?”

“Because the lord is surely scary.”

“Scary? Me?”

“Father is sometimes scary. But right now, Father is scared.”

At Leoldo’s sharp remark, Craig was left speechless.

Indeed, Craig is harboring fear in the back of his mind right now.

It is the fear that Lucienne might not fully recover in the future. The fear that Lucienne might reject me.

Besides that, it was the fear of something happening without my knowledge, and not being able to realize it.

“Lucienne—Mother, is she okay?”

“Yes. I sleep a lot, but when I wake up, he hugs me a little.”

If he can now touch Leoldo even for a short time, he must be quite recovered.

Craig, who heard directly from Leoldo rather than through a report, felt relieved once again.

“Mother… might have died for my sake.”

“What?”

Holding the doll that Leoldo had lent him, Craig, who was wondering how to play with it, was surprised by the words he heard and asked back.

Craig’s tone was harsh, but Leo didn’t seem intimidated.

“Is that… my fault?”

If Craig hadn’t vented his anger back then, Leoldo wouldn’t have gone berserk with his magic.

That regret surged over him again, but Leoldo shook his head slightly.

“Mother always prioritizes me. Even when I was in her womb.”

Even Craig couldn’t help but show his agitation at those words.

It’s as if Leoldo has memories from when Lucienne was pregnant—memories from when he was in her womb.

Leoldo looked back at the astonished Craig with a serious expression that was incongruous with his youthful face.

“I remembered. The other day when I had a fever.”

“Are you talking about when I was in Lucienne’s belly?”

“Yes. I could hear everything well. Besides, I didn’t want to rely too much on your strength, Mother.”

“……”

Even though he thought he should say something, Craig couldn’t come up with any words.

I remember when I was told about the pregnancy, my face was quite pale.

I was told by those around me that it’s common for mothers to feel unwell during pregnancy, so there’s no need to worry.

Rather, since they are mentally unstable, it’s better not to provoke them unnecessarily.

Furthermore, she believed Lucienne was fine because she heard from Claudine that it was a common symptom during pregnancy.

“Father never came to see me even once.”

“That is…”

Trying to make an excuse, Craig immediately shut his mouth.

However, Leoldo nods as if to say he understands, with gestures that are almost adult-like.

“Mother was scary. She might have wished for me not to be born.”

“Ridiculous! There’s no way I’d wish for something like that!”

Craig, who had involuntarily raised his voice, quickly lowered it and continued.

I thought it would be bad to wake Lucienne, but the presence of the three people in the bedroom remains quiet.

Perhaps Aman and the maid Rite are both tired and sleeping.

“Aman was worried that if things continued like this, I would… take all of Mother’s power away. So, he said it would be better to give up.”

“……Did Lucienne refuse that?”

“Yes. I would have been fine with that. But Mama absolutely refused. So, I tried really hard not to rely on Mama’s strength. But I couldn’t do it well, and Aman helped me.”

“I see…”

I didn’t know anything about Lucienne being in danger during her pregnancy, or that she had been advised to give up the child—Leoldo. I feel nauseous at the thought of not even trying to find out.

Even so, Craig listened to his young son’s words, as if he didn’t know.

I hesitated slightly about whether it was okay to let Leoldo talk about such things, but he probably wanted to say it out loud too.

Leoldo also went through a tough experience.

If talking to someone and sharing his feelings could make Leoldo feel even a little better, Craig wanted to help as much as he could.

Even if it becomes painful and filled with regret for Craig.

“Mother truly wished for me from the bottom of her heart. But…”

“Huh?”

“Claudine came and bullied me.”

“Is it just Claudine?”

Even if Claudine, who had visited several times, was plotting something against Lucienne, it was no longer surprising.

More than that, Craig gently urged, wanting to know if there was anyone else who had harmed Lucienne.

“Claudine said terrible things. To Mother, she said things like, ‘It’s a marriage just to have children,’ and ‘The Emperor really loves me’—”

“Ridiculous. That’s impossible. But… Lucienne must have been hurt by it. Just because I didn’t express myself properly…”

So infuriated, Craig interrupted Leoldo’s words.

Even if I think I can’t regret anything more than this, terrible facts keep coming to light one after another.

It’s also Craig’s own fault for prioritizing his strange pride.

Not only was he feeling nauseous, but he also had a terrible headache. However, in an attempt to listen to Leoldo’s story until the end, Craig managed to smile despite his awful complexion.