Chapter 64
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64
"Mother. My dearest mother."
"Don't say another word. You must be in so much pain. Oh, my poor baby… Don't worry. Mother will make sure you get well."
Ryder basked in the overwhelming love and worry enveloping him. It felt as if his entire world was filled by her presence alone. But time was short. He had to deliver his message before he allowed himself to cling to her like a child.
"This might be my last moment, so please… let me leave you with my final words."
"No, no! Ryder, why would you die? Why on earth would you say such a thing?"
Unlike the unusually calm child, Kinder wailed, her heart tearing apart. Outside, the rain grew more violent, its roar swallowing her screams. In the face of death, it was as if the roles of adult and child had been reversed.
"Mother, please listen to me."
Final words. Perhaps because of that phrase, he spoke with clarity and steadiness, not a single cough escaping his lips despite the fever that burned through him. He was like an old man burning the final spark of his life before the end.
Kinder refused to believe it, but she knew instinctively that this was goodbye. Swallowing her sobs, she leaned in close, wanting to make it easier for his soft voice to reach her. His hot breath puffed against her ear.
"Even if I am gone, Mother, you must protect the Marquisate."
"Ryder?"
"Even though I couldn't inherit the title of Marquis, you must hold onto it, Mother."
Ryder was speaking of the time after his death. His final words were not for himself, but for the mother who would be left utterly alone, who stood to lose everything once he was gone.
With both his father and now him gone, the Marquisate was all his mother had left. He could not let her lose that, too.
"Do not trust the butler. Or the nanny."
Kinder nodded, showing she was listening intently. Watching her with a flicker of satisfaction, Ryder was suddenly wracked by a violent coughing fit.
"Please forgive me for leaving you all alone, Mother."
Ryder had fulfilled his duty as the mature Young Marquis. Having said what he needed to, his tears finally broke free. Only then did the child begin to weep bitterly, seeking comfort like the little boy he was. Kinder wiped his tears with trembling hands, feeling as though someone was tearing her heart to shreds.
"I… I really wanted to be like Father."
"Ryder."
The child had wanted to grow up to be like the father he could barely remember—the father everyone in the Marquisate missed and loved.
"I wanted to be someone worthy of the title of Young Marquis."
"No, Ryder. You did better than anyone. There is no child in the world as admirable as you."
Ryder was a clever boy; he knew that his mother was the only person in the world who thought of him that way.
"I hate the curse, too. It's not like I wanted this."
"It's not a curse. It's nothing like that. Who dared say such a thing? Mother will punish them."
"Mom, you love me, right?"
"Of course. I love you more than anything in the world."
I love you. My son. My beloved Ryder. Kinder kept speaking until, at some point, there was no reply. Even the sound of his weeping could no longer be heard. Had the roaring rain stolen his soft whimpers?
"Ryder? My baby?"
His soft, shallow breathing had stopped. Kinder stared blankly at him, her vision flickering to black. The child had fallen into a deep, silent sleep. His pupils were dilated. Kinder gently stroked his eyelids, closing them. The child's body felt exceptionally cold. It seemed his fever had finally broken. She wiped the tear tracks from his face and carefully tucked a thick blanket around him so he wouldn't lose his warmth.
"You're just asleep, right…?"
Her fingertips trembled. The sight of the motionless child made her head spin. Kinder wanted to scream and wail, but an uncanny detachment from reality held her captive, unable to shed a single tear.
No. Reality? This was nothing but a horrible nightmare.
Slap!
Kinder slapped her own cheek hard enough to taste blood.
"Why does it hurt?"
It was strange. This was clearly a dream. Ryder was just asleep. He would wake up soon. Behind the frozen woman, a thunderstorm raged.
In the end, doom had arrived. Ryder had drawn his last breath during the rainy season, when the sun had vanished without a trace.
"O God, did you not even pity my child?"
Was that why the sun hid behind dark clouds until the very day he died? In the end, Ryder was shunned by the Sun Goddess until his last moment.
Unable to accept reality, Kinder stroked her child, burst into tears at his lifeless form, and then laughed hollowly. Yes. Instead of pouring out her resentment to a god who wouldn't listen, she would find someone else. Since she had been abandoned by the gods, she had no choice but to seek out another power. She knew exactly who she had to find.
"I must go to Lady Rohanson."
Evangeline Rohanson. Yes, that white devil had said that if she made a wish, she could bring the child back to life. It would be in exchange for a living person's life… Would her own be enough?
'I would gladly give my own life, but what if the life of someone else is required?'
Her hesitation was brief. Hadn't she already made the wrong choice once, a choice she now bitterly regretted? When the white devil made her offer, she should have taken her hand without a second thought.
Kinder wiped the distorted grief from her face and put on a mask of serenity.
Yes. Coincidentally, today was the day of the banquet at the Imperial Palace. Hadn't she agreed to be Lady Rohanson's chaperone? It wouldn't be strange at all to go see her now. There was still plenty of time before the Crown Prince's banquet began. She would meet Lady Evangeline early and ask for her help. Since she was her chaperone, surely Evangeline would spare her a little time?
"Is anyone there?"
"Yes, Madame."
A raspy voice answered. The door opened quietly, and a maid entered holding a water basin and a towel, looking as though she had just wrung it out. Her clothes were still damp in places, as if she had just come in from the rain.
"Ryder's fever has finally broken."
The lie came easily. Since Ryder would be brought back to life, she couldn't let false rumors of his death spread. If they did, his already poor reputation would plummet, and he would be treated like a monster—just like Lady Rohanson.
"Really? Thank goodness."
The maid glanced at the young master and saw him fast asleep, his face indeed looking free of fever. She felt a wave of relief, believing her efforts to change his wet towels despite the terrible weather had paid off.
"Where is the nanny? And why are you here? I don't believe I've seen you before."
"Ah, I am Weather, Madame. I've been here for four years, but since I'm still in the laundry room, it's only natural that you wouldn't know me."
"I'm sorry. I thought you were new."
At Kinder's apology, Weather waved her hands in dismissal. What noble ever apologized to a mere laundry maid?
"Not at all! The nanny briefly stepped away to tidy the room for the young master who will be arriving soon."
"The young master? The 'young master who will be arriving soon'…? Did the nanny call him that? Not Dies, but 'young master'?"
"Pardon? Yes."
When Kinder, who had been utterly exhausted and devoid of energy, suddenly flared with sharp anger, Weather trembled, wondering if she had said something wrong.
The "young master" she had mentioned was Dies, the Marquis's younger brother, not Ryder. But she had heard the nanny had served the family since the Marquis and his brother were children. Since she had raised him, wasn't it natural for her to still call him "young master"?
"I see. So while my child is dying, she went to see to Dies's comfort."
Only then did Weather realize her mistake.
Oh no. I just reported the nanny's actions.
"Weather."
"Y-Yes!"
"I must go meet Lady Rohanson for a moment. I am her chaperone, so I have no choice but to step out."
Kinder gripped the maid's shoulders tightly. The pressure was enough to make Weather gasp in pain, but she didn't dare make a sound, only squirming slightly.
"While I am away, you must guard this room. The child is sleeping deeply, so do not wake him or go near him under any circumstances. Tell everyone that if anyone enters this room or makes a fuss, they will face severe consequences upon my return. Even if the nanny or Dies comes, you are absolutely not to let them in."
"Me?"
"If you do this well, I will grant you anything you desire. Please. You are the only one I can trust with this."
"Yes! I will do my absolute best!" Weather declared, squeezing the wet towel in her hand so tightly that water beaded on its surface.
Kinder left the room, entrusting her beloved son to a maid she had met for the first time today. It was barely two hours before the banquet. Though she wanted to run to the Rohanson mansion that very instant, she called her maids to dress her quickly, to make everything seem normal.
"Just put my hair up. Apply the powder thickly so it won't wash off in the rain. As for jewelry… bring my wedding gifts."
The maids' hands moved busily. Her instructions were so simple that her appearance was far humbler than usual, a stark contrast to the half-day of meticulous preparation her outings normally required.
Remembering the Marchioness's usual perfection, one of the maids asked, "Madame, since it is a banquet at the Imperial Palace, isn't this a bit too plain?"
"I am exhausted from nursing Ryder, so it is better to keep my adornments simple. Or do you expect me to dress extravagantly while my son is sick?"
The Marchioness, normally so gentle, was sharp today. It must be because of the sick young master, the maid thought, inwardly shifting the blame to him. The other maids, sensing the mood, quickly shut their mouths, some even glaring at the one who had spoken out of turn.
Taking a deep breath, Kinder continued in a resolute voice, as if she had made a momentous decision.
"It is fine. After all, I am not the main character today."