40. Crossroads of Choice

Despite the continuous rain that seemed to have punched a hole in the sky, carriages of unknown origin kept entering the ducal mansion.

The front of the mansion was crowded with a procession of carriages since morning.

The sound of carriages filling the front was loud enough to drown out even the sound of rain.

The bustling noise eventually reached Adeline’s bedroom through the otherwise quiet corridors of the ducal mansion.

Adeline grew curious.

“Becky. What’s happening?”

Becky, who had been arranging the bedding, stood up and looked out the window.

“Ah. It seems carriages are coming in one after another.”

“Carriages?”

“I heard that the happy news about Lady Del was announced at the banquet celebrating the duke’s return from the imperial palace. It seems those congratulatory gifts are arriving.”

“Wasn’t the banquet held quite some time ago?”

To Adeline’s puzzlement, Becky continued her explanation kindly.

“I think they were delayed because of the heavy rain.”

Adeline recalled the situation in the capital at Becky’s words. She had heard that the central region, which was the capital, had been suffering from unseasonable heavy rain for a while.

It seemed that the carriages full of gifts had been stuck because of it.

As the rain subsided, they could no longer delay and were now flocking to the ducal mansion.

Adeline moved to the window.

The unseasonable heavy rain that had left the central region was now pouring in vast amounts throughout the ducal territory.

The numerous workers seemed to have no time to shield themselves from the rain. They were just doing their utmost to keep the gifts, which were more valuable than themselves, from getting wet.

Watching this scene made Adeline’s heart sink even further.

“Would you like to go down and see?”

“It would be better to see them later.”

Adeline didn’t want to see them. Because there was no reason to congratulate her anymore.

Unaware of her feelings, news came that a gift from the imperial family had arrived.

“Shouldn’t you go down? All the gifts are for you, Lady Del.”

Not personally receiving a gift from the imperial family was like an insult to them. Adeline had to go down and receive the gift herself.

Becky, who noticed Adeline’s somewhat gloomy mood, carefully conveyed her message.

Adeline reluctantly turned her steps toward the lobby. A sigh escaped before she could stop it.

Her footsteps were heavy, squelching as if walking through mud.

When she painfully arrived at the lobby, the imperial messenger handed Adeline a letter as if he had been waiting.

“Her Majesty the Empress personally ordered to deliver this letter and confirm its receipt. Would you please confirm?”

The imperial messenger was incredibly rude. Being a small noble with a title, he was extremely displeased at having to bow his head to a commoner as an imperial messenger.

At the messenger’s urging, Adeline immediately opened the letter. As soon as Adeline unfolded the letter, the messenger immediately left the ducal mansion without any lingering attachment, as if he had completed his duty.

[Lady Del,

I heard you saved the empire’s only duke when we almost lost him?

Moreover, you’re carrying a child of the precious ducal family. You have truly done a great service to the empire.

I am truly relieved that you have eased the concerns of this Empress who worried about the continuation of the ducal line.

I hope you will formally marry as soon as possible before your belly grows.

This Empress looks forward to the day when I can see the young duke running around in the capital.

I have great expectations for the Lady.

Bergamo Soltarius]

After reading the letter, Adeline barely managed to stand as her legs gave way.

It appeared to be simply a letter from the empire’s Empress leaving kind words for Lady Del, but Adeline knew.

She knew that urging the ducal family to accept her, known as a commoner, as the duchess was mocking the duke.

And that they were using her reported pregnancy as a plausible excuse.

They were probably laughing at Casis while ordering him to accept a commoner as his duchess.

Not even knowing that she was actually Adeline Credion.

Until now, the duke clearly had no intention of making her his duchess.

He wouldn’t take a commoner, let alone someone from the Credion family, as his wife.

However, since Adeline was reported to be carrying the ducal heir, Casis’s attitude began to change.

Adeline knew this well.

Casis becoming gentle toward her to the point of reminding her of Mel from the villa, and easily accepting this procession of gifts, were all happening because he believed Adeline was pregnant.

Her two legs, which had been painfully supporting her, suddenly gave way. Adeline ended up sitting down in the middle of the lobby.

The gazes of the workers who were busy carrying gifts and the maids helping them all fell on Adeline at once.

As everyone’s attention focused on her, Adeline felt her breath catch. It felt as if they were all giving her accusatory looks for deceiving everyone. Adeline tightly closed her eyes.

“Lady Del. Are you alright?”

Adeline came to her senses at Becky’s call. Putting strength into her trembling legs, she painfully made her way back to the bedroom, refusing Becky’s support.

Having barely returned to the bedroom, Adeline sat down again anywhere.

As time passed, the guilt for the unintended situation grew stronger.

Like a swamp where one sinks deeper the more one struggles, it felt like she was endlessly sinking down. That was exactly how Adeline felt.

After that day, Adeline gradually began to avoid spending time with Casis.

She completely avoided even the dinner time they had faithfully shared since returning from the villa.

After avoiding him like that, Adeline was now lingering in front of the duke’s office.

It was already the seventh day she had been lingering in front of the duke’s office while avoiding all time spent together.

A maid carrying a tea set caught Adeline’s eye. Adeline received the tea set, saying she would deliver it instead. She couldn’t delay any longer.

‘Yes, I’ll go in and speak honestly.’

That there was no child, that she hadn’t intended to deceive him but the situation had turned out that way, and she had believed it herself.

Adeline thought she needed to resolve this situation before people’s misunderstandings grew larger.

Adeline painfully stepped into the office.

The duke, who had been attending to his duties, stopped what he was doing and stared at her, an unexpected visitor.

“I haven’t seen your face lately, so……”

“I see.”

The duke was well aware that Adeline had been avoiding him for some reason. The duke continued his work, paying no further attention.

But Adeline, who should have left after placing the tea, was still hesitating and not leaving the office.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Well……”

Casis addressed the hesitating Adeline, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

She couldn’t even look directly into the duke’s eyes. Adeline averted her gaze to the window.

Outside the window, the sky was not visible due to the tremendous rain. The weather was quite chilly due to the continuous downpour.

“The tea has a good aroma. The weather is cold, so drink it before it gets cold.”

Adeline hurriedly tried to leave the office, unable to speak and blaming the weather.

Casis called out to stop her.

With quick, long strides, Casis approached her.

“You don’t look well. Do you have a fever?”

Adeline was startled by the large hand covering her forehead and directly met Casis’s eyes.

Casis let out a small sigh as he watched Adeline, who didn’t know what to do and was just rolling her eyes.

“You always overthink things. Don’t think unnecessarily and focus on prenatal care.”

Casis, who still spoke unaffectionately, suddenly headed to the office desk and took out a familiar scented candle.

“Take this and light it. It will drive away all the useless thoughts rolling around in your head.”

Adeline left the office holding the scented candle.

The herbal scent that helped calm the mind and body stimulated her nose.

Despite his rough words and actions, Casis was being gentle by placing the scented candle in Adeline’s hand.

Even as she left the office, Adeline couldn’t take her eyes off the candle.

⁕⁕⁕

In the end, Adeline returned to the bedroom today again without saying anything.

No matter how many times she resolved to speak, when she actually stood before him, her mouth just wouldn’t open.

Adeline knew why her mouth wouldn’t open as if it were glued shut.

She knew perfectly well. If he found out it wasn’t a pregnancy, Casis would be furious, and they would undoubtedly return to their previous cold relationship.

Adeline didn’t have the confidence to endure Casis’s coldness again.

With a complicated heart, Adeline repeatedly rubbed her dry face when her eyes fell on the scented candle Casis had given her.

A cool scent with plenty of herbal aroma rising.

Seeing the scented candle he had given her for her sake, tears welled up in Adeline’s eyes.

Adeline had realized many things while experiencing Casis recently. She now knew that his true feelings were not as cold as the words he always uttered.

Tears flowed endlessly from Adeline’s eyes.

“I didn’t mean to deceive him.”

From the moment the physician first mentioned pregnancy, Adeline had denied it for a while.

It wasn’t her intention, but the situation that had led her to deceive him again was too unkind to Adeline.

An endlessly heavy heart was constricting Adeline.

Just as she was beginning to feel stability by Casis’s side, like the memories of the days spent with Mel, it seemed too late to reverse this situation.

‘Should I run away again?’

She couldn’t be caught hiding the truth even after knowing it.

She didn’t think she could bear the sight of Casis turning cold again when everything was revealed.

There was no choice left for Adeline but to run away.

Adeline was deeply saddened by her situation of having to run away again.

That day’s time flowed endlessly as she sat in the corner of the bedroom, just tightly holding the scented candle.