#Chapter 10. Bruno’s Fall from Horse

“No.”

Though she had expected it, Ariel bit her lips at Damian’s too firm attitude.

“…… Bruno often goes on trips with Derek and goes hunting too.”

“So?”

“You’ve never even had a meal with our Lucy until yesterday, let alone a trip.”

Damian, who had completely fixed his gaze on the book, didn’t answer Ariel’s following words.

Ariel, who had been standing stubbornly, was about to speak once more but saw Damian’s concentrated face and gave up.

…… I boldly promised Lucy, but what do I do about this…..

Ariel came out to the corridor with her shoulders drooping.

*

In the end, Ariel, who couldn’t tell Lucy, welcomed Bruno’s family to the residence as planned.

Bruno and Damian soon disappeared to the back of the garden, leaving only their wives with the children.

Jessica and Ariel, who brought out tea and refreshments, had a brief chat about recent events.

That’s when it happened.

Bang—! A loud sound came along with quite a few footsteps.

Even from inside the playroom, the commotion outside could be felt, so Ariel and Jessica’s heads immediately turned toward the door.

Just as Ariel was about to gesture, one maid approached Ariel and Jessica and whispered.

“They say Lord Bruno fell from his horse.”

As soon as she heard that story, Ariel, who opened her eyes wide, jumped up from her seat.

“Duchess.”

Jessica also jumped up like Ariel, then glanced at the children playing in the middle of the playroom.

“I’m worried that if the duchess and I go out at the same time, the children might get startled too. Since Bruno is my husband, I’ll go see him, so could I askyou to stay by the children’s side, Duchess?”

Jessica’s eyes seemed to have tears welling up a little, so Ariel quickly nodded.

This wasn’t the first time Bruno had fallen from his horse.

Recently he had fallen from his horse once and injured his leg, and now another fall.

Jessica must have been very surprised too. Derek would be the same when he heard this story.

“Don’t worry about the children and go.”

Ariel quickly nodded and called a maid.

Then she immediately ordered her to guide Jessica to Bruno.

Ariel, who looked at the door Jessica had left through with anxious eyes, quickly checked on the children.

Fortunately, the children were concentrating on playing among themselves rather than the noise outside.

Lucy and Derek, who were focused on playing, glared at each other’s glass marbles.

After a few minutes, the commotion outside seemed to have settled to some degree, and the children were still concentrating on the marbles.

It was when Ariel gestured to a maid and whispered for her to find out about the situation outside.

Crash—.

With a sharp bursting sound, the glass marble shattered into pieces.

Seeing them shattered into pieces in front of Lucy’s feet, it seemed Lucy’s marbles had broken.

Ariel, who quickly approached Lucy, examined her hands.

“Lucy, are you okay?”

“Ah…… yes……”

Ariel, who comforted Lucy who had frozen in surprise, smiled warmly and quickly examined Derek’s hands too.

Fortunately, Derek didn’t seem to be hurt either.

“Derek, are you okay too?”

“Yes. I’m fine. But rather……”

Derek’s wrinkled eyes turned toward Lucy.

“Because of you, one glass marble broke.”

Derek’s sharp voice burst out.

Ariel looked up in surprise at Derek’s reproaching words.

“Derek, you must be very worried about Lucy.”

The last time they met, Derek would have been hurt by Lucy, so it would be difficult for good words to come out from his position.

To lead the child to good expression, Ariel gently corrected Derek’s expression.

“Worried? No. I was more worried about the glass marble than Lucy. I wish you’d stop breaking glass marbles with your clumsy skills.”

At Derek’s words as he arrogantly raised his chin, Ariel tilted her head.

It was understandable that he wasn’t worried about Lucy, but the latter part was a bit puzzling.

It wasn’t Derek’s glass marble but Lucy’s, so why would he worry about it?

“Worried about the glass marble, why? Derek must really like glass marbles.”

“It’s mine.”

“Oh my. I see. I thought it was Lucy’s, but it seems it was Derek’s glass marble. Auntie will give you another glass marble as a gift. Sorry.”

“But it’s mine……”

Lucy tilted her head and took Ariel’s hand.

When Ariel met the child’s eyes and asked what she meant again, Lucy pointed to the table.

“Derek hasn’t even taken out his glass marble yet. It’s in the pouch on the table over there.”

“Hey. Really. Hah……”

Derek looked at Lucy who pointed to his pouch and frowned as if asking don’t you even know that.

“What’s yours is also mine.”

“Why is mine Derek’s?”

At Lucy’s question, Derek, who sighed, took one step forward in front of Lucy.

“Because you can’t become the heir. Then there’s only me left in the Zenova family, and soon all the things here will become mine.”

The confident child’s words were full of self-assurance.

The child couldn’t have thought such thoughts on his own, and it was surely Jessica’s doing.

Ariel bent her knees and briefly met the child’s eyes. Then she smiled gently.

“Derek, have you told this story anywhere else?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“I see. This is Auntie’s thought, but you shouldn’t carelessly say such things anywhere.”

“Why?”

The child asked as if purely curious.

“Even if Derek becomes the heir, that glass marble will always be Lucy’s thing.”

She didn’t know how to correct it properly, but she felt she should definitely make clear the ownership of Lucy’s things.

Derek, who wrinkled his face as if in a bad mood, pointed to the necklace around Ariel’s neck.

“Then, even if I become the heir, that will be Auntie’s possession for life?”

Ariel, who touched her necklace, flinched.

What Ariel wore around her neck today was an item left by the previous duchess. …… It wasn’t Ariel’s personal item.

Of course, she had many personal possessions because of the money that came from the duchess’s dignity maintenance fund, but…….

“No, if Derek becomes the heir, then this would become Derek’s wife’s.”

Ariel, who didn’t bring up the personal collection story, smiled brightly.

“My wife? Not my mom’s?”

When Derek asked in surprise, Ariel nodded.

“Yes. If Derek becomes the heir, it would naturally become your wife’s.”

Derek’s eyes sparkled.

“Since my wife is my private property, then my wife’s things are also my things, aren’t they?”

“…… You could see it that way.”

“By any chance, Auntie…… Could you not tell my mom about today’s conversation?”

At the child’s easily revealed desire, Ariel raised the corners of her mouth.

Her eyes weren’t smiling at all, but she playfully pressed her index finger to her lips and made a shushing gesture.

The child was immediately influenced by Ariel’s revealed appearance and also raised his finger to his lips.

Seeing them act as if they had made each other’s secret with winking eyes, he was unmistakably a child.

“Right. Then shall we make a secret promise together with our Lucy too?”

At Ariel’s words, Lucy also nodded.

Even if Jessica found out about this fact someday, she wouldn’t be able to say anything to Ariel.

Ariel, who swallowed her inner thoughts, straightened her bent knees.

…… I only thought he was short-sighted and tactless.

I never thought he would be conspiring under the name of family like this.

The moment she took that step, a bad thought crossed Ariel’s mind.

When you fall from a horse while hunting, you usually get seriously injured…….

Somehow Bruno who always got moderately injured and Damian who went to war each time.

Ariel, who chewed the inside of her cheek, showed a bright smile.

“Lady Jessica is quite late. Lucy and Derek, play together. Derek, Auntie will go check and come back.”

“Yes!”

Derek waved his hand at Ariel with a bright smile.

It seemed that just sharing the same secret had formed some bond with the child.

Derek’s touch as he extended his hand to Lucy also became much gentler.

“I’ll be playing with Derek. Mom, go and come back!”

“Right. Now let’s play with my glass marble.”

Ariel, who looked at the child, gestured to the maid and left the room.

Ariel stood with her back to the door that closed with a thud. For the first time, a cold aura emanated from Ariel’s face.

“Where are Damian and Bruno?”

“They, they are together in His Grace’s study.”

“Where is Jessica?”

“Lady Jessica is also together in the study.”

“Didn’t you surely call the physician to the reception room? His leg seemed to be badly injured.”

“Well, his leg isn’t swollen or anything, so it’s not seriously injured. However, the physician told him not to walk for a while.”

“Then why are the three of them in the study?”

At Ariel’s words, the maid’s head bowed lower and lower.

Feeling Ariel’s cold aura that she was experiencing for the first time, the maid’s voice gradually trembled.

Even though she had done nothing wrong, it made the maid feel as if she had made a big mistake.

“He said he had something to say related to injuring his leg. However, I don’t know exactly what the conversation is about either.”

Ariel, who calmly nodded, moved her steps.

Cold air dripped from the end of Ariel’s footsteps heading toward the study.