The Stepmother Has Left - Chapter 14

‘Who is she?’

 

From the moment they first met, she was a very striking woman.

 

A gallery in a corner of the countryside that he came across by accident.

 

The owner of the place exuded a very strange atmosphere as much as her paintings.

 

With a dignified face whose age could not be judged and the posture of moving with an upright waist, there was a very luxurious atmosphere for a commoner.

 

He wanted to get a little closer to her, to the point where he wondered if she was from a noble family.

 

He wanted to talk more.

 

He hoped that the Imperial Knights, who kept chasing after him wherever he went, would not come to visit him this time.

 

If they found out about him, he would have to run away.

 

However, contrary to his wish, the Imperial Knights eventually came to her and asked about his whereabouts.

 

He couldn’t help but be nervous when she said she had seen a portrait of him, of course.

 

There was no way that she could not recognize him when she saw a portrait of his face. He thought he should run away now, but when he asked if the portrait looked like him, she answered back as if the portrait didn’t resemble him.

 

[The face looks similar, but the picture didn’t have the feeling you have.]

 

[As I lived my life, the impression of a person became more important to me than the person’s facial features. In that sense, I thought you were not the man in the portrait.]

 

Her answer was as strange as the atmosphere she had.

 

Adolf felt a tingling sensation.

 

Like she knows but doesn’t know at the same time.

 

Like he is surprised but not surprised at the same time.

 

Adolf, who was trudging, soon arrived at his home.

 

He went to the Empire’s most famous wizard and traded the magic tent himself, providing a comfortable home wherever he went.

 

It was also a house invisible to others, which was why the Imperial Knights still couldn’t find him. Upon arriving there, Adolf opened the house door and paused for a moment.

 

“…Ah!”

 

‘Maybe she wants to hide me now?’

 

All her tone, mood, and actions seemed to be conveying such intentions. He noticed her attitude of treating him only as a guest, whether the Imperial Knights visited her or not, and pretending not to know him even after seeing the portrait.

 

He didn’t think that she was a tactless woman, who wouldn’t know who he was after seeing the portrait. Above all, she was treating him as if nothing had happened.

 

‘She’s trying to hide me.’

 

It was his conclusion after thinking deeply.

 

A small smile appeared on Adolf’s lips as he opened the door and entered the house.

 

“…She is a thoughtful woman.”

 

After realizing her intentions, for some reason, he felt at ease. It wasn’t because he was afraid she would reveal his identity to the Imperial Knights.

 

If she pretends not to know, he doesn’t have to leave her side.

 

Because he didn’t want to leave the cozy gallery and her paintings.

 

…Because he can get a little closer to her.

 

[If we just get to know each other, and if we think we get along well, we will naturally become friends.]

 

Because he still had a chance to practice what she said.

 

He felt grateful.

 

Adolf wanted to repay that feeling.

 

He decided not to ask about her name and her life story, which he also wanted to ask.

 

As if she had covered her up for not wanting to reveal herself.

 

“I can’t wait to get close.”

 

He lay down on the bed and rolled over. He looked forward to seeing her again.

 

***

 

The next day, he appeared to be in a perfect mood as he entered the gallery early morning.

 

He opened the door, strode over to Cassia, and pleasantly greeted her.

 

“Good morning!”

 

“…You look very happy today.”

 

Cassia spoke with a smile, as she remembered him walking out of the gallery yesterday as if he was running away.

 

“I’m a little better than usual.”

 

“Would you like some hot coffee?”

 

“Yes.”

 

As usual, he ordered a hot coffee and sat in a corner looking at the paintings. The only thing different from usual was that he had a beautiful smile on his lips and occasional pleasant hums.

 

When coffee was ready, he came over the counter.

 

He stopped and looked at her for a moment.

 

“I’m sorry that I came here early morning yesterday and asked a strange question.”

 

“…No. I didn’t mind. Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”

 

“Here.”

 

Not trying to get coffee, he looked at her a little more. He looked straight into her eyes and said.

 

“I want to get to know you.”

 

A beautiful smile flashed in front of her. Eyes that seemed to contain dark sapphires shone towards her.

 

“…And I will definitely get to know you.”

 

In his eyes full of clear will, for a moment, her heart fluttered weakly.

 

It happened in a moment that she didn’t even realize.

 

***

 

From that day on, he continued to approach her without hesitation.

 

Not only did he come into the gallery every morning as if going to work, but the amount of conversations has also increased compared to before.

 

While he talked about the paintings most of the time, he also started to ask a lot of questions about her.

 

What she liked and wanted to do in the future, they got to know each other step by step.

 

He also told her a lot of things.

 

Like he enjoys eating food without any complaints, loves to see the scenery of nature, how good he is with swordsmanship.

 

But there was one interesting thing.

 

He never asked Cassia about her past.

 

He could have asked questions about her past, she would’ve kept her distance, but he didn’t.

 

He only asked questions about her or the future.

 

Needless to say, it was natural for him not to ask her about her past.

 

…Sometimes, in the middle of the conversation, he quietly brought up a story about the Third Prince.

 

As if he wanted her to know as much as possible about him.

 

“…The Third Prince is actually very good-natured, did you know?”

 

“The Third Prince also likes to look at paintings. Did you know?”

 

“The Third Prince is actually…”

 

She unintentionally learned a few facts about the Third Prince, Adolf de Fontrich.

 

She thought it was cute to see him diligently leaking information about the Third Prince, pretending not to know.

 

Actually, she didn’t suddenly get close to him. Those were just simple, polite conversations, so it might seem like a formal relationship if someone saw them. But from within, she thought she started laughing quite a bit, thanks to him. She felt more comfortable with the sight of him trying to get close to her while staying behind the ‘line’.

 

She let go of her tension a bit and had more time to chat happily with him.

 

Even if he found out who she was, she thought it wouldn’t matter.

 

Even if he finds out about her identity, what will he do?

 

After all, they both were hiding each other’s identities. Besides, she was no longer the Duchess.

 

She just existed as ‘Cassia’.

 

She didn’t want to lose the experiences she had accumulated as ‘Cassia’ because of things like nobles and royalty.

 

Yes, she really enjoyed meeting him, and that was the clear truth she felt.

 

Anyway, he was a very young and beautiful man. Beautiful silver hair and blue eyes went well with it. She couldn’t get used to looking at him, so he felt unfamiliar for quite some time.

 

If she had been a little girl, she would have had to hold onto her falling heart every time she saw him.

 

Like those moments when she was young and looked at her first love from afar…

 

But she was no longer at the age where she was attracted to a good-looking appearance.

 

So she treated him comfortably and got acquainted with him as a human. The knights of the Imperial Palace searched for the Third Prince for several days and eventually left Lawrence, apparently unable to find him.

 

Finally, the newly refurbished dessert menu was completed.

 

Irwin and Cassia looked together at the newly hung menu board on the counter.

 

Cranberry scones, lemon madeleines, cheese muffins, and chocolate chip cookies…

 

There were primarily small desserts that would go well with a cup of coffee.

She couldn’t make ends meet just by running a gallery alone, so she was selling cafe menus as well, but she loved the unique quietness of the gallery.

 

She didn’t want to be too busy as the cafe wasn’t her main purpose.

 

She should look at the items that sell the most, and make changes to the menu accordingly from time to time.

 

It seemed she would be a little busier in the future.

 

But as much as painting, she had a lot of fun baking.

 

“Thanks to you, I was able to put good items on the menu board.”

 

Cassia turned to Irwin to look at him.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“No. I ate a lot because it was just for tasting.”

 

“From now on, you will be charged. Pay and eat.”

 

He grinned at her playful reply.

 

The blue eyes were radiating life as if they were happy.

 

He raised his head and looked carefully at the dessert menu, then suddenly asked.

 

“By the way, I have a question for you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Why don’t you make cakes?”

 

Cassia’s expression turned a little stiff.

 

Little enough to be not noticed.