When I Announced A Divorce, The Obsessive Maniac Went Crazy Chapter 136 - Side Story Chapter 8

Chapter 136

 

 

Side Story

After Gabriel left, this time it was Daphne who came looking for Cesare, who remained in the sunroom.

She held a blanket in her hands.

Daphne draped the blanket over Cesare’s shoulders.

“Cesare.”

Cesare lifted his head, which had been buried in his hands.

Daphne gently stroked his cheek.

“Lizbeth and Aiden fell asleep together. Oddly enough, Aiden said he wanted to sleep next to Lizbeth tonight.”

Cesare gave a faint smile.

“That boy… trying to act like a big brother.”

“Right? Aiden must have been really shaken too, so I gave him some medicine. He’ll sleep well until tomorrow.”

Cesare nodded.

Daphne carefully embraced him.

In that terrifying moment, Cesare had still done what needed to be done.

If it hadn’t been for him, there was no telling what might’ve happened to Lizbeth.

To the attendants, their top priority was always Gabriel.

They would have rescued him first and only then tended to Lizbeth.

Their duty was to protect the Emperor.

On the other hand, if something had happened to Gabriel instead of Lizbeth, it could’ve been a catastrophe for the Burstoad.

Thankfully, Gabriel chose to let the incident go—but had he not, little Lizbeth could’ve been branded a traitor.

It had been a dangerously close call.

“…We were lucky.”

“And what about you?”

Daphne sat beside Cesare.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Are you alright?”

“I… I’m okay.”

Cesare whispered with a sigh.

The light above them cast shadows over the faint smile on his face.

“Lizbeth must’ve been terrified. She loves boat rides so much… What if she says she never wants to go again?”

“Then we’ll find something even better. There’s so much to do in Burstoad. We could go pick fruit, or plant trees…”

“You’re right. You’re always so sensible.”

When it came to the children, Cesare always turned soft.

Daphne laughed softly.

The sound of her laughter gradually calmed Cesare’s turbulent heart.

He sat there, replaying everything that had happened over and over in his mind.

It would’ve been better if he had fallen in instead—but Lizbeth had been the one to suffer.

Even if it was the child’s own doing, it felt entirely like his fault.

If he hadn’t let his jealousy toward Gabriel make him look away…

He might have noticed her playing around.

He could’ve stopped her, and none of it would’ve happened.

If he’d been a little more attentive, maybe he could’ve pulled her out even faster.

Thoughts like those relentlessly gnawed at him.

Thankfully, the doctor who had been present said that neither Lizbeth nor Gabriel had hit their heads when the boat capsized, so there should be no lasting issues.

But regardless of what the doctor said, Cesare’s heart had already been through hell.

“Lizbeth is a strong girl, Cesare. She’ll be up and run again by tomorrow.”

Cesare slowly nodded.

She probably would be.

Children were far tougher than they looked.

 

 

****

 

 

 

There was still one more person I had to check on.

Lizbeth wasn’t the only one caught in that accident.

Gabriel couldn’t swim either.

The fear that he might die must have been even greater for Gabriel than it was for Lizbeth.

Lizbeth was just a child, too young to even grasp the concept of death—Gabriel wasn’t.

A servant stood in front of the door to Gabriel’s room.

“I’d like to see His Majesty.”

“Yes, Duchess. His Majesty said to let you in if you came.”

The servant stepped aside and opened the door for me.

The small drawing room connected to Gabriel’s bedroom was brightly lit by lamps.

Gabriel was reading a book.

“…Gabriel.”

“Daphne? Ah, you’re still awake.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

I spoke casually.

Gabriel smiled and gestured for me to sit.

Maybe it was because his usually well-groomed hair had fallen limp, but he looked more fragile than usual.

Looking at him like this, I could understand why Lizbeth had changed her allegiance.

Honestly, Gabriel did suit the role of a fairy better than Cesare.

“Are you alright?”

“I really am. What about Lizbeth?”

“She’s okay too.”

A moment of silence passed between us.

“…Doesn’t this feel familiar somehow?”

“Ah, it does.”

We met each other’s gaze and burst into laughter.

“It’s all in the past now. You’ve become a mother, and I… an emperor.”

Gabriel shrugged lightly.

Even as the mighty emperor, Gabriel didn’t change when he was with me.

Gabriel was still Gabriel, and I was still me.

As time passed, the bond between us only seemed to shine brighter.

Gabriel would always be my friend, and I knew the same was true for him.

There was certainty in that.

There was affection in the way he looked at me, but the obsessive heat of the past was gone.

I no longer meant to him what I once did.

It was a gift, really—a gift that time had given us.

“…Wasn’t it exhausting, playing with Lizbeth?”

“Not at all. She’s adorable—just like you. I really enjoyed having her around the past few days. Honestly, I ran away from the palace because it was suffocating.”

“You did?”

“Haha. It was supposed to be an inspection tour of the lands, but it was really more like a vacation. This is so much better than the capital.”

Gabriel grinned playfully.

“…And I was also curious. About how you were doing. And about the Duke, too. Neither of you have returned to the capital since moving back to Burstoad.”

“…I hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Raising kids really leaves you with no time to think.”

That was the truth.

Watching Lizbeth and Aiden grow made time fly.

Lizbeth was a mischievous handful, and Aiden had reached the age where he wanted to go out and meet friends.

As the children grew, so did we.

Cesare and I were barely keeping pace with all the change.

“I can tell. Seeing it for myself, I get it now.”

Gabriel smiled.

“Actually… I wasn’t going to tell you this, because I didn’t want to give your husband the satisfaction.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll tell you, and only you.”

Gabriel lowered his voice.

“Lizbeth told me that her dad is her favorite person in the whole world.”

I burst out laughing.

That clever little rascal.

How could something so adorably devious be born into this world? My heart overflowed with affection.

It would’ve been perfect if she’d told her dad that herself.

Lizbeth clearly had an instinct for how to handle Cesare.

“Pfft. I’ll be sure to keep this secret. For the honor of both Gabriel and Lizbeth.”

“Please do that.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

Cesare checked his expression.

He couldn’t show anxiety or fear in front of Lizbeth.

The emotions of adults often spread quickly to children.

Fortunately, by early morning, the fever that had been troubling Lizbeth had gone down.

It seemed the doctor’s prescription had worked well.

Daphne advised that it would be better for Cesare to see Lizbeth only after he had calmed down himself.

Daphne had spent the night with the children.

When Cesare opened the door to Lizbeth’s bedroom, Daphne stood up holding Aiden in her arms.

“We’ll step out, so you two can have a talk.”

Daphne kissed Cesare on the cheek.

Aiden, giving in with a small huff, kissed Cesare on the opposite cheek.

Cesare patted Aiden’s head.

The sound of the door closing followed.

Cesare carefully approached Lizbeth’s bed.

Lizbeth, who was sitting up against the headboard, glanced at Cesare.

Seeing his daughter watching him so timidly made his chest ache.

At first, he had planned to scold her properly.

Hadn’t he told her not to do anything dangerous on the boat?

That she must never do something like that again.

But seeing her like this now, he felt like crying instead.

It was the first time he’d seen Lizbeth so deflated.

Cesare let out a sigh and finally spoke.

“…Lizbeth.”

Only then did Lizbeth lift her head and look at Cesare.