Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 108

“Uh, urgh!” Gale screamed as he scrambled to sit up. He hastily crawled backward, barely supporting himself with his arms on the floor.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, Mizulin stepped in to block the way between Epirosa and Leonoe.

 

“What are you doing?! Stop this!”

 

Epirosa held her mother, who had collapsed to the ground, in her arms.

 

“N-No, it’s not me, it’s that thing…!” Gale pointed at Leonoe with a trembling hand. But Leonoe’s eyes had already turned vacant again.

 

T-That thing! Is she pretending to be out of her mind on purpose?! Or does she only come to her senses when she’s beating me?!

 

The terrified Gale was dragged out by the male servants who had rushed in belatedly.

 

* * *

Today’s commotion was immediately reported to Hubert upon his return. Hubert moved Gale’s room to the servants’ quarters. On top of that, he ordered him to stay away from me. I heard that once Gale was moved to the servants’ quarters, he went on a rampage, smashing furniture and losing his mind. He’s falling apart beautifully.

 

I wiped the smile off my face and turned around. The boutique’s owner stood there, looking visibly uneasy.

 

“I’m sorry. I called you over and made you wait for so long.”

 

“N-Not at all. I saw everything that happened too.” The boutique owner waved his hands dismissively.

 

Even so, I spoke with an apologetic expression. “Please keep what happened today to yourself.”

 

“Oh my, of course.”

 

The boutique owner replied as if it were obvious. But I knew better. That his mouth was lighter than a fly’s wing. The rumors that spread from his boutique were countless. By tomorrow, the incident where Gale harassed me for no reason will be known throughout the entire capital. That was the reason I called him here today. I deliberately ran into Gale to provoke him, so that others could witness him losing his temper and tormenting me.

 

“I’m only concerned about Lady being shocked.” The boutique owner said without even wetting his lips.

 

“I’m fine. Of course, my uncle does tend to get angry like that sometimes…”

 

“What? This isn’t the first time?” The boutique owner asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

 

I lowered my head and spoke. “He still thinks what happened to my aunt was because of me.”

 

“What? Is that true? But Lady even gifted clothes to make a good impression! Count Gale is truly too much.”

 

“Actually, during the imperial opera incident, when I lost consciousness, he secretly… N-No, it’s nothing. Forget I said anything.” I pretended to be startled.

 

“Of course. I didn’t hear a thing!” The boutique owner waved his hands in denial.

 

“Let’s leave that story here. I’ll get to the reason I called you. I want to buy some clothes for my mother.”

 

“Yes, I heard the message you sent. I understand it’s difficult to take her measurements due to certain circumstances.”

 

“That’s right. So, I’ll buy clothes in a variety of sizes.”

 

“That would cost quite a bit, wouldn’t it?” The boutique owner slapped his own mouth as if he had made a mistake. “Oh dear! I completely forgot how foolish it is to worry about Lady Epirosa’s wallet. You’re wealthier than the grand duke now.”

 

“No, that’s an exaggeration,” I replied modestly.

 

Ordering a dress for my mother was just an excuse to call him over. But since I had decided to go through with it, I figured I might as well spend lavishly for my mother. As I placed a generous order for my mother’s dresses, the boutique owner’s face lit up as if his smile might split his cheeks.

 

“With such a large order, I can’t let you leave empty-handed.” He opened a box he had prepared in advance. Inside were various accessories. “I’ll give one to you as a gift. Ah, of course, I’ll bring you something separately when I deliver the clothes you ordered.”

 

I stared at the dazzling accessories, so bright they almost hurt my eyes. They all looked so beautiful and expensive, but none of them piqued my interest. Just as I was about to decline, something caught my eye. A simple silver brooch. For some reason, I felt an intense pull toward it. “I’ll take this one.”

 

The boutique owner looked troubled. “I’m sorry, but this one is for men. It wouldn’t suit you, Lady. How about something more extravagant instead?”

 

“No, I’ll take this one. I like this.” I didn’t want anything else. Only that silver brooch caught my eye.

 

“If you insist…”

 

The boutique owner handed me the silver brooch. As soon as I held the silver brooch in my hand, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction washed over me. Smiling, I clenched the brooch tightly in my hand.

 

* * *

That night, I returned to my room late again. Whenever I came back this late, Mom would always complain. Even though she often checked on me while I was working. As soon as I opened the door today, I heard Mom’s voice.

 

“Why are you so late?”

 

But one thing was different from usual.

 

“How can a child be out so late? You should come home early and get some rest.”

 

Her voice wasn’t filled with complaints this time. It was filled with worry.

 

“Mom…?” I froze in shock.

 

A gentle smile graced her face as she looked at me, and behind her, someone stepped forward.

 

“It seems to your mother, you’re still just a baby.” It was Ludwig.

 

Only then did I notice the unicorn egg cradled carefully in my mother’s hands. The divine beast’s egg is helping with Mom’s condition again!

 

“Mom!”

 

Unable to suppress the smile spreading across my lips, I ran toward her, completely forgetting to greet Ludwig. It was only after I grabbed my mother’s hand that I realized my mistake.

 

“Your Highness, please forgive me for forgetting my manners.”

 

“If you forgive me for entering without notice.” Ludwig’s lips curved into a faint smile. His tone was playful.

 

Just as I was about to smile back without thinking, my mother stepped between us. “Epirosa, you mustn’t smile so easily at a man.” With her hands on her hips, Mom spoke firmly, so much so that even Ludwig, standing behind her, looked taken aback.

 

“Madam, I was just—”

 

“I did the same, and that’s how I ended up with your dad…”

 

Ludwig was trying to explain, but Mom kept talking as if she didn’t hear him. Then, her eyes suddenly went blank.

 

Is her condition getting worse again? I started to panic. “Mom? What about Dad? What are you saying?”

 

“Sleepy…” Rubbing her eyes, Mom plopped down onto the sofa. She even set the unicorn egg down on the table.

 

She’s back again.

 

Mom closed her eyes as if she were exhausted. My shoulders slumped.

 

“Lady Epirosa.”

 

Ludwig called out to me as I stared blankly at Mom. When I looked up, he gave a small chuckle.

 

“Your face is full of disappointment.” He picked up the egg from the table and spoke. “But she was in a good state for quite a while.” His words snapped me out of it.

 

That’s right. There’s no reason to be disappointed. Mom’s been staying in a good state for longer and longer. Mom is definitely getting better. And it’s all thanks to the egg Ludwig brought.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” I offered my belated gratitude.

 

Ludwig shrugged his shoulders in response. “You know I didn’t do it just to hear your gratitude.” Then, he placed the egg on the back of my hand.

 

At that moment, I felt a faint heartbeat coming from the egg. The egg, which had been cold and unresponsive like a mere white stone, now pulsed gently. Startled, my shoulders flinched. Ludwig, seeing my reaction, broke into a wide smile.

 

“It’s not just your mother who’s getting better.”

 

“Even the unicorn’s egg is starting to show signs of hatching, isn’t it?”

 

“Exactly. Could it be that your mother and this egg are resonating with each other?” Ludwig placed the egg in my hands, then carefully lifted my mother and laid her down on the bed.

 

“Ppi?”

 

Ppinix, who had been dozing off in the corner, opened its eyes at the movement. Lately, it had been sleeping constantly, as if in hibernation, but it quickly hopped over to my mother’s side, settled down, and dozed off again.

 

Ludwig meticulously tucked the blanket around my mother before returning to me. “If you’d come just a little earlier, you would have seen it. How warmly your mother treated me. It felt as if I had become her son.”

 

“Did Mom really do that?” I asked in a trembling voice.

 

Mom had been sick ever since I was little. Because of that, I never got to experience her warm care. If Mom hadn’t been cursed, would she have raised me with the kindness she just showed? The thought made my chest tighten. Without realizing it, I bit my lip.

 

“Oh dear.” Ludwig took a step closer to me. “I said it to make you smile, and yet you make a face like you want to cry.”

 

At his words, I quickly turned my head away. I felt embarrassed that he had caught me feeling this way. But Ludwig, persistent as ever, turned my head back to meet his gaze.

 

“I’m usually the type to ignore other people’s sorrow, pain, or despair.”

 

“…”

 

“But for some reason, I don’t feel like doing that today.”