Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 109

I lifted my eyes to look at Ludwig. As I did, a single tear that had been precariously hanging in my eye finally fell. But that tear never made it down my cheek. Because Ludwig’s hand had wiped it away.

 

“How could I pretend not to notice? I have to tease you about this forever.” He spoke with a mischievous expression.

 

I was horrified. “What did you just say?” My tears that had been welling up instantly disappeared. “Honestly, Your Highness…”

 

“That I have a terrible sense of humor? Yeah, I know.” Ludwig grinned slyly and stepped back. His silver hair swayed above his captivating crimson eyes. The moonlight streaming through the window danced on his silver locks.

 

At that moment, I realized something. The reason why I had chosen the silver brooch. Without even thinking, I pulled the silver brooch out of my pocket. The shimmering silver color resembled Ludwig’s hair so much.

 

“Lady.”

 

At that moment, Ludwig’s voice called out to me. I flinched and looked up. Ludwig’s gaze was fixed on the silver brooch.

 

“…!”

 

“And what is this red mark?”

 

No, his eyes weren’t on the brooch itself, but on my wrist holding the brooch. Only then did I realize that my wrist was swollen and red. It was the mark left when Gale grabbed my wrist and shook it roughly. It was hidden under my sleeve, so I didn’t notice. But when I took out the brooch, my sleeve slid up, and it seemed Ludwig saw it.

 

“Someone grabbed you hard enough to leave that mark, didn’t they?” Ludwig spoke as if the brooch, which matched the color of his hair, didn’t even exist. His eyes were cold, but his voice was urgent. “Who did this?” He looked like he was ready to punish the culprit the moment he found out.

 

That’s a dangerous expression. I couldn’t let him get involved in punishing Gale. That was something I had to handle myself from start to finish.

 

“Don’t even try to say you got hurt from falling or bumping into something. No matter how you look at it, it’s clearly the mark of someone grabbing you.” Ludwig spoke quietly as I was trying to come up with an excuse.

 

Damn it. He caught on. Deceiving this man was never easy.

 

“You’ll find out tomorrow.”

 

The boutique owner would spread the word throughout the capital, after all. But it seemed that wasn’t enough to satisfy Ludwig.

 

“Couldn’t you have told me in advance?”

 

I looked up at him blankly. “That would be difficult. But instead…”

 

“Instead?”

 

“I’ll invite you to the new opera that’s about to premiere at the Blanche Theatre.”

 

“An invitation to the opera?” Ludwig furrowed his brows.

 

“It’s the first time I’m inviting someone to that opera.”

 

But he still seemed dissatisfied. “So you’re saying I should accept this and give up on knowing about the wound on your wrist in advance.” He was quick to catch on.

 

Is this why he manages to hold onto the crown prince position despite all the opposition? I hesitated, then thought whatever and held out the brooch. “I’ll give you this as a gift too.”

 

“A gift? All of a sudden?” He stared at me intently, as if trying to figure out my intentions. And then he said something absurd. “Are you confessing to me?”

 

“What?” I glared at him, dumbfounded. “I bought a bunch of clothes today, and the boutique owner gave this to me as a gift.”

 

“So you’re giving the leftovers to the crown prince as hush money?” Ludwig’s eyes narrowed.

 

No matter how I explained it, he always found something to nitpick.

 

“That’s not it! I picked it out on purpose. This silver color reminded me of Your Highness’s h—!” I stopped mid-sentence. Though I said it wasn’t a confession, it sounded exactly like one. I could feel my face heating up. “Ah, I just…” Flustered, I trailed off, but Ludwig took the brooch from me.

 

“If you insist that much, I’ll accept it.” It was his usual teasing tone, but there was something almost entranced about the way he spoke.

 

* * *

Ludwig leaped effortlessly out of the window. A knight in a silver helmet, hidden in the shadows, raised his head. Today, Ibe neither secretly followed Ludwig nor attempted to attack him. Because he was the crown prince and not someone dangerous to Leonoe. However, the knight still hadn’t let his guard down. The knight kept his stance ready to attack at any moment, staring at Ludwig. But Ludwig, on the other hand, walked past as if the knight wasn’t even there.

 

“…?”

 

That guy had been so cautious when entering. When Leonoe opened the window and waved at him, he even had that annoying look on his face like, ‘I get it now.’ So why was he suddenly acting like this?

 

Ibe stared at Ludwig’s back with a baffled expression. But right now, Ludwig didn’t have the time to deal with Ibe.

 

“That’s not it! I picked it out on purpose. This silver color reminded me of Your Highness’s h—!”

 

Ludwig muttered as he looked down at the brooch in his hand. “So that means she thinks of me even in her daily life, right?” The corners of his mouth rose upward beyond his own control.

 

* * *

The boutique owner did not disappoint my expectations. As expected, the news spread faster than a fly could land. Thanks to that, the story of Gale attacking me spread across the entire capital in no time.

 

“Count Gale, I knew he was cold-hearted, but I never imagined he’d torment his niece like that behind the scenes.”

 

“They say he blames Lady Epirosa for his wife being sent to the Tower of Condemned. But if you think about it, wasn’t it Count Gale who abandoned his wife?”

 

“I was surprised when the grand duke suddenly decided to send his son to Hepas, but now it all makes sense.”

 

As public opinion turned sour, Hubert hastened to send Gale off to Hepas.

 

* * *

“W-What? You’re telling me to go to Hepas right now?” Gale asked again, his face showing disbelief.

 

“Yes, that’s correct. Please move quickly.” The burly servant standing in front of Gale replied firmly. Behind him stood more than ten other servants, all handpicked by Hubert for this task.

 

“But wasn’t today just the day for the luggage to be sent ahead?”

 

“His Excellency has changed the schedule. He has ordered you to go to Hepas today along with the luggage.”

 

Gale couldn’t wrap his head around it. I’m really being sent to Hepas? The thought that he, who could have been the heir to the Blanche family, was being exiled to such a place was beyond comprehension. The castle of Hepas was narrow and old, likely even more miserable than the room in the servant quarters he was staying in now. How could someone like me, Gale Blanche, live in such a pathetic place!

 

Gale collapsed onto the floor with a thud. He thought he still had time. He had planned to somehow sort things out before heading to Hepas. But to suddenly send me off to Hepas like this! His father had deliberately blindsided him. So I wouldn’t be able to respond!

 

Gale’s entire body trembled with rage. How could he be so cruel to me! His desperate pleas for just one more chance had been in vain. Even when he went to Hubert’s office, he was turned away at the door, not even granted an audience. Is Epirosa the only one who counts as family, and I’m not even considered his child?

 

“Damn it!” Gale clutched his head and let out a furious scream. The frustration was driving him insane. Even the clothes he was wearing felt like they were suffocating him.

 

“Please hurry. The carriage to Hepas is waiting outside,” the servant said.

 

Gale snapped and shouted at him.

 

“I won’t go! I won’t move a single step from here!” He had to hold out no matter what. If he got kicked out by Hepas, it would be over.

 

The servants surrounded Gale, who was standing his ground.

 

“W-What are you doing?”

 

“His Excellency has ordered us to get Count into the carriage by any means necessary.” One of the servants spoke with a determined expression.

 

Are they planning to drag me out? Now that he thought about it, all the servants who had come were quite large. They could easily drag out a grown man like him.

 

No way! If I get in that carriage, it’s all over! Overwhelmed by fear, Gale lost his composure. “No!!” He shoved the servants aside and bolted.

 

“Count!” The servants urgently chased after him from behind.

 

Gale gritted his teeth and ran like a madman. In his frantic escape, he didn’t even notice how strangely nothing seemed to block his path. Even the grand gates of the Blanche Mansion opened easily before him.

 

“Count! Please stop!”

 

But the same was true for the servants chasing him.

 

“Gasp, gasp… No. I can’t get caught!” Gale, drenched in sweat, frantically looked around. He needed to find a place to hide.

 

Just then, a black carriage screeched to a halt in front of Gale, and the door swung open.