Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 91

Eyes as red as Hubert’s glinted sharply. At that moment, the moon, hidden behind dark clouds, peeked out. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the silhouette of the one pressing down on Gale’s neck. Tall stature, long flowing red hair, lean but straight shoulders. And a beautiful face filled with murderous intent.

 

Gale groaned. “Le… keugh, onoe…”

 

How, how could Leonoe be here?! The person who was supposed to be locked away in the temple sanctuary! Could it be a ghost?!

 

As Gale turned pale, Leonoe smirked, curling her lips upward.

 

“Uh, keugh, uaaack!” Terrified, Gale mustered all his strength and shoved Leonoe away.

 

Leonoe chuckled softly and loosened her grip. Without looking back, Gale bolted out of the room in a panic. Thud! At that moment, someone grabbed Gale’s sleeve as he tried to escape.

 

“Uh, ugh! Let, let go of me!” Gale twisted his body desperately. With a ripping sound, the grip on him was released. “Who, who now…!” He frantically looked around.

 

“Lady Epirosa is under attack! Help!” Britlyn’s scream echoed from Epirosa’s room, leaving no time for hesitation.

 

Gale scrambled away in a panic.

 

* * *

Under the blue moonlight, Leonoe slowly approached the bed. Her face, now devoid of any expression, was chilling. She reached out her thin hand and gently stroked Epirosa’s cheek, who appeared to be asleep.

 

“Sleepyhead, it’s time to wake up.” Her tender voice resonated softly. And in the next moment, Leonoe collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.

 

“Ppi!”

 

From Leonoe’s arms, Ppinix struggled to crawl out. Ppinix looked at Leonoe. Her face, as she leaned against the bed, was blank.

 

“Piiii…!”

 

Ppinix let out a wheezing sigh. It had overexerted itself to save Epirosa. Using all its strength, it managed to briefly bring Leonoe’s consciousness back. Of course, it was only possible because Leonoe had been recovering in the sanctuary and had shown significant improvement.

 

“Ppi…”

 

But if it strained itself like this again, this small body might break.

 

The poisonous curse consuming Leonoe was too strong. It had yet to fulfill the command given by the phoenix. If it died now, that would be disastrous. Besides, it was scared of dying. Ppinix realized that if it wanted to survive, it needed to rest for a long time. But there was one more thing it had to do before resting.

 

Ppinix waddled over to the unconscious Britlyn. Then, with its beak, it lightly pecked the pressure point that Gale had pressed earlier.

 

“Uh, umm…”

 

When Britlyn groaned, Ppinix quickly scurried to a corner and hid. Soon, Britlyn sat up. The room’s chaotic state came into her view. Epirosa’s disheveled clothes and bedding. A pillow on the floor. The collapsed Leonoe. And herself, who had been knocked out by someone’s attack. Understanding the situation, Britlyn immediately screamed.

 

“Lady Epirosa is under attack! Help!”

 

At Britlyn’s cry, lights began to flicker on one by one in the darkened grand duke’s mansion.

 

“What do you mean Epirosa was attacked? What happened?” The first to arrive was Hubert. He had run so urgently that he was still in his sleeping attire.

 

Shortly after, Benjamin entered the room as well.

 

“Your Excellency! Someone knocked me out and tried to harm the young lady!”

 

“What?”

 

“Even Madam Leonoe seems to have been attacked!”

 

Hubert hurriedly ran to Epirosa and Leonoe. Leonoe was sitting on the floor with a dazed expression. When Hubert approached, she rolled her eyes to look at him, but that was all.

 

Leonoe…! Seeing his daughter looking like a lifeless doll, Hubert felt a surge of emotion but also let out a sigh of relief. At least she’s not hurt.

 

The problem was Epirosa. As Hubert scanned the surroundings, his face turned pale. They tried to suffocate Epirosa with a pillow! Who would dare do such a thing? It had to be someone either bold or incredibly foolish. Thankfully, her breathing is stable. It was an immense relief.

 

“Your Excellency, I’ll bring the doctor immediately.” Benjamin moved swiftly.

 

But why did the person who tried to attack Epirosa run away? Hubert was puzzled. Britlyn had fainted, and Leonoe wasn’t in a normal state, so there shouldn’t have been anyone to respond.

 

“Britlyn, did you see the face of the one who knocked you out?”

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see it.”

 

“Do you at least know if it was a man or a woman?”

 

Britlyn closed her eyes, recalling the presence she had felt behind her. “It was definitely—”

 

“Grandfather! What on earth happened here?” Someone burst in, cutting off Britlyn’s words. It was Stella. She looked surprised, but in truth, she had witnessed everything. Knowing that Gale would act today, she had hidden nearby just in case.

 

Damn it, Father messed everything up!

 

But Gale had failed. Stella appeared to clean up the situation in place of the fleeing Gale.

 

“Britlyn, what were you doing while Epirosa was being attacked!” Stella deliberately scolded Britlyn harshly.

 

At this moment, Britlyn had no excuse.

 

“I’m sorry. Someone knocked me out…”

 

“Knocked you out? So you’re saying you don’t know who attacked Epirosa, or even what happened?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“And you still call yourself Epirosa’s maid?” Stella shouted sharply.

 

Britlyn had no words to defend herself and just hung her head low. Stella, who was about to scold her further, noticed Leonoe sitting blankly. A sly smile spread across her face.

 

“Britlyn, you’re not lying to cover up your mistake, are you?”

 

“What? Lying? What do you mean?”

 

“Are you saying you dozed off, missed the incident, and then staged a break-in to cover it up?”

 

“No! Absolutely not! Why would I lie about something like that?” Britlyn asked back, flustered.

 

Stella approached Hubert with a triumphant look on her face. Hubert frowned as he looked at his approaching granddaughter.

 

“What do you mean by that? Britlyn staged the whole thing?”

 

“Grandfather, think about it. Who would dare sneak into this room and harm Epirosa? Unless they were out of their mind.”

 

“Out of their mind?”

 

Stella’s gaze landed on Leonoe, who was still sitting blankly. “While Britlyn was dozing off, Aunt Leonoe must have caused the incident. And Britlyn, trying to cover up her mistake, staged the whole thing.”

 

“…”

 

“Otherwise, this situation doesn’t make any sense.”

 

Hubert stared coldly at Stella. “Do you really think that?”

 

“Yes. The only evidence of an intruder is Britlyn’s testimony.”

 

Hubert looked down at Leonoe with an icy gaze. Stella cheered inwardly. If he thought otherwise, he would have scolded me right away, but he’s just listening. Grandfather is suspicious of that woman too! She could pin her father’s mistake on Leonoe! Stella was thrilled at the thought.

 

“Mom… Mommm…” A faint groan was heard. It was Epirosa’s voice.

 

“Epi—!”

 

Hubert, startled, was about to call out his grandchild’s name, but stopped. Leonoe, who had somehow risen to her feet, was holding the hand of the groaning Epirosa.

 

“My daughter…” Her words were mumbled and unclear, but they were unmistakable. Leonoe was calling out to Epirosa with a voice full of affection.

 

That Leonoe attacked Epirosa? He had never believed Stella’s claim to begin with, but now Hubert was certain.

 

It was then. As if responding to Leonoe’s call, Epirosa’s heavy eyelids slowly opened.

 

“!”

 

Both Hubert and Stella were shocked. However, Epirosa, who had just opened her eyes, seemed to focus her gaze on only one person. Only on Leonoe.

 

“Is this a dream…?” Epirosa smiled faintly. “Mom in my room…” She reached out and pulled Leonoe close.

 

Leonoe was enveloped in her daughter’s small embrace.

 

“Don’t go anywhere, even in my dreams, Mom… Stay with me…” Epirosa murmured with a blissful expression and sniffled.

 

Watching this, Hubert felt his eyes well up. Before he could even feel the joy of Epirosa waking up, memories of the past surged in like waves of regret.

 

“Epirosa.”

 

At Hubert’s call, Epirosa finally noticed her grandfather. “Grandpa? Grandpa is in my dream too?” Epirosa smiled brightly. It was a face she didn’t usually show.

 

Hubert held back the lump in his throat and spoke. “It’s not a dream.”

 

At those words, Epirosa’s face stiffened. Not a dream? Does that mean Mom in my arms is real too…? Epirosa, feeling uneasy, tightened her grip around her mother. Her face was filled with fear, as if someone might take her away.

 

Hubert forced a smile. His eyes reddened. “From now on, you will live together with your mom.”