Chapter 457
Chapter 457. A Bedtime Story (2)
Translator: Aura / Editor: Tiny Zebra
A large ship docked in one of the ports of Blue Bohean. There was no flag indicating the ship’s affiliation.
A total of twelve people disembarked from the large ship. They quickly dispersed, and one of them walked through the empty back streets for a while before boarding a carriage. The man asked the coachman to make a brief stop at one of the busy markets.
After visiting a few stores, the man returned to the carriage. This time, he was headed to a faraway destination.
The carriage only stopped deep in the Claudia Duchy.
“Here we are, Your Grace.”
It was Duke Elgy who climbed out of the carriage. After the butler greeted him solemnly, Elgy entered the mansion. He carried a small briefcase in his hand, but left his luggage for the butler to take inside.
The interior of the mansion was bright and decorated in light cream and purple hues. The atmosphere was idyllic, as if pleasant music was about to play at any moment.
Despite the large size of the mansion, few people resided there. It was more like a majestic dollhouse than a comfortable residence.
Duke Elgy paused in the foyer and looked around pensively. The butler, who had followed him, asked,
“Would you like to see the Grand Duke?”
“No.”
Duke Elgy answered curtly and ordered the butler to take his suitcase to his room. He turned to leave, but after a few steps he stopped dead in his tracks.
A voice called to him cheerfully.
“My son!”
Elgy turned around and looked up with a frown. On the second floor balustrade, a svelte woman stood with a broad smile.
Elgy’s face hardened like a stone when he saw the woman, whose face was partially veiled by her hair.
“When did you arrive, my dear son?”
The woman descended the stairs with soft steps like a butterfly and stood in front of Duke Elgy.
With her elegant dress and straight posture, she looked like a distinguished noblewoman. Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Duke Elgy.
“The recent months have been hard for me because I’ve missed you so much, my son. You should’ve at least written to me.”
The woman smiled and took Duke Elgy’s arm, but he quickly shook her off.
“My son… are you still displeased with your mother?”
The woman asked with a pitiful look, but Duke Elgy turned to leave.
This time, he was stopped by the angry voice of a man.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
His father shouted from the stairs.
“You must answer when spoken to.”
At the sight of his father, Duke Elgy’s eyes became much colder. Even more so than when he saw the woman moments before.
His son’s expression of intense displeasure, as if he had seen a most despicable and unclean person, caused Grand Duke Claudia’s face to darken.
Elgy didn’t speak at all, he just turned and walked through the arched doorway to the back of the mansion.
“Elgy.”
Although too late, Grand Duke Claudia sternly called after his son.
The woman covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
“Darling, will Elgy never forgive me?”
Her sobs echoed in the foyer with genuine sadness.
The butler and Grand Duke Claudia looked at her with troubled expressions.
***
The door led to a garden, covered partially by a roof.
The vines, which in summer dyed the roof purple with grapes, were now just twisted dry branches. The apple trees scattered around the backyard were full of delicious red apples, but Duke Elgy didn’t even glance at them as he walked.
When he reached the far side of the garden, the path became a narrow trail that slowly disappeared among the trees.
Duke Elgy lifted the branches that stood in his way and followed this trail.
He walked like this for a while, until a cottage came into view. It was quite small compared to the main building, but it was cozy.
In the clearing between the path and the cottage, there was a small vegetable garden and, beside it, a woman.
She was immobile in a wheelchair, so it was difficult to discern whether the woman was a person or a corpse.
She must have heard Elgy coming through the bushes, but she didn’t even turn her head.
“Mother.”
Duke Elgy called her hoarsely. Only then did the woman turn her head.
When the woman saw him, the light instantly returned to her lifeless face.
The moment she reached out her hand, Elgy dropped his briefcase, rushed over to her, knelt and took her hand. He rested his cheek on the back of her bony hand.
“I’m home, mother.”
His warm murmur was completely different from his cold tone before.
The leaves on the trees around them fluttered in the breeze.
Duke Elgy lifted his head and took off his coat. Then he stood up and placed it on the woman’s shoulders.
“Isn’t it cold? Shall we go inside?”
When the woman shook her head and said she wished to stay outside longer, Elgy picked up his briefcase and pulled out a long scarf from inside.
As soon as he wrapped it around the woman’s neck, she smiled and grabbed Elgy’s hand.
“Are you warm enough, Mother?”
The woman nodded. Elgy slowly pushed the wheelchair so she could take a closer look at her vegetable garden.
She began to hum a song, but after two turns around the garden she broke into a violent fit of coughing.
Her cough sounded so painful that he worried she might spit up blood if it continued.
Elgy rushed inside with the woman in his arms and laid her on the bed. He propped the pillows against the headboard and helped her sit up.
Fortunately, the inside of the cottage was warm because the fireplace was lit.
Then he boiled some water, made an herbal tea, and took it to her. After she drank, he carefully helped her lay down and wrapped her in a thick blanket.
Once he was sure she was comfortable, Elgy pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down.
“I heard an amusing story on the way here, mother. Do you want to hear it? It’s about a man who betrayed his vows with the naive woman who loved him. Again.”
The woman closed her eyes weakly.
“Of course, the man was punished along with the despicable woman he took as his mistress.. And… that’s not the end of the story yet. Would you like to hear it?”
A slight smile flashed across the woman’s lips and she nodded with her eyes closed.