The Flower Dances and the Wind Sings

7.

Soon after the story, Harsen prepared to leave for the palace.

“I won’t come home tonight, so feel free to go to bed first.”

It looks like he was going to stay up all night at the palace and he only stopped by to talk about Vicente.

They agreed that Ercella would decide Vicente’s education. Ercella was so elated that she ran and gave him a blanket and some snacks on the way, but he chafed.

He said, “Why would I need a blanket there?”

When Ercella smiled and stubbornly handed it to him because it was chilly at night, he reluctantly handed a blanket to his attendants and got on the carriage.

After sending Harsen, Ercella returned to her room and thought about before. Harsen doesn’t tell her his childhood stories. When asked, he would change the subject of the conversation, saying that there was nothing much.

One thing that could be inferred was that he wouldn’t have grown up normally. The former Duke of Bernhardt was also a strict person.

Ercella recalled how the former Duke of Bernhardt looked like. However, he died shortly after Ercella’s marriage, so it was hard to remember his exact face.

“He was scary.”

“Yes? Who do you mean, Madam?”

To say it in a word, he had a sharp image. Even though he is quite old, his overwhelming presence made Ercella shiver when she first came to this house. Lianne was still watching her, so she answered.

“I mean his father.”

“Oh, do you mean the former Duke?”

“Yes.”

“He was definitely different from the Marquis. But why are you suddenly thinking about that?”

But the Marquis was also strict.

As Lianne muttered, Ercella continued, “He was.”

“It’s just, sometimes, I wonder how my husband lived.”

“Um, why don’t you just assume that he lived like the Young Master?”

The current Vicente.

She contemplated.

“Really? Then he too… Did he also live like Vicente?”

“It’s definitely not a normal thing. Marquis Caron was an heir too but he often attended banquets.”

Caron was not a knight but a man of words, so it was important to secure connections here and there.

It was based on political calculations, but there is no need to explain that to Lianne. The aristocratic society is too complicated. Maybe Lianne wasn’t interested in the topic, she soon changed the subject.

“But did it work out with the Lord? Wasn’t the master angry?”

“Don’t worry. We decided that Vicente’s education is up to me. Of course he wasn’t angry.”

In fact, she was the one who lost her temper a bit but Ercella smiled reassuringly. Lianne’s face brightened up.

“That’s great! I was so scared that Madam and the Lord would fight!”

“Me and Harsen? We don’t fight often, do we?”

“That’s because the master always gives in.”

“What do you mean?”

Ercella pouted her lips. She remembered Harsen’s eyes that looked at her earlier.

I’m your wife. How can you treat me like a child?

There wasn’t even much of an age difference. She’s only three years younger. Lianne said without caring whether Ercela is sulking or not.

“It’s true that the Lord is generous to Madam. I mean who else caters to their wife’s tastes? Especially your taste for greasy breakfast.”

“Isn’t he giving up too easily?”

“Um… because the opponent is-”

“You’ve said enough, Lianne.”

Ercella cut her off because she had a rough idea of what Lianne meant. She meant that’s how absurd she is. Ercella glared at Lianne but she was already immune to it.

“More than that, Madam, what happened earlier? The Young Master’s face looked so serious. I went to Madam to know what happened but you were crying… Did the conversation go wrong?”

Only then did she remember the day she had forgotten for a while. Ercella’s face darkened.

What happened? Something huge happened . She thoughtlessly made an absurd remark that he doesn’t have to be a knight when he’s the heir to a family of knights.

“It’s difficult. It’s not going as I thought it would.”

At first, I thought I just had to be nice to him. Even if I get rejected a few times, I’ll still treat him kindly.

She was delusional. It was her arrogance that she could not understand the depth of the wounds of a child who had been shunned since childhood.

So, what should I do? Can I really solve this problem just by being nice? This is hard. This is too hard.

She wanted to know what Vicente wanted. That’s when Ercella realized something.

How could I have lived so selfishly?

“What happened?”

Ercella briefly talked about what happened in the garden. The story ended soon because of how short their interactions were. Lianne’s expression became increasingly ambiguous while listening to her. Lianne was a little perplexed and furrowed her eyebrows.

“I understand that you mean the best for the Young Master….”

“It’s weird for a child to just live to become a knight, right?”

“… I don’t think he took it well because you two hadn’t been interacting for a while.”

As expected. I’m speaking softly, but even Lianne was embarrassed when she heard it.

She didn’t think of how the other party would receive her words.

“You’re right, Lianne.”

“I guess, he’s sullen again.”

“…….”

Her shoulders drooped. Strangely, Lianne didn’t see it as a bad thing. She seemed to have just taken the first step towards becoming a parent.

It’s like a person who is clumsy at first but with time grows and learns from his mistakes.

Ercella was clumsy and foolish as a mother. However, it was better to see her trying than to live like she had no son. Lianne smiled secretly with joy.

“Let me give you a piece of advice, Madam. Its entirely up to you if you want to change your relationship from before. You have to work hard until the Young Master forgives you. And you need to know this. No one will criticise you for shrugging off your pride for your son. No matter how cold the relationship may have been, the fact that Madam is Young Master’s mother does not change. Blood ties are stronger than you think. Madam may know this better than I do. I’m sure you will be a loving mother. You just have to try hard.”

It was advice, but they were also comforting words. Ercella was encouraged at the same time. Her sullen mood finally got better.

Yes, it’s too early to give up. Let’s bump into each other often. You promised to be a loving mother.

Ercella strengthened her will.