I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 124
Charles blinked his large eyes. He stared intently at the empty medicine bottle before turning his gaze towards his mother. His eyes filled with a look of expectation.
Feeling the weight of his earnest gaze, Mirabel gave an awkward smile.
“What’s wrong, Charles?”
“Charles finished the medicine!”
Charles declared proudly. Despite being cooped up in bed for a week, he showed no signs of frustration.
“Yes, you finished it.”
Mirabel set aside the empty bottle and checked Charles’ forehead. Fortunately, his condition seemed to be returning to normal, likely due to his consistent medication. Charles lay still while Mirabel took his temperature, but he wriggled restlessly.
“Mommy, Charles better now?”
“Yes.”
“Then, Charles meet Uncle Wolf now?”
“Hmm…”
Mirabel hesitated, looking uncomfortable. She had promised Charles that if he took all his medicine, he could meet Uncle Wolf, a promise she had made lightly. It seemed Charles had taken it very seriously.
Seeing Mirabel hesitate, Charles grabbed her with his chubby little hands and spoke earnestly.
“Uncle Wolf didn’t take Charles away. He hug Charles so Charles wasn’t in pain. Uncle Wolf good person.”
“Yes.”
Mirabel listened to Charles with a troubled expression. It was clear that despite her warnings to keep him away from Ricardo, Charles remembered everything.
Although Charles should be scared of Ricardo, he was fervently defending him. Despite their brief encounters, it seemed Charles had developed a strong affection for him.
“Charles took all the medicine…”
Mirabel sighed at Charles’ plea. It was clear that delaying their meeting any longer wasn’t feasible.
‘Still, it can’t be just the two of them.’
In reality, Mirabel had half-given up on the idea of having Charles and Ricardo meet.
Given Charles’ wishes and the impracticality of preventing them from encountering each other while they were in the same space, it seemed better to let them meet rather than frustrate Charles further.
But Mirabel needed to be careful not to let Charles become too attached to Ricardo.
That’s why she had warned Ricardo as well.
Mirabel looked at Sophie, who was sitting on the sofa beside the bed, sewing. When their eyes met, Sophie quickly turned away. She was aware of Mirabel’s displeasure with the Grand Duke and was always on edge whenever Charles mentioned Uncle Wolf.
Mirabel turned her gaze from Sophie and smoothed Charles’ hair. She looked at him for a moment, then made a firm decision and spoke up.
“How about we go to the greenhouse with Uncle Wolf? We’ll all go together, with Mom and Aunt Sophie.”
“Luce too!”
“Yes, Luce too.”
Charles beamed at Mirabel’s response. His face lit up with joy as he hugged Mirabel tightly.
“Yay!”
Mirabel hugged the delighted Charles back and asked Sophie to invite Ricardo to the greenhouse. Sophie jumped up immediately, as if she had been waiting for this.
Charles eagerly tugged at Mirabel’s hand, urging her to go to the greenhouse. Mirabel, with no other option, headed towards the greenhouse with him.
“Excited, excited!”
Seeing Charles’ bright smile made Mirabel force a smile of her own. Even though she was feeling down, Charles’ happiness usually lifted her spirits.
But not today. The more Charles was happy, the heavier her own heart felt.
* * *
Charles’ hands were covered in dirt like autumn leaves. Wearing overalls, he sat on the greenhouse garden floor, playing with the soil.
Mirabel kept her gaze on Charles while checking the condition of the lily bulbs. Thanks to her consistent care, the bulbs had thankfully survived the harsh winter in Renato.
She gave Charles one of the bulbs, as he played with the soil and gently explained.
“Like this, pat the soil gently. That’s right, like that.”
“Pat, pat.”
Charles patted the soil in the pot where the bulb was planted, following Mirabel’s instructions. Though his weak grip made little difference to the soil, he was earnest in his efforts.
Mirabel watered the bulbs and encouraged Charles.
“That’s right. Pat, pat. You’re doing great.”
“Charles doing great!”
Charles, praised for his efforts, beamed and patted the soil with both hands. Mirabel gently wiped the dirt off his cheeks and said,
“You need to hold Luce’s hand while walking around so you don’t fall again. Okay?”
“Mm!”
Charles responded enthusiastically, grabbing Luce’s hand tightly. Luce, who had been helping Mirabel remove a few bulbs from the pot, smiled brightly.
“Hehe, Prince Charles, just trust Luce!”
“Mm! Trust Luce!”
Charles shouted his affirmation and nodded vigorously. After being cooped up in bed for so long, he seemed thrilled to be outside.
“Like this, like this, Luce!”
Charles scooped up some of the moist garden soil with his small hands and sprinkled it over the pot. Luce, listening to Charles’ explanation, tilted her head and asked,
“But why are you sprinkling water on the pot? The bulbs need to stay dry.”
“Oh! That’s, that’s… Mommy knows!”
Charles, initially flustered, soon stood tall and spoke confidently. Mirabel couldn’t help but laugh at his response.
She had been feeling anxious about the upcoming meeting with Ricardo, but Charles’ presence made her smile.
“The lily bulbs from Segolinde shouldn’t be stored in a dry place. They need to be kept well-hydrated.”
“Ah.”
Luce finally understood and smiled brightly. Mirabel’s smile, which had been shared with Luce, slowly faded.
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