I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 137
Even though he didn’t dislike children, he had desperately tried to avoid Armilla’s pregnancy.
Ricardo had said it was a mistake due to his ignorance of love. But Mirabel couldn’t accept that.
If he truly thought it wasn’t love, he would have acted indifferently.
Ricardo’s actions towards Armilla were calculated and thus malicious.
Mirabel could understand why Ricardo hadn’t given Armilla the status of Grand Duchess; it would have been difficult to present a woman of uncertain background as the Empire’s Grand Duchess. Moreover, their marriage was essentially a transaction.
But Mirabel could never understand why Ricardo had acted so violently towards Armilla, taking birth control pills behind her back and trying to get rid of the child.
Is it really necessary to go that far just because you don’t want a child?
‘Why did he go to such lengths?’
Until now, Mirabel had never questioned the reasons behind Ricardo’s actions.
She had always thought he was a cruel and merciless man by nature, treating Armilla with the same callousness he showed towards others.
But seeing how he treated Mirabel and Charles had sparked doubts within her.
The current Ricardo was completely different from before. He seemed to deeply regret and atone for his past actions.
If that’s the case, it means he knew those actions were wrong.
Then why did he act that way in the past despite knowing it was wrong?
Mirabel furrowed her brow as she recalled the humiliating experience with Ricardo and the strange things he had said.
‘A woman with a husband who meets another man and has evidence of her infidelity…’
Ricardo had said this with a shudder, as if he had experienced it himself.
But it couldn’t be his experience. Armilla was the only woman he had.
At the time, she had been too overwhelmed and preoccupied to question him, but now she wondered,
‘Why did he say that?’
Mirabel was so lost in thought that she almost forgot about the shaking of the carriage.
Even though it was all in the past, once doubts began to creep in, it was hard to escape them.
“…, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
Mirabel, startled by the sound of Ricardo’s voice in her mind, turned to see Sophie, who had gently smiled and asked,
“The Grand Duke asked if we could take a short break. What should we do, Your Highness?”
Mirabel looked down at Charles, who was sleeping soundly and unmoving.
“If he sleeps too long now, he might have trouble sleeping tonight. Let’s wake him up a bit.”
“Yes, understood.”
At Mirabel’s answer, Sophie knocked twice on the carriage door. The carriage began to slow to a stop. As soon as it came to a complete halt, Mirabel gently woke Charles and whispered,
“Charles, are you hungry? How about lunch?”
“Uung…”
The child snuggled closer to Mirabel. She was still half-asleep after not sleeping well last night.
“Uunngg.”
Charles, with his eyes tightly shut, turned away. Mirabel, struggling to wake him, chuckled with a hint of exasperation.
“This isn’t working.”
“What should we do then?”
“If we wake him deliberately, he might cry. Let’s just leave him as he is.”
Mirabel wrapped Charles snugly in his cloak and opened the carriage door. As soon as she opened it, a blast of cold, harsh wind swept into the carriage.
“Sophie, go get some fresh air. It must be stifling in here.”
“And you, Princess?”
Instead of answering, Mirabel glanced at Charles. Sophie gave a small nod.
“I’ll be right back.”
Sophie stepped outside. As Sophie closed the door behind her, the noise from outside diminished.
Mirabel settled back into the carriage seat and patted Charles gently.
‘I am tired.’
Sitting in one position for so long had left her back aching. She tapped her lower back and twisted her neck from side to side.
Knock, knock.
While she was stretching, someone knocked on the door. Just as Mirabel was about to pull back the curtain, a deep, resonant voice came through.
“May I come in?”
“What’s the matter?”
Instead of granting permission, Mirabel asked a question and opened the door slightly. Ricardo stood there, blocking the entrance.
Because of the large frame of the man, only a slight breeze flowed into the carriage, unlike before.
“I noticed only the maid was sent out.”
Ricardo spoke awkwardly as he handed her something. When Mirabel stared at him, he cleared his throat and set the dish he was holding onto the sofa.
“Cold weather requires more energy. Make sure you eat well.”
Mirabel’s gaze shifted to the sofa, where Ricardo had placed a steaming bowl of stew.
She looked at the appetizing meat stew and then lifted her eyes to Ricardo.
“Did you light a fire? It’s still bright outside.”
“It’s dangerous to light a fire at night. It’s like inviting the beasts. It’s better to have something warm now and keep dinner light.”
“Charles needs to eat something too.”
“Go ahead and eat first. I’ll take care of the child.”
Ricardo extended his hand to her. Mirabel stared at the large hand reaching out for the child.
When Mirabel didn’t hand Charles over, Ricardo awkwardly withdrew his hand.
“If you don’t want to trust me with him, should I call a maid?”
“…I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
Ricardo’s face lit up at Mirabel’s words. It seemed he was pleased that she had something she wanted to ask him.
Mirabel pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and spoke up.
Asking now why he said such things back then might be futile.
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