I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 148
The child, with eyes sparkling with curiosity, explored the bed and nightstand before grabbing hold of a half-torn curtain, which brushed against his head as he wandered through the room.
“Whoa!”
Startled by the red fabric of the curtain, Charles yanked it down, and with a slight tug, the fabric came crashing down around him.
Dust that had settled on the floor rose in a cloud, causing Charles to cough.
Then, with a soft thud as something fell, the view hidden behind the curtain was revealed to the child’s eyes.
“Charles!”
As he bent down to pick up what had fallen, Charles turned his head at the sound of the voice from behind him. It was his mother.
“Mo… Mommy?”
Seeing his mother, Charles’ cheerful smile faltered. Mirabel’s pale face had an expression as if she was about to cry.
“Charles, are you okay?”
Mirabel rushed over and scooped the child into her arms. Her hands trembled as she held the small child close.
Breathing heavily, Mirabel tightened her embrace around Charles. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the sight of the Red Room, but her heart continued to race.
“Haah, Charles, haah…”
“Charles okay, Mommy.”
Mirabel could hardly hear Charles’ words. Her ears rang, filled with a sharp noise that resembled nails scratching glass. At the same time, the desperate cries of a woman echoed in her ears.
‘Stop, stop! Your Grace! Please!’
The pitiful pleas of Armilla.
‘Be quiet. If you don’t want the mansion employees to hear.’
And the cruel voice of Ricardo, who had inflicted pain and humiliation upon her.
As she stepped into the Red Room, memories of the past surged back, overwhelming Mirabel. She shook her head quickly, trying to dispel the chilling recollections.
The Red Room.
A place she never wanted to see again, one she never thought she would have to face.
Simply mentioning it sent shivers down her spine. It was such a horrible space.
The things Ricardo did to prevent her from bearing a child pierced her like sharp needles, reminding her of past suffering.
“Ugh, haah.”
Mirabel bit her lower lip. The pain from her past, which she believed had faded, returned with vivid clarity.
The cruel man who had mistreated her had trapped her here.
He vowed never to make the mistake of sowing his seed in her again, insisting she should not seduce another man while he was away.
“Charles, Charles…”
Mirabel frantically stroked her son’s round head, overwhelmed by the fear that he might disappear from her embrace at any moment.
Mirabel trembled with dread.
Ricardo would kill this child.
She needed to escape him.
To ensure he couldn’t harm her child, she had to run away—now, immediately.
“Let’s get out of here. We need to leave.”
Mirabel spoke in a daze, holding Charles tightly in her arms.
She wasn’t in her right mind. The only thing that mattered to her right now was escaping from Ricardo.
For the child’s sake, for the child’s life…
“We must run away quickly before the Grand Duke returns….”
“Mommy, Mommy!”
As Mirabel grabbed the child, he panicked and cried out.
“Can’t leave! Fix this first!”
“…What?”
Startled by Charles’ scream, Mirabel, who had been pulling Charles toward the door, paused and looked at him.
She looked at the bright blue eyes, resembling her own, that came into view.
Those blue eyes, reminiscent of the clear skies of Segolinde, gradually steadied Mirabel’s racing heart.
The child was alive.
He hadn’t been caught and killed by Ricardo. He had been born safely. The small warmth held in Mirabel’s hands was proof of that.
The memories of the Red Room were nothing but a nightmare.
A powerless, pathetic nightmare.
Struggling to regain her composure, Mirabel swallowed hard. She steadied her voice.
“What do we need to fix?”
“Up there.”
Charles pointed to the ceiling. Following the direction of his little finger, Mirabel furrowed her brow.
“The curtain was already torn, Charles.”
“No, no.”
He shook his head vigorously, then pointed upward again, seemingly frustrated.
“Up there. Charles grab and it fell down.”
Mirabel looked up. As her gaze fell upon the ceiling where the curtain had hung, she slowly lowered her eyes. When she inadvertently met the gaze of what she thought was a wall, her eyes widened in surprise.
A portrait of a woman hung where she had assumed the wall was. It was a painting she hadn’t seen because it had been hidden by the curtain.
‘What is this?’
Holding onto Charles’ hand, Mirabel approached the portrait cautiously. The woman in the painting, with silky black hair cascading over one shoulder, gazed directly at her.
“Like Charles…”
At Charles’ mumbling, Mirabel studied the painting more closely. The small figure with doll-like features was undeniably beautiful.
But she couldn’t figure out what exactly resembled Charles.
“What’s the same?”
“Eyes and hair.”
Only then did Mirabel let out a small gasp. The woman, smiling elegantly, had the same dark hair and blue eyes as Charles.
‘…Is she the late Grand Duchess?’
Mirabel turned away from the portrait, feeling uneasy. She already knew this was the late Grand Duchess’s room, and that she had died here.
Mirabel turned to Charles and said,
“I’ll tell the Grand Duke about the curtain later, and he can fix it. For now, let’s go. It’s impolite to stay in an empty room for too long.”
“Okay.”
Charles nodded obediently and followed Mirabel out.
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