Chapter 13

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

It had always been like that. In the past, whenever Raon went to the small village school carrying the lunchbox Ramona had packed, the other children’s eyes would change the moment lunchtime arrived.

They all promised they’d take “just one bite,” but no one ever stopped at just one. Sometimes, after coming back from an outdoor lesson, Raon would find the lunchbox completely emptied. Even his swordsmanship master once claimed he’d take “just one bite” of Raon’s lunch, only to devour half of it on the spot. Upon hearing that story, Ramona started packing two lunchboxes whenever Raon went for his lessons.

Because of this, Raon never shared a single bite of Ramona’s cooking with anyone else—not even if that person was his biological father.

Adrian inwardly licked his lips at Raon’s refusal. However, having invited Ramona as a guest himself, he felt it would be far too shameless to ask her to make the same thing for him.

Sensing Adrian’s gaze—which followed her like a puppy in desperate need of a walk—Ramona gave a faint smile and spoke.

“Young Duke, if you give me that steak in front of you, I’ll make it for you.”

“Really? I’ll give you ten plates, a hundred plates—whatever you want.”

He readily handed over the steak he hadn’t even cut yet. At that, Ramona gave a subtle nod to Adiel, who was standing behind her.

Sensing her signal, Adiel looked toward the entrance with a gentle smile. As if on cue, the door opened, and a servant entered carrying a lidded tray. The servant placed a dish right in front of Adrian, where the steak had been just moments ago.

“I made two, just in case this happened.”

Adrian realized he’d been playfully played by Ramona, who had already prepared the dish before making the deal, but he didn’t feel bad at all. He simply stared down at the yellow eggs.

“Miss Ramona, why didn’t you draw anything for me?”

She had drawn a heart for Raon, but his omurice was plain. It seemed Adrian had no intention of reclaiming his discarded pride today. In response to his remark, Ramona stood up, picking up the ketchup bottle.

She then drew on top of the eggs. It wasn’t a heart, but a cute lion.

“To think I have to cut into this… it feels like my heart is being torn asunder. If only I could preserve this drawing forever.”

Ignoring Adrian’s nonsensical ramblings over his meal, Ramona enjoyed no less than two plates of the specialty steak.

“My mom’s cooking is really delicious, isn’t it?”

“You’re asking the obvious. It’s so endlessly delicious that it’s a problem. I fear it will haunt my dreams; I don’t know what to do.”

Watching the father and son become uncharacteristically talkative while eating their omurice, Ramona feasted on the meat until she was full for the first time in a while. Those watching her thought that she looked less like a common country woman and more like a dignified noblewoman, despite her shabby clothes.

After finishing the meal, Ramona smiled as she wiped Raon’s mouth with a napkin while he sipped his milk. Seeing him eat and drink so heartily was a wonderful sight. Raon, beaming at Ramona’s touch, soon began to doze off.

Ramona easily lifted the six-year-old and carried him to his room. After laying him down gently and patting his stomach, she confirmed he was in a deep sleep. As she stood up to leave, Adrian led her out to the garden.

They sat at a tea table in the garden, where autumn flowers were in full bloom, and tea was served between them. Before she could even take a sip, Adrian asked somewhat urgently:

“Miss Ramona, there is something I’ve wanted to ask. I heard you were the one who scouted Raon’s swordsmanship teacher. How did you know he was a swordsman?”

Sir Baston and Sir Onyx had been particularly curious about that point.

“Hmm, I was working without a thought in my head when I paused to stare blankly ahead. That was when he walked by. He was walking normally, yet strangely, I couldn’t hear his footsteps. So, without thinking…”

In truth, Ramona hadn’t intended to give Raon swordsmanship training because she had no money. But the moment she saw that man, she had grabbed him instinctively and begged him to teach the boy.

“Weren’t you worried about what would happen if Raon hated swordsmanship? You acted without even asking for his opinion.”

“Raon used to swing tree branches in the backyard. It was obvious he wanted to learn, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell me because he knew the Academy costs a lot of money.”

It would have taken squeezing the lifeblood out of every family member just to afford one year of tuition. That was why Raon hadn’t dared to mention it to Ramona.

“You could have borrowed some money from Baron Grace.”

“Raon isn’t of his blood; I didn’t think it was right to take child support from him. Though I did receive quite a bit when I first took Raon in.”

Ramona didn’t elaborate on how that money had disappeared and instead gave an awkward smile. She took a sip of her tea, trying to cover for the child’s mistake. The tea tasted bitter and raw, much like her own heart.

As they discussed Raon, Adrian signaled to someone behind him. The man brought forward a heavy object wrapped in a silk cloth.

“Please, open it.”

Ramona unwrapped the bundle. Inside was a box made of ebony, and when she opened the lid, it was filled to the brim with gold coins that glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.

“This is a token of gratitude for raising our Raon. I should have given this to you then, but things were so hectic that I ended up just taking the child and leaving.”

Seeing enough gold to live comfortably for the rest of her life without ever working again, Ramona let out a small chuckle and pushed the box back toward Adrian.

“I didn’t raise Raon because I wanted something in return. Both Raon and I… we just needed a family.”

“That is one thing, and this is another.”

“If I accept this, doesn’t it make it look like I raised Raon just to sell him off to his biological father? Please use this to help the needy instead.”

Without so much as a blink at the gold, Ramona finished her tea and stood up without lingering. Adrian reflexively grabbed her wrist, then quickly let go, his face flushing.

“Ah, my apologies. Ahem… if you leave now, Raon might wake up and cry. Why don’t you stay until tomorrow?”

Using Raon as an excuse, Adrian succeeded in getting Ramona to stay the night. Though she did let out a sneeze when she saw Aria, who had returned from an outing.

Dinner was even more uncomfortable than lunch, despite there being only one extra person at the table. Since she hadn’t expected to stay the night and hadn’t brought a change of clothes, Adrian lent her a nightgown that had belonged to the late Duchess.

The nightgown, worn for the first time in fifteen years, fit Ramona as if it were her own.

“I love sleeping with Mom.”

“You little rascal! You slept so much earlier, and you’re sleepy again?”

“But that was a nap, and this is ‘real’ sleep.”

Ramona hugged Raon, who was acting spoiled by saying children need naps, and patted his back. Raon seemed to melt under her touch. Though he had napped earlier, he fell asleep quickly. Ramona lay down beside him and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

***

The Next Day—

Waking up in the plush bed, Ramona kissed Raon’s forehead as he stirred.

“Are you awake now, my little ‘Ugly Prince’?”

“Yes… yawn… Good morning, Mom…”

Ramona caught Raon’s arms as he stretched and gave them a playful tug before quickly changing her clothes. She then brought a set of clothes to Raon.

“I made this recently. Let’s try it on.”

“Mom, did you stay up all night again making this?”

Clothes didn’t just appear overnight, after all.

“Don’t worry about that, just try it on. Hmm? Quickly now.”

Raon stood before the mirror in the new clothes Ramona had sewn. They were significantly more sophisticated than anything he had worn before. Above all, the high-quality embroidery made them look like something a noble would wear.

Even though he could now have fine clothes delivered to him without lifting a finger, Ramona wanted to see him in something she had made with her own hands at least once.

“Our Ugly Prince looks handsome in anything.”

“It’s because you made it so well, Mom.”

In truth, the clothes Ramona made were even prettier than the ones provided by the Duchy. Ramona, who could count the things she couldn’t do on one hand, pulled Raon into a tight hug. She only let go when a servant brought in water for washing.

Finding comfort in the fact that Raon was now provided with such luxury and ease, Ramona washed her own face and dried off.

Holding Raon’s hand, she headed down to the dining room. The master of the house and the future mistress were already there. They appeared to be having a serious conversation, as the atmosphere wasn’t very pleasant.

After exchanging brief greetings with Adrian, Ramona and Raon gave a polite nod to Aria, who sat opposite them.

“Please think carefully about what I said.”

“You say you’ve considered it deeply, but I see no value in reconsidering my stance,” Adrian replied firmly.

Aria’s smiling face stiffened slightly at Adrian’s bluntness, but she quickly smoothed over her expression.

“It is a fact that having only Raon as the heir to this family is precarious. As the future mistress, I am simply worried. That is why I am suggesting this.”

It sounded like a direct shot at Adrian, who could no longer have children, and a declaration that she needed a more “obedient” child to secure her own position.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but are you suggesting that you set Raon aside and adopt another child?” Ramona interjected.

“Know your place. How dare you interfere?” Aria snapped.

At Aria’s words, Ramona let out a long, deliberate sigh. Then, she spoke with the tone of a woman who had chewed through her fair share of bitter roots in her time.

“Whew. You’re really crossing the line here, aren’t you?”