Chapter 6

Listening to Anna’s chatter, Ramona looked blankly out the window. The house felt too quiet, the absence of a child’s laughter making the air feel thin. It was only then that the reality truly began to sink in: Raon was gone.

Click—

The sound of the door opening broke her trance. Brown, who had finished work earlier than usual, stepped inside.

“Big Sister, you’re here! You should visit us more often.”

Despite Ramona not being a member of his household, Brown greeted her with a wide, bright smile the moment he saw her.

“Brown, I’ve told you. Just call me Ramona.”

“What? And break the national rule? If someone is cool, they’re ‘Big Sister.’ Haha! Anna, I’m home. Are you working extra hard on dinner because Big Sister is here? I wish she’d visit every day.”

Hanging his coat, Brown moved behind Anna—who was stirring the soup—and gave her a gentle back hug.

“Anna, since Big Sister is here, you should’ve put in more meat.”

“Do you think I’m an amateur? I put in way more than I do for you, so stop worrying, wash your hands, and peel some fruit for her.”

Having been remarried for just over a year, the couple still radiated the sweetness of newlyweds. After washing up, Brown sat across from the unusually dazed Ramona and began peeling an apple.

Before his first marriage, Brown had never touched housework. But after a shotgun wedding, he had lived as a doormat for a tyrannical brother-in-law and a wife who treated him like a servant. He would work all day, come home to cook and clean, and spend his nights doing laundry while crying in secret.

When he discovered the child wasn’t his and asked for a divorce, they refused to let their “golden goose” go. Being smaller than the average man, Brown was beaten by his brother-in-law the moment he spoke of leaving—until Ramona happened to walk by.

She had clicked her tongue at the sight of him taking the hits.

“Tsk, tsk. Don’t just stand there and take it. Report them. Violence is illegal, even among family.”

“Who do you think you are, meddling? Scram! You’ve got a lot of nerve talking when you’re living with a brat whose father you probably don’t even know!”

The brother-in-law had crossed a line. Consequently, he was the one who ended up “scramming”—specifically, rolling into a corner after a single punch to the solar plexus from Ramona. ‘B-Big Sister… you’re so cool.’ The words had leaked out from between his aching teeth. That day, Brown found the courage to file for divorce. When he threatened the brother-in-law with a counter-lawsuit, the bullies retreated, and the divorce was finalized.

A month later, through Ramona’s matchmaking, the two lonely souls found each other and remarried.

Coming back to the present, Brown handed a piece of apple to Ramona. “It’s a rabbit shape. Have some before dinner.”

“A rabbit… the kids would love this.”

“Right? By the way, where’s Raon? Call him over to eat.”

At the mention of Raon, Ramona shook her head slowly. “Raon’s biological father came and took him a while ago.”

“What? He had a father? What kind of man leaves a precious child like that for years?”

Brown chewed angrily on an apple scrap, his face reddening with vicarious indignation. Ramona explained what she had heard. “He was at the war. He only heard the news after he returned.”

“Ah… well, that’s unavoidable, I suppose.”

The war was a reason everyone could understand. “I’m glad Raon found his father. Actually, at my workplace, they were turning the place upside down looking for a child today too. They said they were going to fetch him—”

Brown stopped mid-sentence, catching the look on Ramona’s face. His instincts as a salaried worker who had to read moods sharpened instantly. “N-no way…”

“Yes. That ‘no way’ is exactly it.”

Brown sat with his mouth agape, stammering. Ramona reached into her pocket and placed the contract and the crested brooch on the table. Brown’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sight of the roaring lion. He lunged for the paper and read the name.

“Honey, what is it? What does it say?” Anna, who wasn’t fully literate, leaned in. She caught a few familiar letters. “Ca… ssi… us? Wait! Cassius? Like, the Ducal House of Cassius?”

Ramona let out a long, weary sigh. “Raon was a… Young Master of Cassius.”

“What? Really? Raon is the heir to the Dukedom?”

Ramona nodded. If not for the brooch, she would have thought it a hallucination.

“But that’s great news! Honey, can you see Raon while you’re at work?” Anna asked excitedly.

“I won’t be able to get close. I’m still low-rank,” Brown said, his voice hushed. He worked at the Cassius estate, but as a general laborer, he rarely saw the high nobility.

“But you can ask the personal servants, right?”

“Ah! You’re right! Big Sister, don’t worry. Even if it’s not every day, I’ll make sure to bring back news of Raon. So please, cheer up.”

“Really? I’d be so grateful. His father said I could visit, but he has a fiancée… I don’t want to cause a misunderstanding by showing up too often.”

“Ah, the fiancée…” Brown’s expression soured. “The Young Duke seems to have no luck with women. The first was political, and this one… her reputation among the servants isn’t great.”

Anna nudged him with her elbow to keep him from gossiping too much, but Ramona pressed, “Why? What’s wrong with her?”

“She yells at the servants a lot. But she’s incredibly meek whenever the Duke or Young Duke is around. Still, Raon is the only Young Master of the house, so she’ll surely treat him well.”

Since the Young Duke was now sterile, Raon was the sole heir. This fact brought a flicker of relief to Ramona’s heart. “I hope so. Please, Brown. If you hear anything, tell me right away.”

“Leave it to me!”

***

Inside the carriage, Raon sat with his head bowed, the silhouette of Ramona’s house finally vanishing from sight.

“Are you finished crying?” Adrian asked gently.

“Yes.”

Raon wiped his eyes with his sleeve before Adrian could reach for a handkerchief. Adrian took the boy’s small hand, feeling as though the child might fly back to Ramona like a bird if he let go.

“Once we reach the estate, I will give you anything you want. But you must study hard. From now on, your shoulders will carry the lives and sorrows of our people, not just yourself.”

Adrian spoke softly about the responsibilities awaiting him. Raon nodded solemnly.

“Can you do it?”

“I can. I’ll do it for my Mommy. She suffered so much because of me.”

“I’ll move Miss Ramona to a bigger house than that small, cramped one,” Adrian promised.

“Our house was originally bigger,” Raon said, biting his lip with a fierce look in his eyes. “But I caused an accident, and we had to move to a small one. I’m going to make sure Mommy never has to kneel and beg before anyone ever again. No matter what.”