Chapter 37

“Looking back, I’m actually quite good at making this. I remember making it according to the recipe Raon mentioned when you were at work, Ramona.”

Not long ago, Ramona had left some side dishes behind when she went out. When she returned, she found that over half the bottle of sesame oil was gone.

When asked why so much sesame oil had been used, the two men just shook their heads, their lips glistening as if they’d been slathered in oil instead of saliva. Instead of getting angry, Ramona let it slide, knowing the father and son had conspired to trick her.

Remembering that incident, Ramona shook her head, then scooped a large spoonful into her mouth.

The bibimbap—with its perfectly cooked barley rice, various seasoned vegetables, gochujang, and sesame oil—was an absolutely perfect meal. After watching Ramona eat, Adrian suddenly went to the nearby chicken coop and retrieved a few eggs from a hen.

“Raon said you must add a fried egg to bibimbap. Ahem.”

Deciding to eat it properly, Adrian fried the eggs himself. Without a word, he placed two on Ramona’s side and one on his own before digging in ravenously.

Though it lacked noble decorum, Ramona found his hearty eating quite endearing and smiled warmly.

“By the way, you’ve made great progress. You were afraid when Raon first asked you to get the eggs, weren’t you?”

“Oh, you’re bringing up something from ages ago… And I wasn’t scared back then, I was just startled by the unfamiliar sight.”

Adrian, who had once swaggered through battlefields slaughtering enemy soldiers, had once bravely entered a chicken coop only to be met by the eyes of dozens of hens. On that occasion, Raon had stepped in and retrieved the eggs when Adrian froze.

“Well, if you insist, I’ll let it slide. But do you have any human decency? You just took two spoonfuls, didn’t you? I only had one.”

“What’s the big deal about one or two spoonfuls here? First come, first served.”

This was the consequence of eating together without sharing. With barley grains stuck to their lips, the two glared at each other, their eyes instantly turning combative without a word.

In a blur of furious spooning, the bibimbap was gone in no time.

“Ahem, it’s not quite the same eating alone. Thanks to Raon’s father, I really enjoyed it.”

No matter how delicious the food, Ramona had lost her appetite eating alone at home. Adrian’s company made the meal truly enjoyable. When they finished, Adrian naturally took on the dishwashing.

Watching him wash dishes in his expensive clothes, Ramona patted her full stomach and stroked Toto.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

Adrian, who had just finished the dishes and was walking in, froze at Ramona’s question. He then offered an awkward smile.

“Raon said he wanted to see you, so my father invited us to have dinner together…”

Ramona stared incredulously as Adrian, who had already been devouring his bibimbap, revealed the truth.

“If that was the case, you should have told me before we started eating.”

“It’s Raon’s mother’s fault for making me lose my conscience to the bibimbap. Ahem, that is… I’m sorry. The sesame oil smelled so delicious.”

Adrian, who had been blaming Ramona, quickly apologized when she narrowed her eyes at him.

“W-well, you could still go now. We’ve already eaten, so why not spend that time with Raon and have breakfast together tomorrow?”

“That’s a good idea too. Please wait a moment.”

After roughly brushing her hair to tame its disheveled state, Ramona shoved various household items into a bundle.

“Now, let’s go.”

She handed the bundle to Adrian and stepped outside, where several people were waiting.

“How did these people eat?”

“They can eat when we return. So don’t worry. You don’t need to fuss over the Secret Knights like this; they eat and sleep well enough on their own.”

The people who had been waiting because Adrian didn’t speak quickly bowed their heads when they saw Ramona. Their stomachs were already tap-dancing at the smell of sesame oil wafting from the two of them, but they had to force themselves to ignore it.

Before boarding the carriage, Ramona briefly entrusted Toto to Anna.

“Where are you going, Sister?”

“I’m going to see Raon. He said he misses me. Please take good care of Toto.”

“On the contrary, I should be asking you to take care of Toto. Ho ho ho, don’t worry about me and hurry along.”

Only after entrusting Toto, who seemed to be waving his front paws, to Anna did Ramona climb into the carriage.

“How is our Raon doing?”

“He’s doing well. Father likes him very much, so he’s receiving even more attentive care, but it seems he can’t help missing his mother.”

Hearing that Raon had cried profusely after reading her letter, Ramona’s heart ached. Though she hadn’t given birth to him, they had spent a long time together, sharing both joy and sorrow. The thought of her child crying because he missed her left her no peace of mind.

As they were briefly discussing Raon, the carriage gradually slowed and came to a stop. Ramona, arriving at the Cassius Ducal Estate after several months, alighted with Adrian’s assistance.

“Mom!”

Before she could even look around, Ramona ran forward and threw her arms around him, lifting him into a warm embrace.

“My little rascal of a prince, did you behave yourself?”

“Yes!”

“You didn’t cry, did you?”

“…I… I cried a little. I missed you so much.”

Blushing, Raon buried his face in Ramona’s shoulder and nuzzled against her. Ramona smiled at her child’s affection, then noticed the man beside them—someone who looked strangely familiar, yet was a stranger. She immediately bowed her head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ramona.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Adolf Cassius. Ahem, it’s getting late today, so let’s discuss the details tomorrow.”

Adolf smiled with satisfaction as he watched Raon, who was overflowing with affection for Ramona.

“Then I’ll take my leave as well. Raon, be sure to take good care of your mother.”

“Yes!”

Raon answered with a resounding “Yes!” and immediately grabbed Ramona’s hand, leading her to his room with a beaming smile. Adolf nodded as he watched Raon, who had been wilting like a parched plant just moments before, now radiating a vibrant, refreshed smile. He turned to Adrian, who had followed behind, and said, “It seems a child truly needs their mother.”

“After what we experienced with the Countess Neyno, I’m now afraid to have anyone close. Even if they seem kind to me, they might torment Raon behind my back.”

Adrian, having been severely burned by his former fiancée, shook his head in dismay. Seeing his son’s state, Adolf sighed inwardly.

“This is all because of your incompetence. How could you be blindsided like this, when Raon’s mother, who isn’t even here, did?”

“I have nothing to say about that. But frankly, shouldn’t we address who introduced me to the Countess Neyno?”

Adolf, who had nearly ruined his son’s reputation and his family’s honor after being tricked into introducing the woman as his friend’s daughter, cleared his throat and quickly retreated into his study.

After chattering until late at night, the child suddenly fell asleep. Ramona, who had been comforting him, intended to close her eyes for just a moment, but ended up sleeping soundly until morning.

Early in the morning, Ramona, after getting Raon ready and putting on a simple outfit, exclaimed when Brown approached.

“Your uniform has changed. It looks great.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Sister. Shall we head to the dining hall now?”

Brown, who had properly grasped Ramona’s lifeline, led the two to the dining hall and naturally slipped away. As they entered, Adolf and Adrian were already seated at a table.

After exchanging brief greetings, they took their seats, and a table laden with delicious food was immediately set before them.

“It’s not much, but please eat heartily.”

“Thank you. We’ll enjoy it.”

Ramona, who had prepared far too much food, packed some of it to take with her and Raon. Seeing this natural scene, Adolf smiled faintly.

“My little prince, you usually eat so well. Why are you suddenly leaving your vegetables?”

“Because vegetables don’t taste good when Mom doesn’t make them.”

Raon pushed the vegetables aside—those that hadn’t soaked up Ramona’s homemade seasoning—and hunched his shoulders.

“Raon, eat your vegetables, and you’ll become a handsome Duke like this old man.”

As Adolf gilded his own face, Adrian watched with blurry eyes. Ramona, taken aback by this sudden remark, tilted her head.

“From what I can see, Your Grace also has a picky palate, doesn’t he?”

In his youth, Adolf had once rebelled against eating vegetables when there was delicious meat to eat. Few at the Cassius Ducal Estate knew that it was only after being severely punished by the previous Duchess—a punishment he couldn’t even protest—that he gradually began to eat them.

“I… I’ve never been a picky eater.”

Adolf, who wanted to appear dignified before his grandson, faltered slightly when Ramona hit the nail on the head. Seeing his reaction, Ramona smiled and said, “From what I can see, you’ve been picky even at your age. Anyone who didn’t know better might mistake you for Raon’s father, not his grandfather.”

“Pfft!”

Caught off guard by Ramona’s unexpected joke, Adrian was the first person at the table to spit out his food.