Chapter 41

Ramona, who had recently resumed her social life after a period of seclusion, was now leading a very busy days. While working at the Tubren Hotel, she ran into an acquaintance and what started as a brief greeting quickly spiraled into a long conversation.

“I heard you sent your child to his father? I thought you lived together.”

“Yes, I figured he’d be better off with his biological father than with me.”

“Then why not start looking for a husband now? I know someone who’d be perfect for you. You can’t stay single forever, you know.”

“That’s true, but…”

Seeing Ramona hesitate instead of firmly refusing as she used to, Jane smiled knowingly. With no children, she was at the perfect age to start a new life.

In the prime of her youth, Ramona lived with a child who wasn’t her own, stubbornly refusing to let any man get close to her. With her noble-like, delicate face, she was quite popular among the local men.

Many men were desperate to marry Ramona, but she had always refused, saying she couldn’t make Raon an unwanted burden. Yet when she didn’t strongly object to Jane’s suggestion of introducing her to a man, Jane began listing his credentials.

“I know a man who’s twenty-three and single. His family is well-off, so Ramona wouldn’t have to work outside anymore. He’s also quite handsome and tall.”

Jane, having rattled off a list of men she knew, was thrilled when Ramona seemed to show interest. After all, she had promised to receive a substantial sum from the man if the marriage to Ramona went through.

“So, what does he do now?”

“He runs the shop his parents left him. He has employees, but he’s quite good at managing it, so it’s always busy.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You’re not getting any younger. You should hurry and get married, have children with them, and raise them.”

Ramona, at twenty-three, was just past the age considered ideal for marriage in this country. The ideal woman of the era was one who married young, had children, and focused on domestic life.

“I have no desire to have children.”

“The younger you are when you have kids, the easier it is to raise them. If you wait until you’re older, you’ll lack the energy and end up being pulled around by them.”

Jane, offering this practical advice, pressed me for a meeting date, time, and place.

“I’m not looking to meet anyone right now.”

“Still, give it a try. It’s not a bad idea to meet a few different men before deciding. After all, this is the person you’ll spend your life with—you need to choose carefully.”

As if establishing herself as a professional matchmaker, Jane rattled off the details of several other men she had in mind, beyond the one she had originally offered to introduce. She urged me to meet them all before making a decision.

“I’m not in the right frame of mind to talk about it now, so let’s discuss it next time.”

“Alright. If you ever feel like meeting a man, just let me know. I’ll pick one out and set you up.”

Ramona nodded, then stood up and left the office when her shift ended. Having worked in the kitchen of the Tubren Hotel for the first time in a while, she packed up her daily wage and leftover food and headed home.

“Toto, I’m home.”

As soon as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, something leaped up and hugged her warmly. In the past, Toto’s sudden leaps would startle her, but now Ramona was immune. She stroked the fur of the creature nestled in her arms.

“Were you bored waiting alone?”

Ramona patted the pink rabbit, Toto, who was staring intently at her with wide nostrils, and placed him on his special cushion. She filled Toto’s dedicated bowl with hay, and he began nibbling contentedly. After finishing the entire bowl, Toto plopped down lazily on the cushion, a relaxed expression on his face.

“It’s a shame Raon isn’t here to play with you. Shall we visit him together next time?”

Seeing Toto’s ears perk up at the mention of Raon, Ramona hastily ate a meal she’d brought from the Tubren Hotel.

“Raon’s Mother, you must be tired from cooking. Please rest—I’ll finish up here.”

Adrian, who had become the designated dishwasher, gathered the empty dishes in his apron and carried them away. Raon quickly grabbed a dishcloth and wiped the table with a bright smile.

“Toto! If you don’t want to get yelled at, stop fiddling with the ankle bracelet while I’m doing the dishes! Raon’s Mother! Could you please take Toto?”

Ramona smiled bitterly, recalling Adrian’s constant bickering with Toto whenever their eyes met. Objectively, there was no man as dashing as Adrian. But she never dared to dream of him, knowing he was beyond her reach. Yet she kept remembering him, waking up in the middle of the night with disheveled hair, holding Raon.

For a while, Ramona stared blankly at the once bustling space as the day grew dark. Then she suddenly stood up and declared, “Since we only live once, it’s right to make the most of our good years. Let’s date this man, that man—everyone! If I find someone I like, I’ll just start dating them first.”

‘If I stay like this, I’ll keep thinking of Adrian,’ Ramona thought, so she decided to meet other men.

‘It can’t hurt to try. Ah! I don’t have anything left to lose anyway.’

After muttering to herself, Ramona met Jane the next day and immediately asked her to introduce her to someone.

“Good idea. You’re young and pretty; if you stay single, you’ll attract all sorts of flies. It’s better to get married and live a stable life before that happens.”

Through Jane’s introduction, Ramona met a man. He had an ordinary appearance, but his smile was particularly gentle. What was supposed to be a one-time meeting turned into two, then three.

“Ms. Ramona, let’s walk this way. It can be dangerous to walk outside.”

Ramona smiled faintly and nodded at Jansen, who always spoke with his own well-being in mind.

“What would you like to eat today? I’m not much of a cook myself, but I can treat you.”

Jansen, who was honest about his limitations, cleared his throat and glanced at Ramona.

“How about we try that restaurant? I’ve never been there before.”

“Yes, let’s go there then.”

Jansen’s escort, which was entirely focused on Ramona, was gentle and considerate. As they entered the restaurant hand in hand, something darted out of the dark alleyway and disappeared into the night.

“Ms. Ramona is meeting with that Jansen man now?”

Adrian, worried about leaving Ramona alone, secretly assigned a Secret Knight to watch over her. The results of this surveillance were delivered to the Duke’s Manor daily.

Adrian reviewed the Secret Knight’s reports, keeping the matter to himself. With Raon, whom he had been caring for, now sent away, there was no one to stop her from meeting men. Yet, from Adrian’s perspective, he particularly disliked the man she was meeting.

“Immediately investigate the man Ms. Ramona is meeting in detail.”

“Understood. I’ll be going now… Ah, Young Master, you’re here.”

Adiel, who had been about to leave after receiving Adrian’s orders, turned and smiled, bowing his head as he saw Raon standing in the doorway.

“What brings you here? Is there something you’re curious about? Or do you miss your mother?”

After Ramona left, Raon, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, entered the room and looked directly at Adrian.

“Did you put someone on my mother? But now she’s meeting someone else?”

Since the door was open, he must have heard everything.

“Yes, Ms. Ramona said she’s seeing another man.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I always hoped she’d meet someone wonderful.”

He couldn’t keep whining about missing his mother forever. Hearing that Ramona was seeing another man, Raon decided it was time to stop acting like a child. He managed a faint smile.

“We’ll find out if he’s a good man if we investigate. If he’s bad, we’ll make her break up with him no matter what.”

Ramona, who had raised Raon, never wanted him to live an unhappy life. That’s why Adrian had an investigation conducted into the man Ramona had met. The results arrived in just two days.

[Prior conviction for sexual assault.]

Adrian and Raon’s eyes trembled as they read the brief report together.

“We have to go now! It’s dangerous!”

“Right. Let’s go!”

“We have to save her!”

“Of course. Let’s go save Ms. Ramona.”

After putting Raon on his horse, they rode toward the place where Ramona was with Jansen. The streets were already dim. The neighborhood, which had settled into a quiet stillness that would have seemed normal at any other time, now felt particularly eerie.

“Oh, no… Where’s Mom…?”

Before Raon could finish speaking, a Secret Knight leaped out of the darkness. Without a word, the knight began to run.

Adrian urged his horse forward, matching its stride, until a small, secluded house came into view. A faint, flickering candlelight seeped through the cracks in the wooden windowpanes, and a low groan drifted from within.

Hngh…

Without thinking, Adrian dismounted and sprinted toward the house, shouting, “Ms. Ramona! Raon’s Mother!”

Thud!

He pushed the door open with a loud clatter—it yielded far more easily than he expected—and the scene inside burned itself into his eyes.

Specifically, the sight of Ramona’s foot stomping on Jansen’s groin, his trousers pulled down, made Adrian’s legs involuntarily close together.

“Phew, Lord Jue, another one goes up today. I’m sorry, little pepper, for failing to protect you…”

Raon, who had just been helped off his horse by a knight, crossed himself as he spoke, suggesting this was far from the first time such a scene had unfolded.