Marriage by Contract? No, It’s a Marriage of Convenience – A Countess Who Had Her Engagement Broken

Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Friedrich’s Confession 2

Later, Friedrich was moved to the castle and received attentive care. It seems that the love child was not killed, but died in an accident, and the father remembered Friedrich’s existence because of this.

However, one night, the mansion was in turmoil.

“There’s a fire!” The voices of the servants shouting in unison can be heard.

Friedrich, who had just recovered from his injuries and was thin, looked out the window and saw the lover’s house on fire. He whipped his emaciated body, which had lost strength due to malnutrition, and headed for the fire. He felt that he saw his mother there.

Exhausting his strength and barely breathing, he arrived at the fire site and saw his mother laughing cheerfully in front of the burning lover’s house.

“Ahaha, foolish woman, good riddance.”

After laughing for a while, she turned to Friedrich.

The mother’s hair, illuminated by the flames, looked disheveled and demonic.

“The impure are purified by flames. Impurity is wiped away by God! Come on, my cute child. Let’s go back to the tower.”

Theresia said cheerfully as if singing, grabbing Friedrich’s thin arm. Though he wanted to shake her off in fear, he couldn’t. She grabbed his arm with barely enough strength. Her claws dug into Friedrich’s thin arm, and a faint blood appeared. His mother had gone crazy. Friedrich realized it with his child’s mind.

Then the father and the guards came and his half-mad mother was taken away somewhere. Friedrich lost consciousness on the spot due to lack of physical strength.

When he woke up the next morning, his father came to the bedroom.

“Friedrich, you are the only heir now. But if you are weak, you will not be recognized as the heir of the Weller family. If you swear loyalty to the kingdom and become a strong knight, this territory will eventually become yours.”

The mistress burned to death and the biological mother was sent away somewhere under the guise of convalescence.

After Friedrich’s body wounds healed, he entered a knight training boarding school. Five years later, he graduated as the valedictorian and returned home to find out that his mother had died. Later, his father also fell ill on a campaign and died on the battlefield.

“Then, I devoted myself to studying wholeheartedly and becoming a first-class knight, and threw myself into battle.”

As Friedrich spoke, Liddellina shed tears.

Even though he had experienced such terrible things, he was a strong and wonderful person who was able to believe in people again. He overcame his past without returning to his former self when he remembered it.

“That’s enough. That’s enough. How terrible.”

Liddellina pounded the sofa with both hands.

“Liddellina, I’m sorry for the unpleasant story.”

Friedrich, who had been calmly narrating his past until now, becomes flustered at her tears.

“But please don’t feel sorry for me. The treatment I received and the treatment I gave you are different. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Sympathy? I can’t help but be angry!”

“What?”

He looks like he has been punched in the gut.

“Don’t you ever think about the past and feel regret or resentment? That’s not right!”

Saying that, Liddellina tightly embraces Friedrich with both arms. The sight of him calmly talking about his tragic childhood is sad. It’s not his fault.

“I did get angry. Occasionally, I went to that closed tower.”

“What?”

“I was an adult and inherited the family when I violently broke the door of the room in the tower and destroyed the room. It’s a shameful story.”

He shakes his darkened eyes and says.

When he was first married, he heard the distant howling, the light attached to the tower, that was his anger with nowhere to go.

“It’s not shameful at all. It’s natural to be angry.”

“Thank you, Liddellina.”

Friedrich smiles softly.

“All that’s left is to mourn… for the child you once were. You couldn’t resist because you were powerless. You are a victim.”

Friedrich opened his eyes wide as if he had been told something unexpected.

This person must have been driven to war without healing the wounds of his heart and hadn’t even mourned for himself until now.

Liddellina’s heart aches for Friedrich’s helpless situation. If it were possible, she would like to rescue the child he once was. She gently extended her hand to his cheek.

“Liddellina… you are…”

A single tear flowed down Friedrich’s cheek. It was the first time he pitied his past self.

The next morning, they woke up in the same bedroom, but it was just a sleepover. They cried and held hands and fell asleep. It was nice to wake up, but it was embarrassing.

After awkwardly facing each other, Friedrich resolutely decided to leave.

“Liddellina, it’s a continuation of yesterday, but I imposed such harsh conditions on you, and I’ve been wondering how I can humble myself and become a normal couple.

Like a scolded child, Friedrich slumps down dejectedly. Liddellina, unable to leave him alone, gently strokes her fingers through his smooth sandy-colored hair.

Sometimes, despite his large body since returning from the battlefield, her husband strangely seems cute. And dear… Liddellina clearly becomes aware of her love for him.

“My husband, shall we become a normal couple now?”

Friedrich suddenly raises his face.

“Is that okay, Liddellina?”

He looks at Liddellina with pleading eyes.

“Yes.”

When Liddellina nods, he flushes and wears a joyful expression.

***

The next day, during a break from work, Liddellina was invited by Friedrich for a walk. The two enjoyed the scenery while walking leisurely.

Suddenly, Friedrich stopped in a field of white clover flowers.

“Husband, what happened?”

Liddellina asked suspiciously.

Suddenly, he knelt in front of Liddellina.