Refusing Your Ex-Husband’s Obsession: A Guide

After taking Aiden back to his room, I went to go look for Mom.

“Mary, where’s Mom right now?”

“Oh, Milady. The Madam is in the drawing room now!”

“She is?”

Without dwelling on it, I headed towards the drawing room. Mom usually spent time there anyway.

The drawing room was close to the mansion’s foyer, and since Mom didn’t have a personal office, she always stayed in that room. It was a convenient place where she could do her work and quickly instruct the employees.

There was once a time when I thought that, if I had a boss like Mom back in Korea, I would have offered my soul completely to show her my loyalty.

With how fair she was, Mom was the kind of boss who gave orders without any unnecessary matters.

Arriving in front of the drawing room, I knocked on the door and called out to her.

Both Dad and Brother went to the garrison today, so I was going to ask her what we should have for lunch.

I was then told to come in, but as soon as I stepped through the open door, I felt that same piercingly intense gaze.

I briefly wondered why the drawing room’s door was closed, but as it turned out, it’s because there was a guest inside.

I just thought about how those eyes hadn’t been following me for the past few days, but…

Avoiding that intensely yearning gaze, I sat down next to Mom. She smiled at me affectionately then turned away.

Unlike how she usually was, there was a hint of sharp suspicion in her gaze. I glanced towards the most probable cause.

Our eyes met immediately. His gaze seemed to be delivering a subtle message.

Then, Mom spoke in a low voice.

“Your Grace may stay for as long as you wish. But please, take this back. I never wanted anything in return.”

From what Mom said, I had a rough idea of what went on here. I stared at the pouch in the middle of the table.

“Baroness… I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just…”

As he mumbled, he glanced at me. I couldn’t help but feel curious, seeing his eyes practically begging for help.

Why’s he asking me to help him?

Besides that, after seeing him act in such a timid manner—very unlike how he was in the past—I felt strangely irritated.

I had no clue what the reason behind this was, but it was making me feel very unpleasant.

“Yes, I understand that you were only offering this as a token of your favor, Your Grace,” Mom said. “However, you must know that this is tantamount to putting a price on the sincerity that we’ve shown you. Although it’s true that our lifestyle is more like that of commoners than nobles, it doesn’t change that we are nobles. We also have our pride.”

I had never seen Mom get so angry. She nagged Dad on almost a daily basis, but she wasn’t actually angry during those times.

Whenever Mom got angry at us, her family, it was more out of concern and affection. And towards her employees, she was always fair and understanding.

Right now, I couldn’t hide my displeasure. It felt even more terrible because it was Ciel who offended Mom.

The moment he saw my expression, he immediately turned despondent. In an instant, his tearful eyes quivered relentlessly like branches swaying in the wind.

While facing the blue eyes that I had loved in the past, I held Mom’s hand. Then, Mom used her other hand to wrap it over mine. Her familiar warmth felt nice, and I turned my gaze to look up at her.

Compared to when she was looking at Ciel, she looked at me with a gaze full of affection.

Each time I received her love, I always felt so over the moon. The affection I had never received in my past life never failed to make my heart sing.

When I turned to the side again, Ciel looked at me with gloomy eyes as though his entire world had collapsed.

Seeming upset, he looked as if he had been terribly wronged, like a child who had been deprived of the candy he’s been holding onto very tightly.

His lips opened and closed a few times, not knowing what to say. After this, however, he finally, laboriously spoke.

“…I was the one who ruined your potato field last time. And just a while ago as well, I accidentally set your curtains on fire and burnt them to ashes. The Baron said that those curtains were from your original household before you got married. I believe it’s those curtains that carry a lot of history, and I can’t dare equate them to monetary terms.”

Ciel explained.

“I can only hope that this much gold might be enough. I don’t mean for this amount to be the worth of your sincerity, Baroness. It’s to repay the damages I’ve incurred upon your potato field and curtains.”

“…Curtains?”

Mom asked back in surprise. Because I was used to it, I could immediately guess what happened. My mood shifted right then.

“I apologize, really. There are times when I can’t control my abilities, leading me to make mistakes here and there. It might happen again during my stay here as well. Would it be alright to ask if you can overlook this for me, Baroness? It’ll put me in a difficult spot if other nobles find out that I make such mistakes as an Esper.”

Hearing him say this, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows.