Mom's Possessed - Chapter 44

Luke lowered his gaze upon hearing Merry’s words.

Warm soup with a savory aroma. Soft white bread. Next to it was a glass of water and a blue pill that must have been obtained from the duke’s physician.

He asked.

“Did she look very ill?”

“Well, actually.”

Merry, holding the tray, made an ambiguous expression.

“The young lady suddenly disappeared earlier, so I went looking for her, and found her sleeping in front of Miss Hilton’s room.”

“……Bonita?”

Luke’s eyes widened.

He knew Bonita loved Aria very much, but he didn’t expect her to sneak out alone in the middle of the night to go there.

“So I carried the young lady back without opening the door. Still, her voice sounded very hoarse……”

“I see. Is Bonita definitely in her room now?”

“Yes. She’s sound asleep.”

“I see……”

Still, he couldn’t feel at ease without seeing for himself. Luke hesitated as he was about to move.

He needed to rush to Bonita’s room right away, but that maid’s tray was bothering him so much.

He held out his hand.

“Give it here.”

“……Pardon? What?”

“The tray.”

Merry handed over the tray she was holding to Luke with a bewildered feeling.

Luke, holding the tray with both hands, gestured with his chin to the dazed Merry.

“You may withdraw now.”

“Um…… Are you going to deliver it yourself, Your Grace?”

“That’s none of your business, is it?”

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

His expression was already fierce, and with the shadows of the dark corridor added, he looked like a demon crawling out of hell. Merry had no choice but to withdraw.

She muttered to herself.

‘Surely he’s not…… trying to take away Miss Hilton’s food because he dislikes her?’

……It seemed unlikely, but seeing how the duke had just acted, it somehow seemed possible.

But what could she do?

There was nothing a commoner maid like Merry could say in front of His Grace the Duke, who was like the heavens above.

“……”

After sending Merry away, Luke quietly looked down at the tray in his hands.

Steam was still rising from the soup and bread. Just looking at it made his mouth water – a tempting meal for a patient.

‘……Have I gone mad?’

Though he had impulsively taken the tray, even he found it absurd.

What was he going to do with it now that he had it?

Was he going to deliver this to that woman directly, as if he were some kind of servant?

Him?

……Why would I?

Luke’s expression grew serious.

His already frightening countenance became even more fierce.

‘……Am I too tired?’

On top of his usual ducal duties, he was simultaneously handling the absent mistress’s work and investigating Bonita’s past.

Thanks to that, he hadn’t even been able to retire to his bedroom until this hour and was still in his office. His eyes were dry from lack of sleep.

Yes, this was because of sleep deprivation. Doesn’t lack of sleep normally cloud human judgment?

He sighed and started walking towards Bonita’s room. In any case, to get from where he was now to where Aria Hilton was, he had to pass by the child’s room.

Arriving in front of the door, he set the tray down on the floor for a moment.

Luke opened the door very carefully, taking care not to wake Bonita who would be asleep. The well-oiled door opened silently with a smooth glide.

‘She’s fine.’

He could see a small figure comfortably lying in the darkness.

He could hear soft breathing sounds, as if she was exhaling gently. Luke’s expression softened.

‘……How cute.’

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen Bonita sleeping.

How adorable it was to see the blanket rising and falling almost imperceptibly. Honestly, he wanted to go into the room and gently pat her head.

But waking a sleeping child would be wrong.

He had no choice but to close the door again. Confirming that she was sleeping well made him feel a little relieved.

Picking up the tray again, he looked back several times with regret before finally taking a step forward. This time, his feelings were the opposite of when he had opened Bonita’s door.

His steps became smaller.

He walked much slower than usual on purpose, but somehow the corridor seemed unusually short today.

However, regardless of his state of mind, the distance to the room steadily decreased. Luke hesitated as he stood in front of Aria’s room.

But soon, he reached out his hand.

Knock knock.

Two calm and polite knocks.

Despite the clear sound, there was no answer from inside.

‘……Is she asleep?’

Thinking that suddenly made him feel empty. The strange tension that had been there until just now drained away in an instant.

Still, there was medicine, so he should leave it for her. That way she could take it even after waking up.

Luke carefully opened the door. Again, there was no sound-

“……!”

Luke’s eyes flickered.

The woman was half-collapsed on the bed.

His gaze fell on Aria’s white nape, covered in blood. The bedding was also stained with blood here and there.

His heart sank.

Luke put down the tray on the table as if tossing it aside and immediately rushed to Aria. Aria still had her eyes closed.

“What in the……”

What had happened?

Why was her neck like that?

Luke tried to calm his confusion as he examined Aria’s entire body.

Her neck was gouged in places as if someone had deliberately scratched it. Luke’s eyes grew fierce.

“Who on earth……”

To do such a thing inside the duke’s residence.

As he was about to say that, Aria’s bloodstained fingertips came into Luke’s view.

He stepped back with a shocked expression. Bits of flesh were stuck between Aria’s long fingernails.

It was clear evidence showing who the culprit was that had made her neck like this.

Luke covered his mouth with one hand.

He checked to see if there were wounds elsewhere, but at least outwardly, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual other than her gouged neck.

That was somewhat fortunate.

Whether this could be called fortunate or not, he wasn’t sure.

Luke sat down beside Aria. He was careful not to shake the bed as much as possible.

His red eyes turned to Aria’s unconscious face. His eyes narrowed.

It was impossible to tell whether she had fainted or simply fallen asleep from exhaustion after self-harming.

‘Should I call a doctor?’

But if he called the physician, others in the mansion would find out that Aria had harmed herself.

That couldn’t happen.

Because.

Because, well.

Well……

Ah. That’s right.

‘It wouldn’t do for rumors to spread that my daughter is following a madwoman.’

Having forcibly found a rational reason in his mind, Luke looked at Aria again.

He was wondering if she might wake up on her own from sensing his presence.

However, even after waiting for about a minute, Aria just lay there without moving.

Luke reluctantly decided to wake her up.

He gently shook Aria’s body. A deep voice flowed out.

“Miss Hilton.”

Then, her pale golden eyelashes fluttered. Luke thought the sight of the woman opening her eyes was like a butterfly that had been curled up unfurling its wings.

It was then.

Aria’s hand cupped Luke’s cheek. While he was frozen in shock, she said with a bright smile.

“Wow, Luke is here.”

His face frowned.

“What is this, right now……”

“Is this a dream?”

Chap.

Aria’s other hand also rose to his cheek.

Luke was at a loss for words, his cheeks suddenly gripped by both bloodstained hands. He was too dumbfounded to even feel angry.

‘Has she caught a fever?’

The two hands holding his cheeks were cold to an abnormal degree for a healthy person.

Clearly the hands of someone unable to regulate their body temperature.

Luke sighed.

“Why don’t you let go now.”

“Mmm.”

It was quite a sight.

No one except Elodie had ever grabbed his cheeks like this.

She was bold in many ways.

Normally, he would have felt his blood boil and angrily demanded what she was up to, but……

He wasn’t enough of a villain to get angry at a sick person. No matter how you looked at it, this woman was clearly not in her right mind now, so anything she did was just nonsense.

Just as he was about to forcibly remove Aria’s hands, it happened.

Aria’s prettily smiling mouth opened.

“I was sad you weren’t there when I died…… but seeing you like this, I’m happy.”

Incomprehensible words flowed from her red lips.

While Luke was frozen, she stroked under his eyes with a sorrowful gaze.

He instinctively lowered his upper body.

And at that moment.

His heart plummeted.

“I love you, Luke.”

Elodie would often touch his cheeks like this on the bed. Even during their conjugal relations, they always faced each other.

Before things got heated, Elodie would always reach out and caress his face. Her touch, which always started from the edges of his face, would slowly move towards his eyes.

She whispered again.

“Luke, now, quickly……”

At that moment, Luke would slowly kiss Elodie.

“……!”

Recalling up to that point, Luke jumped up in shock. Aria’s cold hands fell from his cheeks.

“Luke?”

Dreamy blue eyes looked at him quizzically.

At the expression that looked almost innocent, Luke clenched his teeth. A fire ignited inside him.

It was because he realized what he had just been about to do.

“Don’t go. Okay……?”

Not knowing his inner turmoil, Aria reached out to grab his sleeve. Luke avoided her touch as if burned.

He bit his lip and turned away. He didn’t hear her calling from behind. He couldn’t let himself hear it.

Thud.

As he closed the door and stepped out, the night’s chill seeped into his body. Unlike the room where the fireplace was burning, it was cold.

Just like Luke, who had been thrown from a warm dream into cold reality.

He went to a hallway far from the room, and suddenly slammed his fist against the wall.

He couldn’t forgive himself.