“Jocelyn Housekeeper refused to marry.”

As Meiana spoke, one corner of Cedric’s lips seemed to lift briefly, then quickly returned to its place.

“It’s certain she would have refused under the circumstances. You can tell just by looking at Jocelyn. She has always dedicated herself solely to the aristocratic family, not thinking about anything else. At least, that’s how it has been since the earliest moment I can remember. Was it different before that? Jocelyn disrespected and didn’t respect Arianthe because of Liria. It’s because she wasn’t of noble birth. But that’s just a superficial reason. Jocelyn thinks she tainted our family by giving birth to Bervo. To prevent that, she initially rejected my father’s proposal, but in the end, it would have happened somehow.”

Cedric couldn’t remember the details of that time. He was too young to do so. However, he could vividly recall the atmosphere of that time, the strange tension that permeated the entire house.

The worried expression of his mother, the unseen Jocelyn for days… all of it made young Cedric uneasy.

“It might sound ridiculous, but back then, I really liked Jocelyn and followed her like a prince. Mother was affectionate too, but Jocelyn really embraced me like a prince. When she didn’t come out of her room, I got angry for some reason. I rushed into Jocelyn’s room without thinking. The maids tried to stop me, but I pushed them aside and opened the door. If I hadn’t entered at that moment, she would have taken that medicine.”

“Medicine?”

Meiana asked, but she soon guessed what kind of medicine Jocelyn was trying to take. It would have been the only way to turn an unwanted pregnancy into a non-event. She might have risked her life, but she wouldn’t have cared.

Cedric continued his story.

“I rushed in, and because of that, she spilled the medicine she held in her hand. It wasn’t hot, but with the wind pouring down on me, a commotion ensued… Mother and Father rushed over, and I had to be carried to my room by a maid. And a few days later, Mother and Jocelyn left together.”

The memory of that day remained as clear as ever, and Cedric could still see the young version of himself crying with a maid holding him tightly whenever he closed his eyes.

The departure of the loving mother and Jocelyn, who meticulously took care of every aspect of life, was nothing short of a disaster for the young Cedric.

Listening to the story, Meiana narrowed her eyes.

“What did the Duke say?”
“Jocelyn wasn’t feeling well, so she went for treatment. They said Mother went on a trip with her, and they would be back soon. That was all. I cried every day, and when I got tired of crying, the two really came back. And… in Mother’s arms was a newborn baby.”

That child was Bervo. Cedric remembered the scene where the Duchess showed him the swaddled newborn, bowing her body towards him.

The tiny, red-faced baby with a small nose, eyes that seemed delicately drawn with a pencil, giving a hint of gold.

He was happy. More than meeting a sibling, he was happy that Mother had returned. And it was even better that Jocelyn had come back with them.

But after that day, Jocelyn never smiled gently at Cedric again, as she had before.

Even if Cedric tried to find Jocelyn, she always avoided him, saying she was busy. What was stranger was that she never once looked into the nursery.

While being overly concerned about Father, Mother, and Cedric’s health, she showed no such concern for Bervo. She entrusted everything to the easygoing nanny.

“I don’t know what conversations went on between Mother and Jocelyn. But Mother leaving with Jocelyn was not only to hide her childbirth, but also partly for surveillance. It was probably to prevent her from killing herself or the child in her womb.”

“Jocelyn Housekeeper didn’t care about Bervo at all. What about the Duchess?”

“I don’t know what Mother felt when she saw Bervo, but as far as I remember, she never discriminated against Bervo until right before she passed away. Neither did Father. Bervo himself didn’t know the truth until the moment of her death. I was the only one who knew. Jocelyn probably couldn’t even guess that I knew this terrible secret. She might have thought it was a horrible secret that should be taken to the grave.”

Meiana lowered her head, calmly organizing her thoughts.

Now she finally understood why Jocelyn hated Arianthe so much. Both of Arianthe’s parents, Bervo and Liria, didn’t fit Jocelyn’s ‘standards.’

For Jocelyn, both of them were nothing more than beings that should be expelled from the noble Baltermiester family.

So, it was only natural that she wanted to get rid of Arianthe, the child of those two.

“Then, the reason why the Duke couldn’t drive Jocelyn away… was ultimately because Jocelyn Housekeeper is the mother of the Duke’s brother? So, did the Duchess let Lady handle all of that for you?”

Cedric sighed heavily.