That was the Duchess’s final attempt to turn Jocelyn’s heart. When Jocelyn, looking at the peacefully sleeping child with a mark on his arm, forcibly turned her unmoving body, the Duchess sighed and said,

“If you cannot accept and love this child in your heart, I will raise him instead of you. This child will be the younger brother of Valternminster and Celidoi. That’s why I came with you.”

Jocelyn stared at the Duchess with wide-open eyes. She remained silent for a long time, breathing fiercely like an enraged beast.

Her mind was blank, unable to form any thoughts. At that moment, all Jocelyn desired was to snatch the child from the Duchess’s arms, throw him to the ground, and break him apart.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t… It wasn’t because she feared the act of killing the child itself. Rather, she was afraid of the Duchess’s anger when she witnessed such an act. Was she the only one? Jocelyn also didn’t know how the Duke would react if he learned that she had committed such a horrific act.

The Duchess spoke again.

“Do you understand, Jocelyn?”

“That is absolutely not acceptable!”

Where did the strength in her hip joint come from? Jocelyn, who could do nothing but breathe, shouted before the Duchess’s words were fully connected.

As a result, the baby started crying, and Jocelyn groaned in pain as her body crumbled into pieces. Blood oozed from her weakened gums, tinged with the pain of crumbling teeth.

The Duchess, with a disgusted expression, looked silently at Jocelyn for a moment, then handed the baby to the surprised nanny and laid Jocelyn down again.

“Regardless of what you think, half of this child’s lineage is from the Valternminster family. This is not my impromptu decision but the will of the Duke. That’s why he didn’t stop me from coming with you.”

“It’s not allowed. Valternminster… This family, it’s absolutely not allowed to be tainted like that. Madam, please…”

“I sometimes think, Jocelyn, you are truly stubborn. I’m not trying to mock you; you really are. Jocelyn, you also have a life. Why don’t you admit that?”

Life?

My life.

After passing through several decades, Jocelyn could now laugh at those words. Besides working bone-crushingly hard for the noble family, there was nothing like her own life from the beginning.

The only choice she made for herself was not getting married. That was the only pure part of Jocelyn’s heart and stubbornness.

It was during the time she had admired the late Duke Valternminster. To stay within a single step of that time, she tied up her own life. But she had no regrets.

Until Berbo was born.

That day was the birthday of the late Duke. He was unusually drunk, indulging in a party that lasted late into the night. Jocelyn was also drunk.

Usually, when a party or ball was held at the Duke’s residence, she was always tense, worrying that some problem might arise, or someone might cause a disturbance. But not that day.

Both the Duke and the Duchess thanked Jocelyn for her efforts and handed her a glass. Since she rarely touched alcohol, even a few glasses of wine quickly blurred her vision.

“I’ll go in now. I’m afraid I might make a mistake if I stay any longer.”

After asking the Duke and Duchess for permission, Jocelyn returned to her room. And as she lay down on the bed, about to doze off, she could sense someone pulling her into an embrace, stifling sobs.

Even without seeing the face, she guessed who it was. That voice, that scent. It was someone she could never mistake.

“Duke, you shouldn’t do this.”
“I just want to cry for a moment, Jocelyn.”

When Duke Valternminster spoke, a strong scent of alcohol emanated from him. Was it because of that? Unable to resist a sudden impulse, Jocelyn kissed him.

From the moment the spark was lit, it couldn’t be stopped. It was a terrible act that she never wanted to recall.

The worst part was that neither of them could claim they were sober enough to be fully aware. Jocelyn buried that fact deep in her heart for a very long time. Both of them had a moment to say, ‘This isn’t right.’

The reason they didn’t was desire. The burning sensation, the desire for only the person in front of them. That momentary desire ruined everything, and Jocelyn found herself endlessly despairing at the fact that she had given birth to a disgraceful presence for the Valternminster family, blaming and hating Berbo.

It reached its peak when he brought Liria. When Arianthe was born, she secretly pulled her hair in the room.

The thought that she and her son left indelible marks on this family’s history made her stomach turn.

Locked in the past regrets, Jocelyn’s shoulders trembled for a moment.

Without removing the hand Arianthe had on her chin, she turned to look at her with a nonchalant face. Arianthe’s appearance was completely different from what Jocelyn had seen before. Suddenly, it seemed like ten years had passed; Arianthe was unusually calm and seemed more mature.

“Why are you just standing there?”

However, when a clattering voice emerged, Jocelyn unexpectedly felt relieved.