The Duke's Flower is Precarious (Completed Main Story) - Side Story 5

As the soft fingers of the child burrowed between his own, it felt as though his heart was being gently tickled. Just as Rainian was engulfed by an indescribable feeling, accompanied by the faint fragrance of lily of the valley wafting from the child—

“Lilian!”

“Mommy!”

At the sound of the familiar voice calling out to him, Lilian’s face blossomed into the happiest of smiles. Letting go of Rainian’s hand, he darted past him toward the source of the voice.

“You were supposed to be taking a walk with Bien… Did you come looking for me?”

Before Rainian could even lament the sudden loss of that warm touch, he snapped back to his senses at the long-missed voice and stood up from his seat.

Slowly turning his head, he saw a woman cradling the child in her arms, their eyes meeting as she smiled warmly—her expression conveying that nothing in the world mattered more than the being in her embrace.

Rainian’s pupils narrowed like the lens of a camera capturing a fleeting moment. He couldn’t tell whether it was the sunlight shining directly into his eyes or the dazzling sight of mother and child that kept him from opening them fully.

Yet one thing was certain: just as when he first locked eyes with her while catching her bonnet carried by the wind, this very moment would remain vividly imprinted on his retina for the rest of his life.

The sight of the woman who had become a mother was more sublime and beautiful than anything he had ever imagined—even though the child nestled in her arms bore a striking resemblance to another man.

If only… if only he had been by her side, and if the child in her arms had been one who resembled him instead…

‘Ha! Get a hold of yourself.’

Rainian jolted slightly at the fleeting fantasy that had slipped through his mind and silently scolded himself. Despite having wished for her happiness, a trace of lingering regret—carefully hidden deep in his chest—had momentarily surfaced.

Just as he shook his head to dispel those futile thoughts, the woman’s gentle voice calling his name reached his ears.

“Lord Rainian?”

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