To Become Family with the Male Lead - Chapter 66

Why did the lady come here?

“Lize?”

“……”

“Lize! Are you okay?”

When I came to my senses, Yurik’s face was so close that our foreheads almost touched. He examined my complexion with a worried look. The mercenary who had been guiding us also quietly stood by, seeming to have read my unusual expression.

“Lize. You don’t look well.”

“…I’m fine, but more importantly.”

I looked at the mercenary in front of us. He had been guarding the main gate, so he would know if Lady Bakus was here. The mercenary, reading my gaze, opened his mouth.

“Is there something you’d like to ask me?”

I hesitated for a moment. Should I ask or not?

“…Um, by any chance, did Lady Bakus come here?”

“Lady Bakus? I believe she arrived about ten minutes ago.”

My brow furrowed naturally.

“Then…what about Roger? Roger Bakus, who was supposed to perform here today.”

“Since he didn’t come with the lady, I suppose he hasn’t arrived yet. But the concert starts in an hour, so he should be here soon.”

If Roger hadn’t arrived, it meant he hadn’t encountered his mother yet. I needed to find Lady Bakus first and ask why she had come here.

If she had simply come because she missed her son, it would be best to send her away and hear the rest of the story. Like Roger, who had been betrayed by his mother, I too had quite a few things I wanted to ask her.

“Yurik. You go into the mansion first.”

“No. I’m coming with you.”

Yurik didn’t let go of my hand. But…… Yurik noticed my hesitation and turned to the mercenary.

“Could you please tell His Highness? That I’ll come to see him myself shortly.”

“His Highness should be in the study.”

“I understand. Let’s go, Lize.”

Yurik pulled my hand and headed towards where Lady Bakus had gone.

The garden was vast, befitting the Duke’s name.

Moreover, it was full of people everywhere, making it difficult to find Lady Bakus. I looked carefully at the area where the wine bar was, but there was no trace of her there either.

“Doesn’t seem to be by the fountain either.”

Yurik said as he surveyed the fountain area.

“She’s wearing a green dress. Her hair is tied up.”

“…There are too many green dresses.”

Yurik bit his lip slightly.

As dark green dresses were quite popular, there were many nobles wearing the same color, as Yurik had said. There were also several ladies who had tied their hair up to alleviate the heat a little.

“Could she have gone inside the mansion? She might be in the guest room.”

Yurik peered through the mansion windows. The interior was crowded and packed with people, making it even harder to search than the garden. If the lady was in the guest room, it would be the worst-case scenario.

“Let’s go in. I know the way well.”

I followed Yurik.

‘…Where on earth is she?’

As expected, finding the lady inside the mansion was even more difficult.

Nobles were gathered talking in the entrance hall, dining room, and even the corridors. We also checked the hall where the concert would be held, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Yurik suggested we go to the second floor where the guest rooms were.

Yurik was actively helping me as if it were his own business. I had been worried that he might be angry with me because of his dark expression, but… I felt a lump in my throat, grateful for Yurik.

‘Once this is over, I must express my gratitude to Yurik. Definitely.’

But first, I had to find the lady.

Following Yurik up to the second floor, I saw a locked door. Not knowing who might be inside, we had to open the locked front door first and check. As I approached to knock, Yurik grabbed my arm.

“I’ll check.”

“What? It’s okay. I can do it. It’s not a difficult task, is it?”

“The Duke is royalty. So there might be other royals here. They’re all very strict and strong-willed people, so if we disturb their rest, you might get in trouble.”

Then it would be more appropriate for me to open the door. I was already grateful that Yurik had come with me, and I didn’t want to burden him further.

“Still, I’ll open it.”

“Lize.”

“I said it’s okay?”

“…The Duke has a nephew. He’s the same age as me, and if he, I mean, if that person sees you, he won’t stay quiet. I heard he’s somewhere in this room.”

I wondered what kind of person he was for Yurik to be so anxious. Seeing Yurik’s desperate tone, I handed him the doorknob.

Yurik was tense, worried that the person he was cautious about might be in this room. The sight of Yurik swallowing hard was something I had never seen before.

“Are you looking for me, Lize?”

“…!”

I was startled by the voice from behind.

Without any twist, there stood Lady Bakus in a green dress. Her face looked pale, as if she had skipped meals in the meantime.

“…Lady Bakus.”

“As it happens, I have something to say to you too.”

“……”

Yurik’s hand left the doorknob. The lady forced a smile as she looked back and forth between Yurik and me.

“If it’s alright, shall we go into the room where I was resting to talk?”

“Would you like something to drink?”

The lady held out cups of orange juice to Yurik and me.

We just stared at the cups silently, not touching them with even a fingertip.

As typical of a guest room, it was furnished with only the bare essentials. On the bed were the lady’s belongings and gift boxes. Without asking, I could tell that Lady Bakus had bought gifts to give to Roger.

“…That’s Roger’s violin.”

Lady Bakus examined the violin case next to me. When I didn’t answer, she swallowed her words with a bitter smile.

The conversation wasn’t flowing naturally at all. The lady showed awkward smiles and movements as she watched my reactions.

I recalled the times when I used to chat and laugh with the lady. Casually talking and accepting snacks… It was unimaginable in the current atmosphere.

“I thought it was someone else, but it’s the son of Duke Penton. We met before, didn’t we?”

“…My name is Yurik Penton.”

“Right. I’ve heard about you from Roger occasionally. He often talked about you.”

At the lady’s words that Roger had talked about him, Yurik didn’t hide his sour expression. Considering the relationship between Yurik and Roger, it was clear that nothing good would have come out of Roger’s mouth.

“You’re very handsome, just as I heard. Your white hair reminds me of an angel. It’s a different color from Roger’s. Judging by your expression, you seem more mature than your age.”

The lady quickly scanned Yurik and then listed his praises. It was an effort to break the awkward atmosphere.

“You must be intelligent like your father, right? I heard you’re two years older than Roger, so are you preparing for school entrance exams? Which school are you aiming for? For a prestigious school, of course…”

“I’m not seriously considering schools yet. I’m not preparing either.”

“I, I see.”

The conversation that had been barely continuing came to an abrupt halt. With quite some time having passed in meaningless chatter, we couldn’t dawdle any longer.

“Does Roger know that you’ve come here, my lady?”

I quietly opened my lips. The faint smile that had remained on the lady’s face disappeared at my probing question.

“It seems he doesn’t.”

The sound of ice melting and cracking in the orange juice could be heard. A crackling sound came, and a stuffy breeze slipped in.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, but I knew that everyone’s expressions here were as cold as ice. Was the sound of cracks forming in the ice unaware of this atmosphere, or was it pretending not to know?

“…I came to see Roger, but I also wanted to talk to you, Lize. You must have been shocked too. I wanted to apologize and explain everything to you. Continuously.”

“Then why didn’t you come to where Mother is all this time? If you wanted to apologize, wouldn’t that have been more accurate and faster?”

The talk of wanting to apologize was just an excuse to calm my feelings, and the lady had come all this way solely to meet Roger.

“No, I really wanted to apologize to you! But, but…”

The lady spoke urgently, reading my expression.

Unlike her blurted words, the lady stumbled over her last words, thinking of appropriate words and excuses. Though her effort was commendable, I knew why Lady Bakus hadn’t come to the mansion.

She was afraid of Mother.

“Please speak.”

“…Yes, you must know everything.”

Lady Bakus let out a long breath.

“Lize.”

“……”

“Have you ever been frustrated because of your talent and background?”

I didn’t answer the lady’s question. For some reason, the lady became confident at my lack of response.

“I have. I was born into a family of doctors, but I didn’t inherit the talent.”

I couldn’t understand why this story was coming up. The lady, taking my quiet sitting as attentive listening, continued speaking.

“No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep up with my family, and no matter how hard I worked, my grades didn’t improve. That’s why I admired Isabel.”

“……”

“But Isabel gave up everything and chose marriage. You don’t know how betrayed I felt then. I didn’t give up trying to surpass Isabel. But… isn’t it strange? I, who didn’t give up, felt my limits due to continued frustration, while Isabel was living a life without mental struggles.”

I wanted to stand up. It would have made me less angry if she had said she committed adultery because she loved Father too much.

“I see.”

I gulped down the orange juice on the table. The lukewarm drink, with all the ice melted, tasted bland and dull.

The drink that had just gone down my throat got stuck somewhere, undigested. Heat rose in my stuffy chest.

“I didn’t come here to listen to your compensation psychology, my lady.”

“……”

“I came to hear Roger’s wonderful performance.”

I placed my hand on Roger’s violin case.

“Please. Let Roger complete his performance successfully today.”

Yurik, who had been sitting next to me, followed suit and finished his orange juice before placing the cup on the table.

“If you’re hesitating because you’re concerned about His Highness the Duke, I’ll explain the situation to him well. So don’t worry.”

“You heard Yurik, didn’t you? Now please leave, my lady.”

There wasn’t much time left until the concert started. Despite our words, the lady stubbornly refused to budge until the end.

“My lady.”

As I was about to urge the lady to act, there was a knock on the door. Everyone’s gaze turned towards the closed door.

“Excuse me. Is Lady Bakus of the Bakus family here?”

It sounded like the voice of a butler staying at the Duke’s residence. The closed door opened, and an unfamiliar man, upon discovering Lady Bakus, hurriedly approached.

“…What’s the matter?”

Lady Bakus’s voice had sunk.

“I’m sorry, my lady. Young Master Roger Bakus hasn’t arrived at the mansion yet. I wonder if something might have happened.”

“What? Roger hasn’t come?”

The lady’s eyes widened.

“Given the time, he should be preparing right now. His Highness is very worried.”