Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
I Hid the Duke’s Daughter (Web Novel) - Chapter 2: Seven years of separation
Chapter 2: Seven years of separation
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
The first thing she felt when she woke up was the warmth tightly embracing her. Evelyn blinked, slowly opening her eyes. As her vision cleared, a man’s elegant face appeared before her.
“…Eve, do you want to sleep a little more?” The man reached out and gently stroked her cheek. Evelyn smiled at his affectionate touch.
“I’m fine. Rather, are you leaving the empire today? ”
“Yes. It may take a while to finish business and return, but… ”
Islay slightly lowered his head and kissed her forehead. A lazy voice tickled her ears.
“…you will wait for me, won’t you?” Evelyn didn’t answer him, and Islay didn’t ask her further, knowing not to rush her, only rubbing her shoulders in comfort.
“I’ll miss you so much,” he whispered. Evelyn looked at Islay, as if to inscribe his face into her eyes.
His silky, soft hair strewn like gold thread on a pillow.
His black pupils that showed his confidence in her, never thinking to part.
“You know, Lay,” Evelyn suddenly spoke. It was an impulsive act, quite unlike her usual self. She quietly sat up.
“…Eve, is there something wrong?”
Can I really tell him?
Evelyn touched her stomach out of habit.
Her menstruation hadn’t come in two months. She had completely thought it wasn’t possible when she visited the doctor, but had received the very answer she hadn’t wanted.
I’m pregnant.
Upon thinking of such an abrupt announcement, she swallowed those words. Evelyn had never thought about leeching off of Islay with a child.
So then, is there no other solution except for aborting the child…
But then she bit her lips at that. The very thought of erasing a child’s existence had made goosebumps run down her spine.
“I, actually.” Her mouth was dry. She didn’t have the confidence to tell Islay.
What will happen if I tell him? Wouldn’t his soft gaze turn into one of contempt?
She trembled.
“…I’m pregnant with your child.”
Evelyn closed her eyes. She didn’t have the courage to face him.
But then.
“Really! Are you telling me the truth?”
She heard a voice full of joy instead.
What, what did he say?
Surprised, Evelyn lifted her head. Islay was looking at her, his face bright with joy.
“Eve!”
“Ye-yes?”
Islay tightly hugged her to his chest, and showered with a dozen kisses on her face.
Evelyn felt her heart beat quickly. As she stared off in a daze, Islay sweetly whispered into her ear.
“Let’s live happily ever after.”
But as soon as she heard that, Evelyn realized.
Ah, this is all a dream.
She opened her eyes.
It was early dawn. The bluish darkness wrapped around the sky, and her surroundings were quiet.
Perhaps she had cried tears as she dreamed, because her eyes had become wet at some point. Evelyn smiled bitterly and wiped her tears away.
She confessed that she was pregnant. Islay promised a happy future with a bright smile.
It was a warm dream that she would never actually experience.
Perhaps by now…Islay despises me.
Considering the enormous amount of money she had taken, it was only natural for Islay to be disappointed in her. No matter how kind anyone was, no one would continue to love a woman who approached for money.
Evelyn shook her head.
No, this was for the best. I made the right decision.
If she told him she was pregnant, perhaps he would have stayed with her, at least out of responsibility. She could say this because Islay was a faithful lover who showered her with love beyond measure. But she couldn’t stand a situation in which she and her child would hold Islay back.
[t/n: fAcePalM geez he’s probably rich as can be y ☜(˚▽˚)☞]
Besides, if his grandmother ever found about the baby…
She would probably have forced Evelyn to abort the child she believed would be a stain on the Neidhart reputation. And even if the born safely, the child would have been treated as an illegitimate child.
So her choice was for the best.
“…Mommy?”
Evelyn heard a small voice, drunk with drowsiness, call out to her. The child resting in Evelyn’s arms wriggled around and lifted her small head.
Oh dear, I didn’t mean to wake her up. Ebelin smiled embarrassingly and stroked the child’s head.
“Did our Bibi wake up?”
[t/n: Koreans rarely use the pronoun “you” in questions. So in hangul, you wouldn’t say “You woke up,” you would either say “Woke up?” (leaving out the subject), or “Did our _[name/title referring to person]_ wake up?” Also, Koreans rarely use “my” when referring to a person in their family/group. If I was introducing my mom, I wouldn’t use “my,” I would say, “This is our mom,” the “our” actually pertaining to myself and my family, not just me.]
Evelyn’s daughter, Bianca.
Though she resembled Evelyn’s amber eyes and delicate features as a whole, her radiant blond hair was from Islay. Bianca blinked her eyes.
“Is it not morning yet?”
“That’s right, it’s still dawn. Sleep a little more.”
“I wish morning would come faster so we could go on our picnic…”
Bianca quietly mumbled as she closed her eyes.
Evelyn chuckled and gave her child a pat.
Now that I think about it, the kindergarten did speak of going on a picnic today.
The location of the picnic was the nearby forest. Yesterday night, Bianca had been so excited about the picnic and had a hard time falling asleep. As she watched her sleeping child let out a breath, Evelyn felt a mix of heartache and happiness.
Bianca. The lovely child who had changed her hard life.
I didn’t grow up with a happy family…
But she had Bianca instead.
Over the years, Evelyn learned so many other emotions through Bianca. To have a child who completely loved and relied on her was a miracle in itself. With her daughter, Evelyn didn’t feel lonely, and she felt like she couldn’t be shaken by anything.
I’m sorry you don’t have a father, Bibi. But she would work that much harder to make up for it.
With these thoughts, she struggled to shake off the clear image of Islay from her mind. She kissed Bianca’s forehead and sat, gazing at her child.
After awhile, she quietly got up from the bed. She needed to start making breakfast. She got up, changed clothes and headed straight for the kitchen.
The picnic meal for Bianca had been roughly planned last night: a thick sandwich of tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, and fried eggs. Bianca didn’t like vegetables, so she planned on adding a lot of tomatoes and lettuce to guarantee a healthy meal.
Putting on an apron, Evelyn lined up the ingredients.
And the sandwich would be wrapped in Bianca’s favorite rabbit pattern paper.
If you think about it, I’ve changed a lot.
Evelyn’s eyes softened. Before, she would sleep in instead of eating breakfast in the morning, but now that she had a child, she would always make sure to have a breakfast meal for her child.
***
“Eve, you must eat breakfast.”
A hand gently embracing her waist, and warm lips pressed against her forehead.
“Please, at least drink this glass of juice. I made it myself, so maybe if you think of my sincere love for you it’ll be easier to drink…” A voice full of anxiety and affection comforting her, who usually skipped morning meals.
***
[1) t/n: “sincere love” is the closest I got to translating the korean word 정성. Generally, it means sincerity or devotion, but it’s a more complex term that is often used. For example, parents raised their children with 정성, meaning that they didn’t just raise their child, but that they raised them with a lot of effort, care, and love.]
“…”
The hands that were making the sandwich paused as a sweet memory that she had long buried in her heart emerged. Evelyn bit her lips.
“…Mommy?”
She heard a voice calling her. Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts and looked back.
“Oh, Bibi, did you wake up?”
“Ye~es.” Bianca nodded.
[t/n: ‘네’ (neh, no h sound, just a short e sound) is the hangul word for “yes,” but here Bianca says ‘네에’ (neh-eh, again no h sound), which is sort of extending the yes word, so I inserted a “~” to show this.]
“Wash your hands and come and have breakfast.” As Evelyn spoke, she bitterly smiled to herself. Her words to Bianca were the same as Islay’s when he would worry about her.
“Okay!” Unaware of her mother’s thoughts, Bianca nodded and replied loudly.
**
Soon, the two finished their breakfast sitting side by side.
Bianca glanced at her mother before pushing away her plate of veggies. Noticing this, Evelyn hurriedly admonished Bianca, telling her to eat her vegetables, and Bianca reluctantly began to eat her salad. Evelyn looked on, satisfied.
“So your class will be going to the Seine Forest for the picnic?”
“Mmmhm, thas wite,” Bianca said as she nodded her head, her voice muffled by the lettuce she had stuffed into her mouth.
And Evelyn was forced to think of Islay again.
***
“Actually, my mother’s hometown is Annette,” Evelyn said.
“Annette Town?”
“Yes. I haven’t been there yet, but…”
Islay tenderly touched Evelyn’s cheek.
“…I’ve heard that the Seine Forest next to Annette Town is a pretty sight. I’d like to go to that forest with you someday.” When she leaned slightly on Islay’s shoulder, he naturally pulled her close to him.
He murmured. “Seine Forest…I’ll have to remember it.”
***
Why did I tell him something useless like that?
She had really been deluded, believing that she was someone, that she could confide in someone like Duke Islay.
Why did you think that way when you knew of the gap between the two of you?
Naive, seriously. Evelyn laughed bitterly.
Seven years had passed, so it was ridiculous to still think this way.
Because Islay has probably been married for years now.
As Islay’s grandmother had wanted, he must have met a beautiful lady who was a good match for the Neidhart family. Living with a happy family, raising pretty children who resembled him and his wife.
Her thoughts continued to wander.
Did he read the farewell letter I left for him?
Many of the letters that she received from Islay before she left remained unopened. Because if she read the letters, her conviction would waver once more.
“Mom, what are you thinking about?”
“Wha, what?” Evelyn was startled by the sudden voice that called out to her.
Bianca looked at her, as innocent as a lamb.
“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
Evelyn hurriedly shook her head.
“Go brush your teeth quickly, and I’ll quickly prepare our little Bibi’s lunch.”
Evelyn hugged and kissed Bianca’s chubby cheeks.
At the word lunch, Bianca’s eyes twinkled.
Then Evelyn added on.
“And there will be chocolate in today’s lunch, too.”
“Yayyy!” Bianca jumped out of her seat, making a beeline for the restroom.
Evelyn smiled cheerfully and prepared clothes for Bianca to wear and a lunch box for the picnic.
***
It was a beautiful sunny morning.
The sky was blue and like polished colored glass, and the flowing sunshine appeared transparent. The warm breeze that blew from time to time told Evelyn that it was spring.
Bianca’s braided hair fluttered against the contrasting background of the swaying dark green leaves.
“Mom, how do I look today? Pretty?”
“Of course, my daughter is the prettiest in the world.”
[t/n: again, Bianca says “our daughter” instead of “my daughter” here]
Bianca smiled.
“Really?”
“Of course, has Mom ever lied to you?” Evelyn replied in a playful voice.
Now of course, it was true that Bianca was the prettiest. She wore a dark green dress and carried a yellow picnic bag on her back, a lovely picture in Evelyn’s eyes. The green ribbon that held the child’s pigtails together fluttered like a spring butterfly.
“The teacher said that there will be many flowers in the Seine Forest!”
All the way to kindergarten, Bianca chattering like a twittering chick. Evelyn nodded affectionately.
“Yes, that’s right.”
At some point, the child’s voice turned a bit sullen. Evelyn called out to Bianca.
“Bibi?”
“We really can’t go together today?” Bianca asked, wanting to increase her time together with her mother.
Evelyn was busy running a coffee house, so she was rarely able to go anywhere to play with her daughter.
Feeling guilty, Evelyn reached out to comfort the child with slumped shoulders.
“We can’t, because Mom has to work today.”
“But still…”
“And isn’t this picnic today supposed to be with your teacher and friends?”
When the mother persuaded her daughter by explaining that none of Bianca’s friends would be coming with their mothers, the child nodded with a sulky face, her cheeks puffed out. Though she understood her mother’s words, she still didn’t like parting from her.
Evelyn gently comforted her sulking daughter.
“Well, why don’t you go to the picnic, and then when you get back, tell Mom how much fun Seine Forest was?”
“Hmm? What do you mean? The child slightly lifted her head.
Evelyn smiled as she matched her daughter’s walking speed. “If you end up really enjoying Seine Forest, I’ll make time to go visit with you during my next day off.”
Bianca’s eyes widened.
“Wow! Really?”
“Of course, have you ever seen your mom break a promise?”
Bianca shook her head. Looking at the sparkling eyes of her child, Evelyn replied, “Then let’s go next time with Mom. Okay?”
“Okay!” Bianca shouted with a bright face.
They soon arrived at the kindergarten. Evelyn first greeted Bianca’s kindergarten teacher, and then leaned down and kissed her daughter’s forehead.
“Have a good time today, okay?”
“Yeah, see you later!” After waving goodbye, Bianca ran to her friends who had arrived as well.
As Bianca joined the group of children, cheerful laughter rang through the group.
Evelyn glanced at the scene and quickly turned around. She would have to move a little faster today in order to open the coffee house on time.
***
