< — The Beginning and the End — > (5)
When Hugo returned to the mansion, it was already late into the night. He sat absentmindedly in his office for a while. He urged his brain to think but it refused to work properly. He didn’t know where he should start from.
‘The headache medicine. Yes…find out what happened with the headache medicine and then…’
After that was blank. His head was as empty as a blank sheet of paper. Nothing came up. He felt terribly helpless, like an abyss was slowly eaten away at him from his feet.
It was fear. His heart thumped with anxiety, growing louder by the minute and he felt suffocated. Even if he were about to die by having his limbs bound, stomach smashed, and heart ripped out, he would not be this scared.
Just thinking about the possibility of losing her filled Hugo with indescribable horror.
Hugo left his office at daybreak. He went into his wife’s bedroom, and stood idly by the bed, watching his wife who was sound asleep. He lifted the blanket, climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his chest. Her body was slightly hot due to her mild fever.
The happiness and despair filled his heart. He could not live if he lost her. He felt like his heart would explode and kill him.
[I have never said this, have I? Thank you for marrying me.]
“…Not at all. You fell into a terrible swamp.”
She went through all sorts of trouble to get a child that everyone else has, and the child she got with difficulty, became the main culprit eating away her life.
The only reason she had to go through things other people didn’t was because she was married to him.
She should not have come to see him that day. If they had lived without knowing each other…if that had happened, then she likely wouldn’t be facing such danger.
But if he had not met her, he would have lived with a frozen heart, watching a grey scenery for the rest of his life.[1]
‘I can’t let go.’
Even if he went back to the past right now, he had no confidence in being able to let her go. It was ugly selfishness.
“I love you.”
Hugo whispered in her ear and closed his tingling eyes. Heat rushed to his eyes and something hot flowed from his eyes. His chest felt like it was tightening, and his throat hurt like it was seizing up.
As he shed tears for the first time, Hugo recalled the description of the word, ‘cry’. It was a complex, intricate feeling that couldn’t be expressed with something as dry as ‘One cannot suppress their feelings and tears fall’.
* * *
Hugo spent the entire night wide-awake. He was thinking things over nonstop all night. The darkness withdrew, and the daybreak sun gradually brightened up the bedroom as he came to a conclusion after a long stretch of thought.
Lucia opened her eyes slightly earlier than usual this morning. She smiled, feeling the warmth against her back and the strong arms wrapped around her.
She shifted in her position and turned around to face him. When she met his gaze, she flashed a sweet smile and buried herself in his arms. His big hand found its way to her head and the feeling of his fingers combing through her hair was nice.
“Vivian. I think I have to go to the north.”
Lucia lifted her head in surprise. His eyes had a subdued feeling of gravity in them.
“It won’t take long. I’ll come back soon.”
“…Okay. It seems like an urgent matter.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be with you at a time like this.”
“It’s okay. There’s still a long way to go before the child arrives. You’ll be back before then, won’t you?”
Seeing his wife trying to shrug it off like everything was fine, Hugo hugged her and squeezed tightly. His wife who always said that things were okay and smiled prettily had not changed.
Although he was taken aback by her complaints and annoyance, on the other hand, he was happy about it. It meant that she relied on him that much.
Hugo thought that he needed to thoroughly dig through the family secret room in Roam again. It was his only hope. He had to find even the slightest clue there. Still holding her in his arms, Hugo’s eyes shone with resolve.
* * *
While her husband was away, Lucia tried to keep her mind and body in the best condition possible for the baby, at all times. And occasionally, she imagined various things, trying to solve the mystery of how she got pregnant.
“Milady. When did you start taking the headache medicine you were prescribed?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“There is something I need to look into.”
Lucia had a strange feeling.
“What is it that you need to look into?”
When Lucia kept inquiring, Jerome hesitated then said:
“Master ordered the investigation.”
‘The headache medicine…it’s related.’
Lucia sensed that her pregnancy and the headache medicine were related. Because the effect of her recent headache medicine was so good, Lucia knew exactly when she started taking it and clearly remembered who gave it to her.
‘The medicine Anna gave me…?”
Lucia was shocked to think that there was a problem with the headache medicine. She had faith in the doctor, Anna on a fundamental level. She believed that there was no way Anna would mix something into the medicine deliberately. So, she decided to call Anna and ask her personally.
Translator’s Corner:
[1]This is him basically saying she brought color into his life.
T/N: Sorry if I over explain things. If I feel like the author’s meaning isn’t well portrayed in english, I try to put further explanation.
*.*.*
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Aww look at Hugh almost crying. You can tell the difference between Book 1 and Book 7, especially this chapter. My kokoro squeezed and I squealed >_<
BUT ALSO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ANNA AND LUCIA CONFRONTATION.
UWU x100
I ALSO WANT ANOTHER CONFRONTATION WITH PHILIP AND HUGH. LET'S HOPE HE FINDS THAT VISION THIS TIME AND LET PHILIP ROT IN THE DUNGEON
UWU x infinity
NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE FUN.
i pity Ana, she’s just trying her best to be the best doctor out there. Especially during her times where women are suppressed in her profession. And how she’s hired as a personal physician for the duchess, this is a great honor for her as a doctor and she can be respected in her field with her master’s backing. She was used by that mad doctor and now she’ll have to suffer the consequences. i really love this novel it shows how complicated human lives are when you get to know another side of a situation, it just makes you think hard and understand them.
Anna is a big fucking idiot 🤭 are you that naive and stupid to still give the madam something from the man that got you is a tough position one would use their head and think something fishy is going on here
Hugh didn’t almost cry, he did cry.
THANKS FOR THE CHAP, RUBY-SAMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Thank You for chapter!!! It’s 9.35 am in my country 😊
It’s 19:32 (7:32 PM) in mine.
Yo this is my fave chapter. Hugh almost crying? That’s like some next-level, intense character development in one paragraph.
Also, I’m looking forward to how Lucia confronts Anna. I want Anna to suffer in shame, and regret her actions and decisions. Sorry no sorry, but Anna must learn her lesson.
Thank you for the new chapter, Ruby. 😘😘😘😘
I agree. I don’t want Anna to be punished to the extent of death but she needs to get it into her head what she did wrong here. There was nothing wrong with her intent but she did not give full disclosure… both times! She should have mentioned where she got the headache prescription from and let Lucia decide for herself. Especially, since Lucia has never done anything but prove time and time again that she’s levelheaded enough to make decisions about her own well-being. It’s a kind of hubris in professionals in that they think they know better because they are the technical experts, but they often forget that situations (and humans) are much more complex than that.
THANK YOU FOR THE CHAPTER, RUBY-SAMA!!!!
poor Hugh 😦 my heart aches for him
Lucia is like his rainbow and him a cloudy day
I hope Philip suffers in hell and rot!!
Thank you Very much 😍😘
Thank you for the chapter! And try to get some good sleep. Remember to take care of yourself Miss Ruby 💕
Honestly I always thought that Philip and Anna were the perfect match. I used to think that Philip was just misunderstood but that feeling is gone. Since he is so disappointed in Hugh what will he feel like if he finds out Damien is already changed by Lucia. Thanks for all the translations🙌🙌🙌
True, Damien has received the loving attention of a real mother. And in conversation with Hugo he already stated that he would govern differently form Hugo. He would use his brain, not the sword.
Thank you for the chapter 😊 ❤️
Omo my poor Hugh is crying cuz he’s worried for Lucia, this just makes mah hart warm and makes me wanna cry too
˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
Anyway, Thank youu so much Miss Ruby for the update💜💜
My poor boi Hugh :”
Please be strong too Lucia !
THIS CHAPTER HAVE ONION!! TT_______TT UWUUU…
Thanks for the new chapter!
Really though… Hugo was like “take this medicine to ‘cure’ your menstrual cycle:. But now that she’s preggo, he like, “No, she should have stayed infertile.:.
Many thanks
Me encanta cuando pones comentarios, eso me ayuda a comprender Mejor la lectura, mil gracias por tu esfuerzo y gran trabajo.
That god damn F-ing Philip! I hate him that crazy freak!
Those damn Onion Cutting Ninjas! Hugh actually shedding tears? Damn that almost got to me. I’m gonna be a blobbering mess if he actually full on crys.
Let’s not forget ANNA! LIKE F***
I liked her but I was super disappointed when she got fooled by Phillip not once but twice…. Like….how utterly incompetent do you have to be to not even realize that there might be something wrong when, just mentioning the guy’s name!…you get fired for it. And not only after that, you still ended up trusting the guy….like gimme a break….ugggh
Poor baby boy Hugh! When he started crying, I teared up a bit ;w; Go find your answers, boy! Save your woman! (Though I don’t think she’s actually in danger)
Thank you for your hard work! <3
Cagastes anna
Thanks for your hard work, Ruby. You an angel! 🦋💖🦋