There was no need to mention such plans now, so I smiled warmly and fed him more soup.
“There you go. Eat your fill.”
Kian Blake smiled brightly, seemingly relieved.
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
At that moment, Mei Li, who had come in with a damp cloth, looked startled and gently scolded Kian.
“Don’t call her ‘Ma’am’—you should say ‘Madam.'”
Realizing he’d made a serious mistake, Kian looked flustered and quickly apologized.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, Madam!”
Though I, too, shouldn’t have been so casually addressed by royalty, I pretended not to mind and waved it off.
“It’s fine. You didn’t know, so no need to apologize.”
Even after I reassured him, Kian still looked utterly deflated.
“Still… I’m really sorry.”
To shift the mood, I asked Kian his name.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“I’m Kian! Just call me Kian!”
“Do you not have a surname?”
Kian looked at me with conflicted eyes, unsure whether he should reveal it or not.
He hesitated because his father had forbidden him from speaking of it.
But if Kian trusted me, he would tell me.
As the child of a fire spirit mage, Kian could sense human warmth. He chose whom to trust—or distrust—based on that warmth. In the novel so far, Kian’s judgment had never once been wrong.
But I was an unexpected character who had suddenly appeared in this story. Would he trust me?
“Ma’am—no, Madam.”
“Hmm?”
Kian gestured for me to come closer, and I leaned toward his face. Then he whispered, barely above a ticklish murmur,
“I’ll tell you later, when no one else is around.”
Ah. So he couldn’t speak freely now because the maid was present. Maybe later, he’d reveal his real surname to me.
This made me both excited and nervous.
“Alright. No need to rush. Tell me whenever you feel ready. Oh, Kian.”
I pointed to the dreamcatcher hanging from his bedpost.
“Look at this. The Duke made it for you.”
Kian glanced briefly at the dreamcatcher, then back at me—with no apparent interest.
“What is it?”
“It’s a kind of totem that keeps nightmares away.”
“He made this… for me? Why?”
“He thought you might be having nightmares. Don’t you like it?”
Kian didn’t look pleased at all. Instead, he stared at the dreamcatcher with deep suspicion.
“The Duke doesn’t seem like someone who’d make something like this for me…”
To Kian, that was probably how it appeared. I hung the dreamcatcher above his bed.
“Kian, that might just be a preconception.”
“Preconception…?”
“I mean, the Duke’s face looks a bit rough… no, a bit scary, right? But you shouldn’t judge people as bad just because of that. If you get to know him, you’ll find he’s actually quite decent.”
I bit back the urge to shout, “If we want to survive, you HAVE to get along with Sikar Blake!” Had Sikar not been unable to read my memories, I might have blurted it out.
Kian looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged as if he didn’t know what to think.
“But he only ever gets angry with me.”
“Maybe that’s because every time you see the Duke, you conjure sparks in your hands?”
“Oh…”
Kian lowered his head slightly, looking a bit remorseful—as if realizing his mistake.
Truthfully, even if a child behaved that way, adults should soothe and comfort them. But from Sikar’s perspective, Kian probably looked like an assassin trying to kill him—so his reaction was understandable.
Kian, now full, was already dozing off, nodding sleepily. He looked so adorable I wanted to pinch his cheeks.
Leaving the drowsy, satisfied Kian behind, I quietly slipped out of the room.
I was about to call Andrea, the head maid, when she happened to come looking for me.
“Andrea. Perfect timing.”
“Madam, is there something you wish to discuss…?”
“You’re aware Kian is in a very difficult situation, right?”
“Yes, I am aware, Madam.”
“Even if he recovers, we intend to let him stay at the Duke’s estate longer, if he wishes. But apparently, the maids told Kian he must leave once he’s well again—so ensure they keep their mouths shut.”
Andrea would understand perfectly with just this much said.
“Yes, Madam. I’ll instruct the maids with special care. Also, I have something to report to you.”
“Go ahead.”
“The Grand Lady has arrived.”
‘Grandmother is here.’
I immediately went to Grandmother’s room. She sat calmly on the sofa, with Sikar beside her.
“Grandmother! You’ve arrived?!”
The moment she saw me, Grandmother smiled warmly and held out both hands. I took her warm hands and sat down beside her.
“Come here, dear. I heard you married Sikar while staying at the Lefer Grand Temple.”
“Yes, Grandmother. It happened suddenly—I didn’t even have time to ask your permission.”
“Either way, I would have granted permission no matter whom Sikar married—but knowing it was you, who saved my life, filled me with joy.”
“Grandmother… thank you so much. Truly…”
Grandmother looked genuinely pleased that I had become her granddaughter-in-law.
I wanted to ask about the results of her visit to the temple, but I hesitated. If she said the treatment hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t know how to respond.
Yet not asking would also seem odd. As I debated whether to ask now or later, Grandmother spoke first.
“You worried about me, didn’t you? Things went better than expected.”
“Oh…”
“They said at the temple they can delay the progression.”
“That’s wonderful, Grandmother.”
Seeing her gently smile while tightly holding my hand reminded me of my own late grandmother—my nose tingled with emotion.
‘Please live a long life.’
My own grandmother couldn’t stay long beside me due to diabetic complications—so I sincerely wished Grandmother Heelis would live as long as possible.
“By the way, I heard there’s a child staying at the house?”
Sikar, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up as if he’d been waiting for his turn.
“Yes, Grandmother. Actually, I was just about to ask your permission regarding that child.”
“You’re asking my permission because of a child? How unusual. What’s going on?”
“We intend to adopt him.”
Grandmother looked slightly startled and glanced at Sikar, then turned her gaze to me.
“Do you agree as well?”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“How extraordinary. The boy who used to hate children has not only brought one home out of nowhere, but wants to adopt him…”
Grandmother seemed to ponder for a moment, then suddenly turned her head sharply toward me with a flash of realization.
In that instant, I understood why she was looking at me like that.
‘No, Grandmother, it’s not what you think!’
I tried desperately to send telepathic signals through my expression—but Grandmother ended up saying exactly what I feared.
“Could it be… your child? Did you bring the child here while I was away? Hoping I’d grant permission if you claimed it was yours?”
So she misunderstood after all.
I shot a sideways glare at Sikar, who was smirking amusedly, then shook my head firmly at Grandmother.
“No, Grandmother. That’s a complete misunderstanding. The child isn’t related to me by even a drop of blood—”
At that moment, Sikar cut me off.
“That’s right, Grandmother.”
Simultaneously, Grandmother and I glared at Sikar.
“What?!”
Sikar. Are you joking? Are you just messing with me right now?
Before I could speak, Grandmother asked first—so I could only glare at Sikar with murderous intent.
“What… what do you mean…? Are you saying Yura Blake really has a child?”
“Yes, Grandmother. The child in the second room on the second floor is Yura’s child. That’s why we intend to bring him here and raise him.”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Duke…? Why are you doing this? Why are you joking? Grandmother is seriously misunderstanding!”
I asked, desperately hoping he’d defuse this awkward situation. But Sikar looked at me with utmost seriousness and said,
“Madam. Even if you deceive others, you must never deceive Grandmother. You should tell her the truth. The child is yours. That’s why we intend to raise him together.”
‘You lunatic! Why are you doing this again?!’
I truly couldn’t fathom why Sikar was saying such things. All I could do was shake my hands violently to dispel Grandmother’s misunderstanding.
“Grandmother, it’s a misunderstanding! Absolutely not! Never!”
Then Sikar stepped right beside me, pulled me tightly into his arms, and spoke loud enough for Grandmother to hear,
“Madam, it’s alright. Grandmother will understand and accept it.”
Then he whispered slyly into my ear,
“If you don’t want to be buried side by side with Kian, you’ll follow my lead.”
Brrr.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
“No, no.”
“Then play along with me. Never forget—I hold your life in my hands.”
“O-okay…”
But this was only a reluctant reply. Sikar patted my head once, as if coaxing a well-behaved puppy, then released me. He gazed at me with what he probably thought was a tender expression.
“Madam. Now, tell Grandmother the truth.”
Ugh, seriously.
I lowered my head apologetically toward Grandmother.
“I’m sorry, Grandmother…”
Grandmother looked slightly shocked and remained silent for a while, but soon nodded as if she had no choice but to accept it.
“I see. Now it makes sense. I know my grandson. Sikar would never willingly bring a child home to raise. It must be because of you, Yura.”
“Please forgive the Madam, Grandmother. It must have been difficult for her to admit she’d hidden a child from you. Please understand Yura a little.”
“It’s unexpected, but having a child isn’t a crime. Yura, I’ll accept your child—no need to hide anymore.”
Come to think of it, Sikar and I suddenly adopting Kian—a child with no relation to us—would indeed seem strange to outsiders. Was that why Sikar fabricated this lie?
“Sikar would never readily accept even the child of the woman he’s to marry. But seeing him willing to bring your child home… it seems you’ve truly changed him, Yura. Thanks to you, I feel I’m seeing my grandson as he was in his pure, innocent childhood again. I’m very grateful to you. By the way, what’s the child’s name?”
I didn’t really want to answer, but Sikar was staring intently—so I sighed deeply and replied,
“Kian…”
“Kian. What a lovely name. I accept Kian as my grandson.”
Grandmother probably thought I’d be overjoyed to hear this.
But I wasn’t happy at all—I was a single woman suddenly turned mother.
I hadn’t even experienced romance, let alone a real kiss. The closest I’d come was pretending to kiss Sikar at our wedding.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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