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chapter 27
She was my maternal grandmother, who had once promised that when I grew up enough to cook, she would make it for me. Even if it didn’t taste good, she had confidently claimed she would eat it all. That hadn’t changed, not back then, not now.
Conrad and Casper slightly turned their heads as they watched Lynette speaking in front of the portrait while holding a plate. Though late, Lynette had kept her promise, and both felt a mix of pride and bittersweet emotion.
“Lynette, your mother must have had her fill by now. Let’s move somewhere else,” Conrad said.
It had already been fifteen years since their mother passed away. Conrad thought he would be okay by now, but the memory of her still made his chest ache. He guided Lynette toward his room.
“Did our Lynette really make this?”
“Yes, really. I made it with Katrin. How is it? Tasty?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Truly, there’s nothing our Lynette can’t do.”
Conrad and Casper shoveled the dumplings into their mouths so quickly that there was barely time to appreciate the taste. Eating competitively, they soon felt full.
“Lynette, it’s lunchtime now. You should eat.”
Even if they didn’t eat much themselves, Lynette had to be fed. That had been the instruction from the former matriarch of the family.
Whenever Lynette came, she had to be fed until she was full. If she lost even a little weight, it was a concern. That’s how deeply this family loved Lynette, Marsha’s daughter.
“Do you keep in touch with Auntie these days?”
“No, there’s no need. She’s probably busy living her life the way she wants.”
Before Marsha left the house, Conrad had divorced his wife due to personality differences. It had been an arranged marriage, but even after Casper’s birth, he couldn’t form a bond with his wife. The former Countess of Florence immediately took over her father’s trading company after the divorce.
Lynette nodded as she recalled the image of her bold, competent aunt. Since Conrad was fully separated from his ex-wife, she didn’t have to go through any extra effort to visit her.
“Hmm… I see. But what is being prepared in front of me now?”
“What else? Food, of course. Why, are you upset? What are you doing? Bring more!”
“No, Uncle, not that… we should cut back. Even if I were a pig, I couldn’t eat all this.”
Lynette rolled her eyes, but Conrad only smiled. He simply served her portions, making sure she ate properly.
“Lynette, try this fruit drink too. It’s sweet and delicious.”
Casper handed her an apple drink. Conrad quickly took it away, shaking his head.
“If you drink too much, you won’t eat. Only take a little when you’re thirsty.”
He confiscated the drink to make sure Lynette ate her meal. The portions were too much for her to finish alone, and she couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
“What if I eat all this and my stomach bursts?”
“I’ll have the physician on standby.”
Lynette could only laugh at his remark, realizing it was meant as a joke. She didn’t eat every bite he gave her, but she still overate compared to her usual portions.
When Lynette decided to take a walk after overeating, Conrad was dragged away by the butlers to finish unfinished tasks. Casper ended up sitting next to her.
“It’s been a while here too.”
The Florence estate garden was in full bloom. Despite the blazing midsummer sun, the flowers looked fresh and vibrant.
Lynette sat at a chair with a tea table in the shade. A maid, who had silently followed, poured the tea for her.
“Lynette, you probably won’t like me asking… but aren’t you going home? Edgar mentioned he hasn’t seen you at home for a long time.”
“I’m not going. Whether I’m there or not, things are going well. Esther, who barely calls me ‘sister,’ is probably resting at the villa too.”
Lynette took a sip of the refreshing tea and looked out toward the garden. The flowers in full bloom brought back fond memories.
When she was younger, she would leap around like a cat trying to catch butterflies in this garden. Those days felt like a distant memory.
“Edgar seems to miss you a lot.”
“Don’t say ridiculous things. You think my brother misses me? I’d never believe it, not if it were anyone else.”
“Does your uncle favor Esther too much? By comparison, our house favors you, Lynette.”
Normally, someone would avoid seeing the daughter of a runaway wife. But Kenneth, her father, doted on Esther.
Before marrying Marsha, Kenneth had pursued her relentlessly, begging on his knees dozens of times a day. Conrad had observed this for nearly a year and ensured that Kenneth could marry Marsha.
For Kenneth, it was a love marriage, but for Marsha, it was essentially arranged. Naturally, the daughter who resembled his beloved wife was cherished.
Even though Marsha abandoned the family, Kenneth still loved her in some way. Lynette had observed him for years and understood this.
“Cassy, this is different from that,” Lynette said to Casper.
“If it’s different… then I’ll cherish you more. Father would want to adopt you, Lynette.”
When Lynette was younger, Conrad had wanted to adopt her. After Casper’s birth, the possibility of having more children was slim, making adoption even more appealing. Marsha firmly opposed it, insisting Lynette must remain part of the Pruina family lineage.
Conrad had to be content with having her as a niece.
“Enough about that. I don’t want to hear it anymore. You don’t know how I lived there…”
Before Lynette’s recent arrival, Casper and Edgar had barely interacted. Nowadays, when they met, they often talked about Lynette, but they weren’t close cousins.
“Actually, I know quite a bit. I ran into that Fernando fellow recently. He seemed so well, I just… had to put him in his place.”
He had met him by chance at a noble party. Fernando didn’t know Casper was Lynette’s cousin, and when he blamed the breakup entirely on her, Casper lost his temper.
“Cassy, why use your hands on someone who isn’t even human? It’s messy.”
“I anticipated that. Once I stamped him down, he finally quieted. Later, when he threatened to sue, I told him I was Lynette’s brother, and he ran away like a coward.”
“Good job, Cassy. Well done,” Lynette said, stroking his red hair. Casper smiled warmly.
When Lynette was little, she often stroked Casper’s hair, and Conrad would get jealous, forcing her hands onto his head.
“By the way, Cassy, weren’t you drafted to the border?”
“Yes, lucky me. Though Edgar was lucky too.”
Some palace knights had been sent to the borders. Casper had been fortunate to stay by Lynette’s side.
As Lynette’s head drooped during their conversation, Casper quickly reached out to support her. She had been overworking, trying to perfect coffee, and now the rare moment of rest made her sleepy.
“Lynette, are you tired? Shall you sleep with me tonight?”
When she was little, they often slept together. Casper picked her up, recalling those nights.
“Let’s go to Lynette’s room.”
Though not a direct family member, Lynette was given her own room. Though unused for over ten years, it was kept immaculate for her arrival.
He carefully laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. As he was about to lie down next to her, someone grabbed his neck.
“Up to here!”
Turning, Casper saw Conrad, his gaze fierce.
“Tch! Father, are you done with your work?”
“Yes, but I saw someone trying to lie next to our precious Lynette.”
“We often slept together when she was little.”
“That was over 13 years ago. Now, only a lover or husband can sleep next to a 20-year-old lady. Control yourself.”
Casper flinched and shook his head vigorously.
“Our precious Lynette having a lover or husband? Impossible.”
“That’s for Lynette to decide. Who knows if she’s already seeing someone?”
“No! Lynette must remain pure and innocent!”
“Quiet. You’re far from pure yourself and still demand that of her? Weren’t you spending the day with Miss Isobel recently?”
Casper’s jaw dropped and closed quickly. Conrad merely shrugged at his astonishment.
“So, what if Lynette brings a husband someday?”
“Of course I might object initially. Even if it were the emperor of this country, I wouldn’t like him at first.”
“Though the emperor is quite old now.”
“That’s beside the point. I might oppose at first, but I would eventually approve. That’s a father’s heart.”
Anyone would be confused if they heard how fond Conrad was of Lynette—he treated her almost like his own child. She had promised to show him any future husband, though she probably didn’t remember.
“Alright, let’s go. Seeing her sleep comfortably here puts my mind at ease.”
Conrad gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before leaving with Casper.
Time passed, and Lynette stirred slightly. Her golden-brown eyelashes fluttered. Feeling so warm and drowsy, she didn’t want to wake.
Feeling as if wrapped in a cozy embrace, she slowly opened her eyes and realized she wasn’t in her home. She sat up and looked around, smiling.
“Uncle really is amazing. He kept this room just as it was.”
She recognized her childhood room. Seeing it unchanged, she got up slowly. A painting directly in front of her showed her smiling happily. Lynette shook her head.
“This is truly thoughtful.”
She had loved playing here as a child and once refused to go home, clinging to Conrad’s pants. Marsha had no choice but to return to the Pruina estate without her.
The painting depicted that time, with Conrad, Aunt Liliana, and Casper. It looked genuinely like a family. Lynette hadn’t expected it to remain there. Lost in memories, she finally stepped outside.
“Miss, aren’t you going to rest some more?”
Seeing the maid bow slightly, Lynette smiled warmly.
“Dorothy?”
“Oh my! Miss, you remember me?”
Dorothy, once a mid-teen, had become a grown young lady. After speaking briefly with her, Lynette headed to Conrad’s study.
“Planning to leave so soon?”
“Yes, I can’t stay here all the time.”
Katrin was surely waiting at home, so Lynette went to bid Conrad farewell.
“No! You must have dinner first.”
Conrad insisted, and the butler awkwardly smiled.
“Why not enjoy dinner, supper, and tea before leaving?”
“I need to prepare for tomorrow’s work.”
Though there wasn’t much to prepare, skipping dinner felt improper.
The young and energetic butler, now clever after ten years, negotiated with Conrad on Lynette’s behalf.
