AFRPR 21

Episode 21

“What?”

“I said, if my words feel like just interference to you, then let’s get divorced. You said before—breakups are always sudden.”

Only then did Lennox really look at Estelle’s face.

There was no anger, sadness, or even disappointment. Just a blank expression.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’ll go to Duren right now and ask him: does he want to stay with the Duke or with Grandma?”

“……”

“If he chooses Grandma, then let’s get divorced.”

“I don’t know how this conversation turned into that.”

“You don’t deserve to be his guardian. And I don’t want a child I love to be part of your family.”

“……”

“Our marriage was a fake—just for adoption. But now I’m against the adoption, so isn’t divorce the next step?”

Estelle spoke clearly and calmly. It was obvious she wasn’t acting out of emotion. She had already made up her mind.

“Did you forget the terms you set? If we divorce, you lose all the money and property.”

“So what?”

“……”

“I’m not going to ruin a child’s life just to keep some money.”

Lennox wanted to argue that she was exaggerating, but he couldn’t.

Estelle brushed past him—her mind made up.

He could’ve stopped her if he wanted to.

But he didn’t.

He felt annoyed—like he was being controlled by someone from Bellonsa.

“D-Duke!”

Pippin’s voice called out, and Lennox turned his head.

“What…?”

Pippin had accidentally overheard their conversation and looked shocked.

He also seemed confused by Estelle’s actions—giving up everything for Duren, even though they’d be strangers in a year.

But what Pippin said next was unexpected.

“What are you doing just standing there, Duke?! This is not the time to be still!”

“You’re telling me to go get a divorce?”

“What?! Did someone hit you on the head?! What nonsense are you talking about?!”

Pippin got mad and sarcastic at the same time.

“No, this is not the time for jokes! Why aren’t you stopping her?!”

Me? Stop her? Why?

Lennox’s eyes said it all, and Pippin raised his voice even more.

“If you ask Duren to choose between you and her, the answer is obvious! It’s not going to be you!”

“……”

“If Duren leaves and then Estelle divorces you too, it’s over! Even the servants might all quit!”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You think so? I’m already thinking of quitting.”

Pippin? Quitting? Because of Estelle?

It sounded like a joke.

“It’s not a joke.”

Lennox didn’t seem to take it seriously, but Pippin made himself clear.

“Pippin Randell. Did you fall for her looks or something?”

He had wondered why Pippin’s reports were always full of praise for Estelle and complaints about him.

He wanted to ask since they arrived in Winterlen, but there had been no time.

“Her looks? You think that’s all?”

“So you did fall for her.”

“Of course. Unlike you, she treats people like people.”

“When have I ever treated you otherwise?”

Talking to Lennox felt like talking to a brick wall.

Even though their marriage was fake, Pippin found himself wanting to support Estelle.

“Since I started working for you, I’ve barely slept more than three hours a night.”

“I pay you extra for overtime, don’t I?”

“See? You’re already talking about money again.”

Pippin shook his head.

“My health got so bad that even when I had time to sleep, I couldn’t. But after meeting Estelle, I’ve been sleeping more than seven hours a night.”

“What kind of trick did she pull?”

“A trick? Really?”

His tone grew sharp.

“She gave me time to rest properly in the evenings.”

“I can do that too. I’ll just hire someone to share your work.”

“You, who don’t trust anyone, will hire a replacement for me?”

While Lennox was gone, Pippin had been told to watch Estelle and take care of Duren.

Watching Duren had nearly driven him crazy.

“The biggest thing was when you were away, Estelle took care of Duren in your place.”

“If that’s all, then—”

“You didn’t even do that little thing.”

Pippin gave Lennox a sharp look. His frustration was clear.

“When Duren was starving for days, what were you doing?”

“I told the staff to assign someone to him.”

“But they kept failing. Every day there was a new person, and none of them helped.”

It had been a nightmare.

“Time passed, and Duren got weaker. The person who brought him here was nowhere to be seen. Do you think we could stay calm?”

“What would’ve changed if I had taken care of him personally? I don’t know anything about kids. Pippin, maybe blame the staff—you were all just not good enough.”

Everyone has things they’re good at.

If a child is hungry, you hire the best chef. If he needs to learn, you get the best tutor.

Lennox had spent plenty of money on Duren.

But Pippin shook his head.

“Money can’t replace real love. In that moment, Duren didn’t need a chef or a tutor—he needed you.”

“……”

“It was an emergency.”

“There’s no point arguing about the past. But I’ll say one thing for sure—”

“What?”

“He wouldn’t die just from not eating for a few days.”

To Lennox, Pippin sounded dramatic.

“He could die!”

Pippin looked pale as he shouted.

“That much starvation can kill someone! Even adults could die in that condition!”

“He won’t die.”

“You say that because you’re not normal. You and Glacia can survive months without food, but normal people die.”

Pippin rubbed his forehead.

No wonder they didn’t understand each other—they didn’t even have the same basic knowledge.

“Only you and Glacia can survive for three months without eating.”

“That kid isn’t normal either.”

“He’s only immune to Magi—not your biological child. We can’t be sure.”

In Winterlen, some people didn’t die even after months without food.

But Duren wasn’t related to them by blood. And he was just a child.

“Adults think kids don’t understand anything. But childhood trauma lasts forever.”

“……”

“And you don’t want Duren to end up like Glacia, do you? If money and others could fix everything, Glacia would’ve been fine a long time ago.”

“…I just left it to the experts.”

“In parenting, no expert is better than a parent. If you’ve decided to adopt him, then you need to become Duren’s expert.”

Only after Pippin explained everything clearly did Lennox finally start to understand.

Watching his boss, Pippin realized something—Lennox was just a tall, clueless man.

He was glad Lennox finally admitted his mistake—but it wasn’t time to relax yet.

“Go to Estelle right now and apologize with everything you’ve got.”

Pippin pushed at Lennox’s back.

“But…”

“But what? Has Estelle ever said something wrong?”

Lennox thought about it.

Come to think of it, no—she hadn’t.

“I don’t get why you treat Estelle so coldly. I know it’s a contract marriage, but you speak to her worse than you would to a stranger.”

“……”

“Did she ever steal from you or run away?”

She was from Bellonsa—that’s why.

That answer popped into his head first.

She’d never done anything wrong to him. But just because of her family name, he couldn’t be kind.

It was pure prejudice.

Lennox realized he’d been narrow-minded. He shook his head.

“…No.”

“Then you admit you’re in the wrong? Good. Now go to her and apologize properly.”

“Do I have to kneel?”

“If kneeling is enough to calm her down, you’re lucky! Stop hesitating and go, now!”

Lennox Winterlen.

He gained a wife and child overnight.

And now, he was about to lose not only his family—but everyone around him.

It was a serious crisis.