AFRPR 57

Episode 57

Estelle stood up.
“I think I should go check on something.”

“You don’t need to worry so much,” someone said.

“Duren is the youngest. I just want to make sure he’s playing well. I’ll be right back.”

“How devoted,” Mrs. Alt muttered sarcastically.

“Yes? He’s my son, so of course I care,” Estelle replied as if it were obvious, then ran to the garden.

From a distance, she saw the children gathered together. But Duren wasn’t there.

“Kids, where’s Duren?”

Surprised to see her, the children explained they were playing hide-and-seek.

“Only Dudu hasn’t been found yet!”
“Yeah! He’s so good at hiding and finding us!”
“Dudu is smart!”
“Dudu is cute!”

Estelle smiled softly and waited until they were done praising him.
“Can I help you find him too?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Their bright eyes sparkled up at her, and she froze for a second under all that pure attention.

“Uh… okay, I’ll find him,” she said.

“Your Majesty!” they corrected, refusing to call her “auntie.” Estelle chuckled and walked farther into the garden.

Kids often think they’re invisible if they just hide their faces under a blanket. So their hiding spots weren’t perfect.

He’s probably here.

Just as she expected, she found Duren behind a tree.

“Duren!”

“Mom! Uh—”

But he wasn’t alone.

“Count, let go of Duren!” Estelle shouted, alarmed.

Duren had a lollipop in one hand and was being held by Count Bellonsa with the other.

He tried to run to Estelle but the count yanked his arm hard, making him cry out.

Huh? Why won’t he let go of me?

It hurt, but Duren didn’t cry—he didn’t understand what was happening and just looked around with wide eyes. He didn’t seem to think the count would harm him.

Estelle’s face went pale.

“If you agree to talk to me, I’ll let him go,” the count said.

“I’ll do it. Just don’t touch the child,” Estelle replied.

“You make it sound like I’m some villain,” the count smirked.

Estelle bit her lip. Using a child as a hostage to force a conversation—how cowardly.

“We can talk after you let him go. I won’t scream or run,” she said.

“Come closer, and I’ll believe you.”

She stepped closer and quickly pulled Duren into her arms.

Sensing the tension, Duren tilted his head but then happily announced,
“She’s my mom! She said we’re family! She gave me candy too!”

“That’s nice, Duren. Why don’t you go play with your friends? They’re still looking for you,” Estelle said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll come soon. I just need to talk to the grown-ups.”

“Okay!”

Without any suspicion, Duren ran off.

As soon as he was gone, Estelle glared coldly at the count. His friendly smile from earlier vanished instantly.

“Do you know what happened to Mathias’s hand?” he asked.

“I heard he was injured.”

“Injured? No! He can’t use it at all now! My only brother is crippled, and you speak like it’s nothing!”

“Didn’t he tell you why?”

“…”

“He tried to hit me with a bottle. A bottle bigger than my palm.”

The count looked shocked—clearly Mathias had told him only part of the story.

Now he knows he can’t just blame me blindly, Estelle thought.

“There must have been a reason he acted like that,” the count said. “If you had just replied to his letters, he wouldn’t have come looking for you.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”

“Stop dodging blame. Mathias lost his hand. And you? You’re fine.”

Estelle laughed bitterly. She had forgotten for a moment what kind of man this was—shameless.

“How did you even get in here? If Mrs. Alt finds out, she’ll throw you out.”

“I got her permission. Anyway, I’ve decided—this isn’t right.”

“What isn’t?”

“You should divorce now. Winterlen is dangerous. This marriage shouldn’t have happened.”

“And my previous marriage was fine to you?”

“That was resolved, wasn’t it? Don’t bring up the past!”

“Sorry, but I can’t divorce,” Estelle said.

“What? Why not?”

“Because if I divorce or die, all my property goes to the duke. That’s in the contract.”

“That wasn’t in the original!”

“The duke added it after we married. I agreed because I’m not planning to die.”

“You won’t die from magic, true. And he can’t kill you either…”

The count looked nervous. He couldn’t force a divorce or kill the duke. That left only one option.

He stared at Estelle.

“If you keep ignoring important matters or my letters, I’ll tell the temple you can use magic—and that you killed your ex-husbands with it.”

“That would hurt you too. You know I never wanted to marry you.”

“We’ll just say we found out too late about your powers.”

“You think this threat will work?”

“You’re being uncooperative, so I have to say it!” he shouted. “We have nothing to lose, Estelle!”

It was a direct threat—first using Duren as a hostage, now this.

Estelle was sick of it. Without thinking, her true feelings slipped out.

“If you needed money so badly, why didn’t you marry off Vera from the start? Or even sell Mathias?”

SLAP!

Before she could finish, he slapped her.

“Watch your mouth. Do you think you’re the same as my children?”

“Right. Mathias and Vera are your real children…”

Her cheek burned, and she tasted blood. But her mind was suddenly calm.

“And I’m just an outsider.”

“That’s right.”

If she was just a stranger, why should she endure this? She could easily kill him right here.

Magic began to rise from the ground. The count said something, but she barely heard it.

If he’s dead, it’ll be quiet…

“Estelle.”

That voice snapped her back. She turned and saw Lennox.

Why is he here?

The magic faded instantly. The count was shocked too.

“D-Duke Winterlen? What are you doing here?”

Both of them were tense—Lennox might have heard something he shouldn’t.

“I thought you were watching the children play,” Lennox said to Estelle.

“Yes…”

“This doesn’t match what I heard. And it doesn’t look like a planned meeting.”

“I—I just had something urgent to tell my daughter,” the count stammered.

“So you want me to pretend I didn’t see this?”

“No, I just mean there’s no need to worry—”

Lennox looked unimpressed. The count began to hope maybe he hadn’t heard everything.

But then Lennox said,
“That won’t work. I already promised to act as I please.”

He stepped forward, grabbed the count’s hand—
and broke it.