They brought Jeron back to the main residence.
The hut had been so cold and dreary that it left her uneasy, and after seeing him being abused there, her heart felt even more unsettled.
Since Jeron had already fainted, there was no difficulty in carrying him.
She had him bathed and laid down on a soft bed.
She had wanted to do it herself, but was told someone with such a frail body shouldnāt strain themselves, so she had no choice but to leave it to the maids.
‘Am I really frail?’
She had possessed this body, but still didnāt know much about its original owner.
Nothing in particular felt wrong, but since Luzbel said she was weak, she supposed she must be.
“By the way, how old is Jeron?”
It might have sounded strange to ask that about her own child, but Luzbel didnāt question it.
“Heās five now.”
“Thatās such a lovely age.”
“Is it?”
Luzbelās eyes as he looked at Jeron were completely flat.
For a father looking at his own son, his gaze was far too empty.
They said he had neglected his only sonāindeed, his eyes were those of a heartless father.
“ā¦Since when has he been living in that hut?”
“Since birth. Because you didnāt want him.”
“Then from now on, heāll live here with us.”
“ā¦May I ask why you suddenly changed your mind?”
“Luzbel.”
“Yes?”
“I think Iāve lost my memory.”
It was a clichĆ© often used by those who found themselves in a possessed bodyāpretending to have lost their memories in order to blend in.
She had actually planned to pretend she remembered nothing if Luzbel brought it up first, but since he never asked, she had no choice but to say it herself.
“I see.”
But Luzbel accepted it without any hint of surprise.
“Are you all right?”
“ā¦Aisha.”
“Yes.”
“Aisha.”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“ā¦No reason.”
Luzbel gave a faint smile.
He was so ridiculously handsome that her heart suddenly thumped hard in her chest.
“Ugh.”
He had a face that she simply had no immunity against.
Without realizing it, she clutched at her chest and let out a small groan, which made Luzbel panic in surprise.
“A-Aisha! Are you hurt?!”
“Huh? No?”
But his reaction was so much bigger than expected that she was the one who got flustered, answering awkwardly with a laugh.
“Youāre just so handsome I couldnāt help it.”
“ā¦What?”
Luzbel blinked.
He froze completely, unable to react at all, and Aisha, embarrassed, tapped him on the shoulder.
“ā¦Whatās wrong with you?”
At her touch, he finally seemed to unfreeze, moving stiffly like a rusty hinge creaking.
“This is the first time Iāve heard it.”
“Sorry?”
“ā¦That Iāmā¦ handsomeā¦”
Luzbelās face turned crimson, as if it might burst.
Not only was it surprising to see him looking shy, but also shocking that a man with that face had never been told he was handsome.
Could it be that, in this world, such a face wasnāt considered good-looking?
“ā¦Looking again, maybe Iām not? I guess thatāsā”
Since Aisha didnāt say anything right away, Luzbel grew gloomy and mumbled to himself. She hurriedly exclaimed in shock:
“Youāre a total god of looks!”
“Huh? God ofā¦?”
“Itās what we say when someone is extremely good-looking. You can be confident. People donāt throw around words like that lightly.”
“Ahā¦”
The corners of Luzbelās lips, which had drooped in dejection, lifted slightly.
Seeing that, Aisha nodded to herself.
A handsome man smilingāthere was nothing more right.
It was simply unbeatable.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ***
Jeron burned with fever all night.
When she loosened his clothes a little, his body was covered in scars.
Old wounds and more recent ones alike made it clear he had been abused for a long time.
Aisha sighed and stayed by Jeronās side all night.
Since she wouldnāt leave, Luzbel stayed as wellāwiping his sweat with a damp cloth, holding his hand.
“Mmā¦”
Only as dawn approached did Jeron finally seem to regain awareness, blinking blankly.
“Jeron!”
Aisha smiled brightly as she checked on him.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“ā¦”
But when Jeron opened his eyes, he didnāt look at her at all.
Instead, with a detached gaze, he scanned the room and asked:
“Where is this?”
“This is the Manor. You collapsed, so I brought you hereā”
“And who are you?”
“ā¦”
The way he looked at herāas if she were a strangerāmade her realize with a pang that their relationship had been far more distant than she thought.
Had she truly never once laid eyes on her own son, the child she had given birth to?
“I’m your Momā¦”
She lowered her voice without meaning to, feeling a bit shameless.
After all, Aisha most despised the kind of parents who gave birth to a child but never cared for them.
The sort of parents who made you want to say, Then why did you even have a kid?
The kind who ignored their children completely, then shamelessly showed up to bask in their success.
Of course, in the original story, Aisha consistently ignored Jeron and ended up dying, so she was far from shameless there.
But that only made her wonder more.
What had this little boy done so wrong to be hated that much?
“Mom?”
At that word, Jeron let out a short, scoffing laugh.
The chill in his gazeāfar too cold for a childāmade her knees tremble.
Only then did she realize Jeron hadnāt asked “who are you?” because he truly didnāt know.
He had asked because, to him, she simply wasnāt his mother.
“I donāt have a Mom.”
“Jeronā¦”
So he knew all along, and just pretended not to.
“Get out.”
Jeronās icy face cut her down, and Aishaās head dropped helplessly, her thoughts scattering in all directions.
Was this how children usually acted in romance-fantasy child-rearing novels?
Werenāt they supposed to giggle and smile if you treated them just a little kindly?
Maybe it was because she hadnāt really done that yet.
“Jeron!”
“Get out, I said.”
When Aisha held his hand tightly, Jeron recoiled as if she were contagious, trying to pull away.
But before he could, Aisha shouted desperately:
“I’m sorryyyy!”
“ā¦What theā¦”
The apology spilled out raw, unfiltered, just because she felt she had to do something.
Jeron looked at her with a contemptuous expression, but perhaps her sincerity came through, because she shouted again:
“Once moreāIām really, truly sorryyy!”
“ā¦”
A dumbfounded Jeron.
A frantic Aisha.
And Luzbel, who had just returned from fetching her snacks, standing there watching the scene.
It was an utter disaster.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ***
Jeron hadnāt accepted her apology, but Aisha resolved to make a fresh start with a new mindset.
Her original body back in her old world was probably already dead, and if she wanted to live properly here, she absolutely had to win Jeron over.
If it came to it, she could always divorce Luzbel and leave, but since she had ended up in a romance-fantasy world, she felt she ought to give it her best.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Whatās Jeron doing right now?”
“Young Master Jeron is with His Grace.”
“ā¦Heās not making a fuss?”
“No, Madam. Heās with His Grace, so please donāt worry too much.”
The maid answered flatly, and Aisha let out a sigh.
‘Whatās going on here?’
So after all that rejection from Jeron, he was perfectly calm when he was with Luzbel?
They had both neglected him the same, but suddenly she felt unbearably wronged.
“Did Iā¦ do something bad to Jeron?”
The maid tilted her head at the strange, inexplicable question, but eventually answered.
“No, Madam. You simply showed no interest.”
“And Luzbel?”
“His Grace as well.”
The injustice stung all over again.
That dawn, when she had tried to apologize, Jeron had rejected her desperately.
Screaming, flinching away as if she carried a plague, and when his wild kick landed squarely, her nose had bled.
Only then did Luzbel, his face cold as ice, pull her away from Jeron.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ***
How on earth was she supposed to repair her relationship with Jeron?
She honestly didnāt know.
The child rejected her so fiercely that she was afraidāafraid, and also lacking confidence.
And she had already seen blood.
“Normally raising a child doesnāt involve seeing blood, right?”
She muttered as if asking for confirmation, and the maid beside her flinched.
No reply came, but Aisha could read the truth in her expression.
“What should I do to make Jeron like me?”
“Wellā¦ I-Iām not sure.”
“What do five-year-olds like?”
“Um, thereās no single answer, but when my younger brother was that age, he loved running around outside. And at that age, children need their moms the mostā¦”
Halfway through, the maid trailed off, sneaking a cautious glance at Aishaāworried she might have said the wrong thing.
But Aisha looked unconcerned.
“So it really is about being a Momā¦”
“Huh? Yes, yes, of course.”
Her eyes, which had been darting anxiously, suddenly steadied. Aisha leapt to her feet.
The bond was already brokenāso what was needed now was relentless effort.
“Iām going to Jeron again.”
“Wh-what?!”
The maid panicked and tried to stop her, but Aisha, her head filled only with determination to get close to Jeron, couldnāt be swayed.
Like a bulldozer, she went straight to him.
“Jeron!”
So what if she got hit a few times? Sheād just keep going back!
“W-what theā?”
Aishaās sudden, overwhelming energy startled Jeron so much he stammered.
“Letās get along!”
Aisha, with tissues still stuffed in her nose, shouted those words in a ridiculous appearance.
“ā¦What?”
“I donāt care. Iāve decided. I will hear you call me Mom someday!”
Jeron gave a disbelieving laugh at her absurd words, but she stood there with a serious expression, fists clenched with resolve.
