WMODSR Chapter 1
“Anything you want will come effortlessly after you get married.”
It was what the fortune-teller told me when I was a 20 years old virgin.
It was a total scam.
I had spent all my money. Seeing that I couldn’t even make two silver coins, which was my entire property at the time, I even went home after running away from that house.
The house where I was wedded to the man I didn’t love.
My life, which was hopeless, turned for the worse.
It was probably after the marriage.
Now I am seventy-three years old.
I’ve been through all sorts of hardships, and I don’t even blink at most things, but I never want to return to the time when I was young.
I am Charlotte D Arista.
I am the mother of Bliss Arista, who became Duke of Arista today.
In the middle of a winter afternoon, I was on the front door of the mansion as my eyes drifted into the gloomy sky.
“Why does the sky look so gloomy on such a wonderful day like today?”
The butler, who recognized my worries, responded.
“Mistress, don’t worry. Despite the bad weather, Marquis…I mean, the duke will come back safely.”
“Of course. Who do you think our Bliss is?”
When I turned my shoulders with a light answer, the old butler with gray hair smiled broadly.
It felt new.
Similar to a painting, the numerous servants and maids of the mansion followed me as I headed to meet my son Bliss on this cold winter day.
I felt my lips twitch facing forward.
‘It wouldn’t have been possible 45 years ago. Who knew? Duchess Arista, who was kicked out into the street with her only son after bereavement, would raise her son to be a decent duke.’
My gaze moved further from the front yard to the Iron Gate far away.
The big and beautiful iron gate was wide open towards Bliss, just like my heart.
Perhaps that’s why even the cold weather of mid-winter that seemed to freeze my bones had no choice but to stand down against my will.
However, this seemed to be me flattering myself.
I heard the unfamiliar servants whispering behind my back,
“Mistress is in good shape. It’s been two hours since she got out of bed, what will happen?”
“Will it be awkward? In the end, his wish did come true.”
“He’s the only duke in our country starting today, yet has gambling and alcohol problems; not to mention women!”
“Isn’t it the end of the world? I can’t even comprehend how I will face the Duke’s actions now.”
“That’s right. Even when the duke was a marquis, not only us but even the Mistress wasn’t treated like a human being.”
Tak. My teeth clattered in anger
It seems that the servants thought my hearing disappeared with my age.
‘How dare a servant argue about his master.’
I opened my mouth facing the butler in a low voice, only to be interrupted.
“Hans. Those maids right now are…”
“Mistress! The Duke is here!”
“Ah!”
It was as Hans said.
The white carriage with the Arista family crest crossed the iron gate and entered the front yard that I meticulously cared for.
Today is the day the Duke of Arista was born, so I couldn’t make a fuss. I decided to generously forgive those arrogant servants for their blunders.
Finally, the carriage stopped nearby.
I ran to the front of the carriage swiftly.
“Bliss! Our Duke is here!”
“Mother.”
A pleasant voice resounded from inside the tightly closed carriage.
My proud son exited the carriage after a while.
Blue eyes and blonde hair, shining like honey.
A 53-year-old man with a slim physique.
He only had a few wrinkles on his face as if he had steered away from the clutch of aging; moreover, even those wrinkles were attractive on his middle-aged face.
It was a dignified figure; apt for the head of a political aristocratic faction.
I was pleased to see the large red envelope in Bliss’ hand.
“Oh my gosh! Is that the duke’s certificate in your hand? Can I see it?”
But I couldn’t open the red envelope.
Bliss slapped my outstretched hand tightly, creating a sharp sound.
My shoulders bounced from the stinging pain; he clicked his tongue loudly.
“Tsk. Go inside and rest. All the servants are watching, what’s this fuss about? This is why you are cursed for me being a fatherless man.”
My heart pounded at the sharp criticism.
I apologized hastily,
“I’m sorry, Bliss. I was so happy that I made a fool of myself.”
“If you know that, be careful next time.”
I raised the corners of my lips as hard as I could to express my apologies.
“Sure. I will do better in the future. So that our duke won’t be ashamed.”
“Yes. If you have a chance to do that.”
Bliss chuckled evocatively.
Seeing that smile, I suddenly guessed something.
‘Are you trying to send me to the countryside?’
Even though I knew there was nothing I could do, my heart was racing.
Would it not be sad to lose the child who you have raised in your arms?
‘But now I’m going to have to retire. Finally, my dream of turning my son into a Duke has come true.’
Right. Now I am freed from the days of taking care of Bliss and his goal.
You don’t know how hard Bliss has been trying to stop Amon whenever he damages him. (EN: Amon will be introduced soon in the series)
From the moment Bliss was born, when I was 20 years old, till now, when I am 73. It was a really long parenting period.
*****
The atmosphere at dinner, which only the two of us attended, was not so good.
No matter how much she thought about it, Bliss really was twisting his lips in dissatisfaction.
“Your Majesty as well, finishing it with a piece of paper, on the day giving me the title of Duke of Arista, let alone a celebration. I don’t think someone forced him to do so.”
Startled, I put down my cutlery and looked around.
“Bliss! Be careful!”
“What’s wrong? Can’t I say what I want at home?”
“Bliss!”
“Yeah. My mother is always unhappy with me. You’re right, you wasted your youth being held back by someone who wasn’t even your own son.”
“What nonsense!”
I hurriedly corrected Bliss’ misunderstanding.
“Baby. I never once thought of you like that. You were always my son.”
Bliss let out a short sigh.
Fortunately, he seemed to be in a good mood.
“Don’t flatter me like that. Anyone who hears this would think of me as a teenager.”
“I’m sorry. you are always a baby in my eyes…”
“Still, you’ve worked hard so far.”
“Yes?”
It was around the time when I opened my eyes to the gratitude of Bliss, which I could hardly hear.
Bliss smiled, revealing his snow-white teeth.
My son rarely showed such a smile.
“If it wasn’t for my mother, I wouldn’t have been able to come up to this position. Thank you. After my father passed away, it seems like yesterday that I was kicked out of the Marquis mansion with you, and now I am the Duke of Arista.”
“Bliss…”
His hand went up to his chest as he bowed. The bridge of my nose twitched.
‘Finally, the day has come for my son to thank me.’
Eventually, Bliss got up from his seat and came to me with a bottle of wine.
“Come on, take this. This is a congratulatory drink that I personally give to my mother.”
My beloved son gladly poured me the first cup.
I felt like I was about to burst out crying, but held back my tears, not knowing what Bliss might think.
“Thank you.”
“What? More than that, there’s something my mother needs to know.”
“What good news will my son give me?”
“I am going to get remarried. To the lady of the Count of Chex.”
Suddenly, the back of the neck straightened; also, my mouth hung wide open involuntarily.
“What do you mean? What about Josephine?”
Josephine was the name of Bliss’s wife and my daughter-in-law.
Hah,
Bliss snorted as if it was petty.
“Should I take care of a woman who has gone to her parent’s house because of some marital quarrel?”
I looked at Bliss seriously and soothed my dry throat with the wine he had poured.
‘Until now, he was a man who never had a problem with women, but he has changed!’
My hand shrank as I set the half-empty wine glass on the table.
No matter how much I loved Bliss, I couldn’t take his side because of Josephine.
“Bliss! Don’t say that! Besides, do you know how much Josephine will be heartbroken by this?”
“No matter what mother says, I have already made up my mind.”
I kept coughing.
No matter how upset I was, I have to take a stand against him.
“No, you can’t get a divorce! What do you mean by remarrying another woman? cough, cough!”
I was so surprised that I choked on it. I couldn’t breathe because I kept coughing.
Bliss snorted.
“No. I’m going to divorce Josephine. No one like Josephine deserves to be the wife of the one and only Archduke in the Empire.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. What do you mean? How can you become an Archduke?
Suddenly, he stood next to me and smiled confidently.
“Yes, Mother. Mother’s dream was only to make me a Duke, but my dream is just starting.”
In an instant, a reluctant smile appeared on Bliss’ lips.
“In the future, even the emperor will have to pay attention to me.”
At that time. Something came up from deep inside.
I vomited blood. It was so black and sticky, I couldn’t even think something like that could come out of my mouth.
My whole body stiffened and I fell from my chair with a scream, crawling on the dining room’s floor.
It felt like I was on fire, and an unknown cough continued to burst to the point of deafening me.
Suddenly, more dark red blood gushed out of my mouth.
‘Maybe…is this poison?!’
I looked up at Bliss with bloodshot eyes.
He grinned.
“Thanks to the assassination of Grand Duke Arista, I took his position. Thank you, mother, for giving me a chance to become the Grand Duke.”
I couldn’t quite understand it.
Still curled up on the floor, I grabbed the hem of my son’s pants with all the strength I could muster with my trembling hands.
I had to ask.
“Bliss, why? I’m your mother, why do I have to die…?”
“Didn’t I just say I was going to be the Grand Duke? Tsk. I can’t believe a dull woman like you is my adoptive mother.”
Bliss laughed at me to the fullest.
“You still don’t understand? Now I don’t need a mother.”
Suddenly, my vision darkened.
It was death.
*****
“Huh!”
I opened my eyes, panting like a fish thrown out of the water.
It was ironic, but a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling appeared.
In addition, I was lying in a useless bed at this time. What’s going on here?
“Where am I? No, more than that, what was that just now? Was it a dream? Yeah. I guess it was a dream. I can’t believe I had a dream of being poisoned by Bliss.”
But why?
Why is my heart beating so fast on a mere dream?
My hands and feet were trembling, so I crouched as hard as I could, enveloping myself in a hug.
It was so lonely, sad, and painful that I couldn’t even begin to explain it.
How much time passed?
I finally noticed.
My vision was very clear.
“It’s strange. I don’t have a monocle, so why can I see my surroundings so well? How is it so warm in the winter?”
I slowly descended from the old bed.
It was around that time.
In the narrow, old room, I found a mirror hanging on one wall.
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A young woman with smooth skin in the mirror was staring at me.
I knew her face well.
Because that’s what I looked like when I was 28!
“Did I return to the past?”
To be continued-