The Archmage’s Restaurant

# 47

Chapter.12 Hidden Face and Dessert

“What happened? Verna. “How did my son, who didn’t know how to do anything, become so arrogant?”

“but… Oh father. The city of Gray definitely belongs to the Earl of Gray. now stop … .”

“What’s wrong?”

Count Dedran, whose face became red from the unexpected rebellion, lowered his eyes and struck Verna, who barely spoke, on the cheek.

slap-!

Verna’s body collapsed with a violent sound.

“I’m sorry! but… . but… .”

Count Deadran glared at his daughter. And grabbed her hair.

“Isn’t this all because you couldn’t bear Great’s son? But who is to blame? What now? Are you trampling on your father’s long-cherished wish now? “You seem incompetent.”

Verna couldn’t even think of looking up at her father’s face and just started shaking. What was taking over her body now was the feeling of fear.

Although she is the count’s second daughter and the daughter of a noble family, Verna was not treated as a human being from an early age.

No, Count Dedran treated all his daughters as tools.

So, to Verna, her father is just a scary being and someone she cannot disobey.

Marrying Verna into Count Gray’s family was in itself using her as a tool.

Although he had lost his wife, the reason he remarried the Earl of Gray, who was 20 years older than him, was to make the Gray family his own in the future.

The count’s little wife.

Verna is not a concubine. He remarried after his original wife died.

A woman named Deadran Berna became the victim of an arranged marriage. Of course, the current name is Great Berna.

“father… .”

The count tsked and threw Verna’s hair to the floor. Then he walked around the room grinning.

“I will not forgive useless people, even if they are my daughters. “You don’t want to be locked in that cell for the rest of your life, do you?”

When Verna was young, she said she wanted to learn music, but she was locked in a one-pyeong cell with no windows for a month.

That loneliness and darkness. And fear. Verna’s face distorts mercilessly as fear arises.

“Ha, you ruined my plan because you failed to give birth to Greik’s son, but there is only one reason why I let you go. I told him to take the lead in making my son a scarecrow, but he was also lazy and left all the work to our kids. Do you like the idea of letting go? Don’t be funny. It’s Berna. “Now this is all you have left.”

Count Dedran took out a vial from his pocket without losing his anger. As her own daughter. This is the only thing that proves its value as a tool.

If you can’t even do this, then it will just be thrown away without mercy. Because I know a lot of useless things.

So Count Dedran decided to give Verna one last chance.

“Listen carefully, Verna. Make your son lose his mind by making him drink this. If you can’t even do this, you’re worse than Monster Bob. Do you understand? “This time, I must repay the favor that gave me birth.”

Count Dedran truly thought so. He said he should return the favor since he brought her into the world.

He thinks that just helping him survive in a world where there are many people starving to death is the reason why he can use her as a tool.

Just as an emperor with numerous children cannot love them all. No, rather, it seems like they are going to fight to the death.

No, the Count actually thought of his children as insignificant even more than that.

He had that kind of personality from the moment he was born. A man who pursues only his own interests and desires without any emotions.

“That can’t be possible. How could a normal child… ! Now I’m finally starting to find my own path… !”

“You’ve already embezzled so much of Gray City’s taxes, so what are you going to do if you don’t do it?”

“It’s the nobles of Gray who joined hands with my father… Isn’t that what you did? And that much… .”

Verna could not continue speaking.

Because Count Dedran trampled on his daughter’s head.

“Berna, Berna. That too is no different from what you have already done. Are you going to be stoned to death by the citizens of Great Lake? If your son finds out about the taxes, your life will be over anyway? Do you want to take care of a person who is not your biological mother? Everything is covered up and you die. So give him medicine. It doesn’t die. You can’t kill it. “If you die, you won’t be able to control Gracey as you wish.”

“… … .”

Verna just bit her mouth. I bit my lip so hard that blood oozed out.

“I’ll give you just one week. If you can’t handle it during this time, you are not my daughter. Verna.”

After finishing his threat, the Count shook himself off and left the room.

Verna wasn’t this timid to begin with. However, it was impossible for him to grow into his original personality under Count Dedran, who thought of everything but himself as a tool.

She spent her childhood under the guidance of a count who was not like her father, always having to watch out for others, and naturally her personality became timid.

She couldn’t remember smiling when she was at her parents’ house. Because I lived my life without knowing how to smile.

It was Count Dedran’s plan from the beginning for her to be married to Grace City.

One day, a big fight broke out over the border between Gray City and Deadran City.

As this incident spread to the capital, Count Gray was forced to accept Count Dedran’s demands, and as a result, Count Gray remarried against his will.

Widowed first wife. In other words, Count Graye, who loved the boy’s biological mother, did not even have a concubine, so remarriage was not something he would have thought about, but at Count Dedran’s request, Verna was brought into the Graye family.

This is Count Dedran, who designed everything from the beginning.

Verna is just the victim.

She got married when she was 20 years old. At that time, Earl Gray was 40 years old and the Gray boy was 4 years old.

Age difference of 20 years.

Berna thought that his situation in prison would not change, just because his place of stay had changed.

I calmly accepted the fact that I would have to live with a husband I had never met instead of a fearful father.

I hope my husband is not a scary person like my father. Verna sincerely wished that.

However, Count Gray did not ask her to have a relationship with either man or woman. All he does is spend his time in his room. When it was time to eat, the Gray Boy and the Count ate with her.

I hope so for a week.

Count Gray said this to Verna:

“Don’t you know how to smile?”

Verna had no idea how to answer such a strange question.

“yes… ?”

This short sentence was the greatest retort Verna could make.

“Do you love me?”

“… … .”

Verna had no answer to Count Gray’s perplexing questions. If you tell the truth and go back to your parents’ house, your father will not leave you alone. Because that is obvious to anyone.

But that didn’t mean there were any lies.

“Why are you so nervous? Of course I won’t love you. “We’ve only known each other for less than a week. Where can love be?”

“That’s it… “That’s right.”

“We are married. But I have no intention of doing anything you don’t want to do. So why not straighten your face and live freely? I can’t shake off what’s already happened, but there’s no need to feel obligated to someone I don’t love. So, why not find happiness by doing what you want, even if it’s just inside the castle? Oh, that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you alone since you’re already married. I will also do my duty. So will you take good care of my son? It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do that. “Do you really think I want your love?”

Count Gray laughed as he declared that to Verna.

Verna had to think for a while about what that meant. But no matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t a call to go back to my parents’ house.

Rather, Count Gray made great efforts to make Verna comfortable.

Count Gray thought that the reason Verna did not smile was because she had become a victim of an arranged marriage due to her father’s greed.

That’s why I felt sorry for her, and that’s why I treated her with the same respect for my daughter.

Of course, Verna was a child who didn’t know how to smile from the beginning. Because that’s how I grew up. Although there was a bit of misunderstanding, Berna’s very peaceful days continued.

“Little mother!”

The Gray boy does not know the existence of his biological mother. The boy’s biological mother died while giving birth to the boy.

However, the Gray boy followed Verna very well until he was a child.

Verna is young and young. A woman with a pretty face but who doesn’t smile.

Nevertheless, the Gray boy simply accepted Verna, who became his new mother, with a pure heart.

Would you say that not having any memories of your biological mother actually made it easier for you to open your heart?

The kindness of Count Gray and the Gray boy was so similar.

“I picked this to give to my mother!”

One day, when the Gray boy brought Verna a flower crown from the flower garden to give to her, she felt a rush of emotion for the first time in her life.

But it wasn’t a bad feeling. The feeling of being alive. I felt the reality of life.

The Earl of Gray has not changed over time. He was always friendly.

That’s why Berna’s time here felt like a dream. In particular, tea time in the study with Count Gray after breakfast became her greatest happiness.

The Count always smiled at Verna’s words, and the more he smiled, the more the tea and dessert felt like honey.

Count Dedran. This place is completely different from my parents’ home, which is solemn and full of coercion and violence.

“I want to learn that instrument…” are you okay?”

2 years after marriage.

It was not until two years later that Verna asked the count for a favor for the first time.

It was the only hope he had ever had since he was born.

The fear of being dismissed and imprisoned by my father. I felt that the way to escape that fear was to learn a musical instrument.

It was Verna’s suggestion that she thought about and thought about, but Count Gray nodded very calmly. No, on the contrary, he encouraged them by saying that having a hobby is a good thing.

After the Gray boy turned 8, he became proficient enough to give musical instrument concerts. An 8-year-old Great boy applauding wildly. and the Earl of Gray.

Verna laughed for the first time while watching that nothing scene. He finally put a smile on his face. And I cried right away.

Anyway, from that incident, Verna learned to be honest about her feelings.

And the more she did, the more she admired her husband, Count Grey. But there was still no marital relationship. I was able to show my emotions on my face, express exclamations, cry, and laugh, but I had no idea how to confess my love to my husband.

She grew up without knowing love. At this time, she was only 24 years old. Expressing your emotions, admiring and smiling is one thing, but confessing your feelings to the person you love are completely different things.

So, at some point, Verna became satisfied with the current situation.

Time together.

Since Count Gray was busy with the affairs of the estate, the most time they spent together was tea time, and that time was very precious to Verna.

She truly loved Count Gray and Boy Gray. As husband and son.