Chapter 13 (1/2)

Perhaps my act was a success, Rüdiger tried to persuade me.

“I understand your concerns. However, the Winterwald household will strive to offer the best environment for Luca.”

Rüdiger’s words seemed to ring true.

Rüdiger and his parents, therefore Luca’s grandparents, sincerely treated him as their real grandchild, not an illegitimate child.

Matter-of-factly, Rüdiger had no thoughts of getting married, so Luca was their only grandchild…

That’s why they wanted to make Luca the next heir, carrying on their family name.

When thoughts of all the horrendous events awaiting Luca came to mind, I grimaced.

All of a sudden, hesitation welled up inside me.

Must I send off Luca…

It wouldn’t be too bad if he stayed with me like this…

But the Winterwalds wouldn’t give up on Luca.

Although Rüdiger didn’t mention it, the fact that Jonas had a living descendant was far more important than anticipated.

I’m only his aunt, not his mom, so I wouldn’t be able to win if there was a custody battle.

Even if I were his mom, there still would be no way to win against the Winterwald family.

If that wasn’t enough, all the abuse from the past can’t be justified with being nice to him for just a month…

Luca probably wanted to follow Rüdiger.

Looking back, that month’s effort seemed meaningless, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

‘I shouldn’t be so clingy! The reason why I was trying to be kind to Luca was not that I wanted something in return, but simply because I wanted to. It’s probably for the best to proceed with what I planned from the beginning. Besides, it’s better to go with my gut instincts, not second-guessing myself.”

As I tried to gather all my disordered thoughts, I sighed deeply.

“It’s just so sudden…”

“I understand.”

Rüdiger bowed his head.

I barely managed to smile and quietly added,

“Luca’s sick right now, so it’ll be rather difficult to tell him about this situation so soon. If he takes his medicine today, he should be better by tomorrow. Would you like to meet with him tomorrow then?”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“No worries. It’s for Luca.”

I gave my best impression of a melancholic aunt parting with her nephew until Rüdiger left.

I was relieved when he didn’t suspect any impression of sending off Luca from the start.

‘Whew, I somehow managed to climb over that mountain.”