TAHR 10

Chapter 10

When Noah’s name came up, Elissa suddenly lifted her head so quickly that her hair fluttered.

“Judging by how loudly he cries, it doesn’t seem like he is unable to make a sound. Have you found out why he doesn’t speak?”

“Yes. I am doing my best to find out.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t look that way to me. If you were really doing your best, you wouldn’t have left the child like that.”

“I have never neglected him.”

Elissa spoke each word with force. Her weak and obedient appearance had disappeared without a trace, and there was strength in her eyes as she looked at her aunt.

“I am doing my best for the child in my own way, so I would appreciate it if you would not say things like that.”

“I don’t want to say them either, but I can’t help it when I can clearly see what you are lacking.”

“That…”

“After all, that child is officially your younger brother. What can you possibly do?”

The words struck the exact sore spot and dug into it. Elissa clenched her fists so tightly that her hands trembled.

Just as her aunt said, Noah was officially Elissa’s half-brother.

But in reality, he was not.

The person who had given birth to Noah was none other than Elissa Leslie herself.

Four years ago, when Countess Leslie learned that her young unmarried daughter was pregnant, she collapsed while clutching the back of her neck. The Count shouted that the child had to be aborted immediately, but Elissa went against her parents’ wishes and gave birth to the baby.

The child was given the name Noah Leslie and became the son of Count Leslie. While Elissa was recovering from childbirth, her father had registered the child in the family register without her permission.

When she first learned about it, she had been shocked and angry, but knowing why her parents had done it, she could not bring herself to be angry with them.

She also knew that being the illegitimate son of a count was viewed more favorably than being the son of an unmarried young lady.

And for Noah’s future, this was the right choice.

It had been three years since she had begun living as his mother while pretending to be his older sister.

That alone was heartbreaking enough, but the fact that the child could not speak made her heart hurt even more.

Whenever someone pointed it out, it felt as if a red-hot iron were being pressed against her chest.

“I thought you weren’t able to do it, so I looked into it myself.”

While Elissa was lost in thought, Tania Leslie took a sip of tea and placed her teacup down.

“I heard there is a doctor in the Kingdom of Tahal who is so famous that people even say he can cure mute people.”

“If you mean the Kingdom of Tahal… are you talking about the country in the desert region in the southern part of the continent?”

“Yes. I think it would be good to take Noah to that doctor. What do you think?”

“I think having him examined would be good too, but… taking young Noah all the way there would be difficult.”

It would take at least a month to travel from the Kingdom of Petra to the Kingdom of Tahal.

And that was only if the weather cooperated. The weather in the desert was extremely unpredictable, so the journey could easily take even longer.

There was no way young Noah, who was only three years old, could endure a journey that would be difficult even for an adult.

“What about bringing the doctor to the Kingdom of Petra?”

“I wanted to do that as well, but the doctor is old, too, so he refused, saying that it would be difficult for him to make such a long journey. He said he would be turning sixty soon, so I suppose it is understandable.”

Ah, then it really would be difficult.

“He might be able to help Noah speak, so it would be a shame to give up just like this. That is why I was discussing with Derrick how we could take the child to the Kingdom of Tahal.”

“Why were you discussing that with Lord Grenville instead of me…?”

“Because Derrick is going to be Noah’s father.”

Derrick Grenville was one of the very few people who knew about the relationship between Elissa and Noah.

Aside from her family, he was the only person who knew.

He had even readily accepted Elissa’s wish to adopt Noah as his son and correct the false family register if they married and she became Countess Grenville.

At first, Elissa had wondered if he was only pretending because he desperately wanted to marry her.

But after seeing how sincerely he tried to become close to Noah, she realized that his feelings were genuine.

He really is a good person. He is also far too good for me.

Her parents were happy, saying that she had finally found her match and that all that remained was for her to become happy.

But Elissa did not feel that way.

Rather, it felt as if she were being punished by walking barefoot across a field of thorns.

“So… what did Lord Grenville say?”

“He said it would be better to discuss it with you first, and if you agreed to send Noah to the Kingdom of Tahal, then he would discuss it with you again.”

“Send Noah to the Kingdom of Tahal? You mean without me?”

Elissa asked in great surprise, having naturally assumed that she would go with him.

Tania Leslie answered calmly.

“Of course not. It isn’t a short distance. How do you expect to endure such a long journey as a woman? Besides, women should not be away from home for too long.”

Her aunt’s old-fashioned logic made Elissa feel as though her breath had been knocked out of her.

She knew that no matter what she said, Tania was not someone who would listen.

But she could not let this one pass.

It was not about anything else.

It was about her child.

It was about the child she had carried and given birth to with her own body.

She could never back down.

“If Noah goes to the Kingdom of Tahal, I will go with him.”

Sitting up straight, Elissa spoke clearly, emphasizing every single word.

Tania Leslie’s eyes narrowed at her stubborn attitude.

“I thought giving birth to a child would have made you grow up, but you are still immature.”

“I didn’t know that taking care of your own child as a mother was considered immature.”

“And you still have that insolent habit of answering back to your elders!”

Tania Leslie snapped at her, but Elissa did not even blink.

“If you have nothing else to say, then I will be going. I will take Noah with me.”

“Do whatever you want! I went through all that trouble to look into it for your sake, and look how you behave. Tsk, tsk.”

Elissa left the drawing room, leaving her aunt behind as Tania clicked her tongue and eventually took out her tobacco pipe.

The butler, who had heard the mistress’s angry voice coming through the crack in the door, looked at Elissa with concern.

“Where is Noah?”

Instead of giving the usual answer that she was fine and telling him not to worry, Elissa simply asked.

The butler immediately led her to where Noah and Derrick were.

The two were playing on a bench with a good view of the rose garden.

The sunlight, standing between afternoon and evening, poured down over their heads.

From a distance, they looked like father and son.

But up close, they did not.

They did not resemble each other in the slightest.

Their hair, their eyes, and their facial features were all completely different.

But he looks exactly like that bastard.

The moment Elissa thought of Noah’s father, she stopped in her tracks.

At the same time, Noah turned toward her.

The child smiled brightly and opened and closed his mouth.

But no sound came out.

Judging only by the shape of his mouth, it looked as if he were saying Mom.

But there was nothing for her ears to hear.

Mute. A mute child who cannot speak.

Remembering how someone had whispered about Noah while looking at him, Elissa’s expression hardened.

“Did you have fun playing?”

But only for a moment.

When the child came running toward her and stretched out both arms, Elissa smiled brightly as if she had never been upset and picked him up.

“Did your conversation with your aunt go well?”

Derrick, who had followed Noah, asked with some concern.

Thanks to Noah, the tension in Elissa’s face had disappeared, and she was able to answer calmly.

“Yes. She was very worried about Noah.”

“He is such a lovely child. Of course she would be.”

Derrick looked down at Noah in Elissa’s arms with a gaze as gentle as sunlight.

“Noah and I are going to head home now. What will you do, Lord Grenville?”

“I will be going back as well. There is something I would like to ask you, though. Could you take me to the Grenville Trading Company? I sent the carriage I came in back because of some circumstances.”

“Of course.”

The trading company was on the way back to the estate.

Even if it had been in the opposite direction, it was something she should do anyway, so Elissa readily nodded.

On the way back, there was no traffic, so they arrived at the trading company earlier than expected.

Noah had fallen asleep, and Elissa had carefully supported him with cushions so that he would be comfortable.

She got out of the carriage to see Derrick off.

“Thank you for taking care of Noah.”

“Not at all. I only did what I naturally should have done.”

Why did his innocent smile make her feel uneasy?

Not knowing what else to say, Elissa simply smiled in response.

“I believe I heard that the Countess will be returning tomorrow. Am I remembering correctly?”

“That’s right. I actually received word that she would be coming tomorrow.”

“Then I think it would be good for me to visit the day after tomorrow in the evening. There is something important I need to discuss with you regarding Noah as well.”

Elissa was about to ask what he was coming for, but she swallowed the question after hearing his additional words and nodded.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves stopped beside them.

Elissa instinctively turned her head.

Her eyes widened when she saw Ethan sitting on the back of the horse.