How to Avoid Becoming a Vicious Step Mother - Chapter 56

“What the hell—”

Gellerhard’s shoulders shook as he chose his next words. In the sense of calming down, he hit his chest and the rest of his words began pouring out in line with his exasperated sigh.

“Are there even people like that?”

For a moment, I wondered if Gellerhard was actually testing me. In this situation, the only force that could target this pregnant self of mine were Carl’s supporters—starting with Carl’s own maternal family, Count Petrika. Why would you even ask that if you know? Did you really ask because you had no idea? I straightened up and ttok a step back.

“There is no evidence that someone was playing a trick on my meals.”

There had only been circumstantial indications and since it was not uncommon for my health to deteriorate during pregnancy, everyone just knew that my health had worsened before it gradually recovered.

“What about the maid who had stopped Carl from drinking?”

“I just let her out of the castle. I made her drink from it, but nothing really happened, so….”

“I’ll tell them to catch her again.”

When he turned his head, Gellerhard had a very serious expression on his face. I guessed from his tight mouth and big eyes that he wouldn’t let go of the maid whom he would be holding on to later.

“If you do catch her, what are you going to do then?”

“Of course!”

Gellerhard, who had been raising his voice with excitement, suddenly closed his lips. The sound of his teeth grinding away as well as the sharp eyes eventually made me guess the words that he had just swallowed back.

“…I will kill the person who instigated it right  after getting her to confess. Everyone—from the person concerned up till the next of kin!”

The words that followed were all bloody, up to the point that I didn’t even want to know what the hell he had swallowed before. The purple eyes under his furrowed eyebrows were utterly menacing. As if he was going to catch the maid at any moment once again, he jumped up in a hurry.

“Mandy, don’t worry.”

I’ll take care of everything—I immediately caught him as he tried to run away while leaving behind such a heavy phrase.

“Gellerhard! Wait, wait! I know who actually did it!”

“What? Who is it?”

It took a lot of courage to tell him the culprit whom I had guessed. I was afraid that he wouldn’t believe in me—maybe he thought that I might have other intentions instead. My lips did not open up that easily along with full of worries when I saw the concern for me within those purple eyes that were ultimately seething with anger.

“Count Petrika.”

“This—”

Sh—something strong was just about to flow out, but he bit his lips hard and stopped. Gellerhard, who was about to jump out with a very angry expression, suddenly paused his movements and turned to me.

“Count Petrika? Carl’s maternal grandfather?”

His eyes met my face as well as my huge bulging belly. His face, which was once again contorted with anger, eventually turned crimson.

“What a bastard! How nice Mandy has always been towards Carl!”

In the end, such cursings came out of the Duke’s lips. The subject of asking how the late Count Petrika had been doing was actually very interesting. Bang! He rolled over to his own feet and began to throw swears all over before Gellerhard slumped down right next to me. He crouched down in anguish and grabbed a hold of his hair with both hands. Right at the tip of the seething anger, Gellerhard eventually came to a realization.

All because Count Petrika was Carl’s maternal grandfather, he tried to hurt me while I was still pregnant. And neither himself nor I could readily retaliate against Count Petrika, who was ultimately Carl’s own maternal grandfather.

“Ugh!”

Gellerhard, who wanted Count Petrika to learn back decency and courtesy from his dead parents once again, became frustrated and looked very distressed in return.

“Gellerhard.”

He raised his head at my call and his eyes were already bloodshot from blood pressure that kept rising in anger while his lips were swollen red from being chewed. His face contorted as soon as he saw me. His black eyebrows, which had been raised fiercely with anger, drooped down and his purple eyes glistened with sadness.

“Mandy, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mandy.”

With a bottomless continuous apologies, Gellerhard lowered himself and buried his face against my thigh. His pain of not being able to be completely for me, his desire that I would not be disappointed in him and leave him as well as his wish to be comforted by me in the midst of his pain were all jumbled up together.

It reminded me of Carl who hid behind the hem of my skirt while being chased by the tagger previously. My heart throbbed as I felt severely dejected for Gellerhard, who was several times bigger than the small and plump Carl.

“It’s okay, Gellerhard. Until the baby is born, I will just have to be careful like I am right now.”

“Mandy.”

“I’m okay. Rather, I’m just glad that you actually believed in me.”

What I said as I gently patted him on the back was really sincere. Gellerhard had believed my words without any evidence—without any question even. In fact, he would have already found and killed him if it hadn’t been Count Petrika himself.

“Gellerhard, please hug me now. And promise me that you will protect me from now onwards.”

With my words, Gellerhard instantly raised his head.

“I’ll be sure to knock him down—that bastard.”

Gellerhard swore out harshly before he took me into his arms. As I leaned against his chest, the tension began to ease.

“Those who bully you will have to pay the price. Certainly.”

Gellerhard once again promised to retaliate against Count Petrika. And that was it. Anytime, as long as it had been for me, that was just fine.

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