I'm Only a Stepmother, but My Daughter is Just so Cute!

Ch 14

“I heard it from the rumors floating around the palace. Is it not true?”

“Hah…” Sabelian put a hand to his forehead. So, the servants had been spreading these sorts of rumors in the ten years he’d remained unmarried? His eyes glinted coldly at the thought. Putting his hand back down, he spoke firmly, “It seems like you’re laboring under a misapprehension. My failure to remarry all these years has nothing to do with feeling any love for the previous queen.”

Why was he explaining himself to this woman? He didn’t understand, but he continued on anyway. “I’m not avoiding Blanche because of that reason. To think you’d believe such a stupid rumor…”

“So why do you avoid Princess Blanche? Don’t you have any fatherly love?” There was no response. The man just sat there, almost as if time had stopped for him. Did I ask a stupid question? Abigail wondered as regret filled her for asking in the first place. As she opened her mouth to tell him that he didn’t need to answer, Sabelian spoke, “…I don’t understand what this fatherly love you’re talking about is.”

“What?”

Sabelian fell silent, again without response. Seeing that, Abigail didn’t probe any further because he somehow seemed rather depressed at that moment. An awkward silence settled over the room that was only broken by Sabelian rising slowly from his desk. “In any case, the child is still the heir to this country. I will try my best in educating Blanche, so there’s no need for you to worry.”

“……”

“There are many good books here. Please enjoy a few of them if you have the time.” So saying, Sabelian left the room. He could hear Abigail bidding him goodbye from behind, but he didn’t reply. Slowly, he walked through the hallway. The words that came out from Abigail’s mouth a while ago kept playing back over and over in his head. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, Sabelian could hear his stomach turn over.

Love. What a ridiculous thought. If Miriam heard this, she would jump out of her grave. Love didn’t exist for Sabelian be it in the past or the present. Since it didn’t exist now, it probably wouldn’t exist in the future either. There was no problem in not having such a thing as he had lived perfectly fine without it up till now.

It occurred to him that he’d made a foolish decision. He should have refused the invitation. He shouldn’t have let Abigail in his study. If he had done all that, he wouldn’t have to feel this strange emotion anymore.

He regretted his decision, but he didn’t turn back to call off the meal.

* * *

“Doesn’t understand what fatherly love is…is what he said.” I tried to do my best impression of Sabelian as I recounted it to Verite, who was watching me do all this through the mirror. “Hmm, and?”

“It didn’t seem like he actually loved his previous wife either.” I was a bit shocked when he’d told me he never loved his previous wife. He seemed almost insulted at the suggestion…I thought as I continued, “I thought Sabelian loved his previous wife quite a bit. If he didn’t, why not remarry for almost eleven years straight?”

“You should have asked.” Verite said bluntly.

“But the atmosphere there was…” Sabelian’s expression had visibly darkened when he’d said he had no notion of what fatherly love was. Blanche almost seemed like a sort of wound on him. Because of that, I couldn’t really ask anything more, “If only I knew why Sabelian dislikes Blanche so much…I’d be able to help the two get closer then.”

“Hm. I did hear a few rumors in the palace.”

“Rumors? You were here all this time. How did you hear anything? Through the maids?”