I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 74

Chapter 74

The moment Elisa saw his face, her heart sank.

Why is he here?

*Christian…?*

Elisa looked back and forth between Christian and Leon, who was sitting in front of him.

Christian was looking down coldly at the child in front of him, brushing off the dirt that was on Leon.

Fortunately, it seemed he did not recognize Leon.

*No, that’s not fortunate.*

What a fool he must be to not recognize his own son right in front of him.

However, Christian, who couldn’t know the truth, glanced back and forth between Elisa and Leon as she approached, then twisted his lips into a sneer.

With a disdainful expression, he began to berate Leon.

“Hey, little kid. If you bumped into someone, you should apologize, right? Isn’t that something they teach you at the temple?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“What the hell is on your white clothes? Do you know how expensive this outfit is? It costs hundreds of times your life’s worth.”

Leon, frightened by Christian’s fierce demeanor, merely trembled and couldn’t respond.

Irritated by Leon’s silence, Christian kicked at the child’s small foot.

Though it wasn’t a powerful strike, it was enough to scare the boy.

Leon curled his foot up, shaking in fear.

“This is why kids without parents are a problem. They lack proper family education, you see.”

“…”

“Who would even think of donating so generously to raise such foolish children? Tsk.”

As Christian spoke, his gaze had fixed on Elisa, who had approached them.

His words were essentially aimed not at Leon, but at Elisa, the orphan. Moreover, they were also insults directed at Richard, the illegitimate child.

Elisa stepped in front of Leon, blocking the way and facing Christian.

With a cold expression but a smile on her lips, she said, “Your words are too harsh for a small child, Your Highness.”

In response to her demeanor, Christian sneered.

“Isn’t this our Duchess of Rubellin, who even feels pity for these little street urchins and donates to them?”

Elisa realized from his words why he was here.

Recently, the Rubellin family had publicly started donating to the temple, and the imperial family, concerned about their public image, had decided to make a donation for the founding day as well.

Christian was likely here to promote that public image.

This annoying schedule was evidently displeasing to him.

Christian glanced at Elisa’s belly for a moment and then smirked as if something had come to mind.

“Oh, right. Such harsh words aren’t good for the baby, are they? I almost forgot. My apologies, Duchess of Rubellin.”

His face showed no trace of genuine regret.

“Then could you step aside? I need to properly scold this child who dared to soil the Crown Prince’s clothes and damage my dignity.”

“I will apologize on his behalf.”

As Elisa considered how to resolve the situation, she bowed her head.

It wasn’t a huge issue, but Leon had done something wrong, and she knew that the longer she talked with Christian here, the more hurtful words would pour out, harming Leon.

Prioritizing Leon’s emotional safety and seeking a resolution to this situation, she spoke.

“Please, have a generous heart and forgive this child. I will take responsibility for his upbringing. I will also compensate for Your Highness’s clothes through Rubellin.”

Christian had a tendency to treat men harshly, but if a woman bowed down first, he would often be surprisingly satisfied and back down.

It seemed he was somewhat enamored with the image of being a “gentleman.”

As Elisa lowered her head first, Christian’s hostility noticeably diminished, just as she had expected.

Clearing his throat, Christian spoke.

“Ahem, you see, the problem with lowly ones is that they’re troublesome.

When foolish fathers and foolish mothers meet, such dimwitted children keep being born and causing chaos in the kingdom. Tsk.”

He would never know that he was referring to himself as the ‘foolish father.’

Elisa couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief at Christian’s words.

At that moment, Leon suddenly came to her mind.

*But those words would hurt Leon, who has memories of his mother.*

Elisa looked back at Leon, who was hiding behind her.

Contrary to her worry that he might cry, Leon appeared fine.

However, he was now glaring at Christian, his little eyes filled with a fierce determination.

At the same time, a spark ignited in the small boy’s hand. Elisa’s gaze trembled as she watched the flame.

Even if Christian couldn’t recognize his own son, he would surely understand what this flame meant.

“Don’t do it, Leon!”

Elisa rushed to grab Leon’s hand.

Before she could even think about the possibility that she could get hurt by that fire, her body instinctively moved.

And without checking her own hand, she turned to Christian.

Fortunately, it seemed that Christian hadn’t noticed, as he was looking at Elisa and Leon with indifferent eyes.

Seeing that, Elisa felt relieved. Then she heard Leon’s voice, mixed with tears.

“Mi-annee, sister… Leon is making you hurt.”

“It’s okay, you’re not hurt.”

Elisa said this without thinking, but then she felt something was off.

Since he was on fire, it should have stung, but she felt no pain in her hand at all.

*Huh?*

She thought her hand would have signs of a burn, but there were no traces at all.

There was only a slight dampness left.

Elisa tilted her head in confusion.

*What is this…?*

Just then, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“There you are, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

When she looked up, she saw Aiden approaching.

Aiden quickly assessed the atmosphere between Elisa, Leon, and Christian as he stepped closer.

As always, he spoke in a calm voice.

“I heard you were looking for me. I apologize for not waiting here sooner. Had I been informed, I would have waited.”

“Well, thanks to that, I had a chance to look around the temple. However, the children in the temple need stricter discipline.”

“Let’s go inside for now.”

Aiden smoothly dismissed Christian’s remarks about Leon’s actions and led him away.

Elisa momentarily watched Christian’s retreating figure before turning her attention back to Leon.

Only then did Leon burst into tears.

Though he had initially been angry at Christian’s insults toward his parents, it seemed he had not escaped unscathed.

Elisa gently hugged Leon, who was crying.

“Leon, forget everything that man said. He’s the foolish one for saying such things.”

“Uuu….”

“But you still can’t use fire on others. Understood?”

“I’m sorry, I did something wrong…”

Leon readily admitted his mistake and gently hugged Elisa back.

Elisa quietly patted his head.

“That’s right. You just need to not do it next time.”

Leon nodded quietly while wrapped in Elisa’s arms.

At that moment, Leon suddenly pointed with his tiny hand to something behind Elisa.

“Oh, it’s Uncle!”

When she turned around, she saw a familiar figure approaching.

A tall man with a radiant appearance shining in the sunlight.

It was Richard.

A smile involuntarily spread across Elisa’s face at the sight of him.

“Did today’s meeting end early?”

“Yeah, we’re almost done with the preparations now.”

Richard looked down at Leon, who was gazing up at him with sparkling eyes, and gently ruffled the little boy’s hair.

“I noticed Christian was here when I came in.”

“Oh, yes. I just ran into him a moment ago. Luckily, he didn’t seem to notice.”

“Uncle!”

Leon wanted to cling to Richard’s leg, spinning around him, but he hesitated to approach due to the mud on his hands.

Noticing Leon’s reluctance because of the memory of getting dirt on himself when he met Christian, Elisa took Leon to the well.

“Let’s wash your hands, Leon.”

“I can do it.”

Richard stepped forward and took the bucket from Elisa, who was about to draw water from the well.

He began to scoop water and wash Leon’s hands.

“Wash up nice and clean, little one.”

“Okay, like this?”

Elisa watched in a daze as Richard gently washed Leon’s hands and face.

*He really looks like a dad when he does that…*

Even though his touch was careful and a bit clumsy, it radiated a kind of affection.

Seeing his kind demeanor made her heart flutter unexpectedly.

At that moment, Richard, having drawn fresh water, approached Elisa and took her hand.

Startled by the sudden contact, Elisa looked up at him.

“Your hands are dirty too. Let me wash them for you.”

“Oh… thank you.”

Richard held the bucket with one hand so that Elisa wouldn’t have to awkwardly bend down, and with the other hand, he began to wash her hands.

The warmth of his large hand touching hers in the cold water felt oddly embarrassing.

Elisa glanced up at Richard, who was focused on washing her hands, with her head slightly bowed.

In that moment, their eyes met as Richard looked down at her.

*Ah.*

His red eyes, filled with sunlight, shone brightly.

With that gaze, her heart raced again.