I Left my Cheating Husband and Married a Beast

Chapter 29

“Miss, do you have a grudge against that box?”

Marina asked while chewing on a madeleine, looking at me.

At the same time, I let out a deep sigh.

“Marina, I think this box is my enemy. No matter what I do, it won’t open! What on earth is it made of?”

I glared at the box as if it had personally wronged me, then looked around.

Various tools were scattered all over the place.

I had borrowed tools from the gardener and the butler, all sharp and sturdy, yet none of them could open this old box.

“Maybe it’s enchanted?”

“No, I don’t sense any mana from it.”

I lightly kicked the box. It rolled away weakly, making it even more frustrating that all those tools had been useless.

Honestly, I had thought it might be enchanted too.

But no matter how much I checked, I couldn’t feel any mana from it. Mana had a distinct presence—uncomfortable and unpleasant, even to non-mages. But this box felt completely ordinary.

“If it were magic, at least we’d have a way to break the spell.”

“Yeah… it is kind of scary how it won’t open no matter what.”

She said that, but she was munching on her madeleine too enthusiastically for it to sound convincing.

I brushed some crumbs off her lips and looked at her. Marina rolled her eyes and cautiously asked,

“Did you notice I ate too much?”

“I already knew. But more importantly, Marina, do you know anything about my mother?”

It had been a long time since I mentioned my birth mother.

Marina was the niece of my old nanny.

When my nanny left, she entrusted Marina to me. We had met when I was about eight years old, long after I had stopped talking about my mother.

So, this was my first time asking her.

“Yes, I do.”

“You do?”

I hadn’t expected much, so I was completely shocked.

“Why… why do you know?”

“My aunt told me. She said that when you grew up and asked about your birth mother, I should tell you.”

“Oh…”

Now I understood my nanny’s intentions.

She must have known why she had to leave.

Back then, I wasn’t in the right state of mind. If she had told me about my mother, I probably wouldn’t have understood or remembered. So, she left the information with Marina instead.

“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner? You could have told me when I became an adult.”

Marina put down her madeleine and spoke seriously.

“My aunt told me to only say something if you asked first.”

I stared at her.

“…Be honest. You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Hehe, Miss, let’s not get caught up in the details.”

She forgot.

Marina grinned, stuffing the last of her madeleine into her mouth. She knew I couldn’t get mad when she smiled like that.

“But it’s true! I was only eight back then.

It wouldn’t be strange if I forgot.”

“Fair point. So, tell me now. What did my nanny say?”

Even in my past life, I had never heard this.

Back then, I was too busy surviving to think about my mother.

Of course, there were times when I felt exhausted and curled up alone, wondering about her. But since I knew nothing, those thoughts always faded quickly.

To me, my mother had always been nothing more than a vague presence.

“Your mother was a beautiful woman with a slightly exotic look.

My aunt said you look just like her.”

I instinctively touched my face and thought of the marquis. No wonder I didn’t resemble him—I took after my mother.

“She was adopted. I don’t know the details, but she didn’t have a good relationship with her family.

The lady of the house mistreated her, thinking she was an illegitimate child.”

Not only did I inherit her face, but also her misfortune.

“And…”

Marina hesitated.

“What is it?”

After my urging, she carefully continued.

“The box your mother left behind… She prepared it while she was pregnant.

My aunt said… it seemed like she knew she was going to die.”

“She knew?”

I repeated the words slowly.

Marina explained further.

My mother met my nanny after she found out she was pregnant. At that time, her family had suddenly gone bankrupt, and there were talks of breaking off her engagement with the marquis.

It must have been a confusing time for her, but instead of panicking, she calmly waited for something.

She handed the box to my nanny and specifically asked for it to be given to her daughter—even though I hadn’t been born yet.

I thought over Marina’s words, but they only left me more confused.

“…I need to look into my mother.”

“How? Her family is gone, and searching for people takes time…”

“There’s someone who might know something.”

I thought of him.

He was the only person I knew who had a connection to my mother.

I hadn’t planned on asking him about her, but now, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this.

“Marina, keep the box safe.”

“Okay! I’ll put it next to the flowers.”

At that, I glanced toward the window.

Three days had passed since I first received flowers, and every morning since then, new ones had arrived.

I always picked the freshest one and delivered it to him.

Today, I decided to hand it to him personally.

Now, all the curtains on the third floor were drawn back.

The sunlight shining through made the ducal residence look even more magnificent.

The third floor, where the master stayed, was particularly elegant—it was a shame it had been hidden in darkness for so long.

Humming a tune, I arrived at his office.

Since my hands were full, I called out instead of knocking.

“Your Highness, are you there? If you are, could you open the door?”

To my surprise, the door swung open almost immediately.

“Beloni?”

Shanur looked puzzled, then his gaze shifted to the vase in my arms.

“I decided to deliver it myself today.”

Shanur smiled and stepped aside.

I walked into his office and looked around.

“Where should I put it?”

There were already two vases by the window and another one on the table next to the sofa.

“On the desk, please.”

“Stay seated. I won’t drop it, don’t worry.”

As he followed behind me, I teased him before setting the vase down.

While adjusting its position, I accidentally caught sight of a familiar name in a document on his desk.

I quickly looked away and sat across from Shanur.

“The flowers were just an excuse. I wanted to tell you—I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where to?”

“I have some business with my uncle.”

Shanur didn’t ask further and simply nodded.

“Go ahead.”

That was all I needed to say, yet I didn’t get up right away.

“Your Highness, I saw something on your desk earlier… Did something happen with Ian?”

The document had contained Ian’s name.

I wasn’t worried about him—I was worried about what kind of trouble he had caused.

“He did cause some trouble.”

“He did? What happened?”

How big of a mess did he make for it to reach Shanur?

My heart pounded anxiously.

Ian was foolish, incompetent, and timid—too cowardly to cause real damage. But even a worm will wriggle when stepped on.

After our last encounter, his pride must have been shattered. Maybe he made a desperate move.

I could only hope it wasn’t something that caused problems for Shanur.

I waited nervously for his answer.

But instead of speaking, Shanur just stared at me for a long time.

I swallowed hard.

“Your Highness? Why are you looking at me like that? Is it really serious?”

My heart sank.

‘Did Ian cause trouble for Shanur? Should I have beaten him to a pulp last time?’

I regretted not physically taking him down.

As I grew more anxious, Shanur frowned and asked,

“Do you care about Ian Beckham that much?”

“Huh?”

“Are you that worried about him? Is he… important to you?”