The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 65
* * *
The academy gallery hall displayed the children’s artworks in a line.
Ian, who had been walking ahead with quick steps, stopped in front of a green canvas. Ash stood behind him, looking at the painting.
‘So, this is what he wanted to show me…’
The painting depicted a man giving a child a piggyback ride on a path where warm green and yellow tones mingled.
Though only their backs were shown, Ash could tell it was a portrait of him and Ian.
[ (Special Award) A Memory I Left Behind / Ian Bayern ]
“I won an award in the drawing competition, and I really wanted to show it to you, Uncle.”
The original theme was the scenery of the academy, but what Ian had painted was a memory that Ash had tucked away in his heart.
“…You drew well.”
Ian’s father had been so rigid and strict that he hadn’t intended to leave any inheritance to his second son, born of his second wife. His mother, driven by ambition for the Bayern family, had instilled in him a sense of rivalry and hatred toward his older half-brother.
The only person who had given Ash the love he hadn’t received from his parents was his half-brother, Joshua.
Joshua had been a good brother. Instead of hating Ash, who was belittled and used as a pawn by Joshua’s stepmother, he had told the little boy that it wasn’t his fault, that he was just a child being used by adults.
To Ash, Joshua had been like a parent.
And for some reason, on the day depicted in the painting, Ash had thought about passing on the experience Joshua had given him to Ian.
The warm and joyful feelings from that day surfaced anew, as vividly as in the picture.
“…But wasn’t the competition theme a landscape? This looks like the path at our home.”
“That’s why I got a special award instead. If not, I would’ve won the grand prize.”
Ian beamed with pride.
Indeed, this painting was one that deserved at least a special award. It had the power to pull the viewer back to their childhood at first glance.
“I really wanted to show this to you, Uncle.”
Perhaps Ian could have resented and blamed Ash.
But the fact that he had preserved only good memories was because Ash occupied a significant part of the experiences that had shaped Ian’s character.
“Uncle, may I come home during the next vacation?”
“…Yes.”
Ash answered in a suppressed voice.
Even though Ian was the child of the woman who had taken his brother’s life, Ash had belatedly realized that to Ian, he was still an important family member.
‘Ash, how can it be your fault that your mother hates me? That’s on her, not you. So there’s no need for you to feel sorry.’
In Ian’s smile, Ash could see the face of Joshua, who had given him so much comfort.
“Alright, let’s meet at home during your vacation.”
Ash gave a faint smile as he watched Ian’s face light up in a bright smile.
* * *
It wasn’t until they were on their way home that they learned Richard, who had fought with Ian, was the nephew of Count Azelot’s wife.
After the carriage stopped in front of the house, Nina, holding Ash’s hand as she got out, asked,
“So, the reason they treated Ian that way was…”
“There must have been some sort of deal with the Azelot family.”
Honestly, he hadn’t expected a connection with Count Azelot at all.
If it had been the imperial family’s genealogy, perhaps. But he didn’t remember every detail of the Azelot family’s lineage.
To be frank, when they had encountered the two in the faculty office, Ash hadn’t even known they were the Marquis and Marchioness of Ulverni.
At Ash’s cynical voice, Nina frowned.
As greedy as they were for money, how could they use their own son for such a dirty scheme?
‘They could’ve lived comfortably without resorting to such measures…’
“Then wouldn’t it be dangerous to leave Ian at the academy?”
Nina couldn’t imagine that Count Azelot would directly target her nephew.
Before her return, she hadn’t heard any issues related to Ian, so she didn’t think that would happen now.
‘…It must be because things have changed.’
What was the reason Count Azelot had approached her before, offering her a potion?
It was because Nina Bayern was the “master key” to the guardianship trial.
‘Ash Bayern is not fit to be the guardian of his nephew.’
If her “opinion” as his wife had been submitted to the court as such, everything would have gone as Count Azelot wanted.
He wouldn’t have needed to sow discord between Ian and Ash since he had a winning card on his side.
‘Or perhaps something like this had originally happened, but Ian didn’t tell anyone.’
“Even if we’re far apart, as long as there’s trust, there’s no reason to doubt.”
That unwavering trust in Ash had been evident in Ian’s words.
