Chapter 884: Bear Her Tantrums
‘Which nobleman does not have a mistress?’ Earl Blaise sighed when he thought of his wife’s recent cold behavior.
As long as she was his legal wife, there was no reason for her to be anxious and thus treat him in this manner.
He also could not decipher how she was justifying her current attitude towards him which was now making him shake his head in dismay.
Though he stopped in the next second because he considered her silence to be a much better response than her trying to express her disapproval of his infidelity.
If she were to display her animosity outrightly after the matter of his mistress was brought to her notice then things could have gotten worse for his reputation.
Thankfully, she had done nothing of that sort and only maintained a distance from him since that day.
For this reason, he could not help but be pleased with her for keeping his honor in mind and not acting out too much.
.....
‘If she is mad at me then so be it. I can bear it for her.’ He sighed once again as he had indeed hurt her by keeping this a secret from her.
As long as she did not do anything excessive, he was willing to bear her tantrums.
She had always been an obedient wife so he could choose to overlook her actions for the sake of their previously pleasant relationship.
The news of him having a mistress must have come as a shock to her so he would be understanding towards her this time.
At the same time, he hoped that she did not spill anything in their son’s presence.
After all, he did not want to look bad before his son who was also his heir, who would take over the reins of the Blaise fief in the future.
Stanley had always been a respectful young boy since he was a little child, however, his love for his mother was certainly greater than anything else.
At times, the Earl felt that his wife possessed a bigger space in his son’s heart but often tried to suppress that doubt.
Nevertheless, if Stanley were to hear about this news then he would ask his father to put an end to any communication with the other woman for his mother’s dignity and reputation would be harmed if this illegitimate relationship continued any further.
Though Earl Blaise was also aware of this fact, he was not willing to do so.
Therefore, he only hoped that his wife did not mention this matter before their son.
‘She should know what she can and cannot utter before the child.’ He placated his guilty conscience by using her sense of propriety as a shield and thus put an end to this line of thought.
The Butler had been observing his master for a while now and having stayed by his side for so many years, he could deduce what was going through the Earl’s mind.
Though he did not condone what his master was doing, it was not his place to state his opinions.
Therefore, he could only feel sorry for his Madame while continuing to serve the Master, doing his best to keep his infidelity a secret from the rest of the family.
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While the Earl and his Butler were making their way back to the Office which should have been cleaned by now, Stanley was seated by his mother’s bed.
The Countess had moved out of her bedroom and had been residing in a different room not far from where her children stayed.
Therefore, Stanley did not have to go out of his way to visit his mother who had been sick for a while now.
“Would you like to go out for a walk?” The young boy inquired as he scanned the dark room which wasn’t well ventilated.
He had heard that she refused to step outside even during meal times and had been worried for her health if she continued to stay inside this gloomy-looking room.
However, like the times he had asked in the past, today too, the Countess only smiled before shaking her head.
That weak smile that she forced for her son wasn’t too hard for him to catch so a subtle frown formed on his face.
Stanley was at the Academy for the past many months so he had no clue of what was taking place back at his home.
However, he wasn’t blind to the extent that he could not see that something was troubling his mother.
“Can Mother share what is troubling her?” He used a gentle tone while gazing at her with an earnest look in his eyes.
The Countess felt her eyes sting but she hurried to conceal the emotions that had bubbled up within her.
“You are thinking too much. Mother is only weak and doesn’t wish to leave the bed for now.” She made up an excuse for behaving this way.
Though Stanley did not believe what she had just said, he nodded his head and did not force her to reveal what was bothering her.
The mother who fawned over his father and did everything to please him was now trying to stay inside this room which was nowhere close to their marital bedroom.
This was sufficient for Stanley to deduce that the couple was not on good terms right now.
However, he believed that his parents only needed space for now and would sort this mess out soon.
Everything would go back to how it had been by the time he returned from the Academy after completing the second half of this hectic year.
Thinking in this way, Stanley chose to shift their topic of conversation to something more pleasant to improve his mother’s mood.
“One more year and I can accompany you all the time.” He smiled while reminding her that next year would be his final year of studies.
He would turn fifteen soon and after completing his final year at the Academy, he would stay at home to learn the duties of an heir from his father.
Thus he would have sufficient time to spend with his mother and hoped that this news would improve her current state of mind.
Countess Blaise had a gentle smile as she nodded, indicating that she was well aware of this.
“I will be waiting for you then.” She declared before leaning forward to pat his head.
Stanley did not shy away and avoid her touch but leaned closer to not let her strain her body.
This cautious action warmed the mother’s heart which soothed some of the pain that she had been in until now.
“Now quickly go and rest.” She urged him as soon as she was done.
Stanley had to finish his work as the heir-in-learning before he left for the Academy once again.
The days for his return to the Royal Academy were drawing nearer and she did not want him to waste his time dealing with such matters when he could be using it to focus on his lessons.
Therefore, she hurried to send him away and Stanley too did not disobey his mother but walked out after making sure that she was alright.
The moment the door was closed, the gentle smile on the mother’s face faded as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
She had been holding in her emotions but could no longer keep them in check and in no time, her face was stained with tears.
The Countess had long known that her husband had someone else he desired, a commoner woman he had taken a fancy to.
However, she had thought that this woman was in the Blaise fief and thus had not taken their relationship too seriously.
Due to the belief that it was just a momentary infatuation from her husband’s side which would eventually fade, she had not been too worried about it.
Once they returned to the Capital, her husband would forget about that woman and no longer be drawn to her.
Sadly, she had been wrong and thus was blindsided by Marchioness Leopold who hinted about her husband’s generous attitude towards another woman before a large gathering.
She had never expected this matter to be exposed before others and worst of all, she had been blissfully unaware of what was going on right under her nose at home.
When she had gotten back home after leaving that tea party in a hurry, she had summoned the maid whom she was closest to before interrogating her about this matter.
Nothing could have gone past her maid’s eyes so she was infuriated by the fact that she had been kept in the dark until now.
Only after being threatened did the maid reveal a large number of secrets that had been kept from the Madame.
According to what this maid had revealed, the Earl had brought back that woman he kept in the fief, to the Capital a few weeks after their family had first arrived here.
Not only had he brought her to Amarthea but he had also given her a place to stay right here inside this very mansion.
Since the household was under the care of the Butler and rarely did the Countess interfere with his way of dealing with things, it was understandable that she was ignorant of what was taking place in this vast mansion.
If that wasn’t the most shocking aspect, the Madame received a heavier blow when she heard from her maid that this wasn’t the only act of indiscretion committed by the Master.
That woman was not the only one who was having an illegitimate relationship with the Earl as there were quite a few maids who had been called to serve him in the past many years.
However, what hurt her the most wasn’t her husband’s infidelity but the fact that she had been treated like a fool for so many years.
The servants all watched her fawn over the Earl and treat him with such love and respect all while keeping his indiscretions a secret from her.
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