The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 103: The Actual Mistress

Chapter 103: The Actual Mistress

~~~

"How are you feeling, Mother?" Elaine asked softly with detectable concern etched to the tone of her voice. She sat at the end of the bed, her mother-in-law’s feet carefully placed on her thighs as she massaged them gently to soothe the woman.

"Mhmm.... I feel much better now that you’re here." Remarked Evelyn, thus, earning a smile from Elaine who had volunteered to take care of her as usual.

"I wish you came for the celebration, I really wanted you to meet Cas’s wife and get to know her. She’s from the upper west quarters, but she’s a good girl and very well-mannered. For once I can say Cassian didn’t make a wrong choice in choosing a woman to be by his side for eternities to come."

Hearing Elaine praise the girl genuinely, it piqued Evelyn’s curiosity to know who exactly her mischievous grandson had gotten married to. "Why didn’t you bring her over?"

"Pardon me, I never thought of that, but I will make sure to bring her when I come to visit again."

"Since you said it, then I believe your words regarding Cassian’s wife and would like to meet her very soon. As they say, an excellent wife is the crown of every man, and I am hoping that his wife will be able to help him cross whatever limits he has to face by forever remaining by his side."

"I agree." Elaine nodded with a broadened smile, feeling confident in her daughter-in-law after studying how well she took care of Cassian when he got blind.

The room quieted down after that, and while Elaine continued to tend to Evelyn’s feet with such care, she heard her say.

"Has anything happened recently?" Evelyn asked, and her question was centered on Cassian regarding the prophecy. Knowing fully well what her mother-in-law was referring to, Elaine shook her head slightly, feeling a bit uneasy as the topic was brought forward.

"Nothing has happened." She answered. "Frankly speaking, there’s no change or difference in the way he behaves with everyone, he’s still the same Cassian I gave birth to." Elaine shook her head, finding it absurd she even believed it in the first place. "Not every prophecy is the truth, mother, maybe the priest must have been mistaken...I don’t know but Cassian hasn’t developed any signs of becoming a creature of the night."

"None?" Evelyn sounded amused to hear this, and Elaine paused in the massage session she gave Evelyn. "Not any that I’ve noticed. It’s not possible he would keep something that serious to himself, I highly doubt it since such a discovery could come as a great shock to him."

Hearing this, Evelyn said nothing more regarding the topic, but she had a skeptical look on her face as though she doubted Elaine’s response.

A knock on the door disrupted their conversation, and Richard stepped into the room with Juliana by his side. Looking at his mother, his usual stoic face softened after locking gaze with the elderly woman on the bed.

"How’s your health now, Mother?" Richard asked while taking his seat by the edge of her bed, and Evelyn smiled his way.

"Elaine has been wonderful to me, how can I not feel better?" Her tone sounded sincere and true, and Richard glanced at the woman who never once looked at him since he walked in.

"Thank you for taking care of her." He passed his gratitude to Elaine who only nodded in return without saying anything to him.

Juliana, who stood beside Richard couldn’t help but eye daughter and mother-in-law, already aware of what was going on between them, but there was no possible way that she could get Richard and Elaine back together. She had succeeded in breaking that everlasting union between them, and she would continue to do so as long as she’s Richard’s wife.

Since she got here, her so-called mother-in-law never paid her even the slightest attention. If her presence clearly wasn’t needed here, then why did they make her come??

"I saw the neighbors when I returned and I promised I’d come see them, let me go say hi to them and I will be back." Richard informed softly but Evelyn held him down before he could stand up from the bed.

"Hold on, take Elaine with you." Saying this, she already reached to grab hold of Elaine’s hand, making her stand up by pulling her to Richard’s side. "I am sure the neighbors will be happy to see Elaine as well, you two can go together."

"But mother...." Elaine’s expression revealed her opposition to that idea. She was clearly against going anywhere with Richard, and she should have suspected her mother-in-law would do this again.

"Go my dear, they’ve been asking for you, especially Mrs Hermon,do you know what she said to me? She told me if I don’t let you come see her, she won’t send some of her summer home-made baked pies to me, so you have to go."

"For your sake mother, I will go." Elaine agreed despondently, but her mother-in-law looked happy with her decision.

Knowing hating the idea won’t do anything, Elaine remained calm as she quietly exited the room with Richard, and when Juliana planned on following them, Evelyn stopped her.

"Juli dear, how about you take over until they return?" Evelyn asked in a nice tone that didn’t reach her eyes. She knew Juliana could tell she never liked her, but that doesn’t mean she would be rude to her son’s actual mistress.

Juliana, who couldn’t risk offending her mother-in-law and getting on Richard’s nerves, was forced to sit back and massage her feet for her.

~~~

In the middle of the night, Cassian quickly changed his nightwear into his normal outfit. Slipping on a cloak, he looked at his wife who was sound asleep on the bed, and after confirming that he hadn’t woken her up with the little noises he made, he quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Silently heading down the stairs, he reached for the main door and opened it as quietly as he could, stepping out of the mansion and exiting his home through the big gate.