The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 270: Promise Me!

Chapter 270: Promise Me!

[Music recommendation: Dangerously by Ahyeon] I hope you listen to the song <3

Four weeks had passed since their return to Carmarthen, and Madeline was able to rectify the wrongs in the Albrecht family. Elaine’s name was restored, Inna had resumed her etiquette classes a week after, and things were starting to move fine for the Albrecht family..... maybe not completely fine.

In the serene garden of the Duke’s mansion, Richard was still in the middle of recovering from all of Juliana’s schemes, and although he never loved her the way he loved Elaine, the shock from all the revelations he had received from corners were all difficult for him to swallow at once.

Cas’s death, Abbot’s death trial, Juliana’s procession. When people spoke of nightmares, Richard was finally able to understand what it felt like experiencing one in real life.

As he sat on the bench, he facepalmed at everything that had happened. He was more shocked to learn about Cassian’s death, and a part of him wasn’t ready to believe that yet. Cas wasn’t so easy to get rid off so how can he be dead? Unless he saw the body with his own two eyes, he wasn’t going to believe it.

"No." He shook his head.

Elaine had showed up at the garden where she found Richard sitting, contemplating to himself as he seemed to be at sea. She had joined him, but Richard had been too lost in his thoughts to notice her presence.

"You tend to ponder a lot these past few weeks." The soothing voice of Elaine had broken him from his train of thoughts, but he didn’t look at her, he didn’t have the audacity to. Sitting up properly on the bench, he let out a deep breath before asking.

"Why are you here?"

"I have always been here, you just never noticed." Came Elaine’s response that held a different meaning to what he had asked, and she knew he understood cause the regret on his face was too visible for her to ignore.

"What really happened to Cas?" He asked, his voice dry, and Elaine stared ahead at the flowers.

"My son had made a big sacrifice for everyone," Elaine said to him, remembering all the times she had spent honing the troublemaker into a better man. Did she possibly overdo it? Because he came out better than she had expected.

"Losing Cassian was the last thing I wanted, I had sensed it, but I never entertained the idea." A sorrowful smile crossed her lips as her mind subconsciously visited the past. "You know, when I figured I was going to have our son, I always imagined what he’d look like, you or me? I thought of his future, I thought of his attitude. Thinking about him always drove away my pain, and I kept him because I didn’t want to lose another family that mattered. I probably failed as a Mother since I couldn’t protect the son I claimed to love. Maybe if I had gotten rid of him like you asked, maybe his absence wouldn’t hurt as much as it did now."

"No, Elaine." Richard strongly disagreed whilst shaking his head slightly. "You’ve never failed in your duties, not in the slightest. I’ve never said this to you before, but you have been the best parent to both our children. I’m the failed one, I had been foolishly blinded by ethics, I didn’t treat you right but you still stayed with me. If anything Cas would wish for a mother like you if there’s a next life. You were his pride, and although I never showed it, I felt satisfied that he had someone he could truly look up to. Someone who wasn’t me."

He sighed, leaning back against the chair. "I don’t deserve any of it, but I hope you can forgive me. I shouldn’t expect you to, and I can’t change what I’ve done in the past, I can only promise to treat everyone better as long as I live. I owe you and everyone, and no amount of actions I take can repay you, but I will keep trying."

"Weren’t you going to pick Abbot as Duke?" Elaine simply asked, and her eyes widened slightly when he shook his head.

"Never intended to."

"Then.... Who did you pick?"

"I’ve always had Cassian in mind." Richard stated truthfully, "he was more competitive than the rest of his brothers. He never took orders from anyone, not even me. He was someone who followed his heart, and I guess I only treated him that way because I wanted him to build without my help."

Elaine quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to escape her eyes, and her heart felt incredibly weighed. She was internally angry, sad, devastated that he was only mentioning this now! She had to take care of Cassian all by herself, she got called a mistress and a husband-snatcher. She was only lucky she had children who didn’t ridicule her but supported her, that was the only way she was able to survive the hate of the upper East quarters, and now when Cassian is no longer here, he says all this????

"Now that he’s no longer with us, what will you do?" She had found the strength to ask, and Richard simply facepalmed as his eyes were starting to look red-rimmed.

"I don’t know, I can’t think."

"You have to think, visit the council and have a discussion on who should be replaced. You don’t need to worry about mourning my son, I took care of him, so I will do that myself. Focus on your status, my son won’t be needing it anymore."

Rising from the bench, Elaine walked away from Richard, exiting the garden, and when she made it to the stairs, the tears she had been holding flowed freely from her eyes, and she continued up the stairs, heading to her room.

Fredrick was busy wiping his nose with a tissue as he had cried himself upon hearing the news of Cassian. Adeline had to follow Elaine to ensure she was alright.

—-------------------

When the darkness of the sky above signaled night time, Madeline took her recommended medication. Unable to head to bed after taking the medicine, she chose to sit outside the porch instead. Inna had been kind enough to dice some apples for her, and as she sat outside with her blanket, Madeline silently observed the sky.

The night sky looked just as lonely as she felt right now. Not a single star shone above, and the moon seemed to hide itself behind the night clouds. The memories of Cas sleeping outside and when she had to fake a sleepwalk to get away suddenly invaded her mind. No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible not to think about him.

Wiping the lone tears from her eyes, she closed her eyes and chose to succumb to the memories of Cas in her head.

"Psst! Maddie."

Her ears twitched as she heard someone whisper her name, at first she ignored it till she heard it for the third time.

"Hey, Maddie."

Finding the voice undoubtedly familiar, Madeline’s eyes snapped open, and she whipped her head to the left where the voice was coming from. Holding one of the sliced apples in her grip, it dropped when her eyes caught sight of Cassian standing at the corner of the house, watching her with those Amber-brown eyes.

"Argh! My heart is restless." He uttered whilst patting his chest playfully, and then he tilted his head to the side, meeting her expressive big eyes. "Can we stare a little longer like this? Time slows down for me to get lost in those eyes again."

"C....Cas??" Madeline already rose to her feet as her eyes held belief, and when he approached her, new tears filled her eyes when everything about him looked real. She wasn’t imagining it was she?? Is he really here??

"Cas??" Forgetting herself at the spur of emotions, she ran to hug him tightly, whilst he embraced her protectively in his arms, chuckling softly.

"Careful there, don’t want to hurt our baby now, do you?"

"You’re... you’re alive?!" Feeling his face with her hands, they felt real to the touch. Torn between her emotions, she hugged him again, clutching to him as though she was afraid he would vanish if she let go.

The young lad tried to hush her quietly as he patted her hair, and then he pulled her back so he could look into her eyes that streamed with tears.

"As much as I hate your tears, you look beautiful when you cry." Teasing the young woman, he lifted his hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes. Madeline succumbed to his touch as he caressed her cheek.

"How have you been?" He asked, but she hugged him tightly instead, burying her wet face against his chest as she begged.

"Please don’t leave me again! Please take me with you. It’s unbearable Cas! Please..."

"Shhhhhh, I’m here now." He consoled her, and Madeline didn’t know how much she had missed his voice until now. "Ahhh.... I am so proud of you, but I can’t flaunt my heroic wife while she’s in tears now, can I?"

"Stop!" She pulled back from him, and right now her fists were balled to hit him till she was satisfied. "Where have you been? What happened to you?" She asked, but he only smiled without responding to her question.

The young lad gazed lovingly into her eyes as she bombarded him with questions, and then he pulled her into his arms, letting her cry as much as she wanted in his hold.

"I never left my love, I’m here aren’t I? But what are you doing to yourself?"

The tone of his voice turned slightly serious with concern, "Promise me you’ll take good care of yourself from now on. If you want me to be happy, you have to promise me you’ll look after your health."

"CAS..."

"Promise me!"

Madeline nodded at his persistence, "I’ll take care of myself, I’ll do anything you ask, anything you ask of me, I’m willing to do it." The way she surrendered made him smile through his own pain.

"Do you love me that much?"

"More than the air that I breathe." She responded through tears. "You’re that part of me I’ll always need, Cas."

"If you truly love me, then I need you to take good care of yourself and that of our baby. You’ll do that for me right? You’ll be happy."

Madeline nodded her head as more tears streamed down her eyes. "I will, I’ll do it.... Cas I..." when she opened her eyes, he was gone.