The next evening, the adults enjoyed tea time, meanwhile the children sat on the other side of the room and painted. The children were drawing their respective families.
"Wow, is this you?"
Rennesia, who finished her drawing, looked at what Abel was drawing. Renee asked while pointing to the person who stood in the middle of Abel's painting.
"Yes."
"Really? But why did you draw yourself so small?"
As Renee said, Abel's drawing had big figures of his mother and father, while Abel was particularly small.
"...It's up to me."
"Hm, really?"
Renee quickly lost interest and took out another drawing paper. Then she asked, as if really curious.
"But why aren't your mother and father that close?"
"What?"
"Why aren't your mother and father close? They're not like my mother and father. It's kind of intriguing."
In Renee's eyes, who grew up with intimate parents, Abel's parents looked strange because they were so polite to each other. Furthermore, the Blanchett couple were now faced with various problems, so they were more awkward than usual.
"Right! Intriguing!"
Noah, who was drawing beside them, imitated his sister's words without knowing what was going on. However, the problem started from Abel's response to their words.
"What do you know about them?!"
Abel's hand moved forward without him realizing. Abel pushed Renee, and she knocked over the paint with her arms, staining her dress.
"KYAA!"
Renee burst into tears at the unexpected incident, and Abel was surprised by what he had done. The girl's eyes were filled with tears.
And he looked at his parents, who were also looking at him. Chloe with her surprised expression and Gerard's firm expression, which grew more serious each passing second. This was all because of his mother and father!
"I hate you!"
Abel cried out rudely to his parents, not Renee, whom he previously fought with, and ran away. He hated them, but that wasn't what the child wanted to say.
'Mother, I'm so tired. Father, I'm so anxious.'
When adults think children don't know, children know everything. Adults might be the ones who really don't know anything.
***
"Ah..."
Abel and Chloe's eyes met before he turned away. It was a mere moment, but Chloe certainly saw it. His gaze was wounded.
"Abel!"
"Abel Blanchett!"
Although Abel heard his parents calling him, he ran with his back turned to them. Renee and Noah, who were babbling on the side, spilled paint on the carpets and floors. It was a mess.
"H-Honey, Please... take care of young Lady Rennesia! I'll get Abel!"
Chloe could barely calm down after what she went through for the first time since she had her son. That's why she went straight after Abel, saying nothing but nonsense to her husband.
Chloe left the drawing room and started running while being guided by a Knight of Blanchett. It was not at all like a Lady to run indoors, but she didn't care about that at the moment.
"Abel..."
What happened? What should she do? Chloe's head was a mess.
It came as a shock to her that Abel pushed his friend. Abel also looked angrily at her and her husband rather than being angry at Renee.
-I hate you!
Chloe was so upset by what she just heard. He must have said it out of anger, but what her heart and mind accepted were totally different.
"Huff..."
Chloe caught her breath in front of the bedroom where Abel was hiding. Regardless of how angry and upset she was, she encouraged herself to not say anything she would regret.
Chloe was able to open the bedroom door after whispering several reassurances to herself.
Chloe entered the room by herself. She felt guilty and upset towards Abel, who was sobbing under the blanket.
"Abel."
Chloe approached Abel and called his name carefully. However, the child didn't even bother to glance at his mother even though he sensed her presence. He just buried his face deeper in the blanket.
He didn't want to see his mother's face. He didn't even want to hear his mother's voice. It was strange.
"What is it, hm?"
"..."
"Aren't you going to tell your mom?"
"..."
Chloe sat by Abel's bed and asked softly, but the child just sniffed and didn't answer.
She tried to calm herself down once again because she felt her patience was slowly slipping away.
"My son... You must have been really upset and had a hard time. Then, I'll wait until you calm down, Abel."
In fact, she needed time to sort out her own mind before her child's.
"..."
"When you feel better, can you tell Mother what made you sad? Mother needs to know why Abel is so hurt so I can help you."
"..."
There was still no answer from Abel, but Chloe decided not to be impatient. She simply caressed Abel's back who was lying on his stomach.
However, her mind was not the same as her gentle touch. In fact, as upset and confused she was, she was angry at him.
'What's wrong with you? What do you mean by doing this to me... You even... Then... What about Mother, huh?'
She wanted to push the child while releasing all of her insignificant and foolish feelings inside. She wanted to cry while telling the child that she was also having a hard time.
The sight of the child turning his back on her was awful. It was as if the shadow of her husband overlapped with her child. If she could, she wanted to force him to turn around and look at her.
'Oh, where did it go wrong?'
She thought she loved Abel enough, and she thought she was raising him well... Tears filled Chloe's eyes as she felt like she was treated unfairly until the end. She thought she didn't cry easily, but it wasn't like that anymore. She quickly held back the tears in her eyes.
Sob, sob.
Abel calmed down at some point and heard his mother whimper. Was she crying? Abel stuck out his head from under the blanket, and looked at his mother.
He made eye contact with Chloe, who was intentionally sniffing loudly.
"...Mother?"
Abel, who called his mother anxiously with a runny nose, returned to the son she knew. The child who turned his back on her and turned away from her voice was so unfamiliar to her. To the point where she was scared and frustrated.
"...Abel, do you really hate Mother that much?"
Chloe asked with a wounded look on her face.
"Hic."
Abel tearfully shook his head at his mother's question. He didn't hate her. He wished his mom would be happy. He didn't want his mother to cry. If she could be happy, even if he disappeared...
"HUHU!"
Abel eventually burst into tears again and buried himself in his mother's arms. The child gave up on his thoughts because he felt great dismay.
"My son must have been very upset."
Chloe patted the child in her arms. She had to scold him for pushing Renee, but comforting her son's heart was the first thing she had to do.
"Abel, tell me why you're so sad."
As Abel's breathing gradually became even, Chloe asked.
"...I was just sad. Because, hic, I'm not a daughter."
Of course, that wasn't the only thing that made Abel sad.
Jis mother and father's unstable relationship caused his anxiety to rise. He was scared because Sir Herace seemed to be close with his mother. He was also jealous that his father cherished Renee.
There were so many causes, but it wasn't easy for Abel, a mere child, to explain it logically.
Furthermore, the child also knew. His mother would be sad if he told her the cause of his sorrow was her. Therefore, Abel only told the reason that wasn't related to his mother.
"What? Abel?"
Chloe asked out of surprise.
"..."
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Huff, a daughter who looks like you, Mother... because you want to have one, so I..."
"Who said so?"
"...Father."
Chloe sighed dumbfoundedly. He said that in front of the child? That man is so...
Chloe would normally try to find out everything because her husband couldn't have said so, but now her trust in her husband had plummeted to zero.
"Phew, Abel, listen to me."
"..."
"Nothing is more precious to Mother and Father than Abel. There's no one we love more than Abel, and there's no one who we want more than Abel."
"But..."
"No, but that's not the same thing. Abel, you are a gift to mom and dad. If Dad wanted another child... It's all thanks to you."
"What?"
"He wants to have another sweet and kind child like Abel. But that doesn't mean his love for Abel has changed. Do you get it?"
Chloe didn't know what she was talking about, but she intended to comfort Abel. However, contrary to what she said, she bit her lips because she was angry at her husband.
How could he say something that would hurt the child so easily?! Her heart ached at the fact that her husband hurt her precious child.
Abel obviously wasn't just her child, he was their child, but at some point, that concept had become cloudy to Chloe.
Anger toward her husband, guilt for her own child, and shame at herself made her feel as if Abel was only her child at some point.
***