The Madam (3)

Mikael's expression shifted abruptly; his face became serious. The question Madam Isabel had thrown at him caught him entirely off guard, causing his heart to skip a beat.

On one side of the coin, he wanted to be honest with her. But, on the flip side, there was this fear lurking around the corners of his mind. He was worried about how she might react to what he was about to say.

After wrestling with these thoughts for a moment, Mikael figured he would better play it safe. He cleared his throat and came up with, "The Marquess is a good man, Madam Isabel."

Madam Isabel, who had been wearing that patient expression throughout Mikael's inner turmoil, finally painted a smile on her lips. "I'm glad to hear that, my lady," she replied.

Mikael attempted to reciprocate with a smile, but it hadn't entirely made it all the way up to his eyes.

"Ahem." Aurel, who had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation, could not resist faking a slight cough as she heard a positive thing being said about her brother, Nicolaus. 

She playfully cleared her throat and said, "Oops, my bad. I guess I should be heading out, Mom."

"Don't be hard on your body again today, okay, Mom?" She leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her mother's forehead, adding, "Make sure to rest up later."

After giving her mom that kiss, she turned toward Mikael and shot him a wave, before slipping out of the room and letting the door close quietly behind her.

Once Aurel had left and the door clicked shut, Madam Isabel spoke, "You don't have to tell me sweet little lies to make me feel better, dear." 

Her voice was filled with affection, a knowing smile on her lips, as she continued, "I know my son can be 'quite' a handful. I mean, I wouldn't be saying I'm his mom if I didn't know him inside out."

In that brief pause following her words, Mikael's gaze dropped to his own hands. His fingers were tightly intertwined, almost as if he were searching for the right words in the lines of his palms.

Madam Isabel extended her hand, placing it gently on his shoulder. Her eyes retained their gentle warmth, but they also held a subtle curiosity as she asked the question that hung in the air, "Now, let's be honest, dear. Do you genuinely have feelings for my son?"

"I, I…" Mikael hesitated, his lips parting as if to speak a lie, a polite response to reassure her. But then, he gazed into her eyes. The words that were about to leave his mouth seemed to get stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything.

A heavy silence fell over the room, the only sound being the curtains rustling from the breeze that flowed in through the open windows. Everyone in the room waited anxiously, hanging on Mikael's answer.

Madam Isabel, sensing his struggle, finally understood. She gently removed her hand from his shoulder, giving him a bit of breathing space. 

"You don't have to push yourself," she said gently. "I always had the gut feeling when he suddenly announced that he was engaged to a noble lady from the Capital City."

Mikael's surprise was hard to miss. It was evident in his wide-eyed expression, and his mouth fell slightly open.

Madam Isabel began to share, "I've been pestering that boy for years to settle down. I even went as far as showing him some potential matches I thought were just perfect. But no, he was having none of it. Kept talking about wanting to find his own love, his own way."

Mikael could not believe her words. He didn't quite match up with the image he had of that man saying he wanted to marry for love. It just didn't feel right to him.

At that point, he thought, 'Are we still talking about the same person?'

Madam Isabel shook her head  slowly from side to side as she voiced her concerns, "Then, I had enough and told him straight up that it's time he tied the knot, maybe even welcome a grandchild, before my time is up."

She rolled her eyes a bit and continued, "And wouldn't you believe it? Right after our chat, he got himself engaged!"

A bright smile crossed her face as she recounted the news. "Of course, I couldn't have been happier to hear that news. But, deep down, I had this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right."

Madam Isabel carried on, sounding more serious now, "So, I thought, why not have Celia do some digging? And I found then that his engagement was more of a business arrangement than a genuine love match."

She released a long, exhausted sigh, her tired eyes drifting over to the window. She was just about to say something when an intense fit of coughing hit her like a train. 

It came out of nowhere and hit her hard, forcing her to stop for a moment, her hand instinctively clutching her chest as each cough wracked her body.

The coughing was so severe that it left everyone in the room deeply concerned, including Mikael, who mirrored the same worried expression as Celia. They waited anxiously until the coughing finally subsided.

With her throat feeling as parched as a desert and her voice reduced to a raspy whisper, Madam Isabel somehow managed to croak out, "C, Celia, give me the key." Her words were barely audible in the room.

Celia didn't waste any time. She quickly fished the key out of her pocket and placed it gently on Madam Isabel's trembling palm.

Madam Isabel handed over the key to Mikael with a soft smile. "This, my dear, is the key to my study room. It's your turn now to take charge as the current Mistress of the family."

However, she grew a bit concerned, adding, "I haven't been handling estate matters for a while, and I apologize in advance if they will put a workload on your shoulders."

Then, she made the introductions, saying, "Also, I'd like you to meet Celia. She used to work for a Countess for five years before I took her under my wing. While I may not be able to tutor you personally, she will provide you with all the knowledge you need."

As the conversation continued, Madam Isabel's weariness began to show. With a sigh, she finally admitted, "I think it's time for me to rest," her voice resigned.

Mikael gave her a nod and took the curtain around the bed to draw it back.

Madam Isabel, her eyes on him, leaned in a bit closer, her tone becoming even softer. She said, "Just keep this in mind… You can always drop by if you ever need someone to talk to. I understand that leaving your home behind might make you feel a bit lonely, but please know that we're family now."