Chapter 38
At Diego’s words, everyone except Diego himself wore expressions of shock.
“F-Father!”
Raiden called out to his father in surprise, but Diego just beamed with a cheerful, innocent smile.
“Diego.”
Elbadin called Diego’s name in a low voice.
There was a tone of inexplicable displeasure in it. Judging by his expression and voice, it seemed even Elbadin hadn’t anticipated this situation.
Still, Diego spoke without concern.
“Huh? Miss Lucilea. The best-prepared dad is ready and waiting here. If you want—”
“That’s not allowed.”
“Impossible.”
“…Huh?”
Serdian and Elbadin simultaneously cut off Diego’s words.
Elbadin, furrowing his brow far more than usual, continued.
“Enough joking around.”
Diego looked aggrieved.
“Joking? I’m serious!”
Then Serdian stepped in.
“This child was chosen by the elite squad. The Sidrat Marquisate has no right to even suggest adoption.”
Diego glanced at Serdian.
“I know that children chosen by the elite squad are protected under the name of the Grand Duke’s house. But… isn’t the most important thing the child’s happiness?”
“……”
“It seems our young master thinks Miss Lucilea being at the Grand Duke’s residence is what makes her happy…”
“Of course.”
“Rather than living as the cherished daughter of a noble family?”
“……”
Serdian could not answer Diego’s next question. Naturally, a life of training and competing at the Grand Duke’s residence was far less appealing than being adopted into a noble family.
Moreover, Diego would truly be a wonderful father, as he claimed.
He knew how to hold someone gently, how to smile warmly, and how to comfort with kindness.
“Above all,” Diego said with a bright smile, “Wouldn’t our house be better for growing your magic than the Grand Duke’s residence?”
Elbadin calmly responded.
“The Grand Duke’s residence also has Noah.”
Diego chuckled softly.
“Elbadin, meeting for lessons briefly each day is one thing, but me being able to teach her all day long is a whole different level.”
Diego looked at Lucilea and asked,
“Your opinion matters most. I like you very much. Here, you have a perfectly ready dad. So, Miss Lucilea, what do you think? Want to be my daughter?”
Dad, daughter, dad, daughter, dad, daughter.
Lucilea stared at Diego with an incredulous expression.
‘What is all this about…?’
Every time the words “dad” and “daughter” came up, it made her uncomfortable. She had assumed these words no longer mattered in her life.
She didn’t even listen to the conversation between Serdian and Diego. She just wanted to leave quickly.
“…I…”
Lucilea slowly spoke.
All eyes turned to her.
Diego’s gaze, in particular, sparkled with eager anticipation.
‘Don’t look at me with that kind of expectation. My answer is already decided.’
Lucilea met Diego’s gaze steadily and calmly said,
“I don’t need a dad.”
“…Huh?”
“……”
Serdian and Raiden visibly exhaled in relief.
But for some reason, Elbadin and Diego’s eyes wavered violently.
After the commotion over the adoption ended, Diego left the Grand Duke’s residence in solitude.
His lingering gaze followed Lucilea’s face until the carriage disappeared into the distance.
Watching the carriage fade away, Lucilea felt a sense of relief.
‘Wow, that was a chaotic man.’
He seemed genuinely good-hearted.
‘Yes, even if he was adopting a daughter, it felt like he truly cared for her.’
Lucilea stared blankly at the path the carriage had taken, then lowered her eyes.
‘Maybe it would have been better to leave the Grand Duke’s residence and become that man’s daughter.’
If she had, even if Serdian turned dark and came looking for her, she could have avoided death and the chances of being discovered as the Grand Duke’s biological daughter would have been lower.
But…
‘I don’t know why, but I couldn’t bring myself to say yes.’
Actually, she vaguely knew why. She simply didn’t want to leave the Grand Duke’s residence.
The residence where Serdian was beginning to open his heart, and where Mei, who cared for her and liked her, was present.
‘I’ve even started getting close to the maids recently.’
At that moment, Raiden approached Lucilea and bowed his head.
“Sorry, Lucilea. It seems my father… really took a liking to you.”
Raiden blushed, embarrassed.
‘You’ve had it rough because of your dad.’
A father who was immature and a son who had grown up too quickly. Raiden had his own struggles, and it was easy to sense them.
“It’s fine. It’s just that he saw me in a good light, so I’m grateful.”
“Let’s go inside now.” Lucilea stretched her arm and tapped Raiden’s back lightly as she turned her body.
Once the carriage left, Elbadin, who had turned around, was already walking alone in the distance.
‘Dad…’
The situation of receiving an adoption offer in front of her biological father felt strange.
Oddly, she didn’t want to call anyone else “dad.”
Strangely, that was how she felt.
After seeing Diego off, Elbadin went straight to his study.
The sweet scent of the walnut pie the children had brought still filled the room.
Seeing the empty plates reminded him of Lucilea’s voice from earlier.
-“I don’t need a dad.”
His chest throbbed at those words.
Strangely, it felt like that.
Much like the day Radia had cheerfully rejected his first marriage proposal.
-“I don’t plan to marry someone as stoic as Your Highness. Find a woman who can love your indifference. I’m not that person.”
Radia’s innocent smile flashed through his mind.
Perhaps he suspected Lucilea wasn’t his biological child.
At that moment, he truly felt as if his own existence had been denied by his child.
‘I don’t need a dad…’
It was probably because of childhood memories—being abandoned by parents and abused by the adoptive father who finally appeared.
Thinking this made the adoptive father in Mille Village even more detestable.
Elbadin, having entered the study, removed his coat and sat on the sofa. Resting his head on the armrest, he gazed out the window.
Though his eyes reflected an unusual calm, his hands clenched the armrest with unexplained tension.
At that moment, Riat spoke.
“You don’t look well, Your Highness. Is it because of the people who returned alive?”
Elbadin exhaled and rubbed his brow.
“Pay special attention to the maid Lancy, who donated her body. If she wants to leave the territory, buy her a suitable house and land wherever she wants.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And if you receive any contact from the Sidrat Marquisate, report it immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After answering, Riat cautiously studied Elbadin’s face and spoke.
“Your Highness, you look extremely tired. Perhaps you should rest for a while. You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
“……”
After a moment of thought, Elbadin nodded and rose from the sofa.
“I’ll take you to the bedroom.”
“No.”
Riat, holding Elbadin’s coat, tilted her head as he continued.
“I’m going to the glass garden, so do not follow.”
Riat stopped and bowed her head.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
