Chapter 37
The Duke looked like a dog who had just been told the walk was over. It was an unfilial comparison, but no other description fit better.
“…Duke, is something the matter?”
“You should call me Father.”
“Oh, right. Father. There wasn’t anything strange in the letter. I guess I didn’t say anything weird either when I wrote mine!”
“…”
He looked like he doubted the entire world.
Under his sharp gaze, I reluctantly pulled out Kai’s letter from my pocket. He gave a slight nod. So he did want me to hand it over.
“Letters are private, you know…”
“At your age, they’re also public matters that require parental consent.”
“This is the last time I’m showing you, okay? From now on, we’re only exchanging clean, proper letters. Please trust me!”
He let out a noise—somewhere between a sigh and a hum—and took the letter. As he flipped through the four pages in an instant, frowning, he muttered in a sour tone:
“Sol, what were your thoughts after reading this letter?”
“Uh—”
“Be honest.”
“…This kid’s gonna be a real lady-killer one day.”
“Cough!”
The Duke struggled to hold back a cough. Behind the hand covering his face, I wondered if he might be smiling.
“Watch your language.”
“You told me to be honest.”
“Still… did it make your heart flutter at all?”
“Well, I’m excited to make a new friend. But there’s something kind of overwhelming about it too.”
I answered honestly.
Even if I don’t have many peers around me, wasn’t he way too happy to see me?
The Duke seemed satisfied with my answer, nodding slightly with a faint smile. But soon his mouth tightened into a straight line.
“I’ll trust you and stop censoring your letters.”
“But?”
“Be careful. No matter how I look at it, this isn’t the writing of a ten-year-old boy.”
“Ah…!”
It hit me like lightning. Right?! This was way too well-written for a ten-year-old.
In our country, that’d be around 4th or 5th grade. Boys that age usually write awful letters.
Even if Kai was well-educated as a noble, still! If he had siblings like me, maybe they helped write it…
“Kai’s an only child, right?”
“Yes. His parents are dead, and he has no close relatives nearby.”
“Could a tutor have helped him…?”
“If a tutor helped write something akin to a love letter, they’d be kicked out of the estate.”
“What about Marquis Lafrande?”
“If that uptight man saw this letter, he’d die of high blood pressure and be buried next to his son.”
The Duke’s frown deepened.
“Someone in the Marquis’s estate must really want you and Alkaïos to become close quickly.”
“…”
“I sense something fishy…”
His hand holding the letter seemed to tremble slightly. I just got him to calm down—was he about to dive into the fireplace from stress again? I quickly snatched the letter back.
“Calm down! The Lafrande family is respectable, right?”
“…Yes. The territory is prosperous, and Marquis Lafrande is respected by all.”
“Then it’s not a bad thing for his son and me to build a connection, right?”
“…”
“If I get close to Kai, it could help in the future.”
“Do you need other connections? You have me.”
I glanced behind. The office door was closed.
What the heck.
“Why are you acting like a doting dad when no one’s watching?”
“…”
“Anyway, don’t worry. My main goal is just to stay alive, so I’m not gonna do anything dangerous!”
Living in a villainous household, I could die at any moment. I can’t miss out on networking with the justice-loving sub male lead from the original novel!
Though, when a modern person transmigrates into a fantasy romance, 99% of the time it turns into ‘the original sub male lead becomes a yandere who only looks at me’… so I’ll stay on my guard.
I just want to live long.
“Trust me, Duke. I’ll trust you too.”
“…Sol.”
“Yes?”
“You’re only by my side because you have no choice, right?”
“Yes.”
I answered reflexively, no hesitation at all. Of course, the Duke didn’t seem disappointed by my answer.
“Good. You’re honest and rational.”
“And I like you, Duke, because even though you’re not very warm, you do what needs to be done!”
Who else would do everything a kid half their size tells them just because they asked?
Honestly, when I was first adopted into this house, I was so nervous I considered jumping out of the carriage. But surprisingly, he’s someone I can actually talk to. That’s a relief.
Hmm… I didn’t expect we’d be throwing blunt remarks at each other, though.
Maybe ever since I said something about his ‘burst conscience,’ he stopped getting angry, and I just started saying whatever came to mind like, ‘if I’m gonna die anyway, might as well say it all.’
Even now, the way the Duke looks at me is so calm.
…Is this what it’s like to have a dad who treats you like a friend? I used to envy kids who joked and bantered with their parents.
But this man isn’t my parent. Even if he gently curved his eyes and said:
“What shall I ask you to do next, my lovely lady?”
…Even if he says something that sweet, I’m not the one you should be taking care of.
“Please pay more attention to your sons.”
“…”
I smiled, pretending to joke. I hoped it would sound light-hearted.
“I’ll stay by your side as long as our interests align, but your sons won’t. While they’re still young, even just a little—”
“Enough.”
“Sorry for overstepping!”
I quickly bowed my head. Ugh, did I go too far? He stayed quiet for a long while.
Was he thinking about where to send me away? If so, please let it be the south—I don’t want to freeze to death.
“Sol.”
“Yes?”
“The festival. Let’s all go together.”
…Huh?
“W-What?”
“There’s no better chance to make your presence known to the people. Let’s go with your brothers.”
“Ah… Got it! I’ll make sure to act like the perfect daddy’s girl!”
“No need to overdo it. Just enjoy the festival—eat, drink, blend in.”
Ah, what do I do? Just the thought is making me giddy!
I felt a light, buoyant excitement. My lips were twitching upward.
Maybe when I was in high school, but since then, I’d been too busy surviving to have any real fun!
“Thank you! I actually already asked Linda to make me a festival outfit! Of course, I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t given me permission!”
“You don’t need to ask for permission for everything.”
No, I really do. In romance fantasy novels, 99% of heroines who sneak off to festivals get kidnapped.
Not that I said that out loud.
“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it! Let’s go out as a family!”
“…Yeah.”
The Duke’s lips twitched slightly upward—probably not my imagination. But then his next words pierced me like a dagger.
“If, say, your… boyfriend suddenly appeared at the festival—I don’t know if I’d be able to keep smiling.”
“Ahahaha… I’ll tell him not to come in my reply.”
“Good.”
The Duke nodded firmly.
* * *
“I’ll be going now. Thank you for your time.”
With a rather graceful farewell, Sol’s dark hair swayed as she walked away.
It was time to shut the office door and return to work.
“….”
Latiger simply watched Sol’s retreating figure.
At ten years old, commoners’ children would be learning to swing a sickle, and even nobles would be training with swords. Why did she look so small?
‘I don’t mean to treat her like a child…’
She was a child who’d lived in an orphanage without knowing her own age.
Judging by appearances, they’d guessed she was ten. But maybe she had some kind of growth disorder. She was far too clever for a ten-year-old.
Even if she were actually sixteen or seventeen, it still wouldn’t feel right.
On the contrary… the very thought stabbed him somewhere deep inside. How did a child who should be growing up end up trapped in a ten-year-old body?
Is this what people call… pity?
‘…Damn it. What exactly do I pity?’
A feeling he’d never even had for his own children.
Latiger slammed the door and sat at his desk, but it didn’t help escape the confusion.
‘When I’m with that kid… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’
People probably thought he adopted a daughter with a clear motive.
Reputation repair, political marriage prospects, and so on. The world was likely spinning with rumors.
But his purpose was simple.
Iren…
His wife, who had died of a fever.
Before marriage, she was dismissed as “an orphan unfit for a duke’s household.” After marriage, buried beneath her husband’s infamy, she left behind no stories of her own.
…Even if only through her will, he wanted to leave proof of what kind of person she was.
That was all.
He brought Sol home with only that in mind.
‘And now she says I should take care of my sons?’
He didn’t know how to care for a family.
His children probably found it burdensome when their usually cold father acted friendly. They were better off with a kind maid and a strict tutor.
Latiger needed to exist only as an unshakable ruler.
And yet…
“Duke, if you’re going to make a conscience speech, try doing it without a heartbeat first!”
“You asked if I’m by your side because I want to be? Nope.”
“Even though you’re cold and grumpy, you do what you say, so I like that about you!”
Why did he always feel like giving up authority and pride when he was with that bold little brat?
Before he knew it, Latiger’s mind was already at the festival.
What should he wear? How to arrange the guards?
And—
‘…Should I dance with Sol? She’s probably looking forward to it. How do I refuse? Should I just say yes if she asks…?’
* * *
Meanwhile, Sol—completely unaware that Latiger was gulping down imaginary kimchi soup by the drumful—
‘If I tell Kai not to come… will he really not? But what excuse should I give?’
—was busy thinking about what to write in her reply to Kai.
