Chapter 46
“It’s done. As for that side… leave it open.”
“Huh? But I was informed that you dislike being disturbed. Ah… then should I also station troops there?”
“No. Leave it so anyone can enter.”
The knight tilted his head, wearing a very puzzled expression.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Let’s stop talking about it.”
“Ah… yes. Then, what about the one beside you…”
The knight stared at me intently.
It seemed he knew nothing about me, perhaps a newly appointed knight. He wasn’t even around when the Grand Duke occasionally visited Lari and Rohen’s room.
“He’s… a friend of the children.”
“A friend? When you say children…”
“The twins’.”
“Ah, I see. So it’s the child we only heard about in stories. But why is that child here…”
“Seems he got lost on his way here.”
The knight still looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“That’s strange. He couldn’t have just wandered here… He could have asked others for directions…”
From the start, the knight had referred to me as just ‘the one beside,’ as if I weren’t even human, clearly showing hostility.
“No one would tell him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Every time he sees me, he avoids me like I’m a bug. How could he ask anyone? So he wandered around diligently and ended up here.”
“Ah… I see. As the rumors said, quite a bold child, indeed.”
Even the Grand Duchess or the Grand Duke might have been somewhat taken aback by such words, but this knight was a little unusual. Perhaps it was because he didn’t expect anything from me, but it felt slightly odd.
“Fellen. I didn’t place you here to argue with the child.”
At that moment, annoyed by the delay, the Grand Duke glared at the knight.
“Ah… my apologies.”
“You’re still new, so you probably don’t know me well. Consider this a warning. Do not contradict anything I say. Questions are for me to ask, so do not have any curiosity or inquiries of your own.”
“…Yes. Then, as for that child… no.”
“I will take the orphaned girl with me. Fellen, consider what wrong you’ve done and attend to organizing the training grounds.”
It was natural for the knight’s expression to stiffen.
“You expect me to do such menial tasks?”
“I told you not to contradict me.”
The murderous aura that the Grand Duke had radiated when looking at me earlier seemed even stronger now. Only then did Fellen nod.
“Yes… I will obey.”
“Orphaned girl, you’re coming with me. I’ll take you to your room.”
Well, having the Grand Duke personally escort me was both humbling and incredibly uncomfortable.
“Huh? No… you could have someone else do it…”
“I dislike repeating myself.”
“Yes, of course, someone else could do it, but since the Grand Duke himself will escort me, it can’t get any better than this,”
Ah… my helpless state before such authority.
I gave a small, forced smile at him while lamenting my situation. His expression subtly changed, as if he liked such words.
“Grand Duke?”
“No, let’s just go.”
Of course, there was no change like holding my hand. Rather, he walked so briskly that I seriously wondered if my legs would tear keeping up.
Even if I tried to pretend, keeping pace with an adult’s stamina was impossible. My breaths came out in gasps, and perhaps hearing them, the Grand Duke slowed his pace slightly.
“He seems like a kind person.”
“Did you say that to me?”
“Yes!”
Even though it was a heartfelt compliment, he did not flinch.
“Do you think children would consider that kind?”
“Of course. Small kindnesses from someone who normally does nothing are always felt more deeply.”
“I see…”
“But not for the twins. They carry deep wounds.”
The brightness on his face, as if he had just found an answer, faded back into darkness. It seemed he genuinely wanted to get along well with the twins.
It struck me oddly.
‘The Grand Duke and the twins really didn’t know how to express themselves.’
In the texts, it was written that he loved the children. So he let them do as they pleased and gave them everything they wanted. That must have been his way of loving.
‘Perhaps even without me, this relationship might undergo many changes.’
Because my intervention had already started altering the future.
“But Grand Duke…”
“Are you not afraid of me? Chattering away so freely.”
“I am, but… you’re a friend’s father. Who would bully or harm their child’s friend? Isn’t that right?”
“A friend’s… father, huh… hmm…”
“You called me a friend earlier.”
It was a roughly improvised remark, and I was still an orphaned girl, yet it was a big step. The twins’ friend. Somehow, I liked hearing that.
“Bold, even shameless.”
“To survive in the orphanage, you have to be shameless.”
I nodded and clenched my fists. He laughed along, seemingly unprepared for that.
“Alright. Got it. So, what did you call me here for?”
“Um… what do you think about the twins?”
It was an important matter. No matter how much I thought about it, it would only be my perspective. I wanted to hear it directly.
Of course, asking this made me tense. The Grand Duke, who told even his knight not to ask or be curious, might be uncomfortable with my question, so I spoke cautiously.
Fortunately, he wasn’t so strict with me.
“My children.”
“Ah.”
“My own, true children.”
That felt strange. Just saying “my children” would have been enough, yet he added “own, true.” The Grand Duke I knew didn’t speak casually.
Every word carried meaning. Even now, his expression seemed odd—wounded, in a way.
“Own… true.”
“Why ask such a thing?”
“I’m curious if you brought the twins just because they’re your blood or for some other reason. Also, why you want to hear Rohen call you ‘Dad.’”
“Because they are my children. Titles carry power.”
“So you really just want to hear it… from your children.”
The Grand Duke’s face stiffened further. Had I asked something I shouldn’t?
“Well… isn’t that natural?”
“Don’t you hear it from your other children too?”
“Other children? Ah, Ron. That’s different. So make sure it happens. My desire to send you, the twins’ friend, out has diminished just slightly.”
It passed quickly, but I felt a fleeting illusion that the Grand Duke was smiling.
“What if…”
“Hmm?”
“Even if I fail… please continue as you are. To hear those words.”
“So confident…”
“I don’t want to force him to speak. As you said, if titles carry power, they must come from sincerity.”
Then the Grand Duke extended his hand. I flinched, unsure of what it meant.
“He intends for you to hold it. You may.”
“Ah… yes.”
What was this? Had he eaten something wrong, or was he starting to change? I looked at him, a bit surprised, and he moved his arm as if to guide me to take his hand.
I had no choice but to grasp it.
“Strangely, seeing you in that outfit makes you feel like Lari. That worries me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And the way you babble while sleepy and twist your body annoys me. If you trip while walking like that, Rohen would freak out. That’s why I’m holding you. Don’t misunderstand.”
Ah… that explains it.
No wonder I felt a little off earlier.
My head was fuzzy, the path oddly swaying—it was all because of that.
“Ah… yes.”
That was all I could say. The hand I held was unusually large. I had never held an adult man’s hand in this world. Perhaps that’s why it felt unusually warm and reassuring.
Holding his hand, I walked again. The Grand Duke, walking slower than before, looked straight ahead. I glanced at him once, then continued moving.
But perhaps due to eating the same food as Lari, or tension from arguing with the Grand Duchess, or wandering around, my eyes kept closing, and my memory went blank.
I regained consciousness when a tremendous voice suddenly rang out.
“What did you do!!”
Having apparently fallen asleep while walking, I awoke to the loud noise and hurriedly looked forward. I saw the Grand Duke’s face as soon as I opened my eyes.
“Huh… why…”
Why do our gazes meet like this?
