Chapter 47
“Ah. You’re awake.”
While I was only blinking in an entirely unexpected situation, the Grand Duke met my eyes in a very ordinary voice and then suddenly threw me somewhere.
“Eek!”
Fortunately, what I felt against my back was the soft sensation of a bed. It didn’t seem like he had thrown me from very high; the falling time was shorter than expected. It was like I touched down almost immediately.
Still, being startled was being startled.
‘Does he have no emotions or what!’
I wanted to snap angrily, but since the Grand Duke had carried me himself with his own hands instead of letting someone else do it, I was touched just a tiny bit—so I couldn’t say anything.
I am grateful that he didn’t throw me on the floor, but…
Wouldn’t it have been so much better if he had gently set me down?
“What did you do to her?!”
“What did I do?”
I heard Rohen’s shrill voice. He ran over to me, who had been thrown onto the bed and was a step late in sitting up.
At times like this, he’s like a puppy obeying its owner. So cute. Even his angry face is cute now.
“I clearly told you not to touch her.”
“I didn’t touch her. You tell him yourself, orphan girl.”
“I’m not an orphan girl, I’m Aisha!”
“Right. Aisha.”
As if he took Rohen’s words without question, the Grand Duke changed how he addressed me without the slightest hesitation.
“I don’t know. I just……”
I was only walking and fell asleep, and it seems the Grand Duke carried me here. I should have explained that far, but Rohen grabbed my arm and pulled me hard.
Because of that, pain surged through my wrist.
“It hurts……”
But as if he couldn’t hear me, Rohen was busy fuming.
“I won’t let it go. Whether it’s my father or whoever… I won’t leave anyone alone who bullies Aisha.”
Like a wild beast, as if he were about to bite someone’s throat, Rohen was nothing but sharp. A colder and more dangerous aura than the one the Grand Duke had been emitting filled the room, surging and swaying.
“So that’s it.”
Rather than paying attention to Rohen’s state, the Grand Duke seemed more focused on something else.
“What’s ‘that’? Are you going to keep bullying her?”
“No. For you, the answer is Aisha.”
“What?”
“Aisha. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
His gaze, which had been on Rohen in his agitation, turned to me. The Grand Duke’s face, always like winter, looked as though a flower had bloomed slightly—his expression was good.
“Yes.”
And I understood what he meant.
The word “father” that Rohen had blurted out unconsciously. The very word the Grand Duke had wanted to hear had come out.
“Are you playing tricks again? On Aisha?”
“Rohen.”
“What.”
“Why are you so obsessed with Aisha?”
“That’s……!”
The momentum Rohen had as he was about to say something died down in an instant.
“Everything about you is Aisha.”
“It’s not! What do you mean everything is Aisha? Don’t say weird things.”
“Right.”
The Grand Duke easily agreed, as if it didn’t matter that it had slipped out unconsciously, as if he quite liked what Rohen had said.
“Then this is fine as it is. Orphan… no, Aisha.”
“Yes. That’s a relief.”
“What’s a relief? What are you even talking about?”
I tightly held Rohen’s hand, which was bristling with anger.
“I got lost on the way back from seeing the Grand Duchess. I met His Grace the Grand Duke there, and he carried me back himself.”
I spoke quickly, afraid Rohen would cut me off again like slicing radish.
“Uh…? Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“T-then why didn’t that woman bring you back herself! No, how lost do you have to be… to fall asleep on the way! A kid who’s always been so healthy!”
Perhaps realizing belatedly that he had misunderstood, Rohen’s face turned red. That, too, was so cute that I couldn’t help smiling.
“Exactly, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
“Hmm?”
“If there are people like that next time, can I tell you?”
At my words, the Grand Duke tilted his head, looking like he was wondering why I was telling him this.
“Because of those people, you had to walk when you didn’t need to.”
“You could think of it that way.”
“Yes. Next time, I’ll tell you about all of them.”
“To use me for a necessary purpose—what a remarkable child. A child should naturally be afraid of me, but you’re not even that.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.”
I wasn’t a child who was loved or anything, so unless I used methods like this, there was no one who would look after me. This time I was lucky to meet the Grand Duke, but if I hadn’t, I might have collapsed from exhaustion in this vast Grand Ducal household.
“Fine.”
“Then I’ll be sure to tell you next time.”
“The reason you say that to me is because you want me to point out those who don’t help you when you wander around alone, right? So they won’t do that?”
Smiling, I nodded.
“How shameless. Well, what you say isn’t wrong.”
I said it half-expecting rejection, but he accepted it more easily than I thought.
‘As expected, is it because Rohen said “father”? The reward is really certain.’
At this level, since he keeps his word this firmly, I don’t think I need to worry.
“Yes!”
“Then that’s fine. I’ll be going.”
With that, the Grand Duke left the room. In the past, Rohen would have glared fiercely, but perhaps because he felt intimidated, he just stayed still.
“You should have… said so sooner……”
Only after the room became quiet did Rohen look at me resentfully.
“What?”
“No… that man didn’t do anything to you… you should have said that sooner.”
“I tried to, but you interrupted me.”
“No, still, you should have said it…!!”
Sometimes expressionless like an emotionless beast, and other times innocent like a child—those sides of him kept poking somewhere in my chest.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“E-embarrassed? No! I just don’t want to make a mistake in front of that man.”
I went over to Lari, who was sleeping peacefully on one sofa, and met Rohen’s eyes.
“Why? He’s your father.”
“I don’t know. I just hate making mistakes. In case he looks down on me……”
“Hmm……”
“I don’t like that look either. That look like he knows everything about me.”
That look is very much like yours, and you look at people that way too. If I said that’s why you two really are father and son… Rohen would get upset.
“But you’re the same.”
Of course, I wasn’t the type to read Rohen’s mood.
“What?”
“It’s true.”
So don’t hate him too much. He just can’t express it, same as you.
‘And in the end, he’ll die because of you.’
That was when it happened.
Strange words surfaced in my head again. At first, they came up only once in a while. But now, strangely often, words came to mind.
Ever since that day when I was badly sick and couldn’t get up… after that strange dream, it happened often.
So I hurriedly clutched my head.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“Ah… no.”
“What do you mean no? Why did your face suddenly turn pale?”
Rohen quickly stroked my cheek with his hand, wearing a very worried face and a very worried expression.
“I’m fine. Has Lari been sleeping this whole time?”
“Yes. She’s not getting any better. It really seems like there’s a problem… but no one pays attention to her……”
Clicking his tongue, Rohen looked at me with a face that said he was truly worried, a face that said, “Do something somehow.” But there was nothing I could do.
“Yeah……”
But more than those problems, the strange voice I had heard earlier kept bothering me.
‘The Grand Duke dies because of the children.’
Is this really some kind of revelation from a god, or is it telling me a story from a novel I don’t know?
Either way, the Grand Duke does die. The Grand Duke’s death. He was so healthy, so strong that he would never lose to anyone in martial arts—yet he meets his end. It was after all the children had grown up, but that was all.
Because the reason for his death was unknown.
Even in the novel, it clearly ended that way……
‘How do I even know that? What on earth are these words that appear in my head?’
“Haa……”
“Don’t worry.”
At that moment,
as I naturally let out a sigh because of the words that kept surfacing, Rohen suddenly stood up and placed his hand on my head.
“Huh?”
“I’ll take care of everything.”
“Take care of everything?”
“We’re never going to be separated here. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“…You look like you don’t trust me?”
I smiled brightly at Rohen as he kept patting my head.
“No. I trust you. You’re the type who does things when you say you will.”
“Y-yeah… I guess so?”
Your first sense of achievement will be me. The first thing you’ve ever accomplished, when you had nothing. I’ll make that be me.
“Yeah. I’ll wait. Let’s rest now.”
Perhaps feeling embarrassed after saying all that himself, Rohen moved stiffly like a doll and sat beside Lari.
Our gazes were still fixed on Lari. Occasionally, Rohen and I met eyes, but that was all.
Rohen said nothing and asked nothing. It was obvious he must be curious what I had talked about with the Grand Duchess.
And so, I too said nothing and passed the time like that.
