GBHDF 01

Chapter – 01

“You’re going to raise this child.”

At those words, Seymour Hayworth Somerset, head of the House of Somerset, lifted his eyes from the documents in front of him.

Behind his angular glasses, the green eyes of the man resembling a forest were filled with displeasure and confusion.

It was the exact same look he had worn about a month ago when someone had made the utterly absurd demand that he distribute premium cigars at half price.

Back then, Seymour had immediately flipped over the table and picked up an ashtray, smashing it to pieces.

Of course, he was very much tempted to do the same thing this time.

Unfortunately, he was not in a position where he could afford to.

So instead of gripping the edge of the table, he rolled his tired eyes toward the people sitting before him.

An elderly woman who looked as stubborn and formidable as she appeared old-fashioned.

And beside her sat a little girl no bigger than a chestnut.

Just what kind of bizarre combination is this?

Had it been anyone else, Seymour would have thrown them out before they even had the chance to sit down.

But the stubborn old woman sitting across from him was his mother-in-law, a woman who was practically a mother to him.

Seymour rubbed the space between his brows and let out a sigh.

“…I don’t understand what you mean, Mother.”

“I don’t believe I said anything particularly difficult. Take this child into the Somerset family.”

“If you found the Somerset household too quiet, you could have simply brought home a cat instead.”

At the blatant sarcasm, Lady Hayworth’s brow furrowed.

“Every time I see you, your manners seem to grow worse. Or perhaps you think I’m a joke?”

“Of course not. The world has simply become a dangerous place these days.”

“You’re looking at your documents in front of the mother of your late wife, whom you were summoned to meet.”

“I ask for your understanding. I have an important contract coming up next week.”

“Are you so busy that you don’t even have time to visit Rose’s grave?”

At that moment, the hint of a smile disappeared from Seymour’s lips.

“Why are you bringing up my wife?”

“Am I not allowed to talk about my own daughter? It’s already been more than a year since she died.”

“I’m surprised it’s only been a year. Every day has felt like hell, so I thought an eternity had already passed.”

Muttering those words, Seymour frowned and closed his eyes.

Even now, he could picture that day with perfect clarity—the day he lost the woman he had loved more than life itself, along with his only brother and the people he could truly call family.

‘Sir! You need to come quickly! There’s been a carriage accident on the mountainside, and the deceased are…!’

Seymour’s older brother, Graham, and his wife had been in the carriage along with Seymour’s own wife.

They had all died instantly.

All that remained for Seymour was the one son left behind by Graham and his wife, and the heavy title of Duke of Somerset that his brother had originally been meant to inherit.

And so, Seymour became the Duke of Somerset.

Under normal circumstances, Graham’s son, Dante, should have inherited the title.

But at the time, Dante had been only five years old.

That had been a year ago.

Yet even after all this time, the memories refused to fade, and they still made Seymour frown.

Seeing her son-in-law like that, concern appeared on Lady Hayworth’s face as well.

“How long are you planning to go on like this?”

“…What have I done now?”

“Do you think I don’t know? I’ve already heard everything. You sleep in a bed fewer than five nights a month, you spend every day drinking and smoking, and your business is overflowing with work as though a dog with its tail on fire were chasing you.”

“That’s simply my way of doing things.”

“A way of dying young, you mean.”

“…You know that I have a duty to take care of Somerset. I have to, so that—”

“So that you can hand the title over to your nephew without a shred of shame. Because the dear relatives of yours will be waiting like vultures to snatch your ducal position the moment you stumble! Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that excuse?”

“……”

He had been cut off before he could even finish his excuse.

Apparently, even the most frequently used excuse lost its effectiveness after enough repetition.

Seymour clicked his tongue once before speaking.

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Dante isn’t my son. If I try to pass the title on to my nephew, they’ll undoubtedly tear into him over his bloodline.”

Seymour’s blood belonged to the Graham family.

However, Seymour’s current surname was Hayworth.

It was the name he had taken when he married into the Hayworth family.

The problem was that he had somehow ended up inheriting the title of Duke of Somerset, which had originally belonged to the Graham family.

As a result, he had become part of an entirely different family from the nephew who was supposed to inherit the title.

And that was more than enough to cause problems.

“If we want to prevent them from tearing him apart over his family background, shouldn’t we lay the groundwork in advance?”

Fortunately, this also provided Seymour with a convenient excuse for his workaholism.

Whenever Lady Hayworth had angrily demanded that he take better care of his health, she would back down whenever he claimed that he was doing it all for his nephew.

Yet for some reason, today Lady Hayworth’s eyes lit up when she heard those words.

“You’ve made an excellent point. You’re right. We need to lay the groundwork. It would be a disaster if they attacked him over his bloodline.”

“Exactly.”

“Then all we have to do is solve the bloodline problem!”

Seymour gave a cold, strained laugh.

“If only it were that simple. Naturally, I would do it if I could. But we can’t adopt Dante into the Hayworth family. Dante is the only direct descendant left of the Graham—”

“Who said anything about adopting your nephew?”

Lady Hayworth raised one eyebrow, her expression as stubborn as ever.

“Have him get married!”

“…What?”

Seymour’s expression slowly changed into one that clearly said, Surely not.

“Support this child. Once she grows up, marry her to your nephew and then pass the title on to him.”

If that happened, no one would be able to raise the issue of his bloodline.

It would also look far more natural than suddenly handing the title directly to his nephew.

“More importantly, it means you’ll have a family member you’re responsible for. Nothing could be better for you.”

“That makes no sense, Mother. What exactly are you—”

“Otherwise!”

Bang!

Lady Hayworth’s cane struck the floor with a sharp crack.

“Or would you rather I watch you waste away until I collapse from heartache myself? Hmm? Are you going to stop only after I close my eyes for good?”

“No… Mother. Please don’t say such things. You should live a long life.”

“Yes, exactly! Which is why—”

As though making a solemn declaration, Lady Hayworth pointed toward the child sitting beside her.

“Raise her. Only until the time comes to pass on the title! After that, you may do whatever you please.”

“……”

“She’s a bright little thing. She might even be able to tolerate that wretched personality of yours.”

As if to prove Lady Hayworth’s words, the little girl sitting beside her nodded enthusiastically.

Every time she nodded, her neatly tied twin tails bounced up and down.

There was something quite clever about both her mannerisms and her expression.

But to Seymour, everything about this situation was simply absurd.

“Seriously… You’re telling me to raise a child for that reason?”

“Why not? Didn’t you just say that if there were a way to resolve the bloodline issue, you would naturally do it?”

“…Yes, but where did you even find this child in the first place?”

Just as Seymour was desperately trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, the girl, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.

“I came from the Townsend Orphanage. My name is Rowena Whitfield, and I’m ten years old. I told Lady Hayworth that I wanted to become part of the Duke of Somerset’s family.”

“…What?”

Seymour turned sharply toward her, demanding an explanation with his eyes.

But Rowena merely giggled.

Seymour felt as though his common sense were beginning to malfunction.

“Mother, did you really bring this child here just because she said that one thing?”

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t have?”

“There are far too many! She must be after the family fortune!”

“I don’t need anything.”

Once again, Rowena’s bright, clear voice interrupted them.

“I’m not interested in the Hayworths, the Grahams, or even the Somersets.”

“…Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

“Of course. If you want, I can even sign a contract! I’ll state that I have no rights to the family or the title.”

Seymour narrowed his eyes.

“Then why exactly do you want to become part of my family?”

“Because I wanted to have a family. You see, I don’t have one.”

Because I’m an orphan.

After saying that, Rowena hopped down from her seat and toddled over to Seymour.

Then, with the expression of someone about to make an incredibly important proposal, she said,

“If you accept me, Your Grace, I’ll run to the entrance whenever you come home and welcome you.”

“What are you—”

“We can eat breakfast together, too! If you want, I can even put the sauce on your fried eggs in the shape of a heart.”

“I’m really good at it.”

Rowena nodded solemnly, as though she had just revealed an enormous secret.

“And there’s one more thing. This is something I’m really making a big sacrifice for.”

“What now?”

“I’ll give you a goodnight kiss before bed.”

“Not just anyone gets one of these, you know.”

At that added remark, Seymour stared at the child in disbelief.

People often said that it was difficult to spit in the face of someone who was smiling.

But Seymour was the sort of man who could do it without hesitation.

Yet even beneath the frightening gaze that had made countless nobles instinctively lower their tails, the child simply kept smiling.

It was proof that no further conversation was necessary.

Rowena hopped onto the seat beside Seymour, beamed brightly, and clapped her hands.

“Your Grace, I think we can become a wonderful family.”