Chapter – 07
Who could Leblaine, an orphan, possibly give a carnation to?
The only person left…
Was the Duke of Dubblede.
“Ooooh!”
The vassals cried out as though they had just found a lifeline.
“Look, Your Excellency!”
“A carnation!”
“She’s the only one who will give you a carnation corsage!”
The vassals looked ready to jump for joy.
The Duke stopped walking.
He quietly lowered his gaze toward Leblaine.
The little girl shyly fidgeted with her hands.
I had always thought the word carnation was nothing more than an excuse people used after losing a power struggle.
Since I had never received one myself…
I found their excitement rather ridiculous.
It was only a flower.
Something completely useless.
But…
Perhaps receiving one wouldn’t feel so bad after all.
What did I do wrong?
The Duke was staring at me so intensely.
Is he angry because I spent too much money while shopping?
Or… did he notice that I always draw horns on him in my sketchbook?
Why is he looking at me like that…?
My stomach twisted with anxiety.
Meanwhile, the vassals were all smiling.
“Did you buy your own corsage?”
“Yes.”
The moment I answered, they became overjoyed.
Even the Duke’s lips curved slightly upward.
Wow…
He’s even scarier today.
I quickly hid behind Lea and clung to her leg.
The vassals simply smiled and gently nudged me forward.
“Why don’t you give it to him now?”
“Yes, now would be perfect.”
Should I?
Well… I bought it anyway.
It would be strange to keep delaying it.
It’s my first time giving someone a carnation…
I’m a little embarrassed.
I nervously wrung my fingers together.
The vassals became even more excited.
“Go on!”
The crowd parted before me like the Red Sea.
Standing directly ahead…
Was the Duke.
Feeling shy, I stretched out the corsage.
Toward…
Lea.
“……….!”
“……….!”
“……….!”
“Oh my…”
Lea covered her mouth in complete surprise.
She clearly hadn’t expected to receive it herself.
Since I’m giving this to you…
You’ll give me more snacks later, right?
Tears welled up in Lea’s eyes.
She knelt down in front of me.
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Nea lwike. Thwank you.”
(Lea, I like you. Thank you.)
“Thank you, Little Miss.”
“I’ll treasure it forever.”
Lea hugged me tightly.
I rubbed my cheek against her neck.
But something felt strange.
Why does the back of my head suddenly feel so cold?
Confused, I turned around.
Aside from Lea and the maids…
Every man present was staring back and forth between the corsage…
And the Duke…
Their faces had turned pale.
Then—
The Duke called my name.
“Leblaine.”
“Yes?”
“Mine.”
“…?”
“You don’t have one for me.”
“Yes!”
Of course not!
I didn’t buy one because I thought you’d just get annoyed.
I made the right decision, didn’t I?
I smiled brightly from Lea’s arms.
The Duke’s eyebrow twitched.
For some reason…
The vassals all looked absolutely terrified.
Every one of them silently swallowed.
That very evening…
The Duke of Dubblede issued an order abolishing Thanksgiving Day throughout the duchy.
Lea proudly wore the red carnation corsage on her chest all day.
Every time I looked at it…
I felt delighted.
Of course…
Seeing Lea happy made me happy too.
She even gave me a mountain of snacks.
I happily ate until my stomach was completely full.
Then Nos came to visit me.
“Shall we go?”
Today was the day I was supposed to report to the Empress Dowager.
“Yes!”
I answered loudly.
Nos laughed.
“You’re just as brave today.”
I nodded so hard that my cheeks bounced.
Seeing that, Nos slowly reached out his hand.
He looked like he wanted to pinch my cheek.
But suddenly—
The maids jumped between us.
“Oh no… I’m in trouble.”
Nos awkwardly lowered his hand.
Even though he had already withdrawn it…
The maids still glared at him.
“We have a waiting list!”
At Linda’s declaration, the other maids nodded in agreement.
“You only get one chance each week.”
“And you only have two seconds.”
“If you touch her cheeks for too long, her delicate skin won’t be able to handle it.”
…When exactly did you all make that rule?
I stared blankly at the maids.
Unlike me…
Nos accepted it seriously.
“I understand.”
“I almost made a terrible mistake.”
The maids consulted among themselves with solemn expressions.
“You’ll have to wait three weeks!”
Nos stared in disbelief.
“Three weeks?!”
“We’re already giving you special treatment.”
“If you waited in the normal queue, it would take over a month.”
“Are that many people waiting?”
The maids snorted proudly.
“Our baby’s cheeks are adorable.”
“They’re soft.”
“They’re the cutest in the whole world.”
“Everyone wants to touch them.”
“Of course they do.”
“If you’re human, you can’t possibly resist.”
Nos could only shake his head helplessly.
Meanwhile…
I was completely speechless.
“Lwet’s Go.”
(Let’s go.)
Only after hearing me did Nos finally come back to his senses.
“Oh… right.”
He opened the door.
We walked down the hallway toward the Duke’s office.
The corridor was piled high with boxes.
Servants hurriedly sorted everything.
I looked at them curiously.
Nos smiled.
“We’re preparing gifts for His Majesty’s birthday celebration.”
Come to think of it…
This was always the busiest season for the nobles.
Everyone was preparing birthday gifts for the Emperor.
Duke Amity…
The father from my first life…
Never cared much about such things.
He simply sent a modest present.
But Duke Vallua…
Would even borrow money just to prepare an extravagant gift.
He threw money away whenever appearances were involved.
Yet…
He was unbelievably stingy with everyone else.
Especially with me.
Back when I lived as Duke Vallua’s daughter…
I once bought a slightly expensive fountain pen.
He became furious.
As punishment…
He locked me inside the attic for three days.
Alone in the dark…
Cold attic…
I trembled and cried endlessly.
Believing I truly deserved it.
I still remembered hearing Vallua’s second son ask his older brother,
“Brother… are fountain pens forbidden?”
“Why would they be?”
“Father and Mother would be happy if you asked them to buy one.”
“What parent dislikes buying school supplies for their child?”
“Then why was Leblaine punished?”
“Because…”
“She isn’t Father’s real daughter.”
That was the moment I finally understood.
I’m not their real child.
That’s why they hate me over every little thing.
That’s why I always have to try so much harder.
Now…
I have to do something that will please Duke Dubblede.
If I fail…
The adoption might disappear.
Thinking that…
I stepped into the Duke’s office.
The Duke sat behind his desk.
Sensing my presence, he slowly raised his head.
The silver-rimmed glasses he wore while reading documents perfectly suited his blue eyes.
For a moment…
I couldn’t even speak.
But…
Is it because of the glasses?
He somehow looks even scarier than usual today.
I instinctively grabbed Nos’s leg.
Nos smiled awkwardly.
He carried me over to the sofa.
After setting me down, he quietly whispered so the Duke couldn’t hear.
“He isn’t angry with you.”
“I think…”
“He’s angry with himself for actually looking forward to it.”
Nos looked as though he wanted to cry.
What…?
“Next time…”
“Please prepare two carnations.”
Ah…
Only then did I finally understand.
Everything I had bought during today’s shopping trip…
Had been paid for with Dubblede’s money.
I had bought so many things.
The total must have been expensive.
He must have felt upset…
I spent all that money…
Yet didn’t even buy him a carnation.
I should’ve just bought two.
He really seems to like carnations.
But…
It was already too late.
I need to make it up to him somehow.
What do I know that could actually help the Duke?
As I desperately searched my memory…
Something on the coffee table caught my eye.
Inside an expensive jewelry box…
Lay a black stone.
Why would someone keep an ordinary stone inside such a luxurious box?
I tilted my head.
Then—
My lungs suddenly tightened.
The entire room vibrated.
Nos’s voice became distorted.
Everything around me slowed to an unnatural crawl.
It was as though…
Time itself had begun flowing differently for me.
Soft light spread across the black stone.
It quickly gathered into glowing lines.
Soon…
A six-pointed star appeared.
Two triangles overlapping each other.
A chill ran down my spine.
Beep—!
Something flashed through my mind.
[My…]
[Wa…it…]
A voice echoed directly inside my head.
It never passed through my ears.
Though faint…
Its presence was overwhelming.
[My child.]
The instant those words were spoken…
Time returned to normal.
Nos frowned.
“Was that an earthquake?”
But the trembling disappeared just as quickly.
The Duke immediately walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.
“Send an expedition to Mount Rubbs.”
“It could be the sign of a volcanic eruption.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
While Nos and the Duke discussed the situation…
I pressed a hand against my chest.
My heart pounded so violently that I could barely breathe.
What… was that?
That strange light…
And that voice inside my head…
The voice coming from the stone had called to me with desperate urgency.
Before I even realized it…
My hand began moving toward the stone.
As though drawn by a magnet.
As though another will had taken control of my body.
The moment my fingers touched it—
“……”
The stone instantly crumbled into dust.
Only then did I come back to my senses.
My eyes widened.
W-What…?!
Terrified…
I slowly looked toward the Duke…
Then at Nos.
W-What do I do?!
What do I do?!
Nos stared in complete shock at the crumbling fragments slipping through the gaps between my fingers.
Even the Duke’s eyes widened—
A rare expression of genuine surprise.
