Chapter 04
Meanwhile, in the Grand Duke’s office—
“Are you certain you checked thoroughly, Ren?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I sent people to check not only the nearby administrative offices but every office in the capital as well. However, among the children reported missing recently, there was no blonde, green-eyed child.”
“Hmm. That is strange.”
Her refined appearance, the quality of the fabric of her clothes, and the way she seemed accustomed to commanding others.
She was unmistakably a noble.
In other words, she was not some child who had been wandering around with nowhere to go.
“Then why has not a single family reported her missing? And on top of that, the child seems to know nothing.”
Tap, tap.
The Grand Duke drummed his index finger against the armrest of the sofa for a long while before slowly parting his lips.
“Perhaps…”
“Have you thought of something?”
“…Perhaps the child was abandoned.”
“What? No, that can’t be.”
The nobles of Pelivenia had long been famous for cherishing their bloodlines above all else.
That was because heirs had become scarce after decades of war before the founding of the empire.
‘Abandoning a child? That makes no sense.’
Ren firmly shook his head.
But he could not help but understand the Grand Duke’s following words.
“If that isn’t the case, there would be no reason for them not to search for her. No matter how much nobles value their bloodline, there are still children they cannot welcome.”
He was referring to illegitimate children or children born with deformities.
Although nobles treasured their bloodlines, to those proud aristocrats, such children were nothing more than blemishes on the family.
Children born with deformities were often abandoned immediately after birth in places where no one would find them, while the treatment of illegitimate children varied depending on the circumstances of the family.
If there was no child to inherit the title, or if the head of the family took a liking to the child, they might, on rare occasions, be entered into the family registry. But most ended up in the same situation as children born with deformities.
“…She was definitely not deformed.”
“She might be an illegitimate child, then.”
Ren’s expression darkened.
If she had been deliberately abandoned, the child had nowhere to return to. In that case, she would have to be sent to a monastery…
‘What a terrible thing to do.’
Even though monasteries received support from the imperial family and the nobility, their conditions were inevitably poor, as countless orphans, sick people, and women with nowhere else to go gathered there.
People had to fight fiercely even for an extra piece of bread, and even if they fell ill, they could barely receive proper treatment.
‘How could anyone send such a young child to a place like that—a living hell?’
An inexplicable sense of guilt washed over Ren.
The Grand Duke quietly watched him, his gaze fixed on the floor and his lips unable to form a word for quite some time, before finally speaking.
“For now, let us keep her here a little longer. Her parents may appear eventually, even if it is late.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ren bowed his head as he thought to himself—
I hope we never have to send that adorable child to a monastery.
I hope she is merely a child who got lost for a while, not an illegitimate child.
He had no idea that the child had already become the Grand Duke’s illegitimate daughter.
Meanwhile, the rumor about the illegitimate child, which had spread in the blink of an eye, eventually reached the ears of the Grand Duke’s only son, Ahin Claudiff.
“My father has an illegitimate child?”
“That’s what I’m telling you! According to the servants who saw her with their own eyes, she looks exactly like His Highness!”
Henrik shouted indignantly.
Under the laws of the Pelivenian Empire, even a woman or an illegitimate child could inherit a family as long as they had the permission of the head of the household.
That meant the illegitimate child could potentially become Ahin’s rival.
Therefore, from Henrik’s perspective, having stayed by Ahin’s side as his milk companion since he was an infant, there was no way he could be pleased with this situation.
‘His Highness really went too far. How could he do this without even discussing it with the young master?’
No matter how powerful the Grand Duke was, bringing home an illegitimate child without even informing his heir was simply too much.
Henrik looked at Ahin worriedly, wondering if his young master might have been hurt by the news.
But—
“Thank goodness. At least this means Father wasn’t a homosexual, as the rumors going around claimed.”
Ahin murmured as though it were nothing important and elegantly turned a page of his book.
“W-Was that really all you had to say?”
“Then?”
Ahin asked without even looking up from his book, causing Henrik’s mouth to fall open.
Could he really concentrate on reading at a time like this, when a potential rival who might threaten his position had appeared?
“Young Master, you heard me correctly, didn’t you? His Highness personally went out and brought that illegitimate child here. Personally!”
Henrik repeated himself, wondering if Ahin simply did not understand the situation.
But the response he received was no different from before.
“So what? Are you saying I should compete with some illegitimate child over the position of heir? Me—the legitimate eldest son of the Grand Duke?”
“No, but that’s obviously—”
“The discussion concerning the succession ended two years ago. Even if that little brat is entered into the family registry, she cannot threaten my position.”
“That’s true, but…”
Henrik trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words, before arguing again.
“Still, you never know! If His Highness personally brought home an illegitimate child despite how much he values his honor, that means he must care about her quite a lot. We need to crush her spirit from the very beginning so she doesn’t get any foolish ideas!”
“What are you going to do to a little brat who hasn’t even gotten the blood dried from her head yet? My father isn’t the kind of man who goes back on his word once he’s said something.”
Only then did Henrik firmly close his mouth.
However, judging by his deeply displeased expression, he was clearly still unhappy.
‘Making such a fuss over one illegitimate child.’
Ahin clicked his tongue, but since he knew that Henrik’s fussing was ultimately for his sake, he did not scold him any further.
‘Well, if that is what you want so badly, I suppose there’s no reason I can’t grant your wish…’
In truth, he was curious too.
Not about the illegitimate child, but about her biological mother.
Just how extraordinarily beautiful must she have been for his stone-faced father to fall in love?
‘I wonder if the illegitimate child looks like her mother.’
After pondering for a while, Ahin abruptly closed the book he had been reading and stood up.
“All right. Henrik, I’ll do as you wish.”
“What? What do you mean by that…?”
“I mean I’ll personally go and take a look at that lowly face.”
Henrik’s sulky expression immediately brightened.
“Yes, Young Master!”
As he walked out through the door Henrik opened for him, Ahin curled his lips into a sardonic smile.
When Ahin arrived at the guest room where the illegitimate child was staying, he gave the door a few casual knocks.
Tap, tap.
There was no answer, but Ahin did not bother waiting any longer and grasped the doorknob.
There was no reason to show manners to an illegitimate child who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
When he opened the door, the room was empty.
Ahin casually looked around the ownerless room before sitting down on the sofa and stretching his legs out onto the table.
He planned to lounge around until the illegitimate child returned, take a look at that supposedly impressive face, and leave.
Then something unusual caught his eye.
“What is this?”
A mountain of chocolate cookies was piled high on a plate atop the table.
“What kind of person piles up this many cookies? Who eats them like this?”
Just as Ahin picked up a cookie with a puzzled expression—
“You insolent brat! What are you doing right now?!”
A furious roar rang out from behind him.
Wondering what was going on, Ahin turned around.
A little girl with damp blonde hair hanging down her back was glaring fiercely at him.
‘What is that?’
Ahin was momentarily stunned.
It was only after quite some time that he realized the girl was the illegitimate child Henrik had been talking about.
But Ahin could not utter a single word.
The sight before him simply did not feel real.
Who was he?
He was the one and only son of Badel Claudiff, the Empire’s sole Grand Duke.
He had been designated as the heir from an early age, and as the Emperor’s only nephew, he also enjoyed the Emperor’s favor.
His position was absolute.
No one dared treat him carelessly.
‘And yet this illegitimate child dares—dares to speak down to me…’
Ahin’s lips twisted viciously.
He took back what he had said to Henrik earlier.
If he did not teach this clueless little brat who was above whom, she would cause troublesome problems in the future.
But—
“Didn’t I ask what you think you’re doing?! Answer me at once!”
Before Ahin could even reprimand her, the illegitimate child stunned him once again.
“Young M-Master…”
Henrik called out to him in a bewildered voice, but Ahin still could not bring himself to speak.
It was as though some spell had been cast on him, sealing his lips shut.
Just then—
The illegitimate child, who was stomping her feet like a furious little foal, pointed a finger at Henrik.
“You there.”
“Y-Yes? Do you mean me?”
Where had all that confidence gone—the Henrik who had been loudly insisting that they needed to crush the child’s spirit from the start?
His voice was now full of nervous energy.
He even hurried over at the beckoning of her imperiously wagging finger.
The girl whispered something into his ear as he obediently knelt before her.
‘What is this?’
Ahin finally came to his senses and quietly watched them.
Then—
“Y-Young Master.”
Henrik turned back toward him with a miserable expression.
Unlike his usual restless and cheerful self, he looked completely cowed.
‘What on earth did she say to him?’
Ahin asked hesitantly.
“What is it?”
He thought to himself that, whatever she had said, how serious could it possibly be?
But—
“She says you should leave immediately.”
Ahin’s shoulders jerked.
The words were stronger than he had expected.
But that was as far as his reaction went.
There was no way he was going to let himself be pushed around any further by some mere illegitimate child.
Just as he was about to speak, the illegitimate child whispered something into Henrik’s ear again.
“Y-Young Master…”
Ahin suppressed the uneasiness rising inside him and asked,
“What now?”
Henrik could not answer immediately.
He lowered his head and hesitated for a long while before pointing his index finger at something.
It was the very table where Ahin had placed his feet a moment ago.
“She says you have to wipe off the footprints you left on the table yourself before you leave.”
Only then did Ahin realize.
The “little brat who hadn’t even gotten the blood dried from her head yet” his father had brought home was anything but ordinary.TRAN
