Episode 10
“Hmph, hmm-hmm~.”
I hummed to myself as I moved my hand.
Bright, colorful lines filled the sketchbook.
Anna smiled softly and spoke to me.
The maids had started talking to me quite often now.
It felt like only yesterday that they had seemed more like emotionless decorations in the room.
“Our young lady, you’re really good at drawing. Is this a pineapple?”
“No.”
I answered sulkily.
How did that look anything like a pineapple?
Why would a pineapple have eyes, a nose, and a mouth?
“Anna.”
“Yes?”
“This is Anna.”
I pointed at the pineapple… no, Anna drawing.
“Oh my! You drew me!”
Kind-hearted Anna exclaimed in delight, but I felt a little embarrassed.
Honestly, even I thought the drawing looked more like a pineapple than Anna.
“Are you and I holding hands?”
“Yeah.”
“There are hearts here too.”
“Mm-hmm…”
I felt a little shy, so I fidgeted with my fingers for no reason.
Anna was silent for a while.
Well, even I didn’t think it was a very good drawing.
The lines were crooked, and the coloring went everywhere.
It was the limit of my potato-like hands.
Ugh…
I groaned inwardly.
If I really wasn’t the Duke’s biological daughter, I would need the maids’ help.
I was trying to make sure they were on my side.
But what if this is having the opposite effect?
I was also curious about the Duke’s family!
I suddenly hugged Anna tightly.
Then I gently patted her head.
“Pretty, pretty.”
“Oh my, are you saying I’m pretty?”
“Anna, good!”
“My lady…”
Why was she about to cry?
I felt awkward.
“I’ll treasure this as a family heirloom for the rest of my life. I’ll pass it down through the generations.”
“Huh? Uh, no, you don’t have to pass it down…”
The thought of this drawing, where you couldn’t even tell if it was a person or a pineapple, being inherited by future generations made me want to hide somewhere.
Anyway, I didn’t understand it, but apparently it had worked really well.
I used the same method on the other maids.
But…
Their reactions were all completely abnormal.
“I’ll take it to my grave. I don’t need a husband anymore. I’ll be buried with the young lady’s drawing.”
…Huh? So was she originally planning to be buried with her husband?
That was Nancy’s reaction, who apparently supported burying husbands alive.
“I’ll cover my entire room with pictures of this young lady. I’ll look at this every night before I go to sleep, and I’ll look at it again when I wake up.”
Uh… isn’t that something a stalker would do?
That was Laura’s reaction, who seemed to have some stalker tendencies.
“You gave me a heart! Do you need my heart too? If it’s for you, young lady, I can take it out for you!”
“I don’t need it!”
“Then… someone else’s heart?”
Tilda’s reaction…
I’ll leave that one out.
Sob, sob. They’re scary.
When I first met them, they all seemed perfectly rational and normal.
How did things end up like this?
Anyway, after waiting until I was alone with each of them, giving them my ultimate drawing and telling them, “Pretty, pretty,” it was finally time for my walk.
Today, we were going to the glass greenhouse, so I was really excited.
A glass greenhouse inside a huge mansion!
It was so cool.
For the first time, I really felt like I’d come to a romance fantasy world.
I ran along happily.
“Miss! If you run like that, you’ll fall—”
“Ouch!”
Thud.
Just as her words had summoned it, I immediately fell.
So embarrassing… sob.
“Miss!”
“Are you all right?”
I heard the maids cry out in surprise.
I must have hit my nose because it hurt so much.
I bet my nose is already red.
I lifted my head with a little whine.
But what I saw wasn’t the kind faces of the maids.
It was a pair of long, handsome legs stretching out like a highway.
No way.
Because those legs were so ridiculously long, I slowly raised my head even higher.
And there was the cold, cold face of Duke Phaeraton.
Our eyes met, and he raised one eyebrow.
“What are you doing?”
What else was I doing?
“I fell.”
Unlike the complaining thoughts in my head, I answered sweetly and obediently.
“Why did you fall?”
The Duke looked at me as if he genuinely couldn’t understand.
I was so dumbfounded that my mouth fell open.
Why did I fall?
Because I fell!
That’s why!
“Children tend to fall often, Your Grace.”
“Weak.”
Is that really what you say to a child who just fell?!
I was irritated, but I stretched both hands toward the Duke.
“Please help me up, Daddy.”
I was worried he’d ignore me and walk away, but the Duke picked me up.
Though he did narrow his eyes.
I dangled in the air as the Duke looked me over.
His bright red eyes, completely devoid of emotion, scanned me from head to toe before stopping at one place.
“…Knee.”
“Huh?”
I followed his gaze downward and saw that my knee was red.
Thankfully, it wasn’t scraped, but it was definitely going to bruise.
“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
The Duke ignored my words and started walking.
With me tucked under his arm.
When we arrived at his study, the Duke sat me on his lap and stared at my knee.
He’s going to stare a hole through my knee!
After staring at it for a long time, he tilted his head slightly.
His low, cold voice fell over the top of my head.
“Why is the color getting darker?”
“Miss will get better after applying the medicine for a few days.”
The Duke frowned.
“I knew she was weak, but I didn’t realize she was this weak.”
There was a sigh in his voice, and my heart sank.
Could it be…
Could this be one of the reasons my uncle abandoned me?
Because I was too weak.
If I’m really his biological daughter or the heroine, I should have …
Could I really be an illegitimate child?
I tightly twisted the edge of my dress.
Meanwhile, Nancy brought some ointment.
Duke Phaeraton personally applied it to my knee.
His movements were incredibly awkward.
I worried that I was bothering him too much, so I looked at Anna, but she just smiled happily, completely unaware of what I was thinking.
After the ointment was applied, I nervously tried to get off the Duke’s lap.
I didn’t want to become an annoying child anymore.
But then the Duke stood up and picked me up.
And after that, he didn’t put me down.
Not when he ate.
Not when he signed documents.
Not even when he held meetings with his vassals.
I was tucked tightly into the Duke’s arms like a baby kangaroo.
Did he forget to put me down?!
I pounded his chest with my little fists, but the Duke only patted my bottom.
I suddenly became a clingy baby and pouted.
The vassals entering the meeting room saw me like that and once again made faces like they were being strangled.
Just as the meeting was about to begin, Anna carefully spoke up.
“Your Grace, I’m sorry, but shouldn’t you put the young lady down now…?”
The Duke’s eyes turned toward Anna.
His gaze was so sharp that even I flinched.
Anna trembled, but she still bowed her head and finished what she had to say.
“Someone from the dressmaker’s has arrived.”
Apparently, the tailor the Duke had called had arrived.
Escape opportunity!
I quickly wriggled down from the Duke’s lap.
The Duke glared at me.
He looked extremely displeased.
Why?
He was the one who called the tailor!
Was he suddenly worried about wasting money?!
I looked at the Duke with an annoyed expression, and he reached out toward me.
Ah! Did he read my mind? I’m sorry!
I instinctively shrank back, but contrary to what I expected, he picked me up again.
“Y-Your Grace, are you going by yourself?”
Nancy accidentally asked the Duke before realizing what she’d done and turning pale as she quickly shut her mouth.
The Duke simply walked out of the study.
Wait, weren’t we just about to have a meeting?
The vassals who had been staring blankly at the situation also stood up and hurried after him.
Why are those uncles coming too?
It felt like I had suddenly become some kind of rare spectacle.
Yutra Pelia.
She was a remarkable woman who had started with nothing and eventually received even a minor noble title for designing clothes for the Imperial Family.
She was someone who set trends across the entire continent, not just in the Empire.
Yet despite her reputation, she was extremely nervous right now.
Today’s customer was that special.
At last, I’m going to meet the mysterious princess.
“I’m finally going to meet the owner of those dresses.”
Perhaps the chief tailor beside Yutra was thinking the same thing, because he whispered,
“I never thought we’d meet her. Every year around this time, she’s ordered dresses from us, but we’ve never once seen her.”
Every year, the Phaeraton family would place an order saying that the price didn’t matter, and they wanted nothing but the best dresses.
When Yutra received that order for the first time, her competitive spirit kicked in, and she made a dress that cost as much as an entire castle.
But the Phaeraton family paid the full amount immediately without even hesitating.
Children grew quickly.
An entire castle’s worth of money for a dress that would only be worn for one season?
Even a princess wouldn’t have dresses made that expensive.
That’s when I knew.
This was my chance to pour my entire artistic soul into my work.
She could finally create all the things she hadn’t been able to make because of money.
The only disappointing part was that she’d never once seen the owner of the clothes.
All Yutra knew were the measurements.
“What do you think she’s like? I’ve always been curious because not even a single portrait of the Phaeraton princess has gotten out.”
“Maybe she looks like His Grace and the young masters?”
Jet-black hair that seemed incapable of reflecting even a single ray of light.
Transparent, blood-red eyes.
A fierce and wild presence that was even more untamed than a wild beast.
Those were the traits of the direct Phaeraton bloodline.
“Even though she’s still young, I’m sure she must have incredible charisma.”
Listening to the employees chatter, Yutra sighed inwardly.
As she imagined the youngest princess being full of charisma, her excitement slowly faded.
I’d been designing everything while imagining a soft, squishy little sweetheart.
That freedom was only possible because she’d never seen the princess herself.
Yutra was a professional.
Even if the Phaeraton princess looked exactly like a miniature version of the Duke, she would still make clothes that suited her.
This isn’t just any family. I shouldn’t have expected a soft, cuddly little sweetheart from the Phaeraton family.
Not a single model had ever captured her heart until now.
As an artist, Yutra had very strong tastes.
Even if she’s a mini version of the Duke, I shouldn’t be too disappointed.
Just then, the door opened.
Yutra composed herself and bowed her head.
As a professional, she didn’t let any personal feelings show.
But the moment she saw who entered the room, Yutra’s pupils shook violently.
The dozen or so assistants who had come with Yutra also stared at the person who entered with obvious shock.
The, the Duke of Phaeraton? Why is His Grace here…?
He wasn’t someone who would normally come along when ordering clothes for his young daughter.
The, the Duke himself is carrying a child?!
Am I seeing things?
They were looking at him with their own eyes, yet they simply couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
But Yutra wasn’t paying any attention to the Duke of Phaeraton.
Her entire focus was on something else.
This can’t be…
Thud.
The measuring tape in her hand dropped to the floor.
“…A flower.”
A low, almost breathless word escaped her lips.
Yutra took a deep breath through her nose, desperately trying to calm herself.
What is that adorable, soft, fluffy little thing?!
She couldn’t even see the terrifying Duke of Phaeraton anymore.
The moment she saw the adorable, soft, fluffy little girl with thick pink hair nestled in his arms, a sharp shock struck her soul.
At the same time, endless inspiration began pouring out of her.
That adorable little sweetheart with rosy, plump cheeks was exactly like the ideal she’d imagined.
No, she was even better than the ideal she’d imagined.
“Perfect!”
Without realizing it, she clapped her hands and shouted.
But her joy didn’t last long.
The icy silence finally made Yutra realize what was happening.
Feeling the Duke of Phaeraton’s gaze, a stare cold enough to freeze her to death, she forced her lips to move.
“S-She’s just so adorable that I couldn’t help myself…”
Am I really going to die here?
But the Duke only lifted the child in his arms slightly and said nothing.
“Take her measurements.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Yutra and her assistants approached the Duke.
But they couldn’t do anything more.
The Duke of Phaeraton’s gaze immediately became fierce.
Yutra broke into a cold sweat and carefully spoke.
“Um, Your Grace, to take her measurements, you’ll have to put the young lady down first…”
Flash.
His cold red eyes glowed fiercely.
“N-No, that’s fine. We’ll manage somehow.”
Pale-faced, Yutra shook her head and gestured to her assistants.
She had no idea how they were supposed to take proper measurements while the child was being held so tightly, but they were professionals.
They had to make it work.
As Yutra measured the Phaeraton princess’s arm, she sneaked a glance at the Duke’s face.
He didn’t look particularly annoyed.
At least, he looked much better than when she had taken the Duke’s own measurements.
Hmm?
Her instincts, sharpened from dealing with all kinds of nobles in the Empire, kicked in.
Yutra swallowed and spoke.
“She’s staying so still even while we’re taking her measurements. The princess must really love you, Your Grace. She’s such a sweet daughter.”
The moment she finished speaking, she felt gazes coming from all directions.
They were looking at her as if to say, If you’re going to kill yourself, why don’t you do it properly?
Yutra quietly waited for the Duke’s answer.
“She said she’d stay stuck to me. Annoying.”
Just as expected.
The corners of Yutra’s lips curved gently upward.
“Even so, you carried her. It seems Your Grace also cherishes the princess very much.”
“She keeps falling over like a newborn deer. It’s unsightly, so I’m just carrying her.”
Yutra’s smile deepened.
Who would have thought the Duke of Phaeraton had this side to him?
The vassals who had followed them and were watching the scene slowly gathered their courage and joined in.
“Our youngest lady really likes Your Grace.”
“She looked so peaceful when she fell asleep on Your Grace’s lap the other day.”
“Oh my, really? I suppose there’s nothing better than her father’s arms.”
The expressionless Duke of Phaeraton’s lips lifted slightly.
Just slightly.
But they definitely moved upward.
The vassals’ eyes began to shine like hyenas.
They had discovered a lifeline that could finally let them breathe in the frozen atmosphere of the Duke’s estate.
“When I came home from the war, my daughter saw me and cried, saying, ‘A scary uncle is here!’”
“My son didn’t even recognize his own father. I’m quite jealous, Your Grace.”
The Duke said nothing.
He even hardened his expression as if he disliked what they were saying.
But the vassals who had worked with him for a long time knew.
The Duke of Phaeraton was in a better mood right now than he had been in a very long time.
What is wrong with these uncles? Did they all eat something weird together? Why are they acting like this?
Every time they said that they liked the Duke or felt comfortable with him, his expression became harder.
Seeing his increasingly terrifying face, I trembled.
Something bad is going to happen.
I tried to escape from the Duke’s arms, but he was holding me so tightly that I couldn’t move at all.
Instead, I ended up pressing my hands against the Duke’s firm chest.
“Ahaha! Look, she’s hugging her father even tighter. Isn’t she adorable, Your Grace?”
No, I wasn’t hugging him! I was trying to get down!
“She is merely being troublesome.”
Then put me down if I’m so troublesome!
“Our young lady, do you like His Grace that much?”
One of the vassals asked with a huge grin.
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes.”
Well, I couldn’t exactly say I hated him.
And honestly, he was a hundred, a thousand times better than Marquis Tarenka.
“Then how much do you like him?”
I glanced at the Duke.
He had said clinging to him was annoying.
He’d also said hugging him was troublesome.
He’d called me unsightly.
…I shouldn’t become too troublesome.
I raised my potato-like little hand.
“Oh?”
The vassals, the maids, and even the men and women from the dressmaking shop all looked at my hand with anticipation.
Relying on their expectations, I spread my index finger and thumb apart.
Just a little.
Only enough for one tiny bean to fit between them.
“This much!”
Whoooooosh.
For some reason, a silence colder than the northern winter settled over the room.
