Chapter 1
Conditions for Inheriting the Dukedom (1)
At last, the heavy silence was broken.
“I have a condition.”
As usual, Ethan faced the other man with a serene composure. It was an expression confident that no matter what condition was attached, it would pose no obstacle to him.
However, this time, Ethan’s confidence was misplaced.
“Adopt a child.”
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me clearly.”
The Emperor set down his teacup.
“Adopt a child. That is the condition for approving your succession to the dukedom.”
Without imperial approval, no title could be legitimately inherited. Thus, the Emperor was essentially bringing out his strongest card to threaten Ethan.
Ethan’s mouth twitched as if he had a mountain of things to say. Yet, he couldn’t spit out a single word.
‘To think the great Ethan Ibek could make a face like that.’
The Emperor hid a faint smirk inside, feigning absolute composure.
“Your Majesty.”
A moment later, having managed to regain his calm, Ethan finally spoke up.
“What?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“No. I am perfectly sane, Ethan.”
“It seems you’ve eaten something wrong.”
“You are aware that sounds sacrilegious, yes?”
As the Emperor raised an eyebrow to point it out, Ethan’s brow furrowed tightly.
“My wife is waiting for me at home completely fine, and you want me to adopt a total stranger’s child and raise them?”
“Yes.”
“Are you aware that my wife happens to be Your Majesty’s one and only younger sister?”
“I haven’t forgotten that fact either, so do not worry.”
“You seem to have completely lost your head, so I shall fetch your royal physician.”
Ethan abruptly stood up from his seat.
Watching his irritation-filled expression, the Emperor smiled brightly.
“It is an imperial command.”
At the firm attitude, a spark flared up within Ethan’s eyes.
“Is this her request?”
“……”
“Ha! I should have burned out the tongue roots of those senile old fools long ago.”
Ethan spat out his words roughly, brushing back his hair. As if that wasn’t enough to dispel his frustration, he even roughly loosened the cravat choking his neck.
“I said I am fine, so why on earth?!”
“Ethan.”
At the low call, Ethan barely swallowed his anger.
“She wished for it herself and asked me.”
“I have no need for something like a child.”
“Setia needs one.”
The Emperor gave a bitter smile.
Setia Caelus Ibek.
The Emperor’s younger sister and Ethan Ibek’s wife—having been frail since childhood, she was incapable of even conceiving a child.
Ethan knew of Setia’s condition, yet he still took her as his wife. Naturally, backlash from the Council of Elders and the Parliament followed. They fussed every single day, claiming that the lineage of the most powerful family supporting the Imperial Household must not be cut off.
Perhaps influenced by that, Setia had recently begun bringing up the topic of children quite frequently.
‘To think she would go as far as to use a move like this.’
Grind. Grinding his teeth fiercely, Ethan walked out of the room as he pleased.
‘I’ve told her until my lips wore thin that having just her is enough.’
Trutfully, as long as he had Setia, he wanted for nothing more. If only Setia would stay by his side for a long, long time, that alone would be enough.
‘Just what is tormenting you so much?’
Ethan went straight back home.
“You’re back?”
Setia greeted Ethan, sitting leaning against the bed.
Seeing her pale, dry white lips, Ethan’s fierce aura subsided somewhat. He suppressed a sigh and sat on the edge of his wife’s bed.
“I just heard the conditions for the succession from His Majesty. It was quite something.”
He brushed back his wife’s hair, and she naturally accepted her husband’s touch.
“Is that so?”
Even so, she nonchalantly feigned innocence.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Setia.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You asked him to do it, didn’t you?”
“……”
“What on earth are you thinking? I told you that having only you is enough for me.”
“Ethan.”
Setia softly placed her hand over Ethan’s mouth to stop him.
“Not for me.”
“……”
“I… want someone to be by your side, for the sake of Someday.”
“Setia.”
Ethan shut his eyes tightly, as if he had just heard something dreadful.
“Please.”
“……”
“Yes?”
Setia put on a pitiful expression like a rain-soaked cat. Ethan was weak to this side of her.
“Damn it.”
Muttering a soft curse, he rubbed his face harshly with his hand.
“Fine. I get it. But only just one.”
In the end, Ethan Ibek decided to grant his beloved wife’s wish.
The day arrived for their scheduled visit to the orphanage.
“I’ll adopt a fully grown one.”
He had not the slightest intention of wasting time taking care of a useless child. Ethan looked up at the dingy-looking brick building.
‘It’s run-down.’
From inside the fence that barely functioned as one, noisy children’s voices leaked out.
“Hello!”
A clear, ringing voice caught Ethan’s attention.
“Are you Duke Ibek?”
A bright-looking girl holding the hand of a tiny little pea-sized kid spoke up to acknowledge him.
Ethan’s gaze involuntarily fixed upon the tiny pea.
“My name is Lily. The director told us a guest would be coming, so we were waiting.”
The tiny pea attached to the girl like a bump placed a hand—not even a single mouthful in size—right next to her face.
“Hwello.”
‘Call that a greeting.’
Their gazes clashed in midair.
The tiny pea seemed to be in the middle of a growth spurt, cradling a piece of bread as big as her own face against her side.
It was quite amusing how hard she was chewing with a mouth on that teeny-tiny face.
Her curly golden hair was gathered up and tied in pigtails on both sides; they dangled like antennae, looking irresistibly touchable.
“Ah, this child is—”
“Where is the director?”
Noticing his gaze fixed on the child, Lily tried to introduce her, but Ethan cut her off sternly.
“She’s upstairs preparing tea and refreshments. I’ll guide you.”
Ethan pretended he had no interest in the tiny pea. He didn’t have a single shred of intention to adopt that child.
‘When am I supposed to finish raising something as small as a pea?’
Bertha. Nicknamed Bel.
Turning two soon, she was the youngest child in the orphanage.
Holding tightly to the hand of her favorite older sister, the child’s gaze couldn’t pull away from Ethan.
‘Face.’
Bel looked at the stranger’s face who visited the orphanage once. Then at Sister Lily once. Then at the guest’s face again once. This time, she looked back and forth at the person attached behind him like a bump as well.
‘I can see it.’
It was the first time. Except for her own reflection in the mirror, seeing another person’s face clearly.
Is this person special too?
Bel observed the reaction of the pink cloud swirling around the guest’s face.
[What a truly fascinating human.]
The spirit was also intrigued by the guest.
[To think his ether isn’t contaminated at all.]
The soft pink cloud returned to Bel’s side.
[The vessel that can hold ether is large, and its purity is high. What’s more…]
The cloud brushed past Bel’s cheek as if stroking it.
[This human is controlling it perfectly.]
She didn’t know what control meant, but she understood that this guest was as special as she was.
Bel examined Ethan’s face carefully and compared the differences between him and herself.
Bel had purple eyes. The guest had blue-green eyes. Bel’s hair was curly gold, while the guest had neat silver hair. Bel’s skin was cream-colored. The guest was brown like whole-wheat bread. Bel was short, and the guest was ridiculously tall.
And also…
“Your Grace.”
“What.”
“Please do something about that face of yours.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“You have a fierce expression as if you’re about to throw a tyrannical fit.”
“Shut your mouth, Aspe.”
“Will do.”
His expression wasn’t very good.
Bel looked at the person whispering to Ethan. Around his face, a thick black mist hung heavy. Naturally, neither his face nor his expression could be seen, so he couldn’t be recognized.
To Bel, this was a natural landscape. Covered in squirming grey dark clouds and ominous black mist, a dark world without color…
A world of complete monochrome. The only things with color were her reflection in the mirror and the spirit.
It was definitely supposed to be like that.
Bel and Ethan’s gazes met in midair.
“…What are you looking at?”
[It seems he has an attitude problem, baby star.]
“Mm-hm.”
I shouldn’t look anymore.
Bel quickly straightened her head and took a bite out of the bread she was cradling tightly against her side.
‘Last time.’
Just one last look before I stop.
Glancing sideways at the guest whose every furrow on his brow was visible in detail, Bel quickly snapped her head back.
‘Face, like this.’
Then she secretly imitated Ethan’s expression.
‘This is a bad face.’
She had never seen an expression like that in her entire life.
Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of the director’s office. When Lily knocked, the door opened as if it had been waiting.
“Welcome.”
A rounded body, a gentle voice, and a faint grey mist hanging over his face. This person was the director.
Bel let go of Lily’s hand and dove into the director’s arms.
“I am Teresa, the director of this orphanage.”
“You’ve already been informed, so you must know. I’ll get straight to the point.”
Ethan raised the tip of his chin arrogantly.
‘What kind of expression is this?’
Following him, Bel raised the tip of her chin and lowered her eyes.
To Bel, who was seeing another person’s face for the first time, Ethan was the most interesting person in the world.
