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Chapter – 23
Dolorasa was the daughter of Cigar.
Her mother, a palace maid named Lily, had given birth to an illegitimate child with Cigar’s favor.
At that time, Cigar already had Crown Prince Atreyu. Neither Empress Beatrix nor Emperor Cigar welcomed Dolorasa.
The maid, frightened, abandoned the child and fled.
No one protected the baby.
Only ten days old, Dolorasa cried for food. Looking at the baby, Cigar said:
“Xian, kill her.”
Xian could not bring himself to do it. The child had done nothing wrong. She had simply been born.
At that moment, Xian refused Cigar’s order for the first and last time.
“I cannot kill her.”
“Then will you die instead?”
“Please… allow me to raise her.”
At nineteen, barely an adult, Xian had never married, never known love, yet he suddenly declared that he would raise the child.
He expected refusal, but surprisingly, Cigar agreed without hesitation.
So much so that he even changed the law so that Dolorasa could become fully Xian’s child.
“The current imperial law does not recognize adopted children as one’s own. How about it, brother? I will make this child completely yours. If you wish to pass on your wealth and title to her, kneel and beg me.”
“I am merely grateful for your kindness.”
Thus, the law changed.
Even an adopted child, even an illegitimate one, could now be formally registered and listed in the noble registry, inheriting titles and wealth.
Thanks to this law, Rachel could decisively annul her marriage to Theodore. Even as an unmarried woman, she could register Graham as her child in the noble registry!
Xian knew that Cigar intended to block his marriage prospects.
In society, Xian was a highly desirable match—handsome, strong, powerful, honorable, wealthy, and strategically gifted, both as a man and a human being.
But the moment Xian adopted Dolorasa after the law changed, he disappeared from the marriage market.
The young duke who spoke little and raised a mysterious child became the subject of rumors—hidden women, scandalous affairs, depraved tastes, baseless gossip.
It didn’t matter.
Even if it mattered, he had no choice.
He could not leave the small child alone.
“Dol likes cherries! So let’s make that our secret code!”
“Then I like wild strawberries, so I’ll use that as my code.”
“Great! Dad Dol is the best!”
Thinking of his daughter’s bright smile, a grin involuntarily lifted Xian’s lips.
Afraid he might smirk in front of Cigar, he bowed his head further and lowered his voice.
“Dolorasa is healthy.”
“I see. Next time, bring her to me. I’m curious how she has grown.”
It was a request he had no intention of granting.
Xian wished Dolorasa to live freely far from Cigar.
In the original story, Dolorasa met Graham because of this wish.
When she came of age, Xian sent her on a long journey. It was there that she met the mercenary killer, Graham.
Unaware of future events, Xian desperately hoped that his brother’s attention would remain away from Dolorasa.
Graham and Rachel sat together in the living room, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight. This was Graham’s idea, while Rachel’s face was full of concern.
“Graham, isn’t your sword training too harsh? Should I speak to Duke Xian again?”
“Not at all! It’s so much fun! I can feel myself getting stronger every day!”
“But… your body swells and gets injured every day. I’m really worried.”
Indeed, Graham’s body was covered with bruises and scratches from training over just a few days. His muscles ached, and his body swelled morning and night.
At first, Rachel had resented Xian, wondering if it was right to subject a small child to such harsh training.
But Graham ran through the gardens and practiced swordsmanship even when Xian was not around. He did not cry, even if he fell or was hurt.
By now, giving Graham a massage in the evenings had become a daily routine.
Rachel pressed his soles firmly. Ticklish, Graham burst into giggles.
“Ahaha, Mom! It’s ticklish!”
“Even if it’s ticklish, bear with it. You ran around all day. To prevent swelling tomorrow, you must let me massage you properly.”
“Heehee! But it’s ticklish!”
Eventually, Graham pulled his feet away and rested his head on Rachel’s lap. His movements had become much quicker after a few days of training.
“Mom, I’m happy.”
“Really?”
“Yes! I’m always with you, not dad, nor the nanny, nor anyone else! And I’m getting stronger, so I don’t have to worry if someone comes!”
“Since Graham is happy, Mom is happy too.”
“I make Mom happy. Right?”
“Of course.”
“I love Mom the most in the world.”
“And I love Graham the most in the world.”
Remembering Graham laughing at her confession, Rachel smiled.
“Mom, we decided to go on a trip, right? When will we leave? I’ve packed, but we haven’t left yet, so it feels disappointing.”
“Well… the trip, we’ll go.”
Rachel also wanted to leave the Ellosa estate quickly, but she couldn’t. They hadn’t found a suitable house to move into.
They had not yet received compensation from the servants, alimony from Theodore, or Xian’s reimbursement.
Other than evicting the servants and Theodore, they had no gains.
With the remaining money, Rachel could only afford a house on the outskirts, which was either poorly maintained or almost collapsed.
Ideally, she wanted to live in the city center or the noble district so Dolorasa and Graham could meet easily, but it was too expensive.
The money Rachel had wouldn’t even rent a single room in a mansion.
‘Even in reality, I struggled with housing costs. Why is it the same here? I should have possessed the body of a rich villainess!’
Complaining was useless.
The Ellosa estate previously belonged to Rachel’s parents, the former Count and Countess Fram, but Theodore had sold it.
Thankfully, because Theodore’s property settlement was not yet complete, they could still use the estate. Despite the lingering unpleasant memories, it was convenient, familiar, and spacious.
Humming happily, Rachel patted Graham.
“I want to go on a trip with you soon too, but we haven’t decided where to go. Until then, we’ll have to stay here.”
“I understand. I can wait. If every day is like today, I don’t mind not going.”
That could not be allowed.
No matter how late, they had to leave the Ellosa estate.
“By the way, Graham, is there anywhere you want to go once we leave?”
“Yes! I have so many places I want to go! Ten, a hundred places!”
“Really? You have so many places? I didn’t know. Where?”
“The big bakery! I want to eat lots of sweet bread there. And a store with lots of toys, and a real sword shop! Also, the ice cream shop!”
All were in the city center.
Life’s joys were indeed in shopping. Graham seemed to know his pleasures.
‘Yes. We need to live in the city center. Since we’re not leaving immediately, we can take our time.’
With the compensation, alimony, and reimbursement combined, they could afford a small house in the city center.
At that moment, the doorbell rang: Ding-ding!
Graham and Rachel exchanged puzzled glances. They weren’t expecting visitors.
“Who is it? Graham, stay here and rest while I check,” Rachel said.
“I’ll come with you! It could be a bad person,” Graham insisted.
Despite her reassurance, he followed Rachel to the door.
Rachel held the door handle and raised her voice.
“Who is it?”
“I am Nick, aide to Duke Xian Aisa DiCarsinac. I have come to deliver something to Lady Rachel.”
“Duke Xian’s aide?”
Finally, the long-awaited compensation had arrived!
Rachel eagerly opened the door.
Nick stood in a splendid uniform, and behind him were four massive eight-horse carriages.
Good heavens, eight-horse carriages!
Rachel’s eyes widened in shock, and Nick spoke:
“Pleased to meet you, Lady Rachel. As I mentioned, I have come to deliver something.”
Clearing his throat, Nick spoke solemnly:
“This is a message from His Majesty the Emperor. He is deeply impressed by Lady Rachel’s loyalty, having maintained her principles and not aided Theodore, who desecrated the royal family and incited rebellion.”
“Uh…”
Hearing that the Emperor was impressed, Rachel was taken aback.
Nick continued as a few remaining servants gathered to watch.
“Furthermore, the Nobles’ Council is equally impressed by Lady Rachel’s loyalty in providing complete information about her husband. On behalf of His Majesty, the Council, and Duke Xian, I have come to present Lady Rachel with her reward.”
Rachel stood upright and nodded.
Xian had intended to reward her first. Whatever paltry sum he had jotted down, it couldn’t be small. How much would it be? 5,000 gold? Or 10,000 gold?
Rachel’s heart raced as she calculated the reward against the cost of a house in the city center. When Nick finally delivered it, Rachel was so stunned that her mind went blank.
“…Excuse me, Mr. Aide, could you please say that again?”
