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Chapter – 23
“Things felt oddly quiet… and you start causing a ruckus the moment you arrive.”
…Huh? A ruckus as soon as he arrives? What is he—
At that moment—
Creaaaaak, bang!
With a deafening noise, the door slammed open as if about to break off its hinges, and at the same time—
“Contier, you damn brat!”
A thunderous roar burst through the office.
Blink, blink.
Pressed firmly against the duke’s chest, I stared at the unfamiliar man who had suddenly appeared.
A burly old man with silver-tinged white hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sturdy cane in one hand.
Despite his age, there was an unmistakable force and dignity about him.
And more importantly—
He looks like him.
He looked like the duke.
I didn’t need to ask to know who he was.
“For someone who claims to be ill, you look very lively. Still as noisy and dramatic as ever.”
“You—your tone toward your father! Even after becoming a duke you haven’t changed one bit!”
“Why would becoming a duke change a person?”
“You little—!”
“If you’re so displeased, shall I return it to you? I’ll gladly hand it back.”
Their spectacular back-and-forth made both Hudson and me fade into the background.
…Honestly? I didn’t mind.
Being forgotten would be nice.
Hudson seemed to agree—he’d buried his face into the paperwork and was scribbling as fast as humanly possible.
But of course, life refuses to grant me even simple wishes.
“More importantly, you—did you really bring home some ridiculous illegitimate child?!”
The burning arrow immediately swung toward me.
And then—
Hic, hiccup.
Hup—hic.
Hiccup.
Hi—hic.
Startled by the metaphorical arrow, I began to hiccup uncontrollably.
In the sudden silence, my hiccups echoed loudly. I sniffled weakly.
“H-hi there—hic.”
…Yup. My first impression is ruined.
Hic.
Hic.
In the silence, the child’s hiccups rang out.
Melony hurriedly clapped both hands over her mouth, but—
“Hhruk!”
It only evolved into an even weirder sound. It definitely didn’t conceal anything.
“That tiny thing is… what exactly?”
“Hudson.”
At the duke’s voice, Hudson finally looked up from his furious scribbling.
“Yes?”
“My daughter seems startled. Take her out for a bit.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Hudson scooped Melony up and practically bolted out of the office faster than ever before.
I was simply grateful for a chance to escape this hellish office.
Left alone with the former duke, Contier let out a slow exhale.
The office felt chilly.
Contier spoke first.
“Have you finally gone deaf?”
“What did you say?”
“You bark so loudly all the time, I wondered whether you had a serious hearing problem.”
“You insolent brat! Is there nothing you won’t say to your father?!”
“And is there anything you won’t say in front of a child?”
Flinch.
Carlos, the former duke, jerked slightly as though the words hit him.
“I—I didn’t know she was even here. She’s so tiny—a speck of dust—how was I supposed to notice?”
“Ah. So your eyesight is the problem. No, perhaps it’s just your personality.”
That, Carlos could not tolerate.
If anyone here had a personality problem, it was clearly his son!
But before he could snap back, Contier continued:
“That’s your problem. Once you get worked up, you never look around. And you get worked up far too often. How are you excited 365 days out of 365?”
“You—you brat, did you just say everything you—!”
“If Sienna were here to see you right now, she’d be furious.”
Carlos visibly stiffened.
His face twisted with frustration as he muttered,
“…Bringing up Sienna is low.”
“How is sis doing? Any improvement?”
“…None. She’s the same. Still asleep.”
Carlos’s voice trembled with sorrow.
Sienna had always been the only one able to mediate the constant bickering between father and son.
“If you two are going to ‘communicate’ like that, just cut ties entirely. You’re loud, you’re annoying, and frankly, I’m sick of watching it. Contier’s snarky, and you only shout. I don’t know how this counts as a conversation. It’s just a waste of time.”
A balanced harshness, a touch of warmth.
She was the only normal person in this ducal household.
Thanks to that, she had been groomed as the next heir for years.
“It’s been four years already. Since she fell into a coma.”
Contier’s lips tried to form their usual playful curve, but dropped lifelessly halfway.
Carlos’s eyes trembled.
“You—you’re not still blaming yourself, are you?”
Contier merely shrugged.
A silent yes.
Carlos sighed heavily.
“Contier… it was an accident. No one was at fault. And you—you lost the woman you loved in that same accident!”
Four years ago.
Sienna wasn’t the only one in that carriage.
Rabella—the woman Contier had promised to marry.
And another unknown woman, presumably her friend.
Three people went. Only Sienna returned—even then, barely alive.
A horrific accident.
But what made it worse was the possibility that, perhaps, it could have been prevented.
“It should’ve been me in that carriage. Not Sienna.”
Four years ago.
The only reason Sienna got into that carriage was because of him.
Rabella had disappeared without a trace, only to send an urgent letter half a year later:
Come get me. I need to run.
I’ll be waiting where we always met.
He had nearly gone insane searching for her.
He tried to go immediately, but right after the letter arrived, his body suddenly collapsed.
His power began to rampage.
Power rampages were rare—and there was no established cure.
Unable to control it, Contier was a walking time bomb.
So Sienna went for him.
“I’ll go.”
The deadline was near, and Contier wasn’t getting better.
And that ominous line—“I need to run.”—was too dangerous to ignore.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring your future wife back safely.”
“Please.”
“I’ll be back. Meanwhile, take care of my kids and my husband, alright?”
“Of course.”
Sienna had left with her trademark bold grin.
And returned shattered, unconscious.
So—
“If not for me, she wouldn’t be like this.”
“Contier…!”
“No matter what you say, Father, that much is undeniable. The truth doesn’t change.”
Contier smiled thinly.
“So don’t try to take it from me. This is my burden to carry.”
He clearly had no intention of backing down, and Carlos could only sigh deeply.
Stubborn boy.
Tch.
“Sienna will wake up. Someday. And when she does, tell her what you just told me! She’ll smack you across the head instantly. Just imagining it makes me feel better already.”
“Haha. Then you should change your temper too, Father. Unless you want to get scolded.”
“Ridiculous. Worry about your own temper! A son who never loses a single argument—shameful brat…”
Carlos clicked his tongue—then suddenly froze.
Right.
The tiny round kid!
“No—but more importantly! The illegitimate child! What’s this nonsense about an illegitimate child?!”
“Oh dear. And here I thought I successfully changed the subject.”
“So you were trying to distract me! You insolent little—!”
Contier smiled sweetly.
“So what do you want to know? Ask quickly, and leave quickly.”
