TGHB 28

Chapter  –  28

He gave a soft smile and speared the last piece of brownie with his fork, offering it to me.

I just stared at him blankly.

The smiling Duke and the sweet-looking brownie.

I looked back and forth between them intently—.

“Thank you. Ah, Abadi!”

Gulp.

I blurted it out quickly and accepted the brownie, eating it.

The Duke, who had been smiling, opened his eyes wide and looked at me.

Then.

“Haha.”

He let out a short, throaty laugh.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

My nape felt hot. My face was undoubtedly turning into a baked sweet potato.

‘I don’t know. I don’t care!’

You said to do as I please!

So I just did that.

Of course, the fear didn’t vanish in an instant.

The thought that this relationship might one day end was still there.

But, even so.

‘Right now, we’re father and daughter.’

I can’t live in denial of the present, afraid of a future that might be taken away. That would be foolish.

It was a lesson I learned through my short life.

‘And, using the right terms will be better for getting into the role. It’ll also help me look more like a daughter to others!’

Right. Absolutely!

Flustered, I tacked on other reasons, clenched my fist tightly, and chewed the brownie with a fighting spirit.

‘It’s delicious, even in this situation…’

Strangely, it seemed even tastier than before.

I was moving my jaw busily, lost in this peculiar feeling, when—

“Ah. But becoming closer to someone else than me is forbidden. Whether it’s the old man or anyone else.”

“……?”

Suddenly?

I opened my eyes, bewildered, and the Duke, still with a smiling face, emphasized again.

“This is strictly forbidden.”

Louis visited me again the very next day.

On a normal day, I would have gone to the Duke’s office to read books or draw, but today I was just staying in my room.

I wasn’t mentally prepared yet, and I was worried I might run into the previous Duke if I wandered around unnecessarily.

In that sense, I had decided to be good and stay put today, but—.

‘…Why is he staring like that?’

I felt an persistent gaze from outside the window.

A pair of blue eyes, peeking out.

Whether I looked forward, backward, or sideways, it was Louis.

Did he have something to say?

‘He’s been like that for a good 30 minutes, I think.’

Hmm.

After pondering, I shot up from my seat, dragged my chair scraping along the floor, and ran to the adjacent window.

Grumbling, I used the chair as a stepstool and climbed up, managing to open the window.

Screech, thud.

“Hiya!”

“Eeek!”

Oh, he looks like a startled cat.

He jumped up, startled.

“What are you doing here, Oppa?”

“…How did you know I was watching…?”

“I just saw you.”

Was he actually trying to hide?

“Tch. You’re a more perceptive brat than I thought.”

Oh, so he was hiding.

“But I almost didn’t know. I only just noticed and went ‘gasp’? It was totally sneaky.”

Flustered, I waved my hands and spoke, and the corners of Louis’s mouth twitched upward.

“Really? Well, I am pretty exceptional. I’m going to be a Knight Captain, you know.”

“Knight Captain?”

“Yeah, Knight Captain. When my brother becomes the Duke, I’ll be the Knight Captain who protects him. I’ll become the strongest person in the Duchy! Well, I’m not sure if I can beat Uncle though…”

Louis’s eyes shone especially brightly as he talked about his dream.

Seeing this pleasant sight, my mood lifted too.

“Of course! Oppa can do it! My Abadi is also super strong and will become the best in the Empire!”

“Re~ally? But Uncle is incredibly strong, do you think I can do it?”

“Yep, I believe in you.”

I thumped my chest confidently, and Louis gave a mischievous, boyish smile.

“Silly. What does a little kid like you know…”

Oh, when he smiles, he’s really handsome.

He was already exuding a handsome aura, but when the boy smiled, he was undeniably a flower boy.

‘As expected, a face that will make many girls cry in the future…’

That’s when it happened.

Louis, who had been smiling boyishly, made a surprised expression at the same time as—

“Whoa?”

My body floated into the air.

The place where my floating body landed was a hold that had already become familiar.

“I was concerned because the marshmallow that’s usually rolling around the office was nowhere to be seen, so I came to check.”

The Duke, who had been muttering, narrowed his eyes.

“And I find my daughter and nephew conspiring to get rid of me.”

Gulp.

“Th-that’s not true. Right, Oppa?”

I hurriedly sent an SOS to Louis.

We never said anything that dangerous, right? Right?

But.
“…….”

Instead of opening his mouth, Louis just stared at the two of us blankly.

“…Oppa?”

“Ah, uh. Well…”

At my repeated question, Louis flinched and stammered.

‘What’s this? It’s so unlike Louis.’

I couldn’t find any trace of the fierce look he’d given me before.

Such a complicated kid.

The complicated kid, who had been rolling his eyes, took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Ah, hello, Uncle!”

“Hello, Louis. Have you had lunch?”

“Yes. I ate with Grandfather. Have you… eaten, Uncle?”

“Not yet. I was waiting just in case our little one might come—”

Drawing out his words, he pinched my cheek, not too hard.

“You wai-ted for me?” (You waited for me?)

Trying to talk with my cheek pinched made my already poor pronunciation even more muffled.

Haha.

He let out a short laugh and released my cheek.

“Of course. I waited. I almost grew roots waiting for you.”

I sometimes think he’s quite the drama queen.

When I averted my gaze instead of answering, the Duke laughed throatily again.

The topic returned to Louis.

“I see Asder didn’t come with you. I heard he decided to stay in the capital?”

“Yes. The academy visitation period is coming up soon…”

“Academy visitation. Is it already that time of year?”

At the Duke’s murmur, Louis’s eyes sparkled.

“Brother got a letter directly from the Academy! They said they’re eagerly awaiting his enrollment and begged him to please attend this visitation. They said they believe without a doubt that he’ll be an outstanding student if he goes. They said he’s a student the Academy is really looking forward to.”

Louis rattled on almost without taking a breath.

“…I see. So the Academy said that.”

“Yes! Brother is really amazing. He’ll definitely become a truly magnificent person.”

His flushed cheeks were filled with anticipation.

‘Wow. He really seems to like his older brother, huh?’

…Tch. And he told me I’m not his sister.

Pouting my lips was probably just my arrogance.

I was trying to control my duck lips that kept wanting to poke out when—

“Louis.”

“Yes, Uncle!”

“It’s good to become a magnificent person. But tell Asder he doesn’t need to push himself too hard.”

At the Duke’s flat words, Louis blinked and asked again.

“…Yes? What do you mean…”

“Excess is sometimes worse than deficiency. For the person themselves, and for those around them.”

“Ah.”

Mumble mumble.

The boy’s lips moved uncertainly.

Soon, the child’s shoulders, which had been puffed up proudly, slowly sank.

“…Yes, Uncle.”

His voice was sulky.

“Good.”

And this was the voice of someone who didn’t notice the sulkiness.

“…….”

And this is me, staying quiet with my mouth shut!

Held quietly in the Duke’s arms, I rolled my eyes around.

‘What is this strange atmosphere?’

Somehow, I felt I needed to have a talk with Louis.

Maybe I could find out the reason why Louis acts so prickly toward me…?!

However.

“He’s not coming.”

Tch.

For several days after that, Louis didn’t visit me.

I thought he might spy on me a bit more.

‘It’s definitely related to the attitude he showed toward the Duke that day.’

There’s clearly something going on, as I thought.

Clever 4-year-old.

The smartest 4-year-old in the Empire.

I can’t let this opportunity slip away.

I stopped the hand that was drawing.