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Chapter 28
“I’m fine!”
I shook my head, a little flustered.
“I’m an adult. I just need a bit of rest. Really, it’s nothing.”
I could recover quickly as long as I rested and ate well. But that wasn’t the case for Veloa.
From the time she was a newborn to now, at age three—
She had never properly received nutrition.
So Veloa had to come first.
“Veloa.”
I gently offered a “tear” to her, who was snuggled in the Grand Duke’s arms.
“Want to try this?”
“Woo?”
Veloa frowned at the sight of the tear—
“Auw!”
And turned her head away immediately.
Well, it did look like a pebble.
“But it’s tasty. Really tasty—”
Look at those eyes, filled with pure suspicion.
“I’m serious. Really.”
I quickly broke the tear in half to show her the inside.
“See? It’s pretty, like a jewel, right?”
“Wooh.”
Her head popped out a little. She seemed curious.
“Pretty, right? It’s really delicious.”
Though to be honest, I didn’t know if it was.
“It’s so tasty that everyone wants it.”
They wanted it for different reasons, but that was technically true!
“…Auw.”
She stared at me with a suspicious gaze. Curious, but still unsure if it was food or not.
“It’s true! This is seriously delicious! Right, Your Grace?”
Please agree.
Back me up!
“…That’s right.”
The Grand Duke replied as if he’d just chewed dirt. It was clear he didn’t mean it, but the important thing was that he did agree!
“See? Even His Grace says so.”
“Uuuuh.”
Even with the Grand Duke’s support, Veloa still didn’t budge.
Feeding babies was harder than I thought.
To all the moms and dads out there—I respect you deeply…!
“It’s good, really good.”
How could I get her to eat this?
“This won’t do.”
I pushed the half tear toward the Grand Duke’s mouth.
“Your Grace, eat it!”
“……”
His expression stiffened instantly.
This? For me?
Yes! For you!
I smiled innocently, pretending I had no idea what he was thinking, and held out the tear even closer.
“Come on, say ah!”
“Sigh.”
He let out a deep sigh and leaned toward me.
“Ah.”
He opened his mouth slightly and glanced at me as if asking, Is this enough?
And in that moment, our eyes met.
“……”
I felt short of breath. Just for a moment.
“Ah…”
I awkwardly averted my eyes and extended my hand toward him.
“Nom, nom.”
Even a textbook reading would have had more soul than that.
The Grand Duke straightened his back as if his duty was fulfilled, and gave me a slight nod, like it was now my turn.
“Ahh.”
I opened my mouth and brought the tear to it. I also made sure to move a bit closer so Veloa could see clearly.
Okay.
Time to pretend it’s delicious enough to make Veloa interested!
“Mmm, looks good. Nya… huh?!”
Suddenly, the tear popped into my mouth. What the—?!
I froze in shock.
“Kyahaha!”
Veloa, who had swatted my hand, giggled with glee.
No!
If I stay like this, I’ll accidentally swallow it!
“Eat it.”
The Grand Duke’s large hand covered my mouth.
His golden eyes locked on mine.
“This is perfect timing. Go ahead, Miss Tekins.”
“……!”
“Are you going to insist again that you’re fine?”
He spoke before I could say anything.
He looked down at me with firm resolve.
“Are you about to say, ‘I’m an adult so I’ll be fine,’ like before?”
His voice made it sound like that would be a problem, and I felt a bit wronged.
I really was fine. That’s why I said it.
So why—
“Look at your wrist.”
His hand, which had been covering my mouth, moved to my wrist.
At his words, I lowered my gaze.
My wrist came into view.
The bone was sticking out, and the thin fingers were wrapped in layers of bandages.
“You’re not just thin. You’re emaciated.”
He gently brushed my wrist with his hand.
“Even those returning from war don’t look this worn out.”
I couldn’t say anything and just shut my eyes tightly.
It was true.
Honestly, I wasn’t in great condition either.
Maybe not as bad as Veloa, but the Tekins estate hadn’t exactly treated me well either.
Hard bread and watery soup were the entirety of my meals.
And even that wasn’t guaranteed—if someone was in a bad mood or found something to nitpick, I couldn’t eat.
“You need the tear too, Miss Tekins.”
The Grand Duke continued slowly.
“You’re not okay, Miss Tekins.”
“……”
Silence lingered. He broke it first.
“Will you eat it now?”
I nodded. Then I slowly chewed the fruit.
It had a strange taste—sweet, bitter, and salty all at once. Something I’d never tasted before.
But maybe it felt bearable… because someone actually cared about me?
Gulp.
As I swallowed, the Grand Duke finally removed his hand.
“Well done.”
His tone was like someone praising a child who bravely ate their least favorite side dish.
He even wiped my mouth for me.
It made me feel like a real kid—I stuck out my lower lip in protest.
“Kyaha!”
Veloa clapped her hands too.
I offered the remaining half of the tear to her.
“Here, Veloa, your turn.”
“Ahh.”
She opened her mouth obediently, and as soon as the tear went in—
“Uuunng—”
She chewed with delight as if it were the tastiest thing ever—
“Hya!”
And soon swallowed it whole.
“She eats so well.”
“Heeheehee.”
She beamed happily when I patted her head.
“Your Grace.”
When I called, he looked down and met my gaze.
“What will you do with all this gold?”
I asked while glancing at Preston’s secret vault.
Half of it was pure curiosity, the other half… a bit of greed.
‘It’d be nice if he kept half and gave a little to Veloa…’
The Leandro ducal estate had just come back from the war and was still in need of cash.
They’d have to pay settlement money to returning soldiers, compensation to families of the fallen, and rebuild the territory they’d left behind.
But in the original novel, he gave it all away generously!
‘Even a little would be great!’
“Hmm.”
At my question, the Grand Duke casually glanced around and said nonchalantly:
“Miss Tekins, why don’t you take all of it?”
…Huh?
Me?
Am I dreaming?
No…
Maybe I am dreaming?
‘This is real!’
Thud!
I smacked my head against the desk. A maid who was watering the plants nearby jumped in shock.
‘How could he just give me all that money?’
Rubbing my reddened forehead, I stared at the paper in front of me.
It was a bank deposit certificate issued in my name.
Basically… like a passbook.
‘How much even is this?’
I tried counting the zeros on the certificate.
One, two, three, four, five, s…ix, se…ven, ei…eight…
‘Stop. Stop.’
I shut my eyes tight, dizzy from the endless string of digits.
This was the money from Preston’s secret vault.
The only problem?
It was just a portion of it!
“No way!”
The moment the Grand Duke told me to take all the money, I collapsed dramatically to the floor.
“No, I can’t accept something like this!”
I repent.
For all the times I thought Veloa was frustrating when she refused the money in 《The Flower of the Void》—
I sincerely, deeply repent!
“I can’t take it! I can’t! Besides, I already have money! A lot of money!”
I mean, I basically wrung the Tekins estate dry before I left!
Although compared to this vault, it was just pocket change.
And I had spent most of it on luxury anyway, so I was practically broke now…
“Why can’t you accept it?”
The Grand Duke leaned down to meet my eyes and asked seriously.
“If you have a valid reason, I’ll give up.”
“…It’s just that…”
I sniffled and answered.
“I’ve never had this much money before.”
I’d never had, seen, or even touched this much money in my life.
To me, money had always been something that slipped through my fingers. Even when I earned it, I couldn’t use it freely. And no matter how much I tried to save, it was never enough.
And now, suddenly, this mountain of gold?
“Honestly, it’s overwhelming.”
“I see.”
The Grand Duke stood and extended a hand, as if telling me not to lie there so disgracefully.
I sniffled again, took his hand, and got up.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll give you a portion.”
“A portion? That… might be okay—”
“Yes, and when you use up that portion, I’ll give you another.”
“…?”
“When you finish that one, I’ll give you another.”
He looked at me and casually shrugged.
“That should work, right?”
