“If we had the reward money for that doll, we would have avoided bankruptcy.”
That’s right! She jumped up and lay down in the middle of the hallway.
‘Come on, everyone. Here lies the money that will keep Leah happy.’
Soon after, the door opened. When Leah’s father came out the door, he saw me and his eyes widened.
“This…”
‘Voila! You have now avoided bankruptcy.’
“…It’s the archduke’s doll that was on that leaflet, right?”
“Oh my god, why are you here… How did this happen?”
The maid who was summoned by the two people explained the whole story.
“It’s a doll that the young lady picked up during the day, but I’m already so attached to it that I can’t throw it away…”
“Leah saved us!”
Leah’s father’s joyful cries echoed through the hallway.
“It’s Leah’s.”
“Leah, this is His Royal Highness’s doll.”
“No. Leah’s.”
The next morning, Leah’s mom was having a little fight with Leah, who held Lulu tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“Master, madam. His Majesty the Grand Duke has arrived.”
“Mom, Remi listens alone.”
“What? His Majesty the Grand Duke came here himself?”
She had only sent someone to the magistrate’s post, but Leah’s mother, who was surprised to hear that the Grand Duke had come in person, did not see that I had lifted her ear.
“Oh my, your Majesty, all the way to this shabby place.”
The couple ran towards the entrance of the mansion in a huff. Thanks to Leah, who followed her mom and dad, she was able to see the faces she had missed.
“Where is the doll?”
Elliot’s face, at a glance, as he entered the hall on the first floor, was gaunter than it had been two days ago. He forgot to greet people and looked around. The moment their eyes met as she was held in Leah’s arms, he came running towards her.
‘Elliot!’
If it were just the two of them, she would have called him this way. But she couldn’t say anything. Elliot knelt in front of Leah, looked at Lulu with watery eyes, and gently squeezed its hand.
‘I’m alive and well.’
Seeing his eyes full of worry, she tapped his palm without being seen by others. At that moment, Elliot whispered in a voice filled with emotion so that the adults could not hear.
“Hazel…”
“No. It’s Remi.”
Elliot asked, lifting his head and focusing his eyes on the child holding her.
“Baby, what is your name?”
“Leah.”
“Leah, I lost this doll. So can you give it back?”
“Nah. Now it’s Leah’s.”
The child was afraid that the doll would be taken away, so she hugged it tightly. When the fight started, Leah’s father rushed over and began to comfort the child.
“Good boy, Leah. Dad will buy you a new doll, so let’s give it back to His Highness.”
“But Remy is Leah’s.”
When the adults told her to give up the doll, Leah seemed scared and tried to run away. Elliot grabbed Lilu’s hand and didn’t let go, so half of her body was pulled away, and Leah hugged her desperately and cried out.
“Dad, Mister is telling me to pull Leah out and split her!”
“…mister?”
Not only did he become unscrupulous enough to steal a doll from a baby, but Elliot, who was in his mid-20s when he heard the name “mister” was so shocked that he fell into a daze.
“Nah! It’s Leah’s!”
Leah didn’t miss the moment when his hand loosened its grip. The child hugged her and ran away to the play room.
“Remy is here.”
Leah hid her under a pile of dolls and clumsily put a finger to her lips as if to tell her to be quiet. Soon there was a knock on the door, and Leah’s parents and Elliot opened the door and came in.
“Leah, what happened to the doll?”
She peered out through the gap between the dolls. Elliot knew she wasn’t with the child and she was lost in thought.
‘I’m here.’
She tapped the doll in front of her. The moment the doll pile collapsed and I fell down with it, a large hand wrapped around her body.
“Have you!”
Immediately, a fern-like hand grabbed her leg and pulled it.
“I’m torn. Stop.”
“Nah!”
“Leah, let me get you something else. I will fill this room with stuffed rabbits, so please let her go.”
“A real hit!”
While she was being held by Elliot and Leah, she could see the people gathered in front of the door. Everyone was looking at the Grand Duke who was fighting with the four-year-old with confused eyes. What kind of doll was this that made the Grand Duke do something like that? People’s eyes were asking this question.
‘No, that’s it. It may seem like a grown-up Grand Duke taking a doll away from a baby, but this baby robbed him of his fiancee.’
She couldn’t shout like this. She was so frustrated that she felt like throwing up some cotton.
“Good.”
Elliot let go of her because he thought she was going to be torn apart like this.
“Then let’s negotiate.”
Elliott, how does a four-year-old know what negotiation was? He sat down at the children’s tea table in the middle of the playroom with a very serious attitude. The tall body sitting crumpled in the small chair looked quite uncomfortable.
“…Would you like some tea?”
Leah, who obviously didn’t understand the word “negotiation,” must have thought he was playing house. The child crept up to the table and tilted the toy teapot onto the teacup, hiding her behind her back.
“Bring out the car.”
Even though she was still wary of him, it seemed like she couldn’t neglect treating guests.
“Thank you, Miss Leah.”
When the child held out a teacup, Elliot politely accepted it with both hands.
‘It’s worth teaching Luna and Luca well when they were young.’
She watched him on Leah’s back as he pretended to drink tea to the rhythm of the child.
“Take some of this too.”
“Thank you.”
Only after Elliot lowered her guard by playing with the child did he bring up the topic.
“Miss Leah, what should I give you to get the doll back?”
“Well…”
“How about making a new doll that looks just like that rabbit?”
“Hmm…”
“Two.”
Elliot held out her hand as soon as she spread two fingers.
“No, five.”
“…All of suden?”
Leah sucked her fingers and thought about it, then wrapped her arms around me even more, putting me on her back.
“But Remy is Leah’s.”
“Me too, Lu, no. I like Hazel. No, because I love her. I can’t live without her.”
“…If I overwrite it, will I get money?”
He must have sensed a sign of shaking in the child, so Elliot leaned his body towards her child and he asked sweetly.
“What does Leah love?”
“Mom and Dad!”
After hearing that, Leah’s mother came up to the table, brought Leah to eye level with her, and encouraged her.
“Baby, this is Your Highness’s doll, so it’s only right to return it.”
“Hing-.”
“And returning Remy to her Highness will allow mom and dad to play with Leah more often.”
At that moment, the child’s eyes sparkled.
“Goodbye, Remy.”
‘Take care, Leah.’
Finally, she returned safely to Elliot’s arms. As he was about to say bye to the child and leave, she whispered something to him so that only Elliot could hear.
“…what?”
As he walked out into the hallway, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and sat down again in front of the small tea table.
“Miss Leah, there is one thing this man wants to buy, no. There are two more things…”
So the negotiations started again.
* * *
Hazel returned safely to the Grand Duke’s residence. Elliot paid Leah’s parents the reward money as promised. It was a day when a cartload of dolls resembling Lulu were sent to Leah.
“Grand Duke Blaine, immediately comply with His Majesty’s orders!”
The emperor’s messenger came to the Grand Duke’s residence. The order the emperor gave Elliot was a summons order. He wanted to take responsibility for the disappearance of the empress and crown prince… In the summons order, the emperor used the ambiguous expression ‘responsibility for the disappearance’.
“The moment I step into the imperial palace, I will be held responsible for their disappearance and become a murderer.”
At Elliot’s words, everyone gathered in her office nodded their heads in agreement.
“Answer the summons within a week…”
Luna, who was reading the summons order, trailed off meaningfully.
“He framed you for a serious crime and gave you time instead of arresting you right away…”
“He wants me to run away or prepare for war.”
Elliot finished Luna’s words.
“Because that means being the culprit.”
“Yes. Then the emperor can accuse me of murder even without evidence. The fact that I tried to run away or fight is proof that I am the culprit.”
“In the end, it means that my brother has no choice but to walk into danger on his own feet.”
Elliot comforted his sister’s sagging shoulders as Luca muttered in her sullen voice.
“No need to worry. No, it was better.”
“Did it go well?”
“Because there is no need for us to fight first.”
In any fight, the person who attacks first must be able to provide a valid reason. While attacking the opponent, one must also defend oneself by justifying the attack. That’s why starting a fight was tricky and dangerous. Elliot felt like she wanted to say thank you to the emperor for doing that annoying task.
“I must immediately cancel the order to arrest the emperor’s henchmen.”
Eliot no longer needed to capture the emperor’s guards, whom he had thought would be his first step in questioning the emperor’s guilt. However, just because the fight had already begun did not mean that it had become an unnecessary loss.
“Now we have a more decisive witness than him.”
Elliot smiled triumphantly.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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