After dinner, she took a leisurely walk alone. The child had been in the stable for a while. She walked slowly inside the central rose garden and turned her head in the direction of the main gate. She hadn’t seen the Duke’s face since he ran away in the morning and she was secretly worried. In the end, she asked while looking back.
“By any chance, do you know where the Duke went?”
“He must have gone to the imperial castle for a while.”
She tilted her head at Jade’s answer.
“The imperial castle?”
“Yes.”
If it’s the imperial castle, it shouldn’t be too far from the Duke’s house… Was something going on there?
“When is he coming?”
“Now it’s time for him to come.”
After thinking about those words for a moment, she picked herself up, walked out of the garden, and headed toward the front gate. It was a moment when she was standing near the front door and snooping outside. She saw a large carriage coming here from afar. After entering the main gate for a moment, the carriage slowly stopped. The Duke appeared through the open door.
The Duke, who was walking with the knights, frowned slightly as if he had spotted her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just passing by and standing there.”
“Stop making a fuss and go inside.”
The Duke who said that passed her by.
“If you say it in a nice way, it will be fleeting.”
She grumbled a little and walked after the Duke.
* * *
Although it was late enough for it to be quiet outside, the eyes of the child, who should have fallen asleep long ago, were clear. They said the child was deeply engrossed in reading books.
“Liam, aren’t you sleepy?”
“Yes. I’m going to read more and sleep.”
“What book do you want to read?”
“99 ways to achieve family harmony.”
“…huh?”
She wondered if that was what she had just heard. What about family?
“I’m talking about Elia and father. If things get along well, wouldn’t they be able to get married in the future?”
The child looked at her with serious eyes. She was dumbfounded by those words for a moment.
“And I also brought this book. It’s called 187 Ways to Control Your Anger. After I read it, I’m going to tell my father about it.”
“Why is that again?”
“My father is very angry, so I thought this book might help him calm down.”
She listened in a daze and burst into laughter. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“How come Liam likes reading books like this?”
“Because I look like Elia.”
The child who made eye contact with her smiled brightly. She said, gently stroking Deliam’s head as a compliment.
“Liam, have you been to the temple?”
“If it’s a temple, is it the Rubir Temple?”
“Yes. There.”
Deliam blinked for a moment and nodded his head.
“I may have been there, but I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember?”
“Yes. I don’t have any memories of when I was a newborn. I may have gone to a temple, but…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Elia too. Normally, all children of nobles go to the Rubir Temple to be baptized after they are born. Of course Elia must have gone there too.”
“…Oh right. I guess so.”
She smiled at the child, acting as if she had finally remembered it. This was the first time she realized it was true because it was not mentioned in the book. According to what the child said, all nobles had been to the Rubir Temple at least once.
“But why the temple?”
“I’m just curious. I’ve never been there since I grew up, so I’m thinking of going now. I’m not sure if the Duke will allow it, but…”
“Then shall I tell my father?”
“Liam, you?”
“If Elia has a hard time talking.”
“Well, can I tell him first, and if that doesn’t work, can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes. Of course.”
The child nodded vigorously, as if telling her to trust him.
“…But, if I can go, will you go alone, Elia?”
A slightly expectant look was directed at her.
“I think Ladiana will go with me, is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. As long as I can go with Elia.”
“Okay. If the Duke allows it, the three of us will go and come back.”
“Yes.”
The conversation continued a little longer and then stopped. Deliam lowered his gaze back to the book. The child’s dark blue hair filled her field of vision. Measuring it with her fingers, it seemed to be a bit longer than before. She lowered her gaze a little more. Her platinum-colored hair came into view.
“You know, Liam.”
When the child’s head turned upward, she lifted her hair slightly.
“My hair. Do you think it’s longer than last time?”
“Elia’s hair length?”
“Huh.”
“I think it’s the same.”
The child lightly tapped the inside of her elbow with his finger.
“I remember that when I first saw Elia, her hair reached up to here.”
“Do you remember that?”
When she asked in surprise, the child looked proud.
“I remember everything related to Elia.”
“Our Liam, you’re so smart.”
She patted the child’s head to express how amazing he was. The child laughed and actively rubbed his head against her palm. The two of them joked around for a while, and when the child started to focus on the book again, she got lost in thought. She was grateful that the child helped further her confidence, but she was even more disturbed in her head that she was separate from him. If it’s true that her hair wasn’t growing, what was the reason? Originally, she was planning to ask the wizard, but she decided it was dangerous so she didn’t tell him. However, she couldn’t ask other people, so what should she do? Or maybe the reason could be found in the temple.
A thought suddenly occurred to her. They said there was a god here, so she wondered if it might be helpful. In the romantic fantasy novels she had read so many times, when things like possession or regression occur, it’s usually because of God’s intervention. So it was quite possible.
Hoping to get some help from the temple, she watched the child reading a book.
* * *
At breakfast the next day, she asked the Duke if she could go to the temple. The Duke stopped drinking his tea and raised his head.
“You want to go to the temple tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of going with Lady Ladiana. If you say yes, I’d like to take Liam too.”
“The reason is?”
“I was wondering if we could go see the temple and get some fresh air with Liam. Wouldn’t that be okay?”
Even as she said that, she kept an eye on the Duke. Last time, he let her go out for Deliam’s birthday, but she doubted if he would let them go out this time too. Moreover, he was the one who cares the most about Deliam’s safety, so it probably wouldn’t work. It was time to worry about how to console the child who was staring at the Duke with expectant eyes.
“Then I guess I’ll go with you.”
Huh? What did this mean again?
“I will tell Lady Ladiana that we will meet at the temple, so she knows that.”
“…The Duke is going with us too?”
The Duke’s eyebrows slightly raised at her question.
“Do you have any complaints?”
“No way. I’m curious as to why you want to go.”
“I know that because you don’t know anything.”
“…yes.”
Who would have thought that the number of unexpected people who were excited to go would increase? Why on earth was he saying he was going together? Was that because Ladiana said she was going? She sighed inwardly and looked at the child. The child didn’t seemed at all dissatisfied with the Duke going. He was shaking his body back and forth, smiling as if he was in a good mood.
“Are you happy to hear that the Duke is going too?”
“Yes. It’s better because I go with my father.”
Okay. She patted the child’s head and continued eating.
* * *
Another day passed by and it was finally time to go to the temple. The Duke’s house seemed busier than other days, perhaps because the Duke, Deliam, and she were all going out at the same time. The number of knights was twice as large as before, and the escort was much strengthened. She looked back and forth between her clothes and Deliam’s clothes. They were dressed very formally because they were stopping by a temple, not just going out to see somewhere.
“You must leave now.”
She nodded at Sarah’s urging.
“Let’s go, Liam.”
“Yes.”
She held the child’s hand and left the room and went downstairs. She left the mansion and got into the waiting carriage. The Duke got into the carriage first, and he seemed to be busy looking at documents.
‘If you’re that busy, there’s no need to go with me.’
She must have been staring at the Duke without realizing it, but his red eyes suddenly turned to her.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“No. There isn’t any.”
She saw the Duke lower his gaze to the papers and looked out the window for a moment. The outside scenery seen through the small window of the carriage quickly flashed by. At that time, she felt a tickling sensation and turned her head. The child was playing with her right hand with his own. He smiled quietly at that and then looked at the Duke again. His usually intimidating appearance shined even brighter today.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“You just seemed busy. I was wondering if you would mind going to the temple with me.”
“I’m going because of Deliam, not you, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“…Ah yes.”
She didn’t even ask if he was going because of her, but he was being very sensitive. As she was about to take her eyes off him, she noticed something strange. There was a faint, but red trace left on the top of the Duke’s collar. It was a scratch from something sharp.
“Here, are you hurt?”
Without realizing it, she reached her hand towards the Duke’s neck and stopped. As she looked into the Duke’s red eyes, she realized what she was trying to do. She ran her hand near the injured area.
“I’m sorry. I moved without realizing it…”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Still, it could get ugly, so wouldn’t it be better to at least apply some medicine?”
“Father, are you hurt?”
The startled child moved to the seat opposite the Duke and stuck out his head. The Duke’s frowned gaze turned to her for just a moment and then fell. He had a reprimanding look, as if she had said something useless.
‘…I didn’t do that on purpose.’
She just did it because she was a little nervous, but there’s no need to give her that kind of look.
“Yes, yes. I will never worry about it from now on.”
Without realizing it, a dissatisfied tone came out. She felt the child’s gaze, but she pretended not to notice him and turned her head. There was silence inside the carriage. She took a deep breath, feeling a little uncomfortable. When would they arrive at the temple? It was a time when he was tossing and turning, wanting to get some fresh air. The carriage seemed to stop and she heard a voice from outside announcing that they had arrived.
She soon opened the door and got out of her carriage and was momentarily entranced by the sight that unfolded before her eyes. The sense of sacredness befitting a temple was truly overwhelming. When she saw the bright white building, she was a little afraid of whether she could go in. It was difficult to move in an atmosphere that was difficult to approach.
“Lady Elia!”
She turned her head when she heard a voice behind her. She had just arrived when Ladiana got out of her carriage and was running towards her.
“How have you been doing?”
“Good, thank you.”
Ladiana held her hand and smiled brightly before turning her body.
“I greet you, Duke Caden Nathan. And I greet you, young Deliam Nathan.”
“Hello.”
Unlike the child who immediately greeted her, the Duke’s mouth showed no sign of opening. She held the hem of her dress and lowered her body slightly, looking at her indifferently as she greeted him. Those bleak looks… Didn’t something happen when the two of them met without her knowledge?
She stared at the Duke’s back as he turned around with slightly complicated feelings.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on October, 1.
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