I'm Searching for the Villainous Dad's Memories!

Chapter 17

Kalec tore his gaze away from the prince and lifted his teacup.

“Look at this!”

A carefree child proudly thrust a pouch forward with one hand. Behind him stood an attendant, looking troubled.

The emperor let out a deep sigh.

“…Argen, I’m in the middle of a meeting with the duke.”

“Oh!”

Only then did Argen notice Kalec, who was sipping tea with his legs crossed.

His tousled hair bobbed as he bowed in greeting.

“Hello, um… Prince Wintervalt!”

“Wha- Prince! You mustn’t bow your head like that! Besides, Sir Kalec inherited the dukedom just a few days ago. How can you still not know that?” whispered the attendant hurriedly, fidgeting nervously.

Argen blinked and then smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, my apologies. Duke Wintervalt.”

“It’s fine,” Kalec replied, indifferent.

Maybe it was because he had seen enough of this at home, but somehow, the boy’s chattering and liveliness didn’t bother him much.

“More importantly, Argen. Weren’t you supposed to have a lesson today? Did you skip it again?”

The emperor clicked his tongue as he asked, his voice stern. Argen’s face flushed with panic.

“Ah, well… The weather was so nice, and I wanted to play in the garden with the servants…”

“How much longer do you plan on only playing with the servants? I went out of my way to arrange lessons with young nobles so you could make some friends. Wasn’t that the whole point?”

The emperor’s voice grew lower and his expression was clearly displeased.

“I’m sorry… But I just like playing more… I just…”

“How many times have I told you to speak clearly? Ugh, never mind. You may go.”

The emperor waved his hand dismissively. Argen’s shoulders drooped like a puppy caught in the rain. His small hand clenched around the pouch, looking somewhat pitiful.

“Come now, Prince. Let’s head to your lesson,” coaxed the attendant, who had been watching from the side. He gently wrapped an arm around Argen’s shoulder.

“Don’t be too disheartened. If you finish your lesson well, I’ll give you some jelly. You like that, don’t you?”

“Yeah…”

Thud.

The door closed, and the emperor cleared his throat with a cough. The lines around his eyes seemed to deepen as if from exhaustion.

“I must apologize for the disgraceful display, Duke. It seems we’ll have to postpone our meal. I’m too tired today.”

“Understood.”

I didn’t plan on having the meal anyway.

“I’ll see you on the day of the procession, then.”

Finally freed from the tiresome meeting with the emperor, Kalec swiftly left the audience chamber.

‘Prince Argen…’

The last time he saw him, the boy had been about four years old.

‘He seemed quieter back then.’

The emperor had three children.

The crown prince had yet to be determined, but it was likely to be either the eldest princess, who would soon come of age, or the second prince.

As for Prince Argen… well.

Judging by his age and current behavior, not to mention his apparent lack of aptitude, it seemed unlikely he would be considered.

‘Still, that might lead to a more peaceful life.’

Receiving a title and territory when the time came and living a quiet life outside the palace might not be such a bad option for a prince treated as a nuisance within the court.

The image of his messy hair and worn-out clothes came to mind again.

“…”

Trying to shake off the inexplicable discomfort, Kalec quickened his pace.

On his way home, Kalec abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He had spotted a familiar figure sitting in front of the flowerbed in the distance.

“…”

According to Ruska, whom he had spoken to earlier, the child had spent the entire day wandering around the estate as if it were her own home.

Her pink hair, which stood out starkly in the otherwise monochromatic and rigid atmosphere of the ducal residence, was like a piece of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit. Yet, the sight of her harmless figure somehow blended into the estate’s scenery, and it didn’t seem so bad.

“Roar! I’m invincible!”

When he lifted her by the scruff of her neck, she flailed her short limbs like a bird trying to fly.

“What do you think you’re doing? It’s me.”

“Hah.”

“Where have you been running around all day?”

What on earth had she been up to…?

The hair he had tied for her that morning had come loose, and her dress was covered in dirt.

It seemed she had been playing in the flowerbed. As he looked around, he noticed she had built several little cave-like sand houses.

“Hey! I’m busy!”

Meanwhile, Ririn felt somewhat wronged in her own way.

She had only planned to get some fresh air and look for the protective magic tool after leaving Kalec’s office.

But to be caught by Kalec!

“I was discussing something very important with the trees!”

“Yes. Of course, maid. I heard you’ve been so busy acting like you’re handling everything in the mansion alone.”

“Hmph. Well, I do have my moments.”

“That was sarcasm. Why are you so proud of it?”

Kalec sighed briefly and continued walking.

6:30 PM.

The third task of the day, something that had to be done no matter what, had arrived.

Though he felt somewhat self-pitying, Kalec still moved toward the dining room with Lirin tucked under his arm. This was truly unavoidable.

Just then, a familiar silhouette appeared in the hallway.

“Maid, take care of that.”

At his words, Lirin quickly lifted her head.

“Theo!”

The child, who had jumped down, buried his face in her arms and approached the pouting Theo.

“What are you upset about this time?”

The maids standing around didn’t know what to do.

“Oh dear. Did you wake up from your nap and get upset because your sister wasn’t around?”

Her soothing was quite skillful. The small child, no bigger than a chestnut, snuggled into Lirin’s embrace.

Watching the scene, Kalec tilted his head slightly. Come to think of it, that little Theo had never once come to him for a hug.

Not that he particularly wanted to be hugged, of course.

In any case, Kalec picked up both children and continued walking.

“I see. Poor Theo was just lonely. Well, there aren’t any toys around here either…”

Chatter, chatter.

The child babbled non-stop, comforting the younger one.

Before long, Theo, now comforted, listened intently to Lirin’s story, his eyes full of curiosity.

“Oh! Duke! Can we go out tomorrow?”

As they sat down in the dining room, filled with the delicious smell of food, Lirin suddenly looked up.

Kalec furrowed his brow deeply.

“Go out?”

“Yes!”

‘I’ll take the opportunity to scout out the parade route!’

Lirin chuckled inwardly as she recalled her plan.

Kalec, noticing her sparkling eyes, let out a rough, mocking laugh.

“Do you really think it’s possible for someone like you, who would lose a fight to a passing cat, to go outside? Does that sound reasonable to you?”

“Ugh, why do you keep twisting your words to hide the fact that you’re worried about us going out into such a harsh and cruel world?”

“I’m not worried.”

He really wasn’t.

“We’re not going out for fun! I was just saying we’re running errands with the other maids!”

Lirin raised her hand high as she spoke. Next to her, the maids Kate and Aisha couldn’t hide their rising grins.

At that moment, a low voice, sounding somewhat displeased, murmured.

“…Errands?”

Huh? Why’s he acting like that? Lirin blinked her eyes wide.

“What kind of errands would you need to run outside? Who told you to do something like that?”

His oddly twisted tone caused the maids’ shoulders to tense up.

Kate was the one brave enough to step forward.

“Master, I thought I could take Lirin and Theo with me tomorrow to the clothing shop for some business I have there.”

She glanced briefly at the hand Kalec was holding.

“…I didn’t realize you’d dislike the combination of ‘Lirin’ and ‘errands’ so much that you’d crush the tableware to dust. I’ll reconsider everything.”

“…”

When did this get so out of hand? Calek unclenched his fist with a creak.

“There’s no need for a full reconsideration! I want to run errands! You may not understand, Duke, but errands are important when you’re eight! In Lepi Village, I even ran errands to buy five eggs! It’s true!”

‘That’s actually pretty impressive.’

For that reckless eight-year-old to have managed to buy five eggs without breaking any? She really was a capable little rascal.

‘But wait, didn’t they say they were going to the clothing shop?’

Suddenly, his gaze landed on Lirin’s worn-out dress. Now that things had come to this, he figured he might as well get rid of that eyesore.

“Errands…”

As he turned Lirin’s face away from him with a glare, Kalec returned to his usual cold tone.

“Fine, go. But.”

“…!”

“Take at least 500—no, 50—no, at least 5 bodyguards with you. And of course, you’ll need money for any purchases, so take 7 million gold—no, 7,000 gold—actually, just 70 gold.”

Even 70 gold is too much…

The maids thought this but didn’t dare correct him.

With a tight grip on his spoon, Calek’s knuckles turned white.

‘Now even my own mouth betrays me…’

That day, none of the tableware in the dining room survived.

Kalec was too busy lamenting how hard it was to get his words out past his unruly tongue.