Episode 7
“Hah, this is… Hah… How… Hah.”
Eliza Wintervald nervously fidgeted with her lips, utterly unsure of what to do.
She was known outside as the “Ice Duchess,” but that was merely a crafted image. In truth, Eliza was a woman who was very honest with her emotions.
“The snowflake dragon crest is clearly visible, so there’s no way that video sphere is fake! Oh no, what are we going to do? Pink, how did you even meet Kalec? Hm?”
“Five years ago… So, I was abandoned when I was three… My dad found me and raised me.”
“This is driving me crazy. That guy did something so compassionate? Are you sure it wasn’t an abduction?”
Murmurs filled the room.
Regardless of the surrounding noise, Kalec let out a short sigh and calmly sipped his tea.
The shock that had felt like being hit over the head with a club had somewhat subsided.
It was a hard pill to swallow, and he didn’t want to believe it, but… right. The fact that he had raised this child as his daughter over the past five years seemed to be true.
The question now was how to deal with this situation.
‘One, three, six.’
He silently counted the people in the drawing room. Excluding Eliza and his secretary, Ruska, he might have to kill the four maids. It was an unconscious calculation.
“…”
How much time had passed? His icy gaze finally regained its usual composure.
‘…Breathe. Get a grip.’
Kalec steadied himself once more.
The staff serving the Wintervalt estate had been loyal to the family for generations. Moreover, he had recently made sweeping changes, so they were even more trustworthy now. Although this meant the workforce was a bit short…
In any case, there was no chance they would spread rumors about the contents of the video sphere or reveal that Kalec had lost his memory to the outside world.
Reaffirming this fact, Kalec quelled the murderous intent that had briefly surged within him.
‘How utterly unpleasant.’
Having lost his memory, he felt as though many things were slipping out of his control. And he hated situations where he wasn’t in charge.
Of course, the most difficult thing to control was…
“Well then, I’ll be off now!”
…that tiny little kid.
“What? Where do you think you’re going all of a sudden?”
Eliza shot up from her seat and questioned the child.
“To get Theo… my little brother! He briefly appeared in the video sphere earlier.”
“…Wait, are you saying that child too?”
“Yes. Dad took Theo in as well.”
“Hah! A perfectly harmonious family of three, huh?”
“We were very happy…”
Eliza had a look on her face that suggested she had given up trying to understand any of this.
“But, um…”
The child opened her turtle-shell-shaped backpack and began gathering the video spheres as she spoke.
“You’re going to open the door for me, right…?”
“…”
“If the door is closed when I come back with Theo, we’ll have to sleep outside…”
“…”
“I’m fine with that, but Theo is only three years old. It’s early spring here, and it’s still a bit chilly outside. A three-year-old might catch a cold…”
Don’t eight-year-olds catch colds too…?
It seemed like someone muttered that under their breath.
Kalec grew even more incredulous.
The child had casually suggested that she and her brother should live in the duchy.
‘Absolutely out of the question.’
Letting in a child he couldn’t even remember?
He’d rather hire ten more maids than deal with that.
Kalec watched the child’s behavior, intending to firmly tell her to leave.
But then…
“C-can’t I stay?”
‘Ha! After being so confident until now, is she suddenly looking for permission?’
Her lips were tightly pursed, and she fidgeted with her fingers, an irritating sight. For some reason, the words were stuck in his throat.
Eliza shot him a look, as if asking how he planned to handle this.
“If it’s too difficult for me to live here right away, I can sleep in the front yard. You could just think of it as planting one more blade of grass, couldn’t you?”
The child rambled on nervously, perhaps because the silence had grown too long.
This child knew about his lost memories.
She held the Wintervalt ring.
She was an annoying presence, making him inexplicably anxious.
Finally, Kalec made up his mind.
His tightly closed lips opened.
“Fine. The ring, the video sphere… I can’t deny it any longer. Though I have no memory of it, I must take responsibility for my actions.”
“…”
“Bring your brother back. I’ll arrange a place for you both.”
The child’s face immediately lit up.
Eliza and the others looked surprised at Kalec’s decision.
“Yay! I’ll be back soon!”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Leave the ring behind. It’s mine anyway, and you won’t need it to prove your identity anymore.”
“But… this ring was given to me by Dad. It’s mine. Once you give something, that’s the end of it. You can’t take it back. That’s what you said. Even if you don’t remember, it’s true…”
Muttering, muttering, muttering.
Kalec’s forehead throbbed as he watched the little child stubbornly refuse.
This little one won’t back down, not even a bit.
However, he forced himself to regain composure.
“Whew, what I meant was… I’ll take care of it for you. I’m not trying to take it away from you. I’ll keep it safe and give it back when you’re able to handle it.”
A blatant stare returned.
The child’s sparkling green eyes stared at him intently, then suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“Oh, so that’s what it is! Got it!”
Clatter, clatter.
The child, who had been rummaging through a heavy backpack, finally pulled out a ring box and handed it to Kallek.
“Then, I’ll be going now!”
With a quick bow, swish.
Before he could react, the pink head darted off.
The mansion, swept through by this tiny storm, was left in chaos.
Kalec stood by the window, lost in thought.
Eliza, who had been wearing a perplexed expression, approached him.
“Kalec, are you serious? Are you really going to take the kids in?”
“Of course not.”
He smirked sharply.
“Huh? But you just told that kid you’d find a place for them to stay, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but I didn’t say it was my house.”
“…Then, you mean?”
“Well, it seems like I did live with that little one in that rundown place, so… I’ll take care of it. I’ll just prepare a reasonable compensation.”
To Eliza, it sounded suspiciously like he was planning to use money to “shut them up.”
‘It’s a shame. The kid was squirrel-like and cute. My husband would’ve fallen for them instantly.’
The old lady stopped herself from adding more.
She was no longer the head of this family, so she didn’t want to interfere—at least, not for now.
Kalec turned toward his secretary, who had been standing like a shadow.
“Ruska, buy a suitable house outside the capital. When that kid comes back, take them there.”
He had just become a duke, and there were many problems to resolve both inside and out, but now they wanted him to raise a child out of nowhere?
He wasn’t the type to do things he didn’t want to.
‘Besides, the more I see that kid… it feels like something troublesome is going to happen.’
His large hand gripped the ring box tightly.
“The ring’s in my hand anyway, and if I send some discreet servants to keep an eye on things for a while…”
Clatter.
At that moment, Kalec froze as he meaninglessly opened the box. His secretary, Ruska, raised his head.
“You said to keep an eye on them… what’s next?”
“…”
“Your Grace?”
The man remained frozen.
Curious, Eliza peeked over his shoulder to see what was going on. Then.
“Pfft.”
She burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Kalec!”
“…”
“You were being so mean, and now you’ve been completely outwitted!”
She had suspected something when the child had been nervously fumbling with their backpack.
‘Did that kid really just run off with the duke’s treasure as if it were a hostage?’
“Hey! I think that might actually be your daughter!”
Eliza, unable to stop laughing, teased him.
Kalec clenched his teeth as he stared at the empty box.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
