Chapter 10
Stupid Granddaughter (2)
“There you go!”
While Bonita struggled with her tiny head, Mary tied her hair up with a red ribbon that matched her cotton candy pink hair.
She was tying her ribbon for the last time.
Knock–
A light knocking sound was heard.
“Mother!”
In an instant, Bonita jumped from the chair, which was just a little higher than her height, and sprinted away.
“Lady! If you run, you’ll fall!”
She has a long skirt.
Mary shouted in a hurry, but her feet had already caught on the hem of her skirt and she was getting closer to the floor by the minute.
“Lady!”
Thud.
Mary’s cries were meaningless, and Bonita was comfortably held in large hands.
Duke, who had taken Bonita, raised an eyebrow and glared at the maid.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“… Hah. You have to be careful next time.”
But instead of losing his temper in front of Bonita, he gave her a mild warning and moved on. Aria, who had been standing behind Luke, hurried over.
“Bonita! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
Bonita’s gaze turned to the Duke, who was still holding on to her.
Luke flinched when he saw her head raised high.
“The Duke caught me really well. Thank you.”
“Hmm. Isn’t this natural? There is no need to thank me.”
“Uh, but…”
Bonita stuttered at Luke’s overly friendly manner.
She had seen many boys and girls of her age who were reckless before. Most of them were children wearing high-quality clothes and driving expensive private carriages.
Some of them said stupid and unlucky things. Bonita swallowed what she was about to say and lost herself in her thoughts with a serious expression on her face.
Aria, seeing the child’s face, tilted her head. She asked in an innocent tone.
“Bonita, what are you thinking?”
“That…”
Bonita thought for a moment. However, when she saw that Luke was also looking at her passionately, she opened her mouth.
“I was thinking that if I had grown up here from the beginning, I would have been a very spoiled child.”
“What?”
“What?”
Luke and Aria said the same thing at the same time. The two turned their heads to look at each other, then back to Bonita, who had a very serious expression on her face.
Bonita didn’t notice their reactions as she continued speaking.
“Maybe I should try not to get used to it. I don’t want to become a pathetic adult who can’t even put on a sock by myself later…”
“Pfft.”
Aria, who couldn’t bear it anymore, burst into laughter first. Luke’s mouth twitched.
‘Cute.’
‘Cute!’
This time, the two people’s thoughts coincided. The maid, Mary, who was watching her, had to do her best not to laugh at the little girl’s wild yet serious imagination.
“Isn’t that right, Mother?”
“Yes? You mean me?”
Aria pointed to herself, and Bonita nodded.
Aria saw her daughter in front of her so lovingly that she couldn’t bear it for a moment, so she hugged Bonita and kissed her.
“My little Bonita will grow up to be a wonderful adult in any environment!”
“I don’t think so….”
“No, just trust your mom.”
Aria gave Bonita another hug and then placed her on the floor.
“Rather than that, Bonita, the Duke wants to go on a picnic with us. How do you feel?”
“A picnic?”
When she heard the word picnic, Bonita’s expression changed again to that of a seven-year-old child. Her deep pink eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Can we really go on a picnic?”
“Of course. In fact, we were going to go yesterday, but we got so caught up in making the cake that we didn’t make it.”
“I love it!”
Swish!
Bonita’s head turned towards Luke. He, who had stiffened at Aria’s ‘mom’ remark, quickly smiled softly.
“Hmm. Dad is really looking forward to it too.”
“Your Excellency, you’ve stopped using that ‘dad’ word.”
“… Shut up, Miss Aria. If you don’t want to die.”
Luke growled in a voice only audible for Aria, and then went to the maid who was tying Bonita’s hair.
“It would be best to instruct the servants to prepare. Hey, there.”
“Yes!”
Mary, who was suddenly quiet, stiffened her body and answered.
He ordered with an indifferent face.
“We’re going to the lake closest to the manor. Tell the knights to send out an escort.”
‘escort?’
Meanwhile, Bonita, who was quietly listening, was once again shocked.
‘You’re going on a picnic and the knights are coming to escort you?’
Of course, I knew that aristocrats had flashy knights with them wherever they went.
But this for me! Bonita’s mouth dropped open.
“Ugh!”
Aria’s index finger slipped through the gap.
“Hmp.”
As Bonita closed her mouth with an embarrassed expression, Aria took her finger out of the child’s mouth and laughed.
Luke looked at Aria with a puzzled look on his face.
“Did you call that a joke?”
“I can’t stop, because my baby is so cute.”
“You really….”
Luke was about to say something, but he felt like if he said any more, the woman in front of him would cut him off.
‘The previous Aria was never like this.’
It wasn’t.
I honestly wasn’t sure.
Luke treated all women except Elodie as almost invisible.
That was the same for Aria Hilton in the past. Since he wasn’t interested, he couldn’t remember her properly.
But I don’t think she really had this type of personality.
This isn’t Aria Hilton, but rather –
He kept suppressing thoughts that were about to go off into the nonsensical direction. It’s a ridiculous delusion.
Besides, haven’t the two been together for a very long time anyway?
If you’ve been together for that long, it’s common for people to take on each other’s personalities and habits.
Luke stared into the blue eyes looking at him with her puzzled eyes.
This woman, really.
“What?”
“… Nothing, just get ready.”
It’s really annoying.
Luke frowned.
*****
The spring breeze rustled.
It was clear weather without a single cloud.
Today is Monday, so it’s not the ‘idle Sunday afternoon picnic’ that Bonita had dreamed of, but what does the day of the week really matter?
Mats were laid out for the three people who arrived at the lakeside. Unlike Luke, who settled under the tree, the other two explored around the lake like puppies.
And now.
Bonita was trailing behind Aria, hobbling on her short legs.
“Mother, let’s go together!”
“Haha! Daughter, run more!”
Aria was now subtly teasing Bonita. She ran slowly, but when she reached her, she increased her speed and repeated.
The wind passed by her face as she ran, making her heart pound.
‘I couldn’t run like this before.’
The time when Aria was Elodie.
She was born with a weak body.
Her congenital heart disease and asthma left her short of breath and her chest sore when she moved even slightly quickly.
Although her death was largely psychological, there were also many physical causes. But when she got a new body, all those problems disappeared.
Aria was walking and running excitedly for a while, when she suddenly realized that Bonita was no longer following her.
“Bonita?”
I had a bad feeling.
When Aria turned around, she saw Bonita standing still a distance away. She hurriedly walked towards her daughter.
“Bonita, what’s wrong? Did mom run too fast…”
But as she got closer with each step, Aria’s smiling face hardened.
“… Bonita?”
She would have been better off crying because she was upset about falling or losing. However, the expression Bonita was making now was closer to a resignation mixed with despair.
Aria took her breath inside and regretted her own foolishness.
Did she forget what kind of environment Bonita grew up in?
It is clear that ‘Aria’ did not give the child enough love. She would often be left alone or left behind. It’s not strange for her to have a fear of abandonment.
Aria swallowed her saliva.
She slowly bent her knees and squatted in front of bonita.
“You know, Bonita. Mom will never let you….”
“I-I know.”
But it was Bonita who opened her mouth first.
“I know that my current mother will not abandon me.”
My current mother?
Aria sighed after hearing the child’s words.
Even though it was absolutely impossible, I had the illusion that Bonita was seeing herself and the real Aria separately.
Bonita flinched as she looked at Aria, her expression suddenly hardening.
“But it’s just, I…”
Bonita hopes her mother continues to be weird. Bonita hid the backstory, which she could never tell.
The moment she said that out of her mouth she was afraid that ‘her former mother’ would come back.
But she had no idea how to make up for what she had already said. Bonita clenched the hem of her clothes. Her hands were damp from her sweat.
“I am…”
But fortunately or unfortunately, Bonita did not continue her words.
“Madam! You shouldn’t push the guards like that!”
“Oh, let go! Didn’t I tell you to let go of me?! If I get hurt, you’ll get punished!”
“Ma’am, wait…!”
“Luke! Luke Where is he? You must have lost your mind while I was away!”
“I will take you to Your Excellency! So please calm down. You’re going to collapse again.”
“Do you think I’m easy?!”
There was the sound of a young man and an older woman arguing.
In particular, the old lady’s voice was so loud that two people who were quite far away were startled and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A loud cry rang out across the peaceful lakeside.
“I need to see that fake granddaughter and the fraudster right away!”
Hiccup.
Bonita hiccuped in surprise.
