Chapter 14
Paternity Test (2)
“It’s only seven o’clock, and you’ve already come down to eat?”
Aria tilted her head, surprised that she was waking up at this hour. Then Catherine frowned and said,
“I didn’t come here because I particularly wanted to see you, I just woke up early today! Don’t get me wrong.”
I hadn’t said anything yet.
Aria swallowed the rebuttal that came out unintentionally. Then Bonita, who was next to her, greeted her in a clear voice.
“Good morning, madam.”
“It’s not exactly a good morning.”
“Ah….”
Bonita sighed.
“Actually, you should say very good morning.”
Catherine quickly added,
“There’s a difference between very good and just good, so you should know that. Anyway, stop dawdling around like a snail and hurry into the dining room! Both of you!”
“Wait, madam!”
Aria let out a small scream at Catherine’s sudden push.
The two of them almost ran into the dining room. Bonita, who was startled, followed them, stumbling around.
Luke was already sitting at the dining table. He dropped the morning newspaper he was holding when he saw the three of them.
“Bonita! Mo-Mother!”
“Call just one of us. Anyway, you’re crazy.”
“Bonita!”
“Huh.”
Catherine snorted, abandoned by her son.
“Bonita, sit next to Dad.”
“What are you talking about? Little girl, if you sit next to that creepy guy, he’ll eat your food. Go sit on the other side.”
“Mother!”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“Ha.”
Bonita’s eyes spun around as the two adults argued.
Bonita was wondering whether she should sit next to the scary-looking duke as she said, or sit across from him like the strict old lady who Aria said was her ‘grandmother’.
“Bonita, then let’s sit here together.”
Aria, who noticed Bonita’s distress, sorted out the situation.
She sat down next to Luke on the two chairs away from her.
“What would you like for breakfast today?”
“Um, I want a soup with lots of meat. And soft white bread.”
Even the fierce Madam Lysianthus was speechless at her shameless attitude. Furthermore, Bonita looked so happy that she couldn’t say anything.
“Madam. You should sit with me.”
“Huh. Why am I sitting with you?”
Catherine sat down across from Bonita.
Suddenly Luke, who was left alone, made a blank expression. He took the coffee cup and the water in front of him and sat down diagonally across from Bonita.
In other words, he was sitting next to Catherine and across from Aria.
Aria and Luke’s eyes met. Aria smiled.
“What is it?”
“Yes?”
“That smile,”
Luke said, frowning.
“It’s unpleasant.”
“… It kind of hurts a little.”
“That’s too bad. But I’m the type of person who can’t lie, so I’m sure Miss Aria will understand.”
“I’m sure she understands.”
A spark flew between the two.
The one who broke the tension was the servant who brought out the aperitif.
“I’ve prepared grape juice that the chef squeezed himself, especially for you, Miss.”
“Huh.”
Bonita, who received grape juice instead of an aperitif, was amazed. Aria smiled happily at that, but stopped when she saw the wine in front of her.
‘This is….’
It had a familiar scent. Zephyrian wine.
Aria suddenly remembered her conversation with Luke at the beginning of their marriage.
“Luke, what is this? It smells really unique.”
“Zephyrian wine. It’s wine from the southern part of the Crocus Empire. Is it not good? I’ll call the chef right away and get something else….”
“No! I really like it!”
“Really?”
“Yes. But if it’s something imported from the Empire, I won’t be able to eat it often.”
The Kingdom of Aleph, where the Duke of Lysianthus resided, and the Crocus Empire rarely had any exchanges or had interaction between each other.
The most that can be said is that the nobles of the kingdom were sent to the Imperial Academy as children, but other than that, they never visited.
The trade itself was also very strict. Knowing this situation, Elodie said with a little regret, and Luke’s eyes were fixed on her.
“No. If you want, I’ll let you drink this every day.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
And indeed, from then on, Luke and Elodie drank half a glass of Zephyrite wine every morning.
Elodie had a habit of eating only once she got hooked on a certain food, she never got tired of it until she died two and a half years later.
Aria turned her head to look at Luke.
“… Why do you look like that?”
“Duke.”
“What?”
“Do you drink this every morning? Zephyr wine.”
Luke answered her question absentmindedly.
“Yes.”
“… Really?”
“You drink it every morning. It was a drink that is not easily accessible to the people of the Kingdom.”
“… Because it is something I like.”
This time Luke hesitated.
But he didn’t say anything else, just frowned and continued the conversation.
“Wow.”
Instead, his eyes turned to Bonita.
Bonita took a bite after spreading the delicious red jam on the white bread that came with the grape juice.
Luke’s expression relaxed upon seeing that.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes? Ah… Yes!”
Bonita was taken aback by the Duke who suddenly spoke to her, but she soon nodded. After what happened the day before yesterday, Bonita had let down her guard against Luke quite a bit.
“I thought it was strawberry, but it was blueberry jam.”
If there had been no food in front of her, Bonita would have quickly noticed the strange tension between the Duke and Aria.
However, Bonita was so distracted by the bread that came with the grape juice that she missed the subtle conversation and reactions between the two. For Aria, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Huh, what’s so delicious about that?”
Catherine grumbled as she watched Bonita hurriedly eat the bread.
“There are so many more delicious things in the world than this. There’s no need to be amazed by such a trivial jam.”
Although her tone was blunt, Bonita quickly realized that she had no ill will toward her.
Bonita turned her head toward Catherine. Her clear eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“More than this?”
“Of course. This, no, this is not even the tastiest thing you can eat at the Duke’s residence.”
Upon hearing that, Bonita looked at the bread in her hand with a serious expression.
Of course, the sandwich she had eaten yesterday and the other foods she had eaten in the meantime were really, really delicious, but the bread and jam she was eating now were in no way inferior.
“But more than this… more?”
What could possibly be more delicious than this?
As Bonita pondered this seriously, Catherine nodded and scolded Luke.
“Yes! How little do you care about her that she’d be impressed by something like this. And besides, your body is nothing but bones, tsk.”
“It’s not that. How much I….”
“Whatever! Let’s eat out for dinner tonight. I have to show you how many delicious things there are in the world, I can’t help it.”
Luke looked at his mother with a dumbfounded expression.
Luke whispered so quietly that Bonita couldn’t hear.
“Mother, you said you wouldn’t accept Bonita as your granddaughter.”
“Accept what?! I haven’t done it yet! No way! Until the test results come out!”
“Oh, yes.”
He had to do it as quickly as possible.
He didn’t want to see Catherine like that any more, so he hurriedly spoke.
“Bonita, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“A priest will be coming to the Duke’s residence today.”
“A priest…?”
“Yes.”
Luke nodded affectionately.
“…….”
And he hesitated for a moment.
Should he really tell Bonita now?
His intention was to create evidence to show to the outside world, but Bonita might misunderstand his feelings.
Even if he explained, it was uncertain whether the child would understand properly.
“The main dish.”
Then a tray of sunny-side-up fries, bacon, and steaming soup arrived.
Bonita’s eyes were drawn to the crunchy croutons in the soup.
“Bonita, would you like me to slice the bacon?”
“Mmm, good.”
Aria quickly and perfectly sliced the bacon while Bonita ate the soup. Luke missed his chance to speak.
*****
After finishing breakfast, Bonita held Aria’s hand and went out to the garden in front of the mansion. The garden was filled with endless pink flowers in full bloom in the spring.
The mansion had a completely different scent from the dirty and shabby slums where the poor lived together.
“Mother, can I go over there?”
“Of course. Be careful not to get pricked.”
After receiving Aria’s permission, Bonita went a little closer to the pink rose bushes that had more flowers.
“Ouch!”
Whoosh.
Suddenly, the wind blew.
Bonita’s one-piece dress fluttered in the strong gust of wind. The wind caused the cherry blossom petals to fall from the rose bushes.
Bonita instinctively stretched out her arms. Then, coincidentally, one of the petals that had been falling in the air fell into Botina’s hand.
The last time they had a tea party, there were no flowers but only green grass, but the back of the mansion, filled with waves of pink, had a completely different atmosphere.
‘Does the Duke like pink?’
In Bonita’s mind, the Duke of Lysianthus surrounded by cherry blossoms appeared.
Not black or blood-stained red, but this warm pink. Bonita thought that perhaps the Duke was not as scary as rumored.
No, in fact, it was true based on his behavior over the past few days.
Bonita was deep in thought, clutching the petals that had landed in her hand.
It was when.
“Damn it. I’m not lucky enough to be here with you.”
“There’s nothing we can do! I really didn’t want to come to the Duke’s house. The atmosphere is gloomy when I enter the mansion, and especially when I see His Highness the Duke, I get goosebumps.”
“Well, we have to guard her neck well. If that daughter is fake, she might get her head cut off for insulting him.”
Thump.
At the sound of two men talking from afar, Bonita dropped the petals she was holding.
