Chapter 17
Paternity Test (5)
Luke, who had taken Bonita and Aria to their room, returned to the front of the drawing room.
“I see you’re here.”
“… What are you talking about? I was just going to the bathroom.”
“The bathroom should be in mother’s room. You really came all the way out.”
“Shut up. You rude brat!”
Luke, hit in the head again, frowned and glanced at Catherine.
She was circling the hallway in front of the room where the priests had entered with an anxious expression.
‘If you could have watched the process, you would have definitely barged in.’
He was warned not to let anyone in during the inspection, so he stopped there.
Luke asked with a tired face.
“The result is obvious anyway, so why are you so nervous?”
“Obvious! This is important! How much do I-”
Catherine was about to grab Luke by the collar. The door opened wide and Dominic came out.
Catherine ran over to him and asked.
“What was the result?”
“Oh, that.”
Just as Catherine was about to urge him, Dominic quickly opened his mouth.
“First of all, wouldn’t it be better for the young lady to hear it with you? She’s the one who got involved, too.”
“Huh?”
“I see. Mother.”
Luke stopped Catherine from getting angry.
“Bonita should know too, right?”
“That’s….”
Catherine opened her mouth a few times, then nodded with a displeased expression.
However, she couldn’t hide the impatience on her face. Luke, who had read her emotions without hesitation, held out a hand to his mother.
“I’ll escort you so you don’t fall.”
“No need!”
Catherine still looked pale, but she tried to suppress her anticipation and walked upright.
Luke ordered the servant standing next to him.
“Ed, go and…”
Bring Bonita. Luke paused as he was about to say that.
“Duke?”
“Oh, yes.”
He came to his senses at the servant’s call and changed his words.
“Bring Bonita and Miss Aria to the drawing room.”
“Yes, Duke.”
Ed bowed his head politely and stepped aside. Luke, who had sent him off, clenched and unclenched his fists and wiggled his fingers.
“Why did I care about her feelings?”
There was only one woman he’d ever cared about in his entire life; it was Elodie, apart from his mother.
He wanted to listen to anything she said, to give her anything she wanted, to bring her everything she wanted.
If she was the least bit offended, he wanted to do whatever it took to make her feel better, even if it was through no fault of his own.
It was a love so intense that he knew his purity of heart for Elodie would never change.
That was true even now that she was gone.
Now that Elodie was gone, he couldn’t care about anyone.
No one, except her daughter, Bonita.
‘But the one Bonita considered mother…. ’
Aria Hilton, that woman. If only that damn fact hadn’t existed, he would never have gotten involved with such a troublesome woman.
But now that things had come to this, it was also true that Luke couldn’t treat Aria, her, carelessly.
Yes. That’s where this unpleasantness came from. That was for sure.
He clicked his tongue once and quickly walked into the drawing room.
*****
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
Bonita, who had been waiting in the room, looked up at Aria, who was holding her tightly.
Her gentle blue eyes were looking down at her with affection.
‘Ah. Really.’
It was the motherly love she had longed for even in her dreams. A heavy, deep love that seemed like it would disappear like a mirage if he made a mistake.
I wonder what it would be like if it were my real mother.
Bonita’s expression sank as she thought about her ‘real’ mother and father.
The others said that Bonita must be the Duke’s real daughter.
It was clear that the Duke himself believed it to be true.
Otherwise, the fearsome Duke would not be so good to her.
But what if it wasn’t?
‘Will he be angry?’
Probably.
If he couldn’t harm the child, the anger would surely be directed at Aria.
Wasn’t she the one who brought Bonita to this mansion, claiming she was the ‘Duke’s daughter’?
Bonita bit her lips and held Aria’s finger tightly.
“Did you call mother?”
When she didn’t respond after calling, Aria asked again. Her tone was still soft and warm.
Bonita, who had gained some courage, hesitated and opened her mouth.
“… I’m worried.”
“Hmm.”
Aria tilted her head, stroking her chin with a serious expression.
“What are you worrying about my daughter? Can you tell mother what’s going on?”
“That’s….”
There was no one else in the room except for the two of them.
That was why Bonita was able to express the worries she had never been able to express.
“I might not be the Duke’s daughter. Then… the Duke would be very angry.”
“Oh.”
Aria sighed, noticing Bonita’s worries. A strange smile was on her lips.
“That’s absolutely not true, Bonita.”
“Bu-but mother.”
You’re not my biological mother.
How would you know that?
Bonita swallowed the question that was rising to the tip of her tongue. If it was Aria in the past, her current mother would definitely be hurt if she heard those words.
That… she will hate it.
In fact, objectively speaking, Aria wasn’t a very good mother. She might even be considered a ‘bad’ parent.
Nevertheless, she was Bonita’s only mother.
If Aria hadn’t been there, Bonita would have starved to death long ago. Or she might have been beaten like a street child, begging or stealing.
And the love she occasionally gave her was so sweet.
She desperately clung to that small piece of love. But now, it was different.
The current Aria loved Bonita so much.
As if she were someone else.
Bonita, who had always observed Aria, sensed her change more quickly than anyone else.
‘That’s why I shouldn’t say things like that.’
Because Aria would get hurt?
… No, no. That wasn’t it. That’s not why.
The reason she couldn’t say that was, in fact, because she was afraid that Aria might go back to how she was when she heard that.
So Bonita changed the subject.
“Oh, nothing.”
“Um, Bonita.”
Aria also noticed that Bonita changed the subject. She also knew what she was going to say before that.
‘You knew it all along.’
Maybe ‘Aria’ had really told Bonita. She was a smart girl, so she could have easily figured it out with just a small hint.
Anyway, Bonita and Aria didn’t have anything in common as mother and daughter.
If Aria was a gorgeous beauty like a rose and sharp like a cat, Bonita was as soft and cute as cotton candy.
Considering her appearance when she was Elodie, Bonita wouldn’t have changed much even when she became an adult.
“Yes, daughter. By any chance-”
Just as Aria was about to say something, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
After permission was given, Luke’s servant came. It was Edward Seren, the third son of the Seren baron family. He had been working under Luke since graduating from the Imperial Academy five years ago.
“Miss Hilton and Lady. The Duke has asked me to invite you two to the drawing room. Please go.”
Aria suddenly stood up.
“Have they gotten the results?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Bonita’s eyes wavered at Ed’s words. She hadn’t expected it to come out this quickly.
Catherine had threatened the priest to finish it in three hours, but now it was only two and thirty minutes at most.
“Mother.”
“Bonita, let’s go.”
Aria smiled as she took Bonita’s hand.
“With this, you will truly get your place back.”
There was such conviction on Aria’s face as she said it, Bonita nodded, mesmerized.
*****
Luke, who had been guarding his position with his arms crossed, turned his head at the sound of the door opening. It was Miss Hilton and Bonita.
“Come and sit here.”
He spoke to Bonita in a friendly tone. Bonita, who was holding Aria’s hand, looked back and forth between the two of them, then took his hand and headed toward Luke.
As a result, Bonita ended up sitting between Luke and Aria. Catherine, who was sitting next to Luke, narrowed her eyes.
“Ahem.”
The red-haired priest across from him coughed.
“Then I’ll reveal the results.”
Luke felt a lump in his throat when he heard that. It wasn’t because he was curious about the results. However, yes.
This was a confident expectation.
“So, what’s the result?”
Catherine couldn’t hold it in any longer and urged the priest. Dominic quickly opened his mouth at her gaze that seemed ready to devour him at any moment.
“Do you see the color of the liquid here?”
“Color?”
At Luke’s question, Dominic shook the liquid that had turned blue.
“It’s the blood of the two of you mixed with specially treated holy water. If you were strangers, it wouldn’t react at all, but if you’re related, it turns blue closer to the deep blue.”
The liquid in his hand was a deep and vivid blue that couldn’t be bluer.
“The only blood ties that show this color are siblings, or parents and children. The temple’s paternity test is currently over 99% reliable, so it can’t go wrong.”
“Then-”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Young Lady, is certain that she’s the Duke’s biological child.”
It was an affirmation.
“It would be a natural result.”
Luke muttered.
Aria also agreed inwardly.
From the two’s perspective, it was not surprising at all. After all, they were the parties involved.
In order to have a child, they had to sleep together at least once. It was a ridiculous assumption that the father was not the Duke of Lysianthus, given the certainty of Elodie’s daughter.
On the other hand, Bonita gulped.
Despite hearing the words of the priest who was so certain, she still didn’t feel… convinced. It was only relief.
At the same time, her heart tingled.
Bonita turned her head to look at Luke, who was smiling gently.
Luke, who noticed her gaze, also turned his head toward Bonita.
And Catherine.
She froze as if she had heard an impossible result. She pursed her wrinkled lips.
“Mother?”
“…….”
