Chapter 20
Uncles (3)
Before Elodie died, the relationship between the Duke of Lysianthus and the two young master Counts, was not bad.
It was quite surprising considering that her two older brothers were furious at the news of Elodie’s marriage, but anyone who knew how Luke treated Elodie could understand it.
Dylan and Lennon also knew this well. Elodie would be loved no matter where she went, but no man would love her more than Luke.
Elodie also loved Luke, so as her older brother wished for her happiness, they had no choice but to bless the marriage.
Luke was also always grateful to Elodie’s family.
Wasn’t it the place where the lovely girl was born and raised?
The three people who loved Elodie so much secretly got along well. Usually, when Dylan or Lennon prepared something ridiculous, Luke would add a little something extra.
That was when Elodie was still alive.
Elodie was originally weak.
Due to asthma, she would often suffocate even with a little running, and she would always suffer from a high fever and cold whenever the seasons changed. That’s why they had to take care of her, worrying if she would fly away or die if they squeezed her.
However, her health was not so bad that she died young.
Elodie’s decisive cause of death was that her weak body could not withstand the stress of the difficult pregnancy, childbirth, and subsequent stillbirth. If she hadn’t had a child, she would still be alive.
That drove Dylan crazy.
I know. The Duke of Lysianthus wasn’t at fault for her death.
Luke had worried about Elodie’s health from the beginning and had discouraged her from getting pregnant. He even suggested that the heir could be adopted from his brother’s son.
Elodie was the one who pushed for the pregnancy.
“No! I want a child who looks like me and Luke. You don’t want that?”
“That’s…”
“If my daughter looked like me, she would be so cute. I’d love to have a pink-haired daughter who walks down the aisle with her dad…”
“… Okay, okay.”
They can’t win against her. Luke and Elodie’s relationship was exactly that kind of match. Dylan knew it.
And in fact, he had secretly hoped for it.
A nephew or niece who resembled Elodie.
How pretty and lovable would it be? It wouldn’t hurt to put her in his eyes. A boy who looked like Elodie would be adorable, too.
But when Elodie’s labor dragged on dangerously, when the child she risked her life to give birth to died without even letting out a single cry, when Elodie passed away in agony.
Dylan regretted it over and over again. If he could, he would have wanted to turn back time and prevent Elodie from getting pregnant. Even if it meant punching that damn Luke Lysianthus in the face.
But nothing would change even that. Life is a one-way street. It’s always too late to regret.
And you can’t control your emotions.
Dylan stamped his foot, trying to calm his boiling stomach. A steady noise filled the living room.
That was when he heard heavy footsteps.
A height that seemed to be far greater than the average adult male. The menacing footsteps were more like those of a wild beast walking on two legs than a human.
If the floor of the Duke’s house had been a little less solid, he would have been afraid that it would sink.
However, Dylan was not afraid of those footsteps at all. The situation he feared the most was still in the past, so there was no reason to be afraid.
Finally, the door opened. Dylan glared at the man whose head almost touched the ceiling. They were the same color as Elodie’s.
“Welcome, Count of Rottweil. And Sir Lennon.”
“It’s been a while.”
Dylan gave Luke a curtsy.
It was clearly rude for him, a mere Count, to show such an attitude to the only Duke in the kingdom, but Lennon, who was next to him, did not bother to stop him. He was also deeply upset.
A huge man sat down across from them. His posture, while not out of place, but it felt somehow awkward.
He crossed one leg and picked up the prepared teacup. His hands were so big that the teacup made for a noble looked like a toy.
After taking a sip of warm black tea, he asked,
“So, what brings you two at this early hour?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
Luke gave a dry smile at the sharp question of Lennon. Lennon’s expression that he understood everything made his mind twist for no reason.
“I heard you brought in a successor.”
“A successor.”
Luke’s face softened as he thought of Bonita. The change was so dramatic that even Lennon, who was trying his best to remain calm, looked somewhat surprised.
Luke smiled like that only when he thought of Elodie.
At least that’s what he had thought until now.
‘Is she that precious?’
His judgment was twisted. Luke said, his hands clenched on his knees while Lennon clenched his teeth.
“I’d rather have a daughter than an heir. Of course, she’ll succeed me as Duke of Lysianthus. I’ll make it happen.”
“I heard she’s seven,”
Dylan interjected. Luke nodded coolly.
“That’s right.”
Dylan chewed hard on the inside of his mouth.
He had hoped, but it was true.
‘I thought he was a good man, but he’s trash.’
He misunderstood Luke’s intentions and fiercely raised his pink eyes.
However, due to the gentle impression typical of the Counts of Rottweil, Luke only saw it as the yapping of a small dog.
“I’m disappointed, Duke of Lysianthus.”
“… Hmm?”
Luke, who didn’t understand Dylan’s words, let out a questioning exclamation.
‘Why are you so angry?’
From their perspective, wasn’t it good news that they had found Elodie’s daughter? Especially since she looked exactly like Elodie.
Naturally, he was sure that the reason they had come running this morning was to see their niece. But strangely, the atmosphere was tense.
And disappointment? What on earth was they disappointed about?
‘… If you were disappointed that you couldn’t find Bonita, then there’s nothing you can do.’
Luke was more angry at himself than anyone else about that. He didn’t want to say that it couldn’t have happened or that it was the best he could do at the time.
“… Is that so.”
Because of his carelessness, Bonita grew up in a poor environment for seven years without even knowing her biological parents. If he had held the responsibility for that, he had nothing to say.
“I’m deeply reflecting on that. But the only people who can hold me accountable are Elodie or my daughter. Not you two.”
Dylan clenched his fist hard enough to bleed after hearing Luke’s words.
‘The only ones who can be held accountable are Elodie and her daughter?’
Elodie died six years ago. Her daughter also died seven years ago, shortly after she was born.
If his logic is right, then this is an incredibly shameless claim that there is no one left in this world to point fingers at him. Dylan couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted,
“Fuck. So you’re sorry, but it doesn’t matter now, because there’s no one left in the world to hold you accountable?”
“…. What?”
Luke was puzzled by the two men who were even more upset despite explaining the situation.
Luke’s attitude, on the other hand, was an abomination to Elodie’s two brothers.
‘Why are you angry?’
‘How can you be so shameless!’
It was a perfect case of two completely different dreams. In fact, it was hard to say who was at fault.
From Luke’s point of view, he naturally thought that the two of them had heard about Bonita’s appearance. Furthermore, he had never even assumed that he could have an illegitimate child in the first place.
On the contrary, the two of them…. They just thought about it logically.
“……”
“……”
Since there was no conversation, only the parallel silence continued. Dylan, who was about to grab Luke by the collar, eventually brushed his hair back and kicked the door of the living room.
Luke looked at Dylan’s back, then looked at Lennon, who was still sitting, and said,
“Well, make yourself at home. If you ask the servant for a room, he’ll guide you to the place you always go.”
*****
Dylan stomped his feet with his unkempt hair. The maid who was cleaning the hallway flinched at his fierce aura.
No matter how gentle the Count of Rottweil may have been, this was only from Luke’s perspective. There are few things more frightening to a commoner than an angry nobleman.
“Hey, you there.”
“Yes, yes?”
The startled maid put down her cleaning tools and approached him hesitantly. Dylan waved his hand with an uncomfortable expression.
“Lady Lysianthus… Where is she?”
“Are you talking about Lady Bonita?”
The maid, who had been carefully thinking about why he was looking for the young lady, soon realized that the man in front of her was a member of the Rottweil family.
It was a realization that was rather late.
In the first place, wasn’t pink hair an impossible color to have naturally? Only the descendants of the Rottweil Counts, who were said to have fairy blood, had such a unique hair color.
It is said that it rarely appears from the collateral branches, but if it is enough to go around the Lysianthus Dukes’ House, it must be true.
‘I see!’
She was a new maid who had just entered the Ducal residence.
However, because of her lively and sociable personality, she knew all the rumors going around in the mansion.
For example, the fact that Miss Bonita, who had returned, was the daughter of the former Duchess, and that the former Duchess’s family was the Count of Rottweil.
In that case, he and the young lady would be uncle and niece.
The maid, who had let her guard down, bowed and said,
“The young lady is in the west room by Duke order. However, we cannot allow outsiders in without Duke’s permission, so I will briefly ask the young lady and then guide you-”
And then.
“Huh?”
Dylan turned his head towards the familiar tone, yet unfamiliar voice.
“Dylan?”
“…. Miss Hilton?”
Aria and Dylan.
Their eyes met.
