My Mom Has Been Possessed

Chapter 25
Getting to know you (1)

 

While Lennon and Aria were talking seriously,

Luke and Bonita were in the playroom together.

And what they were doing in the playroom was-

“Hmm, that’s hard.”

Throwing darts.

“Wow! I hit it again!”

“Bonita is much better than Dad.”

Bonita jumped up and down in excitement when the dart she threw from almost right in front of her nose landed close to the center. Her cheeks turned bright red.

“Want to try again?”

“Yes.”

Bonita, who had gained confidence, walked confidently.

“This time, I’m going to try this far back.”

“Okay. You can do it.”

Luke, now completely serious, clenched his fists and cheered Bonita on.

Bonita’s short arms were thrown back. Her ears peeking out from between her hair perked up.

“Ah!”

The dart was finally thrown.

The magnetic dart flew around, flitting, and soon landed in the 5-point space on the dartboard. Bonita looked disappointed.

“I only got 5 point.”

“Really? Then do you want to do it again?”

“No. It’s the Duke’s turn this time. We have to play fair!”

“Hmm. That’s right. As expected of the daughter of the Duke Lysianthus, you has an upright and honest personality.”

Luke stood at the starting line, praising Bonita with a pleased expression. The dart shot out of his hand.

“Oh no, it missed again.”

WHACK.

The magnetic tip landed right next to the dartboard with a scary sound.

Bonita looked at Luke with a suspicious look.

“Are you really serious at playing?”

“… Uh, huh?”

Luke made an excuse, sweating profusely at the sharp observation.

“Of course. Dad is good at swordsmanship, so I’m not good at throwing things.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Bonita’s mood brightened again at Luke’s words. She smiled brightly, enjoying the victory that had come to her.

Luke was also happy.

He thought back to the advice he had received from his servant before he had playtime with Bonita.

“Do you plan on just sitting around drinking tea with lady for an hour? Do something physical.”

“… Something physical?”

“Yes. There are many things, right? Darts, running, horseback riding.”

“But what if my fragile daughter gets hurt while playing something like that!”

“No! And you need to play sports to get along quickly!”

“Well, he was definitely a useful person.”

Just as Ed had said, it was the right choice to play with Bonita.

The awkwardness she had shown when she met Luke had disappeared from Bonita’s face. She had quickly adapted to him.

“Do you want to play another round of darts?”

“Hmm, I think we should do something else.”

At Luke’s suggestion, Bonita said with a serious face.

“If this continues, I will continue to win, but then it will be no fun for you, Duke.”

“Cough!”

“Duke?”

“Ahem, ah, it’s nothing.”

Luke covered his mouth and shouted inwardly.

‘So cute!’

She was really, so cute that he couldn’t help it. He absentmindedly tried to hit the wall, but stopped himself for fear of the pillar collapsing.

Instead, he picked up a cute cup of cocoa and sipped it. The bitter taste with less sugar was just his taste.

He cleared his throat and tried to keep a straight face.

‘I can’t. Bonita is serious and I shouldn’t be laughing.’

‘Yeah. This is a serious game.’

He gathered his courage and asked Bonita with a serious face.

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Um, um, um…”

Bonita, who was also holding a cup of cocoa, thought about it.

What games can the two of them play?

It was a question that children at this age could easily answer. But it wasn’t for Bonita.

In the first place, she rarely played with anyone. Even with the darts she had just finished, she had to listen to Luke’s explanation because she didn’t know the rules at first.

“What do you usually play?”

“Usually…”

Bonita thought about ‘usually’.

When Aria left after finishing a late breakfast, Bonita waited for her mother all day. During that time, she usually cleaned the window frames or went grocery shopping.

But you can’t call it ‘play’. Bonita thought for a moment, then came up with one thing.

“I read books or draw pictures.”

“Books? Can you read?”

Luke was surprised at Bonita’s answer. He didn’t expect Bonita, who grew up among the commoners, to know how to read, unless she was of noble birth.

Bonita blushed slightly.

She was embarrassed to admit that she didn’t know how to read.

She said in a crawling voice.

“That’s not it.”

“Then you’ve seen the painting.”

“That’s a little different, too”

Bonita shook her head.

“When mother read books to me sometimes, I memorized them. Then I can imagine what the story is in each picture.”

“Memorized books? That’s so great?”

Luke was surprised.

Of course, the books Bonita had memorized were probably children’s storybooks at best. Even a young child could easily memorize them if they listened to it repeatedly.

However, most parents tend to think that even a child’s small accomplishments are big. Luke twitched his lips and thought,

‘My daughter is actually a genius?’

In his imagination, Bonita was already the top student admitted to the Imperial Academy’s Department of Political Science. No, she was smart, so she might become a magician.

‘First, I should buy a lot of books.’

He was still bringing in toys and play equipment for children, but he had not yet purchased picture books or educational books.

He began adding various words to the list in his head.

He had no intention of forcing her to study since she was still young, but he still planned to teach her simple arithmetic and essential etiquette separately.

‘Wow, scary face.’

Bonita shivered when she saw Luke’s smirking expression.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Luke was so lost in thought that he did not notice Bonita’s expression properly.

Then there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

“I brought some snacks. Would you like some?”

“Wow!”

Bonita’s eyes shot open.

She had been eating sweet snacks every day since she came to the Duke’s residence, but she never got tired of them no matter how much she ate.

“Come in.”

After Luke gave permission, Ed brought in a tray. It was piled high with colorful desserts, a bit exaggerated.

Bonita swallowed hard. Ed laughed to himself at the sight, then turned his gaze to the board where the darts were stuck here and there.

‘Crazy.’

Except for the darts that Bonita had clearly put in, the rest were mostly stuck to the wall. Ed was horrified.

It was fortunate that the child wasn’t crying.

‘You’re actually quite a strong-hearted, young lady.’

It seemed like the bloodline didn’t go anywhere.

Ed watched Bonita take a bite of an eclair with sparkling eyes, then checked his watch.

It had been an hour since they had been together in the room. He tilted his head.

Luke asked,

“Ed, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, that”

Ed thought for a moment and said.

“Miss Hilton said she’d be back in an hour, but I thought she was a little late.”

“… What do you mean, an hour?”

Luke checked the time and looked surprised. He literally lost track of time.

He awkwardly touched the corner of his mouth. It had been a long time since he had felt this happy since Elodie died.

“Where is Miss Aria?”

“She went out for a walk alone… and she hasn’t come back yet.”

“That woman?”

Luke frowned. Aria Hilton was a woman who never left Bonita’s side.

Of course, it was the same for Bonita, but anyway, it was quite unusual for her to leave the child behind and wander outside.

“I’ll go….”

Luke was about to say he’ll look for her, but stopped as he stood up.

‘… Why should I?’

Aria Hilton, why did it matter if she was late or not? It seemed better if she was late, because he could spend more time with Bonita.

“Ed, go look for her.”

“Understood.”

“Excuse me, Duke.”

As Edgar bowed and was about to leave, Bonita spoke, lightly grabbing Luke’s sleeve.

His expression immediately relaxed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to go look for her too.”

Bonita spoke in a slightly uncertain voice.

“It’s already so dark outside. What if you get lost?”

Aria probably wouldn’t have gone outside the mansion, but considering the size of the Duke’s estate, it was quite possible.

The rose garden, in particular, was almost like a maze. To someone seeing it for the first time, it was like that.

“…….”

Not to that woman, though.

Luke thought about Aria’s face and got lost in thought. However, he didn’t think long.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

If Bonita asked him for something, he would naturally want to grant it.

Even if it was a request to find a woman he didn’t like.

He stood up first and waited for Bonita to get up from her seat. Bonita quickly stepped down from the large sofa, her footsteps clicking on the footrest made for children.

“Shall we go out?”

“Yes.”

Luke’s gaze turned to Bonita’s adorable hand.

I want to grab it. He wanted to hold on her hands, but…

‘It’s too early, right?’

Even though they had become quite close in the past hour, Bonita still called him ‘Duke’.

It was embarrassing to ask her to call him ‘Dad’ separately. Besides, it felt like he was forcing her to do it, so he didn’t like it.

Luke wiggled his fingers, then sighed and smiled.

‘We have plenty of time.’

He could just approach her slowly.

He wanted to be considerate of Bonita and gradually seeped into the child’s life.

The moment he thought that and started to walk.

Bonita grabbed Luke’s index finger.

Luke’s eyes widened.