The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

When they received their caramels, they popped them all into their mouths under Duke Panteur’s gaze.

“This so delicious, thanks to you, my lady, may I have one more?”

Vance gulped. 

“No. I only have one.”

When I finished, there was only one left. I didn’t give it to him. I looked at the caramel and my mouth watered. I quickly melted the caramel in my mouth and was about to eat a new one when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“And I?”

It was Duke Panteur. I realized that I had given it to everyone else, but not to Duke Panteur. I turned around and his blue eyes bored into me. 

“I only have one.”

As I held the caramel in both hands, I cautiously observed Duke Panteur’s reaction. This time I displayed a childlike attachment to the caramel, being mindful of the Duke’s presence.

“You didn’t give me any.”

“Okay…?”

“Me?”

As Duke Panteur’s blue eyes shimmered with an intense light, I swallowed nervously. This caramel was indeed made in Duke Panteur’s household, so it was rightfully his. With that in mind, I closed my eyes tightly and extended the caramel toward Duke Panteur.

“This.”

I would ask Agape to make me another one later. I was about to place the caramel in Duke Panteur’s hand, but before I could, his hand grabbed my wrist. Tugging on my blunt wrist, he popped the caramel into his mouth. 

I blinked as I realized that I had inadvertently fed him a caramel. When he saw me, he smirked and held out something. I stared at the transparent golden stone and scratched my head.

“What is this?”

“A pumpkin.”

But why is he showing me this? Duke Panteur smirked.

“I picked it up on the way here, between the garden seats. I give it to you, Rafi.”

I smiled at Duke Panteur as he thrust the yellow pumpkin into my hand. Then I threw my short arms around his neck as wide as I could.

“Brother!”

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re still a child at heart with your desires. It’s better to not hide them and let them show. Ahem!”

I giggled as I felt the Duke’s hand on my back. Resting my chin on his shoulder, I smiled at the pumpkin in my hand. I savored the taste of snow in Duke Panteur’s blind spot. 

“It’s completely different from the way it is with the young lady and master. The two of them were completely reserved.”

Beside him, Vance shrugged. Duke Panteur glared at him, then patted me on the back.

“What’s so good about one cheap pumpkin that you’re giggling behind my back?”

Duke Panteur doesn’t have a blind spot; he has eyes in the back of his head. I quickly unwrapped my hand from his neck and bowed with a wry smile. 

“Thank you, big brother.”

“Okay, okay, now go back to bed, because I told you that children need to eat, sleep, and wrap up.”

Well, yes, of course. 

Having eaten, it was my turn to go to bed, and I was led out of the room into the waiting arms of Jenny. 

“Miss, is it time for a diaper change?”

“Nope. Not diapered.”

Once in the room, Jenny laid me down on the bed like a newborn and pulled down the diaper. Seeing the diaper in the same fluffy state as the first, she nodded and smirked.

“Do you need to rest?”

“Mmm, I need to pee.”

I knew I had to get the water out of my bladder beforehand or I’d make another mistake, so I took a quick dump on the toilet and was about to get into bed, but before I could, the water spirit bit me in the mouth.

“I saw you eating caramel earlier. Didn’t I tell you that you should always clean your mouth before bed?”

I had never heard my mom nagging me to brush my teeth and wash my face before bed, so when I heard my friends whine about how they didn’t want to hear nagging, I let it go. But here I was, being nagged by Jenny.

After three minutes, I spit out the water spirit and tasted strawberries in my mouth. I had asked for the mint flavor because I thought it tasted like an adult, but it was strawberry. I smirked and grabbed the hem of Jenny’s dress. 

“Why, is there something you want to tell me?”

“Mama.”

“What?”

“Mom.”

Without realizing it, I looked at Jenny and called her mom. For a moment, Jenny’s face flushed slightly and she shook her head.

“How can I be your mommy, my dear, do you miss your mommy a lot?”

“No. I don’t want to see her.”

To tell you the truth, I couldn’t remember seeing my mom’s face properly. The faces of the moms who had run away from me were already blurred.

“Ugh! I don’t know who your mom is, but she must have been so happy to have you.”

No, she didn’t. She couldn’t. The first mom couldn’t survive my dad’s abuse and ran away alone. 

The second mom abandoned me when she ran away with the government.

If she had given birth to me and loved me, she would have at least not run away and left me in a living hell. Feeling bad just thinking about her, I buried my face in Jenny’s chest, and she rubbed my back.

“Lullaby, lullaby, my baby, good night, my baby.”

My eyelids slowly began to grow heavy with Jenny’s lullaby. Leaning against Jenny’s chest, I drifted off into a sweet lullaby. 

* * *

“I’m sorry, but I can’t eat one…”

Rafi said in her deep sleep, and the adorable Jenny tucked her into bed. It was cute and salty at the same time, as Rafi mumbled in her sleep about how much it hurt that she didn’t get to eat the caramel.

“I feel like you’ve been abandoned by your mom. Oh my God, so you were abandoned by your mom and abused by your dad? Ugh. I can’t believe this.”

Jenny was right about Rafi’s past, though she kept it to herself.

“You said you don’t remember it, but it’s in your subconscious.”

She stroked Rafi’s silver hair. Then a smile began to spread across the child’s face.

“I like being pampered. Hehe.”

Jenny sighed softly at the sight of a child so hungry for love. The child was very fragile, like a pudding that was so soft and fluffy that it would crumble with the slightest force. It was unacceptable to abandon such a child and beat her. 

After watching Rafi sleep for a while, Jenny jumped out of her seat when someone came into the room. 

“Welcome. My lord.”

Jenny backed away slightly from the bed, her head bowed, recognizing Duke Panteur, who had been making frequent appearances here lately. 

“Where is Rafi?”

“She just fell asleep.”

She was pretty when she smiled and spoke with her stuttering accent, but when she slept, it was like watching an angel, and Duke Panteur looked down at Rafi, wondering if this was what an angel who lost her wings looked like. 

He smiled when he realized that Rafi was asleep, clutching the pumpkin he’d given her. When he saw Rafi’s world come crashing down around her while she gave him the last caramel, he brought her a basket full of caramels. 

But Rafi, who had fallen asleep, didn’t realize it. With the basket of caramels on her bedside table, Duke Panteur sat up in bed and patted the little hand, and Seraphina’s grip on the pumpkin tightened. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Rafi’s eyes widened and she jerked away as if to pout. The quilt was disheveled, and Duke Panteur tucked the child in himself.

“And the diaper?”

“I didn’t fill it before bed, because I thought she was getting frustrated.”

Duke Panteur never scolded the child, even when she needed a break from sleeping, and made a mess of her bed. The book said it was a natural mistake that children often make, and that hitting or scolding a child indiscriminately can be emasculating or traumatizing and can be a lifelong memory.

“Oh, no… Huufh, Dad… Please don’t hit me… I’m sorry… Mom, please don’t abandon me. Please…”

Duke Panteur, who had been recalling the contents of the book, frowned when he heard Rafi’s sleep talk.

“My goodness, it must be real, I was thinking about this earlier when she said she didn’t want to see her mom, but how could she abandon such a cute daughter?”

Jenny sighed, unable to help but feel for her, even though it was someone else’s child.

“How irresponsible. If she’s going to throw her away, why have her? Why have a child you can’t take responsibility for?”

Duke Panteur could not bear to see Rafi stirring in her sleep, so he held her and soothed her back. Then the child’s trembling began to subside. The little one, who didn’t know any better, pressed her face against his chest.

She seemed to be unconsciously searching for his chest. Duke Panteur gently laid Rafi down, now somewhat comfortable with her breathing. He held her small hand in his, feeling the pain of what must have happened to a child who looked so much like her, perhaps even a reincarnation of her. 

“Take good care of Rafi, you will be her exclusive maid from now on.”

“Yes! I understand, and thank you for appointing me as her servant. My lord.”

Although Rafi was not yet on the family’s rolls, she was already considered the youngest lady. When Duke Panteur left Jenny in charge of Rafi, the room was filled with warmth. 

“My dear young lady, don’t be ill in the future. I know your beautiful brother will be a wonderful father one day.”

Duke Panteur was indifferent to children. He never rejoiced when one of his own was born. 

He never raised them himself. But at least he didn’t beat them or verbally abuse them. For that alone, Jenny was grateful, and she kissed Rafi’s sleeping forehead lightly.

* * *

As spring slowly turned to summer, I decided I couldn’t stay inside forever, so when Jenny went to the bathroom, I hastily stuffed my crossbody bag with candy and other goodies. I didn’t want to run out of sugar in the middle of the day. 

Unable to do anything with Jenny all day, I snuck off to the gardens, which belonged to Duke Panteur and were off-limits to the hired help.

After looking around, I quickly ducked behind a tree and strained my hands and feet. When I had regained some strength, I grabbed the tree and climbed up. Drawing on my history of climbing up drawers to give Jenny work, I reached the top of the crooked tree and looked down.

As an adult, it was nothing, but as a child, it seemed dwarfed. But I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. 

For some time now, I’ve been gradually feeling mana in my body. Therefore, it seemed that I could use magic to some extent now. 

I focused my mind to perform a fly spell, the foundation of wind-based magic. With my eyes still closed, I leaped from the branch into the gentle breeze and shouted, 

“Fly!”

It was only right that I floated back up. So I opened my closed eyes. 

“Wow, I’m floating.”

I grinned in delight, wondering if I’d finally gotten the magic right, but my body wouldn’t budge. When I turned around to see what was wrong, I realized that my clothes were hanging from a branch, and I hadn’t fallen. 

“Ah! No!”

Hanging my head low, I scrambled to free myself, but all I could do was shake like the last leaf. Just when I thought I was going to have to wait for someone else to come along, I felt a tug. 

I blinked at the stranger, frozen in place by the sight of him. When the man saw me, he smiled and said. 

“Hmm? Looks like there’s a rice cake with sweet bean filling on the trees in this garden.”

No!