The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

At one point, she looked at me like she was going to kill me, so I suddenly wondered what was wrong with her now. But to avoid being hated, I opened my mouth wide. The soup spoon bit into my open mouth. 

“Be sure to chew, so you don’t get an upset stomach.”

“Yes.”

I smiled wryly at Erica, who had made sure I had soup without eating herself. 

“Thanks.”

“You deserve this, you’re a kid, but next time, you’re on your own. Do you understand?”

“Yum, yum, yum, yes.”

By the time I finished my bowl of soup, there was something else in front of me, and before I could reach for it, my body moved elsewhere.

“Erica, it must be cold, go ahead and eat it. I’ll feed Rafi.”

At some point, Jerome, who had eaten his share of the food, propped me up on his leg and fed me. Duke Panteur’s eyes turned fearsome, but Jerome didn’t care and cut the meat into small pieces for me to eat. 

Being the father of a child, he seemed to know the basics, but being a duke, he could have left the child with someone else, but watching the two of them do, it seemed like a skill honed throughout three meals with the child. 

It was familiar to see the person who had been taking care of the child earlier eating their meal late while the other person take over. 

“Rafi, how is it? Is it delicious?”

“You, mister! It’s tasty.”

“No, not mister. Yeah. Just call me Mister. It’s better that way.”

As I ate the tenderly boiled meat, I made eye contact with Duke Panteur. I smiled at him, but his expression didn’t ease. 

“Does it taste better when you eat while sitting on that guy’s lap?”

“No, it’s, ah, no! I just eat like this. Because I can’t reach otherwise.”

Duke Panteur nodded reluctantly at the answer that I was just eating because I had to. Looking like he could use a little grease, the Duke finished his meal and drank the tea that had been brought in. 

“How does it feel to be here after three years?”

“Not much.”

After answering Duke Panteur’s words in a tasteless voice, Erica looked at me, and when I was about to speak, pushing away the milk I was drinking at her gaze, she spoke first.

“Would you like to talk to me while drinking milk?”

“Mmm, I can’t talk with my mouth full.”

Having been stepped on before I could say anything, Erica sipped her tea and said. 

“That’s what my stepmother used to say.”

“I see. I don’t know.”

Erica looked me over and touched my cheeks, my forehead, my hair, everywhere. Unable to resist her touch, I let her touch my body. After fondling my body for a while, she sighed softly. Then she looked at Duke Panteur.

“Father, what are you going to do with this child, do you intend to keep her here as a guest?”

“I don’t think that’s the right question for you to ask, since you’ve never cared about this place.”

There was a hint of reproach in Duke Panteur’s voice as if he felt slighted by his daughter, whom he hadn’t heard from in three years.

“Then tell me what you’re going to do with this child since I won’t bother you in the future.”

“My daughter!”

“What?”

“I want her as my daughter.”

I blinked at the bombshell statement, sucking on my milk. I felt as if the bomb had hit me directly and killed me. 

“Did you say you want to be a daughter to Father?”

Silence.

I shook my head violently. It had never occurred to me, not even once. 

The words were spoken amongst the aides, but I didn’t care, I was just grateful that this house would allow me to regain my mana and stay until I grew to a certain size. 

“No. Really.”

As I denied it, I looked directly into Erica’s eyes. Then, Erica shifted her gaze toward Duke Panteur.

“Do you mind if I ask why you want her as your daughter?”

“I think I have the same idea as you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I said I feel the same way as you. I couldn’t protect her last time, but I want to protect her this time, even if she’s not really Seraphina.”

Jerome, who was holding me, paused at Duke Panteur’s words. 

“We don’t know her origins, and heaven only knows what will happen to her later. Do you still want to take her in as your daughter after all that?”

“Yes. Even if this child is truly a child of destruction, I want to raise her. If she can wreak havoc on the imperial palace, so much the better, and even if she’s mediocre, I don’t mind.”

Hearing Duke Panteur’s response to Erica’s words, Jerome smiled strangely. It was like he was getting a little hot under the collar.

“If that’s the case, then I consent to this child becoming your daughter and my sister.”

“That is absolutely not allowed!”

Erica insisted, but Jerome shook his head in a veto. Then Duke Panteur’s expression turned fierce.

“I never gave you a say in the matter. This is a family affair, so you’re out of it.”

“I’ve given birth to your only grandson, so I’m part of the family, and I think I have a right to attend the meetings.”

“Don’t use the fact that you have a baby as an excuse to keep getting in the way of our chores.”

“How cute is my little Colin?”

“Of course he is. He’s yours.”

I sighed inwardly as the conversation drifted into the third degree, but focused on the cake when it was served.

Yes, a sweet cake is the best thing for a rainy day like this. 

I was about to eat the cake with my fingers when Jerome grabbed my hand and pulled it down. Then he scooped it up with a fork and fed it to me. 

This was parenting 101, to say the least. Feeding me the cake and wiping my lips with a napkin was not a skill I had practiced once or twice. 

“Jerome, can you tell me why you oppose accepting this child as my father’s daughter?” 

Erica, seeing Jerome hesitate in response to her words, asked in a quiet voice. Upon which, Jerome spoke to me while feeding me cake.

“Because I want her to be my daughter.”

“……”

“Wouldn’t it be better for her to be our daughter rather than someone else’s? Colin seems like he would have a great time too.”

“Jerome, do you want to have a child who resembles my mother as your daughter?”

You two can talk as much as you want. I’ll be busy doing other things.

Although the conversation seemed quite important to others, I didn’t pay much attention. My focus was solely on the orange on the cake. 

While the two were talking, Erica reached out and grabbed my hand as I tried to reach for the orange. Then she wiped my hand with a damp towel and spoke.

“Are you arguing with me for not giving you a daughter?”

“How could I argue with my wife? I’m just saying that Rafi is so cute and I want to take her as my daughter because she looks like your mother and I think you’ll like her too.”

Jerome casually wipes the corner of my mouth where I’m drooling for an orange. As I listened to the two of them talk, I bit my lip. 

I want an orange, people! 

As Jerome scoops up the cake and pops it into my mouth, I push his fork aside and stare longingly at the orange.

“We’ll raise this child here. Besides, if Eugene comes, there will only be men in this house, so it will just smell like a bachelor’s place.”

“But Rafi isn’t an air freshener. If anything, your father can remarry and…”

“Stop it!”

I shouted angrily at Jerome and pushed the plate away, considering that I wouldn’t eat anymore. I glared at Jerome with eyes welled up with tears.

“Stop it! No!”

Shut up and quickly give me the orange!

“Rafi, Duke Panteur is remarrying…”

“No!”

I shouted at him before he could finish his sentence. With a disgruntled expression, I turned away from Jerome and glared at the orange. 

“I’m pissed!”

“You didn’t like that story, no matter how much you want to pout…….”

“Jerome, do you think your father would be happy if he decided to remarry and you supported it? This child would probably have similar feelings.”

Jerome, upon hearing Erica’s words and seeing her warning not to say unnecessary things, awkwardly smiled and made an apologetic expression toward Duke Panteur.

“You’re not even a member of my family, and you’re taking it upon yourself to do my work for me. Don’t you think it’s a little presumptuous, and if Rafi says no, then that’s it.”

“I’m sorry. I got a little carried away with the excitement of being the first to have this opportunity, and I got ahead of myself.”

Duke Panteur glared at Jerome, and Oscar stepped forward and scooped me up into his arms. He then returned me to Duke’s embrace. 

I lost count of the number of times I shifted seats throughout the meal, and then he fed me a creamed orange. I put my hands to my cheeks and smiled at the sweet and sour orange flavor. It was so good, I felt like jumping up and down, and my hips swayed.

“Do you want to pee?”

“Nope.”

The orange was so delicious that my body moved of its own accord, and Duke Panteur stroked my hair. My hair melted like whipped cream. I felt his touch gently as if I were addicted to having my hair stroked. 

“Seraphina loved oranges, too, because she would steal them from me and eat them.”

Instead of asking for more oranges, I never asked others to do it. Instead, I would simply take the oranges placed in front of me and eat them greedily.

“She said it tasted better when she took it from someone else. Even though it was already mine.”

“Yeah, she said the same thing. It tastes better when you take it from someone else. After all, yours is hers.”

A momentary flicker of regret passed over Duke Panteur’s face as if he were remembering the past, and I squeezed his hand. 

“Why are you crying?”

“No, there’s no reason for me to cry over something like this.”

As if questioning when he had ever been sad, I reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.

“Don’t cry, it’s alright. Just forget about it.”

After saying that, I smiled awkwardly in embarrassment. Who am I to say such a thing, when I’m the one who’s leaving this place anyway, and I’m not even part of this family? 

I wiped it down thoroughly and looked ahead again, smiling broadly as I ate my orange. Jerome and Erica nodded at the sight of me. 

“I wanted to take her as my daughter, but I can’t, so I’ll accept her as my sister-in-law.”

“I’m sure our Rafi wouldn’t want to be recognized by you, so don’t say anything stupid, but. Erica, you still stand by what you said earlier.”

“Yes, I still stand by it, and I would rather have a sister than a daughter, for she will be by my father’s side longer than I will.”

With Erica’s final approval, Duke Panteur looked over at me, eating an orange, and gave me a vague smile. 

Gosh, so delicious, this is my favorite, so good!

“Rafi is my daughter…….”

“Like. I like..”