The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Just quietly listening to the words of my brother-in-law, Father, and Duke Tigris, it was strangely amusing. I couldn’t help but chuckle without realizing it. 

The situation where the three generations gathered was only interesting. My sister seemed to feel the same way as me, so she smiled and nodded.

Among the five dukes of Savannah, there were as many as three who were talking, and they all seemed childish. 

“Darling, let’s go to our house. Grandfather will pile up jewels for you.”

“Father, please don’t tempt the child with jewels. It’s a bad habit.”

“It’s okay if our granddaughter has some bad habits. Look at Eugene. I’m so frustrated because you’re so tight on him.”

Duke Tigris, who was talking about Eugene, squeezed my cheek.

“So you’ve been in contact with Eugene.”

“Of course. He’s my daughter’s son. Although it was unfortunate that he didn’t follow the path of a magician.”

“I guess everyone has their path. Even looking at Mother, who was born in a magician’s household and became a knight…”

“You should shut up!”

At my brother-in-law’s words, Father and Duke Tigris agreed for the first time. And then my brother-in-law twitched his shoulder.

It’s understandable because Father, who can be considered the best knight of the Savannah Empire, seemed like he could burst into flames at any moment. Duke Tigris also became visibly agitated, as if he were about to explode.

“Don’t interrupt when adults are talking, just go out.”

“I’m also an adult… but I’m young, so I’ll go out. With my sister. Since both of you are fighting, it’s not good for my sister’s education.”

Jerome, who gave a plausible reason, took me away from Duke Tigris’ embrace.

“Sister, let’s go, say bye to Grandfather and Father.”

“Yes, bye-bye.”

As I waved my hand at the two bewildered people, I nestled in Jerome’s embrace and we left. 

The gaze of the people in the reception room was unsettling as soon as we stepped out. The chief advisors of three noble families looked at us with focused eyes, as if asking what happened.

“As soon as you enter, it means you’re prepared to die. If anyone wants to commit suicide, the door is open at any time.”

At my brother-in-law’s words, the heads of the people in front shook from side to side. After a moment of silence, tremendous heat was felt from inside the reception room. 

It seemed like we would be burned alive if we just went in.

“Now, what should we do, sister?”

“Uhm, whoah!”

Come to think of it, I didn’t take a nap today. That’s probably why I yawned and shed a few tears without realizing it. 

As the tension eased, I slumped into my brother-in-law’s embrace. Then my sister looked at me and forcefully pulled me away from Jerome’s embrace.

“Sister, would you like to see my room?”

“Yes.”

I cuddled in my sister’s arms and looked at her room for the first time. The room, adorned with pure and clean white and lively pink, was so inviting that it felt uncomfortable to sit in.

“Is this your room, Sister?”

“Yes, it’s the room I used before going to Aquila Duchy. How do you like it? It’s the room that Mother decorated for me.”

“It’s pretty.”

It was truly beautiful. It was a room that even teenagers would love. As I looked around the room, I yawned again. I tried to fight off sleep, but it wasn’t as easy as I intended. 

“Sister, I’m sleepy, you know.”

My head naturally drooped, leaning on my sister’s shoulder.

“Sleepy? Then, shall we sleep together tonight? Sister is also tired from suddenly coming here.”

“Uhm, let’s sleep with Rafi, whoah!”

Chasing away sleep from a child was the most difficult task in the world. So what could I do? I had to go along with instinct. 

It was a child’s instinct to sleep when sleepy and to go to the bathroom when they needed to go. So I didn’t try to force myself against instinct. 

Becoming increasingly lazy with the bothersome world, I nestled in my sister’s embrace and fell into a drowsy sleep.

* * *

When Rafi fell asleep with Erica, Jerome covered them with a blanket and smiled playfully. 

However, after Rafi left, the reception room became uncomfortably silent, filled with a chilly atmosphere. A considerable amount of time had passed, and there was no conversation between the two remaining individuals. 

Duke Tigris immediately used magic to heat the tea and started drinking.

“What was the reason for accepting that child as your daughter?”

It was Duke Tigris who asked the question that should have been asked from the beginning. Duke Panteur, sipping on the now lukewarm tea, responded.

“I wanted to protect her, at least this time.”

“It’s not because you wanted to raise her to resemble our Seraphina and eat her, right?”

“I’m not that crazy. I will raise her well, protect her, and ensure she doesn’t shed any tears. I want to give her the happiness I received from Seraphina way back until the day I die.”

At Duke Panteur’s words, Duke Tigris chewed on his lip. Perhaps they were both guilty of not fully providing the love Seraphina deserved. And they couldn’t even bid her a proper farewell.

It was an unavoidable situation, but many people had been hurt and were unable to recover from it.

That’s why everyone wanted to give the love they couldn’t properly give to Seraphina to little Rafi. No matter what happened, they wanted to protect her.

“Well, that’s… “

Duke Tigris dried his face with a towel and roughly brushed his hair. When he removed his hand, the few remaining strands of hair naturally fell back into place.

“Although Rafi may not have Tigris’ bloodline, I still consider her as Seraphina’s child…”

“That child is indeed my daughter’s child. So let’s just keep it that way.”

The issue of Rafi’s lineage was resolved with this. Since even Duke Tigris referred to Rafi as the child of his daughter, there was no room for interference from the royal family or the temple.

“By the way, I want to take that child to our house.”

“That’s not possible.”

“That child has the potential to become a magician. So I want to bring her to our house and let her study.”

“I, as her father, cannot permit that. Just studying for a day or two doesn’t make one a magician.”

Even after studying for decades, it was uncertain whether someone would become a magician or not. That’s why Duke Panteur didn’t want to hand his daughter over to Duke Tigris.

“Didn’t my chief advisor say anything? There is certainly potential.”

“Are you trying to force her to become a magician? Just like how knights swing their swords for decades, the child should be free to do what she wants. I want to let Rafi live freely, pursuing what she desires.”

If the child wanted to become a knight, Duke Panteur would provide knight training. If she simply wanted to live a carefree life, he would support that as well. Therefore, he refused Duke Tigris’ suggestion.

In the gloomy atmosphere, discussions about Rafi’s education suddenly ensued. Duke Panteur repeatedly blocked Duke Tigris’ attacks, who stubbornly insisted on a magician. 

Duke Panteur only shook his head.

“That’s fine. Let’s allow the child to do as she wishes, and she should also be sent to our house. That way, the people in the palace and the temple will believe that she is the child of my daughter.”

“That’s not pos—”

“Son-in-law, is it not possible?”

At the unheard-of title, Duke Panteur clenched his fist tightly under the table. Duke Tigris had never acknowledged Duke Panteur as his son-in-law, even when he married Seraphina. And today was the first day Duke Tigris had come to Duke Panteur’s residence.

They had kept their distance from each other, and now, only when the issue of the child arose, did Duke Tigris refer to Duke Panteur as his son-in-law. 

If he had called him that earlier, Seraphina would have lived a little more peacefully and happily in her lifetime.

With a bitter laugh, Duke Panteur spoke, 

“You don’t have to call me son-in-law. Since this is your first time here, take your rest and leave. I have things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

As Duke Panteur stood up from his seat, Duke Tigris, who was left alone, let out a wry smile and continued drinking his tea.

“Was this place really that great? I told you not to choose a man based on appearances alone, didn’t I?”

When his five-year-old daughter said she liked fourteen-year-old Joshua Panteur, he had sternly told her that it wouldn’t work. But then she severed ties with her family and household and had come to this place.

“When you said you were getting married, I thought I would at least come to see your face…”

To his disappointment, his youngest daughter had become the first handful of dirt before her parents. When Duke Tigris heard the news of his daughter’s death, he fainted, and moisture clung to the corners of his eyes.

“My child… Did I send you away because I was afraid we would suffer from guilt and pain if you died?”

It would have been fine if their estranged daughter hadn’t come home. Duke Tigris had felt relieved from a distance while hearing news about her. 

But now, a single tear rolled down Duke Tigris’ cheek.

If only he had known she would go to the afterlife, he would have let her do as she wished. 

Duke Tigris, who hadn’t been able to give his daughter the peace of mind she desired, sighed as he drank his tea, tears mixing in. Every time he thought of his daughter, Duke Tigris regretted it to the point of wanting to die. 

As soon as he finished his tea, he stood up as if asking when he had ever cried. Then, he came outside and said, 

“It’s my grandchildren’s house, so I’m going to bed. So make your arrangements.”

* * *

In one household, there were three dukes, and this strange phenomenon unfolded before my eyes. It was a slightly early morning, and as I washed my face and got dressed, I yawned.

“Child, come here.”

At the call of Duke Tigris, the oldest and most dignified among the three dukes, I hurriedly ran to him.

“Grandpa, did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I slept deeply because I wanted to see our child. Ah! How can manners be so important?”

Duke Tigris hugged me tightly and gently stroked my cheeks. Seeing that, my brother-in-law grabbed his heart and let out a sigh.

“Not even able to catch the first bite of the morning rice cake. How pitiful.”

“Jerome, you caught the last rice cake of the night, so let’s be reasonable.”

After seeing my brother-in-law and sister, I waved at my father.

“Rafi, Duke Tigris needs to have breakfast, so come over…”

“Son-in-law, since I don’t know when I might die, I want to spend more time with my granddaughter.”

My father’s brows slightly furrowed at the word “son-in-law” and then relaxed.

“Father, don’t worry. I think you’ll have a long life drawing murals.”

Watching the two people engaged in a tug-of-war over me, I drank my milk. I drank it with a loud slurp, and then Duke Tigris reached out with something.

“What is this?”

“… It’s jelly. You must like this.”

As soon as I saw the red stone that only covered an adult’s fingernail, my eyes widened. I knew it wasn’t jelly, but Duke Tigris laughed like a child, wondering what was so good about it.

“That is… not allowed!”

Even though my father’s voice echoed in my ears, my eyes were already fixed on the red gem.

“It’s called a ruby. You can’t eat it, but you can buy things to eat with it. I didn’t have time to prepare a gift for my granddaughter because I came in a hurry. So, take this instead.”

Duke Tigris, who gave me a ruby on our first meeting, or rather, now a wealthy grandfather, looked at me with a triumphant smile.

“Child, this is for…”

“No! Rafi, don’t be tempted by such things!”

Although my father’s voice resounded in my ears, I was already fixated on the red gem.

“It’s a ruby. It’s a gift. Our Seraphina, no, your nickname is Rafi. Rafi, I’m giving this to you.”

With my trembling hand that was tensed with excitement, Grandfather placed the ruby in my palm. 

Holding the sparkling red ruby, I jumped around and tightly hugged Grandfather, shouting with joy.

“Thank you! It’s so pretty!”