The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Filled with happiness from the ruby, I unknowingly drooled on Grandfather’s expensive clothes. But even so, Grandfather didn’t scold me.

“Son-in-law, it seems our child is happy. Since things turned out the way you wanted, today we’re going to take Rafi to the northern region.”

“Where is the rule that says you can’t be tempted with gems? She’s still young and sees it as something to eat.”

“Oh, well! If the child is happy, then it’s all good. Rafi, don’t you want to go to Grandfather and Grandmother’s house?”

“I like it.”

Lost in the allure of the ruby, I nodded my head and said I liked the gem.

“Look at this. Rafi also wants to go, right?”

“Forgive me for saying this, but Rafi is currently in a state of confusion, so her words about liking the gem are simply that.”

Seeing me drool over the gem, I quickly wiped my mouth with my sleeve when I heard my sister’s voice. Then, I carefully put it in my crossbody bag and closed it.

“Rafi, do you really want to go to Duke Tigris’ place?”

Blinking my eyes, I tilted my head in response to my sister’s question. Then, I looked at my Grandfather and Father. Feeling their intense longing, I sucked on my remaining milk.

“It’s alright, Rafi. Your father isn’t alone here. He has your sister and brother-in-law.”

“But sister and brother are going to…”

As I spoke, Father smiled victoriously, and Grandfather slumped his shoulders.

“Indeed, my daughter is filial…”

“But Grandfather, I also want to visit your house.”

“Is that so? You want to see Grandfather’s house too?”

In an instant, the expressions of the two changed. It was such an amusing sight that I found myself chuckling unintentionally.

“My sister-in-law seems to be playing well with you two noble people.”

“You have to be at least that clever to survive in this world.”

Brother-in-law and Sister displayed extreme changes in their facial expressions as they ate. With a single word from me, someone’s expression plummeted as if descending into hell, while someone else’s face lit up with heavenly bliss.

As I tried to skewer the grilled fish with my fork after having soup and salad, Grandfather personally spread the thorns for me. He wore a pitiful expression as if asking, “Won’t you come home?”

“I want to go to Grandfather’s house… but…”

I glanced at Father, sensing his reaction. As a member of the magical household, I felt the desire to go and see. 

However, I was currently in a position where I had to follow the instructions of my legal guardian. Father let out a soft sigh and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Rafi, if you want to go to Duke Tigris’ place, you can go. However, on the condition that you return within a week.”

“Son-in-law, is that statement true? Oh! As expected, I made a good son-in-law. It feels so refreshing and wonderful.”

That doesn’t seem right.

Until now, they had been stubbornly forbidding me from going. But just because they allowed it once, Grandfather immediately promoted Father, who had been hesitant until yesterday, to the position of a good son-in-law.

“Father, it’s a week. No longer than that, under any circumstances.”

“Well, well, that’s right. I’m quite good at keeping promises. Rafi, let’s finish eating and go straight to Grandfather’s house.”

With that, now that I had obtained legal permission to go to Duke Tigris’ place, I nodded my head. I chuckled happily as I ate the grilled fish that Grandfather had spread the thorns for. 

Seeing me, Grandfather praised me for doing well and patted my head.

“Child, when you go there, Grandmother is there, but she’s having some difficulty moving.”

“Is Grandmother in pain?”

“She’s a little uncomfortable, but maybe if Rafi goes and jokes around, she might feel better.”

Do I have to joke around in front of Grandmother at this age? Joking around isn’t exactly my specialty.

Having been rejected by my mother and hit by my father, I had never had the opportunity to joke around in front of someone. 

When I was young, if I had learned something at school and performed a dance, they found it cute and praised me.

With a whip.

As I had that thought, I shuddered with a creepy feeling. Sensing my unease, Father prepared something in a bag for me after we finished eating.

“What’s that?”

“It’s diapers for you, Rafi. They said you get nervous and need to take a rest when the environment changes.”

“Well, she’s still a young child, so it’s understandable.”

“Yes, Rafi drawing a world map after taking a rest… Well, hmm.”

“Is that so? Oh! As expected, Rafi is surely destined for greatness.”

Please, no!

As I thought about the times I had to take a rest, I felt like I was turning into ashes. My embarrassing past resurfaced, and I let out a sigh.

“Father, when Rafi returns from Duke Tigris’ place, I want to take her to Aquila Duchy.”

“If Rafi starts drawing the world map on her bed and continues to undiscovered continents… let’s postpone it for later.”

How much more will they worry about this rest?

I covered my face with both hands. My face must have turned as red as a ruby. Since I had come this far, they decided to advertise that I had taken a rest throughout the continent.

Although my sister said it would be fine if I left the bed, Father didn’t pay attention to her. In the meantime, Jenny’s packed bags were taken by Grandfather’s aide.

Grandfather’s hand, without a sword, was truly gentle. After softly stroking my face, he hugged me.

“We’re leaving now. There’s no need for a send-off. Just have fun with Duke Aquila and your daughter.”

Having finished his business, Grandfather smiled brightly. Then, Father immediately got up and followed. When we stood by the Warp Gate, Father came closer and kissed my cheek and lips.

“Have a safe journey.”

“Thank you, I’ll be back.”

I received a kiss, so I politely returned the gesture by kissing Father’s cheek. A bright smile appeared on Father’s face. 

It was awkward and nerve-wracking to kiss someone for the first time, but when I saw that Father liked it, my tension eased.

“Rafi, have a safe journey. Next time, let’s go to your sister’s house and eat lots of delicious food and have a great time.”

“Thank you, I will.”

“Sister, I want a kiss too.”

“Brother-in-law, give the kiss to my sister.”

Although my brother-in-law extended his cheek, I pushed his cheek with my hand, directing it toward my sister. Before his lips could touch my sister’s, Father’s hand stopped him.

“How dare you try to kiss my daughter’s face in front of me? Did you forget your place?”

“Father, we’re married. Kissing each other is part of our daily life.”

“Oh, forget it. No public displays of affection here. If you don’t like it, you can quickly go back to your home.”

It was quite entertaining to see them argue like that. Seeing that, Grandfather patted my back.

“I think it’s all because of our child that we can see this kind of scene. From what I know, Duke Panteur hasn’t even mixed a word with Duke Aquila.”

Grandfather smiled broadly at the positive changes I brought about.

“Grandfather, I’m sleepy.”

“Alright, go and rest quickly.”

After finishing the meal, I felt so sleepy that I snuggled up to Grandfather’s chest. Though he didn’t have the same firmness and plumpness as Father, I felt a sense of comfort. 

I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking I had fallen asleep in his embrace, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a place I had never seen before.

Blinking my eyes, I wondered where I was. 

As I got up and looked around, someone entered the room. I quickly got off the bed and picked up the bag, feeling guarded as I awkwardly smiled.

“Oh my! You’re awake now.”

“Uh, um, hello. Rafi here. I’m three years old. Nice to meet you.”

As I greeted her as usual, the young woman in front of me smiled brightly.

“Oh, how adorable you are! My name is Helena. I’m the wife of Rafi’s cousin, so calling me ‘sister’ would be appropriate. Hohoho.”

“Cousin’s wife?”

“Yes, I’m the wife of the son of Aunt Seraphina’s brother.”

Helena playfully poked my cheek and exclaimed. She continued to pinch and stretch my cheek, repeatedly saying, “Oh my, how adorable!” 

“Wow, your cheek stretches so much. It’s too cute. Just like they say, daughters are different from sons. Come on, Rafi, try calling me ‘sister.'”

“Sister?”

“Well, your pronunciation isn’t perfect yet, but it sounds nice in its way.”

Helena seemed so delighted by such a trivial thing. She smiled and hugged me before quickly leaving the room.

“Where is Grandfather?”

“He’s gone to see Grandmother. He went out and is currently greeting her. Rafi, would you like to go there too?”

“Yes, I want to go. With the new sister.”

“Okay, let’s go together then.”

Helena kept touching her cheek against mine and pouting as if to say, “Oh, how nice.” It seemed like my cheek would never be left alone today.

“Oh my, the young lady brought her! How remarkable… Oh, how much she resembles young Seraphina.”

“Of course she does, she is his aunt’s daughter.”

As a man I didn’t recognize approached, Helena smiled and replied, 

“Rafi, this person is Harold, the butler of the Tigress Duchy.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Rafi. My name is Harold. I’m glad you came here.”

Harold’s eyes were solely focused on me. It felt like my very being was melting into his blue eyes. 

His clear and transparent eyes gradually became even clearer, until something got stuck in them. Tiny droplets adhered to his eyes before eventually rolling down.

“Hello. I’m Rafi, three years old. Please don’t cry.”

“Oh dear, I made a mistake in front of the young lady. As you said, I won’t cry.”

I didn’t have a handkerchief with me, so I reached out and wiped away Harold’s tears with my hand. As I did, his eyes curved into a gentle smile.

“Thank you, my precious young lady. Now, where are you going?”

“Umm, I’m going to meet Grandfather and go with the new sister.”

“I see. Allow me to guide you then. Please follow me.”

Harold, who wiped his tears with his handkerchief, guided me to where Grandfather was. Throughout the journey, people looked at me with strange eyes, and whenever our eyes met, they quickly lowered their heads.

“Rafi, are you strange? They keep looking because you’re so adorable.”

Helena held onto her long blonde hair and playfully teased. In response, I giggled, and Helena smiled even more.

“Over there, your grandfather and grandmother are waiting.”

It was a separate building with a view of the Tigress Duchy’s garden. As I stood in front of the closed door, I withdrew my hand and gently knocked.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

When I made a knocking sound with my mouth, Helena laughed and ruffled my hair, finding it incredibly cute. Harold, on the other hand, held his left chest, indicating that he also had a condition.

Although I knocked, there was no response from inside, so I quickly looked at Helena.

“Please try again.”

“Again?”

“If Rafi knocks once more, the door will open.”

“Hee-hee, again. It’s bright outside… Knock, knock.”

As I knocked for the second time, the door opened, revealing Grandfather.

“Peekaboo!”

“Grandpa!”

I held onto Grandfather’s pants and called out to him, and he immediately lifted me in his arms.

“Oh, Helena is here too.”

“Yes, Rafi wanted to see Grandfather, so I brought her. It’s a shame I couldn’t have a daughter like her. How lovely she is.”

Helena, who had been playfully touching my cheek, entered the room that remained dimly lit despite being a place for people. Even if there were healthy people, it felt like a place that could suddenly become a land of illness. 

And there, someone lay on the bed. 

When she saw me, her black eyes filled with kindness, and tears flowed down her face, accompanied by a gentle smile.

“My dear, it seems our Seraphina has come to fetch me. My dear, let’s go together. This time, even if Mother has to die, she’ll protect you.”