The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

When I called Aiden a fool, he stiffened his face as if his pride had been hurt. But I didn’t care and said what I wanted to say.

With years of experience in romance novels, I had a pretty good grasp of other people’s relationships. So that day, I explained in detail to Aiden what love is all about.

At first, he pretended not to listen, but at some point, he took out a notebook and started taking notes. Although my pronunciation was off at times, it seemed like he had no problem understanding the lecture.

“So, I have to recognize when a woman turns away? Sometimes, even if she doesn’t express it in front of me, she expresses it when she turns away, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then I’ll have to observe while hiding.”

“Uhm!”

“And it’s not just women, but men also need to marry someone who loves them. Otherwise, they’ll keep stirring the ham and end up burning it.”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

I looked at Aiden’s notepad and underlined it with a red colored pencil.

“But, by the way, does the little brat, I mean, Aunt, understand what you’re saying?”

When I told him that this was the important point, Aiden smiled and asked. 

I hesitated at his question.

Should I say that I underlined it just because I liked the letter?

“Well, you don’t know, but Aunt understands Ancient Language too. I haven’t been scolded by the teacher recently. Aunt taught me.”

“What? Does Aunt know Ancient Language? That can’t be true.”

Yeah, I didn’t expect that Ancient Language would be in Korean due to the rules of romance novels in this neighborhood.

Shaking my head, I shrugged my shoulders. Then, when I said I was sleepy, Jaden immediately hugged me. 

As I walked outside with Jaden, I looked at Aiden and said,

“Let’s meet tomorrow. Nephew.”

* * *

I always slept next to Grandma, no matter what. She liked it that way. Being the perfect, pretty, and cute granddaughter, I started the day with teasing.

“Rafi, let’s live together with Grandma for a long, long time.”

“By the way, Grandma, lend me this, please.”

It was Grandma’s handkerchief. Despite being in pain, she had embroidered it little by little. 

“Oh, our granddaughter only needs to ask, and I will lend it to you. Just take everything.”

Taking the widest handkerchief that Grandma gave me, I wrapped it around my head. 

Then, after eating something I received from Grandpa yesterday, I looked at my reflection in the pond near the lake.

“Wow, it’s fascinating.”

The gold changed into auburn. Having taken a potion to change the color of my eyes, I headed straight for the garden. 

Then, leaving behind the people following me, I secretly observed a woman who came alone.

With her jet-black hair and obsidian-like eyes, she was looking at a specific spot. The woman, who looked at Aiden’s direction with a longing gaze, smiled faintly.

If she liked him that much, she should go and say a word or two. 

Thinking that, I popped out as if I knew nothing, looking at the woman who seemed to have a secret crush. But I tripped and fell to the ground.

Oops, it hurts unexpectedly.

I almost let out a curse as I fell, but I managed to hold it in. Instead, I looked at the woman in front of me. 

After our eyes met, she exclaimed, “Oh!” and hurriedly helped me up.

“Oh my goodness, sweetheart, are you hurt? Does it hurt?”

The woman examined me from head to toe and carefully brushed off the dirt on my clothes.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re such a brave child. It must hurt a lot.”

The woman, looking at me with a very admiring expression, scanned the surroundings. 

There was a hint of anxiety in her eyes when she realized that there was no one watching over me. But I had expected this and deliberately kept the people away.

“Don’t you have any accompanying adults?”

“No, I came here by myself.”

“Oh, I see. Did you get lost? Should I help you find your parents?”

“No, my mom isn’t here, and my dad isn’t here either.”

It was true that my mom was not here, and since my dad wasn’t here either, it was accurate to say they were not here. 

It meant that my parents weren’t here, but I thought of it as them being on a secret mission. The woman hugged me tightly and patted my back.

“In that case, you must be the servant’s child. You must have been lost while they were looking for you. I’ll help you find the person who came with you.”

Look at her, she’s kind. Nowadays, many people just pass by without caring, even if a child falls or something.

“My name is Sabina. You can call me Vina for short.”

“Vina? I’m Rafi!”

“Rafi?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

As I made a gesture, Sabina smiled and nodded. Unexpectedly, we had become quite familiar with each other, and I walked with Sabina.

“Oh my, Princess! Who is this child?”

“Hmm? Her name is Rafi, but I don’t know whose child she is. I found her right after she fell, and she said she doesn’t have any parents.”

“But this is the Tigris Duchy, and outsiders cannot enter so easily. I don’t think they can leave a child alone at home and secretly bring her here and then lose her.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. We should discreetly investigate. If we unnecessarily bring it to the attention of the Duke Tigris, the person who brought the child might get into trouble.”

As Sabina spoke, she looked really kind. These days, people don’t pay attention to children who fall or anything because they can be a hassle.

“I’ll carefully investigate. Princess, you should hide the child. It’s better not to attract attention.”

“That’s true. Rafi, it might be a bit uncomfortable, but please bear with it. I’ll cover you with this.”

Sabina tightly wrapped me in her shawl. Then, just like taking a pet with her, she casually led me into her place. For a woman, she seemed quite strong.

“Vina, are you a princess for real?”

“Yes, I’m a princess. I’m from a country even further north, a very cold country.”

“Do you have a little sister?”

“No, I don’t. I have one older brother who’s married.”

“Are your parents not here?”

“It’s just my mother who is here.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

After finishing the investigation, I pretended not to know and asked about her relationship status. Sabina blushed slightly and lowered her head.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, but there’s someone I admire. But being a princess doesn’t mean everything will work out.”

As I patted Sabina’s black hair, I nodded my head.

“It’s fine. Maybe one day that person will realize.”

“Oh my, you’re quite eloquent for a young child. By the way, what did I say in front of a child like you? Oh dear, how embarrassing.”

Sabina, who exposed all her thoughts in front of me, finally realized the embarrassment and blushed, shaking her head.

“It’s fine. I’m not a child. I’m someone’s aunt.”

I grinned as I couldn’t say that I became Aiden’s aunt. 

Then, I spent the morning being the listener for Sabina’s stories. While Sabina was touching my cheeks, this time she played with my hair.

After playing with my hair as if she was stroking it, it turned into a lovely updo. She said it looked even cuter when she inserted small silver hairpins to hold it in place.

“Haha, Vina, you’re good at this, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m good at styling hair. Isn’t it pretty? If you go out like this, many people probably won’t recognize you as Rafi.”

I nodded my head, looking at my reflection in the mirror. The image had changed. 

I was quite pleased, so I touched my hair and smiled.

“I’ll give you this hairpin as a gift, Rafi. It suits you very well.”

“That’s so sweet. Thank you.”

I thanked Sabina for the unexpected image change. She smiled brightly.

“How can you say such cute things? But who brought you here…”

“Oh! I have to go quickly.”

“Who? Ah…”

When I gestured outside and spoke, Sabina also turned her gaze in that direction.

Maria was standing there. Sabina didn’t know any of the maids in the mansion. That’s why I thanked her again and left immediately.

“Rafi, I’ll go with you. I don’t want you to go alone and be seen by someone. I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble for coming here alone.”

“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

Leaving Sabina with a somewhat disappointed expression, I quickly ran away. Then I rushed towards Maria, who was waiting outside.

“Oh my, what a transformation, dear. You look so lovely.”

“It’s nothing! I wanted my nephew to get married.”

“What? Nephew’s marriage? What are you talking about…?”

“It’s a secret. Since it’s a secret, it’s a secret for Maria too. Understand?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but please be careful not to get hurt. Many people would be sad if something happened to you.”

“Why would anyone be sad if I got hurt?”

I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding why other people would be sad if I got hurt. 

So far, I only had a father who beat me and a mother who abandoned me. I had never seen them shed a tear while hitting me. Instead, they hit me with vicious curses.

“If our lovely young lady gets hurt, it hurts my heart too. So please be careful not to get hurt. If you do get hurt, let me know right away.”

“Okay, but I have to go somewhere again. It’s not good if I’m late.”

“Oh, young lady! It’s time for lunch now.”

Leaving Maria behind, I went straight into the garden. The effect of the potion that changes my eye color only lasted half a day. That’s why I had to finish everything before lunchtime.

As I looked around, I happened to spot my target. 

It was Matilda, a lady-in-waiting of the Monaco Countess, who had come here claiming to meet Aiden. 

When Matilda, who was touring the garden, saw me, she furrowed her brow.

“What is this? How did a beggar-like child come here at this hour? Are you a servant’s child? I should tell Aiden and scold you harshly.”

My clothes were slightly dirty from falling earlier, with dust sticking to them. Seeing that, the impudent girl who called me a beggar seemed even more beggar-like herself.

“I’m not a beggar.”

“You can’t even speak properly. That’s why I really dislike kids. Alright, so can you please leave? I have to pick some flowers to use when I meet my Aiden.”

“You stubborn old woman should leave.”

“What, what? Have you finished talking now? Oh, old woman?”

Matilda, with an absurd expression, glared at me fiercely. 

Ignoring her gaze, I shrugged my shoulders and started walking, but suddenly, I tripped and fell. 

Matilda happened to pass by and pushed me aside, causing me to fall towards the rosebush. 

“Hoho, you should know your place. My father is a close aide to the Duke of Tigris. As the daughter of Count Monaco, I shouldn’t let a child like you speak like that.”

“But you don’t know my parents.”

“Even if I don’t know who your parents are, you’ve learned only bad things. I should see your parents’ faces one day. How dare you look at me!”

“My father and grandfather will surprise you.”

“What? Is this mischievous kid speaking to me like this now?”

Matilda, who raised her sharp nails, tried to grab me, but I quickly stood up and ran. Matilda, wearing high heels, couldn’t catch up with me. 

As I ran in a hurry, someone suddenly appeared from a corner and hugged me tightly.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Miss Monaco to do this.”

“I told you. If you act like this in a relationship, it’ll be ruined. Hohoho.”

For the sake of my eldest nephew, I sacrificed myself and sighed.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

Because of my eldest niece, I ended up doing something that I should never have done at my age. 

I listened to my older nephew lament that I braided my nets. The future of our Grandfather’s family was too promising to ignore.

“I’m sorry… What should I do? How can I fix this? Hoo…”

With a discouraged voice, my grip on Aiden’s collar weakened. 

If he did something wrong, he might let go and fall. It seemed like the future of the family was too fragile.

“It’s okay, I understand. If you just listen to the words of your old and cute aunt…”

“Yup, that’s right. Even if you sleep, it will turn into a sweet rice cake or rather a soft bean cake!”