The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

Sabina, who saw me speaking with great tension, blinked her eyes.

Am I being too hasty? It won’t be long before I have to return home.

I’ve never been this busy before.

While I was here, I ran around on my short legs to help my older nephew in any way I could. I was so busy that if I were a dumpling, even the dusting of flour on me would have fallen off. I, a busy three-year-old with my mind completely occupied, glanced at Sabina’s reaction.

She still hadn’t said anything, even though she stepped forward and dusted off the flour for my poor older nephew.

After being separated from her, tears welled up in my eyes, filled with disappointment from the first failure I tasted.

I can’t fail like this! When I silently shouted that to myself, my body floated up.

“I, I’m sorry. Our aunt made a mistake… Aunt, please apologize to Princess Sylvester quickly.”

“N-No, it’s not necessary.”

When she spoke as if she didn’t understand anything, Aiden tilted his head. As for me, who had done an event, I pouted my lips, feeling completely defeated.

“Vina, I… I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again…”

“It’s, it’s okay. Or you can do it that way, Aunt!”

At Sabina’s words, Aiden and I simultaneously blinked and looked at each other. Sabina, who saw us like that, shyly smiled and accepted the red rose from my hand.

“A-Aiden, even if your Aunt is a child, I don’t mind. I can raise her well like my own. To that extent…”

“Just a moment!”

Aiden interrupted Sabina’s words and shook his head. In the quiet space where only the occasional sound of wind brushing through leaves could be heard, Aiden strengthened his grip on my hand and spoke.

“I should have spoken first, I’m sorry. The truth is, I had feelings for the princess, but it seemed like the princess didn’t like me…”

As his words became longer and longer, I grabbed his arm and shook it firmly.

“Forget it, no need to talk unnecessarily. Just the conclusion!”

While giving Aiden a firm pat, I squinted my eyes. Since I couldn’t wink properly yet, both eyes closed at the same time.

Seeing my signal, Aiden took a deep breath, and his Adam’s apple moved as if he swallowed dry saliva.

“I was secretly in love with you. Princess Sylvester, no, Sabina! Please marry me.”

Aiden, who was kneeling on one knee, reached out to me when he realized there was no flower in his hand. Sabina, who saw that, smiled widely and hugged me.

Although Aiden, surpassed his heavenly aunt, I decided to let it go for today.

“If it’s a proposal like this, I can accept it anytime, Aiden.”

At Sabina’s words, accompanied by a kiss on my cheek, Aiden smiled noticeably and stood up from his seat. Then he gently hugged Sabina, who was still hugging me.

What else can this be called other than a father hugging a child and their mother? Unintentionally, we created a family-like atmosphere, but I also had a sense of awareness.

I couldn’t stay here any longer, so I fidgeted anxiously. Then Sabina smiled broadly at me.

“I should leave. Thank you.”

When I tried to escape, Sabina let go of me. Sensing the situation, I quickly moved away and hugged Daniel, who was standing at a distance.

“Big brother, am I okay now?”

“Of course, it’s our Rafi. Oh, why does she always choose such cute gestures?”

Daniel grabbed my cheek and playfully stretched it, showing a wide smile.

“You are indeed our precious soft bean sprout. With this, I got rid of one nuisance.”

Sometimes it seems like she doesn’t care about her son’s marriage, but it’s not necessarily the case. Helena kissed my cheek.

“What would you like to eat today?”

“The tastiest jelly!”

“I’ll prepare the most delicious thing in the world for you in the kitchen. Your grandparents also like it.”

Grandfather, who had rarely appeared outside, proudly raised his thumb while supporting my grandmother. Hugging my happy grandmother, Grandfather looked at his wife and his future grandson-in-law and granddaughter-in-law.

“Aunt! Introduce me to a girl too.”

“Shh! Be quiet!”

I pushed aside Jaden, who was bothering me, and nestled in Daniel’s chest. However, Jaden didn’t make a sulky expression. On the contrary, he seemed happy that he had gained a cool sister-in-law.

“Then let’s go inside, leaving the two of them out.”

That evening, I had to stuff myself with food uncontrollably due to the expanding group of children. After eating and studying with my nephews, the promised week with my dad was already over.

[Rafi! Today is the day we’ve been waiting for.]

I smiled at my dad as I stood in front of the communication bead.

“Can I play a little more here?”

[Huh?]

“There’s grandmother and grandfather here, and my brother and sister, and cute little nephews too.”

[What? What’s that got to do with it…?]

“It’s so much fun here.”

When I was at Duke Panteur’s estate, there was only my dad. But sometimes he was so busy that there were days when I couldn’t even see his face properly. However, here we had a large family, so even if some were busy, there were a few spare hands. There was no time to get bored.

Moreover, these days Sabina was following me, calling me Aunt. The dining table was bustling, and so many people liked it when I spoke a word that I wanted to delay going back a little longer.

Besides, magic was still in its early stages. I knew some things, but I wanted to start learning slowly from the beginning, so I wanted to stay a little longer.

[Has someone threatened you?]

“No. It’s fun here. Hehe. I’ll stay a little longer and then go, okay?”

I said while holding hands and wiggling around. But my dad didn’t seem too pleased.

“Oh! Rafi, there you are. Helena said she was going out for a snack now. We need to hurry and get ready.”

My cousin appeared. Daniel, who was hugging me tightly, looked at my dad and smiled.

“Nice to meet you for the first time, Uncle, I’m Daniel Tigris. Today is a day for our family to go out, so we should be going. See you next time.”

“I’m hungry!”

“Of course. I prepared everything you like. So let’s go quickly.”

“That’s awesome. This is my first time going. Hehe, let’s keep in touch. Bye!”

He waved his hand towards my dad and, with me in his arms, we went outside happily. The Tigris family, who had already completed all the preparations, was all waiting for us.

“Well, did you communicate with Duke Panteur properly?”

“Yes, hehe!”

“What did you say to Duke Panteur?”

“I told him that I’m going to have a little more fun here and then go.”

“Ah, our child speaks so well. Alright, stay a little longer. There’s no other family to play with if you go there.”

I was handed over to my grandfather’s embrace and immediately got on the carriage. Grandma was there too. Her health has improved significantly recently, so based on the doctor’s advice that she can go out, Helena immediately planned this outing.

For the first time, I left Tigris Manor and arrived at a place where flowers were in full bloom. Although they were not cultivated, wildflowers with strong vitality waved their hands to greet us. As soon as we laid out the mat and settled down, they looked at me. Grandma leaned on my grandfather’s shoulder and spoke to me.

“Our child, I want to listen to a song. Grandma thinks that the songs sung by our Rafi are the best.”

Everyone enjoyed the renewed round of jokes, but the nephews couldn’t enjoy that time. They looked pale as if they knew it would be their turn next.

“Ah, let’s take a break and eat…”

“What are you talking about nephews? We’re just having fun. Your aunt is tired too, so it’s even harder for her to do it.”

“Aunt, that’s a bit…”

“Oh, come on! Why didn’t you tell us that before?”

“Aunt, Sabina is here too. We have our dignity, can’t you cut us some slack?”

With an awkward expression, Aiden raised his index finger and looked at me pleadingly. Avoiding Aiden’s gaze, I looked at Helena and spoke.

“Hey, Helena! How did you educate these kids? Why didn’t you teach them proper manners?”

“Oops!”

I just said a few words to Helena while shaking my head, but then everyone started spitting out what they were eating. Princess Sabina even choked on her drink and didn’t know what to do.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s a different atmosphere than usual, and I made a mistake.”

“All of this changed because our aunt came. So we should adapt to this kind of atmosphere from now on, Sabina.”

Aiden spoke, gently wrapping his arm around Sabina’s shoulder. Blushing slightly, Sabina nodded her head.

The performance of the nephews went unnoticed. Instead, there were plenty of snacks in front of me. I decided to save the candies and caramels for later and enjoyed the refreshing drinks and fried snacks. 

Although I felt a bit uneasy because they were not my blood-related family, I still felt happy.

Under the blue sky, patches of clouds drifted by, and the leaves, dressed in summer attire, added to the scenery. Perhaps because it was in the northern region, the wind was less scorching than in the eastern region. It was a perfect place to spend the summer.

It had a serene atmosphere, contrasting with the bustling Tigris Manor. The family seemed as if they had fallen into a different world, just like me.

“Darling, come here. You haven’t eaten much yet.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

As I sat down next to her, Grandma immediately fed me a piece of chicken she had personally deboned. Seeing me chewing happily, Grandma smiled with affection. It felt as if she was making up for everything she couldn’t do for her daughter.

“Thanks to our Rafi, we were able to come out for an outing like this. It’s been so long since we had a family outing. I feel so happy.”

“Me too. I can’t remember the last time I went out.”

Seeing the affectionate elderly couple, we all smiled. And then, we fed each other and ate. Amidst casual conversations, I suddenly stood up.

“Lady, where are you going?”

“To explore.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, I want to go alone.”

I stopped Helena, who was about to get up, as I wanted to take care of something. I looked around and noticed a patch of grass behind us. It seemed like a safe spot. Thinking that the Tigris magicians must have already cleaned it up, I walked towards that area.

Thump!

“Meow!”

Even though I thought it would be safe, I tripped over a hidden rock in the grass and tumbled uncontrollably. After rolling for a while, I managed to come to a stop. Thankfully, the cushioning effect of the grass prevented any serious injuries.

“This grass is so bouncy.”

As I touched the grass beneath me, I felt something strange. I quickly looked underneath and gasped.

“Oh!”

I was surprised to see something wrapped up in the grass. As I tried to get out, I was pulled back in.

“What is this?”

I looked at the creature with black fur and raised an eyebrow. Its eyes, the same color as mine, stared back at me.

“It’s me. Did you get hurt? Let me make you feel better.”

Sitting back down and cradling the creature, which resembled a squid with its black fur, I realized it was a kitten. It was still small in size, probably a newborn.

“It’s a kitty.”

Upon closer inspection, I confirmed that it was indeed a kitten. I extended my hand towards the unfamiliar creature, expecting it to scratch or resist, but it calmly let me hold it. 

Was this the mythical cat I had only heard about? Or perhaps it was injured and unable to regain its composure.

Holding the visibly weak kitten, I stood up immediately.

“Rafi, what happened? Did you fall?”

Daniel, seeing me, rushed over and removed the grass around me, creating a comfortable spot for us to sit. While carefully examining my injuries, Daniel furrowed his brow when he saw the kitten.

“Rafi, what is this?”

“I found it while I was walking.”