The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

To live in this world, there was a necessity to develop a sense of awareness. That’s why I stuck to my father’s chest and said,

“That’s what it is, Father. You misunderstood.”

Yeah, I didn’t misunderstand.

Not only did I postpone deliberately coming here because it was noisy and comfortable, but I also kept my face close to my father’s chest.

“As expected, even though you don’t know whose granddaughter you are, you see the big picture.”

“Hehe, I’m your daughter’s daughter, aren’t I?”

Grandfather had a proud expression, but my brother, who was drinking, bowed his head deeply.

“Sister-in-law, what about me?”

“You’re my amazing brother-in-law!”

“Is that so? I am my sister-in-law’s one and only brother-in-law! So, come here. Sister-in-law, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

I nestled snugly against my father’s chest and glanced upwards. His brows furrowed. Thinking that I shouldn’t approach my brother-in-law, I shook my head from side to side.

“Father, your chest looks puffy and nice.”

Everyone reacted with surprise as I poked his chest. However, my brother-in-law claimed that his chest was not to be underestimated and started unbuttoning his shirt before being stopped by my sister.

“Our Rafi is cute too. By the way, did you miss us while you were here?”

“Oooh, in my dreams, I’m snuggling with Father.”

“Yes, it seems like you missed us so much that I appeared in your dreams every day. In Father’s dreams, my daughters and son went out for an outing and played together.”

“Hehe, did I go in the dream too?”

“Yes, let’s go on an outing when our whole family gathers later. Even though it’s not your first time.”

I flinched at my father’s words. It seemed like he was very upset about me not going on an outing together with them for the first time.

“Sister is also upset. I wanted to go play with our Rafi. Rafi, come to the Aquila mansion. There’s even a nephew who’s just like you.”

“There’s another nephew there? The nephews here are grown up now.”

“Why?”

“Because they keep following me around and bothering me.”

“Pfft!”

Daniel and Helena immediately reacted to my words. They were witnesses who knew how much I struggled with my two nephews during my time here.

“Our little lady, Aiden, and Jaden were that annoying to you?”

“Yeah, they kept following me around and causing trouble.”

“Oh, it’s because the kids like their aunt…”

“Jaden asked me to introduce him to a girl.”

As I shook my head in exasperation, Grandfather chuckled and spread his arms wide. Seeing Grandfather, the eldest and most respected elder in this household, I cautiously moved towards him.

“It’s because our Rafi is so cute and lovely. At first, they found it annoying, but then they got so attached to you like soft rice cakes. Please understand and give them a chance.”

“Yes, I’ll look after them.”

As I embraced Grandfather, I nodded with a solemn expression and spoke. Everyone was too busy laughing and couldn’t focus.

“Rafi, did you come here while Grandma was changing clothes?”

Everyone stood up when Grandma appeared. It hadn’t been a few days since I arrived, but she seemed less pale than before.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Joshua Panteur.”

When Father greeted Grandma politely, her eyes shook nervously. For a while, she didn’t say anything and just looked at Father, then she faintly smiled and nodded.

“So, you’re my son-in-law. Well, our daughter had a good eye for people.”

“You flatter me.”

“If I were 30 years younger, I would have left my husband and chosen… ahem, anyway, welcome. Rest here for a while before you go.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go back soon since the house is empty.”

Upon hearing Father’s words, Grandma came in with Helena’s support. Then she firmly held my hand. It felt like she was telling me not to let go, even if I had to go.

“Dear, I can’t live without Rafi. What should we do?”

“Well, since the son-in-law says Rafi should go with him, we should send her off. She can’t stay here forever, right? Rafi.”

Suddenly, the decision was up to me. Grandfather and Grandma looked at me with sympathetic eyes. In contrast, Father looked at me with a very intense gaze. When I wondered what to do, Aiden and Jaden came holding Ciel’s leash.

“Aunt, even if you leave, you have to take this little guy with you. Look how pitifully he’s crying… Hmm? Who’s this?”

As Ciel dangled from Jaden’s hand and landed on the floor, he immediately rushed towards me. I cuddled Ciel in my arms and gently petted him as I spoke.

“This is my Father and Sister and Brother-in-law. Say hello.”

Upon my words, Aiden and Jaden came forward and greeted them. Then they looked at me.

“Aunt, are you leaving? Sabina will come soon. Sabina will also style your hair nicely.”

“Aunt, let’s study together. Huh? Should I crack jokes?”

Suddenly, more people started clinging to me. Six were in favor of me staying, while three urged me to leave right away! Despite being outnumbered, my sister stared fiercely at the nephews.

“Our Rafi will be visiting our house next. With her little nephew, who is much younger and smaller than these two nephews, she’ll have a great time.”

“That’s right. Rafi will come to our house. Isn’t that right, Father?”

With a bright smile, my sister proposed a deal to Father this time. And Father awkwardly smiled and nodded his head.

“As expected of our hot-tempered father! I respect you. Let’s go to our house, Sister.”

Father clearly said that I couldn’t go to Aquila before coming to the Tigris Mansion. But it seemed like he really wanted to take me out of here.

“Why do you want me to go there so badly?”

“Of course. Our chef is quite skilled. He’ll make all of Rafi’s favorite dishes, like salmon soup, shrimp tempura, fried chicken, and…”

As my sister listed the food items, my mouth started watering uncontrollably. Then, Helena quickly wiped around my mouth with a handkerchief.

“I want to go. Hehe!”

“Indeed, my little sister, come here! Let’s go together with Sister.”

“Just a little while longer here, okay? And with Father and Sister and Brother-in-law too!”

In my words, the entire schedule was decided. We would stay for just one more day. Thanks to that, the Tigris Mansion became a frenzy of activity. With three out of the five Dukes gathering here, the kitchen and everywhere else became chaotic.

“Seraphina couldn’t read Ancient Language, but Rafi read it fluently.”

“Well, water that comes from the source is bluer than the source itself.”

Father seemed to doubt me when I told him I could speak ancient languages without learning to write. He might have seen me as some kind of spy who infiltrated with hidden education. But instead, Father laughed and seemed pleased.

“As expected, my little sister is a genius.”

“That’s right. Our sweet red bean paste Sister is the best!”

They didn’t have a single trace of doubt. They seemed to accept me as a child sent by the deceased Duchess Panteur.

“By the way, dear, did you drink alcohol? You said you were going to abstain from drinking. Alcohol, you say?”

Grandma’s gaze became sharp. Then, the flustered Grandfather looked at Father and spoke.

“How can you say I can only drink tea when my son-in-law is visiting for the first time? I gave him liquor as a gift, and then my son-in-law suggested we all drink it together… Hmhm.”

Grandfather, who was subtly shifting the responsibility to Father, looked a bit adorable. But Father confidently responded to Grandma’s gaze.

“Father opened the liquor first.”

“No, look at this. It’s the truth, speaking honestly. You poured the liquor first.”

Amid a tense exchange, my stomach clock rang. I had fallen into a drowsy state while playing with Grandma and the nephews outside, and it felt like I had depleted all my energy.

“It seems like our Rafi is hungry. Why aren’t we serving the meal yet? Didn’t Duchess Aquila mention it earlier? Prepare it as she said. Hurry!”

Thanks to Grandfather’s words, Harold, who remembered the menu mentioned by my sister, quickly went outside.

“Duke Tigris, even if the Duchess is not my birth mother, she becomes my mother. But to call me Duchess Aquila… please just call me by my name. After all, I am my stepmother’s daughter too.”

My sister’s words were correct. Father married the daughter of Duke Tigris and became a son-in-law. So it was only right for my sister to become the granddaughter-in-law of Duke Tigris.

“I see. Now I’ve gained a granddaughter and grandson-in-law. Hahaha! A happy day like today is perfect for a party.”

Suddenly, the scale began to grow. And then, tables were set up in the garden, and the household members had a party together.

“My dear Sister Rafi, it seems like you gained some weight during your stay here.”

“Ugh! Don’t mention that! It’s embarrassing!”

In response to the words of my brother-in-law, who was holding me, I rolled my eyes and replied.

“You’ve got a bunch of child enlargers here too, I can see it. Even without looking, it’s obvious. Rafi has become quite chubby.”

Even after eating three meals, I still felt unsatisfied, and snacks like cake were constantly placed in front of me. I tried not to eat them, but they kept feeding me, so I reluctantly ate while shaking my head vigorously.

“It’s not going! I’m full!”

“Yeah, yeah. Our Rafi is a slim girl. By the way, what’s this cat?”

My sister’s eyes slightly clouded when she saw Ciel in my arms. She seemed uncomfortable.

“I found it on the outing.”

“You found it while out? But it could be dangerous to keep a cat just because it’s cute. It better not do anything to my Rafi, or I’ll skin him and throw him away.”

My sister’s eyes widened with danger. And then Ciel burrowed deeper into my arms. As I stroked his fluffy fur, Ciel pressed my chest with his pink jelly-like paw.

“Hee-it! So cute. I like you, Ciel.”

While cuddling Ciel tightly, I suddenly met Father’s gaze. I blinked my eyes as if searching for something. Then Father quickly embraced me and said, 

“Me?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you like me?”

Jealousy? Was Father jealous of Ciel? I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. But while continuing to smile, I firmly leaned against Father’s strong and sturdy chest, fearing that he might get hurt, and said, “I like you, Father!”

“Of course, Father is the best, right?”

“Yeah, Father, you have a strong and sturdy chest! I love it!”

Indeed, men have chests. Even so!

When I buried my face in Father’s chest and spoke, he had a bright expression. Seeing that, my brother-in-law sighed and shook his head.

“Sister, I also have a quite strong and sturdy chest.”

My sister shook her head at my brother-in-law, who was about to throw off his shirt as if it was nothing.

“Don’t worry. From my perspective, your chest is weaker than Father’s. So please don’t offer your weak chest to Rafi.”

My brother-in-law, proclaiming himself a former knight, reached out his hand to me while I was still clinging to Father. However, I stuck closely to Father and said, 

“Your chest is a cliff, so I don’t want it.”

As soon as I mentioned his chest being a cliff, my brother-in-law entered a state of dejection. 

In contrast, Father, with a very enthusiastic expression, extended his chest even more.