The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

The incredibly cute, soft rice cake went home.

“I miss Rafi.”

It had only been a few minutes since Rafi had left, but the Duchess of Tigris had already started looking for her.

“But thanks to Rafi, our son-in-law stayed for two days. That’s quite considerate of him.”

Until Rafi left, the Duchess’ face was flushed with color, but it gradually paled. Tears welled up in her eyes because she already missed Rafi. Witnessing this, Duke Tigris let out a deep sigh.

If he had known this would happen, he would have never brought Rafi with him. Then the Duchess wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

“Grandmother, please don’t feel too hurt. Haven’t they said that whenever Grandmother wants to see Rafi, she can come to visit?”

Daniel tightly embraced his grandmother and gave her a faint smile. It was something unimaginable in the past, but it happened this year.

Originally, Duke Tigris and Duke Panteur were at odds with each other. They were completely estranged. But a soft rice cake appeared and brought the two families together.

“But I want to see her right now. What should I do about this?”

As long as Rafi was inside this house, even if she couldn’t be seen right away, there was hope of seeing her later. But Rafi had completely gone to the East. She left without leaving a trace, just like when she came here.

“Sophia, surely you don’t think that Rafi left without leaving anything behind?”

“Why not?”

Duke Tigris correctly guessed the Duchess’ thoughts and gave an airy smile as he instructed Harold to bring something. Harold quickly rushed out and soon returned with something in his hands.

He handed a golden-colored painting, the same color as Rafi’s eyes, to Duke Tigris. After receiving it, Duke Tigris handed it to the Duchess with a faint smile.

“What is this?”

“Open it and see for yourself.”

The Duchess of Tigris carefully untied the pretty ribbon.

“Oh my, goodness gracious!”

Inside the frame was an adorable drawing of a fluffy rice cake covered in lots of powdered sugar. The painting of Rafi smiling broadly brought a smile to their faces.

“When did you draw this?”

“Hehehe, do you know how much our Rafi hopped around with those short legs? She was really busy doing this and that at our house.”

She teased, studied, and even helped her older nephew with his love business, and assisted her younger nephew with his studies. 

Rafi’s days were incredibly busy, and amidst the busyness, she never forgot about the time she needed to set aside for this painting.

Duke Tigris had asked for medicine to change the color of Rafi’s eyes and requested the recruitment of a painter. From then on, Rafi would sit in the garden for a certain amount of time while the painter worked diligently to complete the painting.

She is the granddaughter of Duke Tigris, the daughter of Duke Panteur, and the sister-in-law of Duke Aquila. Being a member of one ducal family is a big deal, but Rafi was related to all three.

Rafi’s eyes, the unique existence that could move the three noble families, sent a signal that she would cry loudly if they didn’t draw her eyes quickly.

The painter, who imagined what would happen if Rafi cried, worked through the night as if possessed, and finally completed the painting.

The soft rice cake inside the frame seemed to be laughing brightly as if it wanted to be held right now. Duchess Tigris, who received the painting, embraced it tightly and smiled as if asking when she had become so tearful.

“How is it? We had the painting done because we thought Grandmother would feel empty and find it difficult once Rafi left.”

“Oh, our child… How can you be so kind-hearted? You didn’t take after this grandmother in this regard.”

The Duchess of Tigris, cradling the painting as if she were holding Rafi, exited with Helena.

Maria approached stealthily.

“Your Grace, I have something to tell you.”

“Hmm? Go ahead and speak.”

Maria is the daughter of Seraphina’s nanny. That’s why she was deliberately assigned as Rafi’s maid this time.

“I couldn’t say for sure because I was hesitant, but my mother told me something a long time ago, and it has been bothering me. She said that Lady Seraphina had a special necklace.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. It’s a legendary necklace. It’s probably sleeping in the tomb with Seraphina.”

The smile disappeared from Duke Tigris’ face as he recalled it. The pain in his heart felt like a vice grip when he thought of his deceased daughter. It had been several years since his youngest daughter had died, and he hadn’t recovered.

“Didn’t you say it was a diamond, even though it’s a teardrop-shaped purplish gemstone?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Duke Tigris had personally placed a violet diamond necklace called Violet, which was said to possess a mysterious power, around Seraphina’s neck. He had told her not to take it off as it would be helpful in a life-threatening moment.

“But the necklace that my Lady Rafi had on her neck was the one my mother mentioned, even though it wasn’t purple.”

Though it was hidden by her clothes and not visible regularly, Maria had seen the necklace because she bathed Rafi. It was a gray diamond necklace in the shape of a drop, devoid of its original luster.

At first, Maria didn’t think much of it, but as time went by, she became more certain about the necklace.

“It could be a fake. Perhaps it was made by my son-in-law.”

“No, that’s not the case. Gray diamonds don’t exist. And just in case, I mentioned it to Duke Panteur, and he said that Lady Rafi had been wearing it since she fell.”

Upon hearing Maria’s words, Duke Tigris furrowed his brow for a moment, feeling momentarily confused.

“Maria, what is it that you want to say?”

When Duke Tigris remained silent, Daniel asked in a serious tone, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by seriousness. Maria lowered her head and spoke.

“Doesn’t the legend about that necklace say it can save only one person in a dire situation?”

“That’s right. The peculiar power imbued in Violet can save the owner in a life-threatening situation or someone designated by the owner. Afterward, the light disappears and builds up strength…”

Duke Tigris stopped speaking for a moment. He swallowed hard, feeling a dryness in his throat, knowing the immense power he possessed as the controller of Tigris’ sorcerers.

“Didn’t you mention that she was pregnant before she passed away?”

While it was said that children should never interrupt adult conversations, Aiden couldn’t hold back and blurted out.

“Wait, so if what my brother and Maria said is true, did our grandmother use the necklace’s power to save her unborn child?”

“Yes, she was sent to another world because her life in this world was coming to an end…”

Aiden and Jaden slowly started piecing together something like a puzzle.

“When our aunt faced danger in that world, did the necklace use its power to send her back to her father’s embrace?”

“Uh, uh, uh. It feels so perfectly fitting, even though it feels strange. What should we do about this?”

“It sounds unbelievable, yet it makes sense. If our aunt had survived, she would have been three years old. Oh my goodness!”

As the two great-grandsons spoke, Duke Tigris’s complexion grew gradually pale, and his hands trembled.

The child resembled his daughter. Moreover, he felt a connection. The more he had the child by his side, the more he felt a sense of familiarity and comfort. His mood naturally brightened.

Was it just fate that brought them together? Even if Rafi wasn’t born aboard Seraphina’s ship but dropped from the sky, so to speak.

However, if Rafi truly was Seraphina and Duke Panteur’s daughter, she would also be his granddaughter.

“Do we have any means to confirm parentage? Perhaps with a kinship verification potion…”

“Stop! Daniel, you’ve gone too far. It would be great if the results showed a blood relationship, but if not, it could lead to the collapse of the three families. We should stop here.”

Duke Tigris extended his hand, silencing his thoughts. 

Taking a deep breath, he decided to solve the immediate problem at hand and shouted, 

“Bring Count Monaco here!”

Not long after, Count Monaco was summoned. Matilda and Aiden had an atmosphere suggesting they would marry as early as tomorrow. However, Aiden had caused trouble by suddenly declaring a breakup and getting involved with Sabina, leaving Lady Monaco heartbroken.

“Our daughter is not some disposable trash. How can you promise marriage and then turn your back on her?”

Count Monaco dared to raise his voice, seemingly unaware of what went wrong. Seeing this, Duke Tigris leaned forward and said,

“Your brain is made of mud. Do you know why our Aiden broke up with your daughter?”

“I don’t know. I simply believe it’s because his feelings changed.”

“No, your daughter dared to push my soft rice cake and caused it to shrink by a whole centimeter!”

“Yes, yes? A soft rice cake?”

“Yes, a soft rice cake! Our Rafi, my granddaughter, was pushed! How could you dare to meddle with the daughter of Duke Panteur, who is my son-in-law, after all the education you received?”

“That’s not true…”

“Shut up!”

That day, Count Monaco incessantly badgered Duke Tigris without giving him a chance to speak. As a result, Count Monaco had to pay a tremendous amount of compensation for squishing the soft rice cake. 

Those who witnessed it couldn’t help but chuckle.

“If we give this to our Rafi, she can make a lot of ham.”

* * *

Although we had planned to stay for just one day, it ended up being extended by another day. Suddenly, my grandfather and grandmother clung to my father with great affection.

They said that if he was their son-in-law for a hundred years, he would receive everything he hadn’t received until now. Thanks to them, my father received a warm reception at my grandmother’s house, and his face gleamed.

After just two days, as we were about to leave, my grandparents were so sad that words couldn’t express it.

“If you want to see Rafi, please come to our house anytime.”

It was only then that I was able to come to Duke Panter’s house. As soon as I arrived at Duke Panteur’s residence, everyone came out to greet me, and I shook my head in delight.

“What if you go to Duke Tigris’ residence and don’t come back?”

“What can I do? I’ll treat you even better now.”

“What on earth was holding our daughter captive at Duke Tigris’ residence? Even if I can’t touch the squishy rice cake, I want to at least see it with my own eyes and feel satisfied.”

As I passed by, I heard the whispers of the employees. It was a completely different atmosphere from Benedict Empire, where I had spent my time while possessing someone. 

I still hadn’t fully adapted. But what can I do? If I want to live here, I have to adapt. Humans are creatures of adaptation, after all.

Being confined to the room made me bored, so I grabbed Jenny’s ponytail and said,

“I want to go outside. Let’s go.”

“Really? You’ve been inside since you got back from Duke Tigris. Let’s go out and play to your heart’s content today.”

I held Jenny’s outstretched hand, and together with Ciel, we went to the garden.

As soon as we arrived here, I relaxed like a three-year-old child who suddenly had nothing to do, sitting in the shade. As I started dozing off, my father suddenly appeared and kidnapped me.

I thought he had finished all his meetings and come after everything was done today. But that was my misconception. He lifted me onto the table, just like when I first met Duke Panteur’s aides, with various kinds of caramel stacked in front of me.

As I indulged in the sweet and tangy caramel, Vance grinned. Although he didn’t say I am the future daughter-in-law as he did before, Vance still had a cheerful expression, and he greeted me first.

“Have you been well since you were at Duke Tigris’ residence?”

“Yes, I’ve been well.”

I had been busy to the point of exhaustion, but I had been well.

“Grandpa, grandma, and my older brother and sister, and also… my nephews are doing well.”

“They’ve all been good to you.”

“Yes, but they keep poking my chubby belly, and it’s tiring.”

They piled up food next to me, leaving antacids nearby. I said I wouldn’t be able to finish it all, but the food didn’t seem to decrease. Especially when Grandma was there, she would scold Grandpa, saying that I should eat more.

“Hmm, it seems like you’ve gained some weight on your face. It looks better. Haha. And did anything else happen?”

“Umm, my nephews keep asking me to play.”

“Nephews?”

“Aiden and Jaden.”

Upon hearing my words, Vance nodded as if he had some thoughts.

Yes, I have nephews who are like uncles to me.

As I started mentioning a few things that happened there, the ears of those who were seated turned toward me.

When I mentioned Matilda’s name, there was a faint sound, like a fart, and their expressions became stern.

“Should we kill her?”

“She’s from the Tigris Ducal House. How can we lay a hand on her?”

“Then let’s step on her.”