The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

After being in Lady Panteur’s room, I quickly left upon Jenny’s call. While my appearance and Lady Panteur’s are so similar that it’s as if we’ve been stamped from the same mold, the fact that only Jenny seems to recognize that saved me. I returned to the room with Jenny.

“Meow.”

Since I hadn’t taken Ciel with me when I left with Father, the little rascal clung to me, acting playfully and sticking to me.

“Meow. Not with Father.”

Father strangely disliked Ciel. He wouldn’t even allow us to sleep in the same bed together. We were forbidden from having meals at the same table as well. Even when we went out like this, Father would keep Ciel at a distance, looking at him with eyes that seemed to say he was scrutinizing his daughter’s boyfriend.

“Jenny, does Father hate cats?”

“Well, I’m not sure. He’s never really kept animals here in the first place.”

In a word, Ciel became Duke Panteur’s first companion animal. After patting Ciel, I briefly looked outside. The sky was piercingly blue, almost painfully so, and the brightness of it stung my eyes.

Today is Lady Panteur’s memorial day, yet strangely, the mansion was quiet. Even in this era, it’s customary to honor the deceased, even if formal rituals aren’t conducted.

“What do we usually do on a day like this?”

“Well, we don’t do anything special. Everyone pays their respects to the late lady in their way.”

“Hmm… I see. How about having a drink with my sister and grandfather? It might be good.”

True, until I came here, my sister and grandfather had been living without seeing each other’s faces, so there was no reason for them to come together to observe this memorial day.

“That’s a good idea. I think the same way. But since the Duke isn’t saying anything, how about discussing it with Vance? By now, he’s probably alone.”

“Oh, you want me to talk to Vance?”

“Yes, Duke went to the family mausoleum alone, so now the highest-ranking person in the house is Miss and Count Vance.”

Come to think of it, there were nobles from the Benedict house who came to the Magic Tower just to ask for my opinion while my brother was momentarily absent.

“Hmm, sure, I’ll go meet Vance.”

As I reached out my hand, Jenny lightly smiled and held it. Walking together with Jenny, Ciel followed behind us with a bouncy step.

Perhaps it was because of the day, the atmosphere had noticeably quieted. Normally, the servants would try to touch my soft and round cheeks like rice cakes, but today it was different. They simply stepped aside quietly, bowing their heads and only moving out of the way when I passed.

“There’s Count Vance’s office over there.”

“I didn’t know Vance had a place to work.”

“Since there are no children at home, he said he’s bored and decided to set up his office here instead… Ahem, sorry, I misspoke. Anyway, go on in quickly.”

Jenny knocked on the door in my place. The sound of her gentle knock echoed, but there was no sign of movement from within.

“He must be somewhere else. He’s so busy that he can’t stay in one place for long.”

“That’s a lie.”

It was absurd to say that Vance was busy. No matter where I went, he always seemed to appear out of nowhere. If someone were to ask who the least busy person in this place was, I would point at Vance.

“It’s not a lie… Oh, there he is.”

Jenny awkwardly smiled and tried to turn around to go back, still hugging me. Just then, Vance’s figure came into view from a distance. Oscar and Elena were following him with serious expressions.

“Vance, Oscar, Elena!”

“Hmm? Isn’t this our soft rice cake lady? Were you missing me that much to come all the way here?”

Even though he seemed to be holding a stern expression, when I called out to him, Vance came running with a smile as if to say “When did that happen?”. Then, as usual, he held onto my cheeks a few times before passing me to Jenny.

“Oscar, Elena! How have you been?”

“Miss, it must have been difficult for you to come all the way here. My office is closer to your room.”

Oscar gave me a faint smile and slightly lowered his head as he looked at me.

“Miss, this place is far. So come to my office. By the way, my office is even closer than the butler’s office.”

I reached out and gently brushed Elena’s eye area with my hand, feeling that something was off about her usual way of speaking.

“Are you upset?”

“Oh, no. I haven’t cried yet. Hahaha, indeed, our lady is just like her mistress, so meticulous.”

Yes, we look strikingly similar. At least in appearance.

No matter where I go, even if I call her ‘Mother,’ I won’t be misunderstood due to my uncanny resemblance to her.

“It seems like you got a little sidetracked. You didn’t come to see me, right… Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yes, today is the anniversary of the mistress’s passing.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why didn’t you call sister and grandfather?”

It seemed like they would want to be together more than anyone else. Even if they went to each house today, it didn’t seem like they would spend the anniversary separately.

How hard would it be for Lady Panteur to visit three houses?

“Well, I thought about it too, but it seems that His Lordship didn’t say anything, so I hesitated and missed the timing.”

Well done. He did a great job. I can tell that he was too busy worrying about Father to say anything.

“Where are they right now? I want to see them.”

“It seems that you miss Duke Tigris and Lady Erica. In that case, I will contact them right away.”

At my word, Vance sent a message to the knights nearby. Soon, they turned around and rushed to the wizard’s office, where they would play and eat and make good money.

“As expected, our lady is quite the learner.”

“They’re not here… Lady Panteur will be exhausted traveling to three places.”

“Don’t worry about it. Whether it’s true or not. I think it’s very meaningful for the family to gather on days like this. Our lady is so kind-hearted.”

With a faint smile, Elena gently tapped my cheek. As I continued to be everyone’s punching bag, I had taken on a detached expression by now.

After a while, someone came rushing over, not the knight we had sent to the wizard earlier.

“What’s the matter?”

In response to Vance’s question, the knight caught his breath and bowed his head. 

“Justin Hamel…”

“Justin Hamel?”

It was a name I had never heard before, but everyone seemed to know it, and their eyes widened in surprise.

“Isn’t Justin Hamel in a missing status?”

“Yes, that’s right. But he’s here now. It’s true.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Disappearing for 4 years and suddenly reappearing.”

“I also thought it didn’t make sense at first, but it makes sense. He and I were classmates at the Knight Academy, so there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize him.”

As the knight spoke, everyone finally seemed to take a breath. They might not know who he was, but he seemed to have some connection with Lady Panteur. The man who returned here after disappearing for 4 years was immediately guided to this place.

“Who is he?”

“His name is Justin Hamel, a former guardian knight of Lady Panteur.”

In response to my question, Oscar answered, chewing on his words as if he found it distasteful. He looked at Justin Hamel with eyes that seemed to regard him as something repugnant.

“With what audacity did you return here after 4 years? Justin Hamel!”

In an unusual tone that was unlike him, Vance pressed on, and Justin Hamel lowered his head deeply. 

“I apologize. I only recently remembered. During the war, I fell from a cliff and was swept away by the current…”

The beings in here were not the most patient of beings, to the extent that they could listen to long speeches.

“Enough. Just get to the point. Are you asking to be released from your missing status? If you want that, we’ll take the necessary steps now.”

“That, that’s not it. I have something to deliver to the Duke.” 

“I don’t know what it is, but…”

“It’s a letter containing the last will left by Lady Seraphina. Please allow me to meet with the Duke.”

Seeing the man’s eyes turn red and tears welling up, I couldn’t help but smirk. Even if there was a letter containing a last will, it was unbelievable that it would have survived being swept away by a current.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Are you telling me that a letter survived being swept away by a current? Are you asking us to believe that?”

“It’s the truth. This letter has been waterproofed.”

“Oh, I see. Even if you lost your memory, if you had seen the letter, you would have lost that memory too. Isn’t it even more strange that you’ve appeared after four years?”

I nodded, surprised at the shrillness in Vance’s voice, who usually clung to me like a child begging to be a daughter-in-law. He didn’t sound like a count. 

“So, the woman who saved me and I got married, and…”

“Would you just run away without giving it to him?” 

“Yes, you’re… hic!”

Hamel, looking up and answering, froze in place with a terrified expression when he saw me. Ignoring his shock, Vance looked at Oscar. Oscar shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.

“If we go there now, we might get killed, whoever it is.”

“But we can’t just wait. After all…”

It seemed like they were selecting someone to go into the underground cemetery and bring my father back. Everyone shook their heads and sighed before staring at me in surprise.

“No, it’s not possible. Our young lady could get lost there. Besides, she’s still young. Is it even reasonable to send her to such a place?”

Jenny exclaimed with a surprised tone, then quickly took me from Vance’s arms and held me close. After that, she stepped back slightly.

“Sorry for interrupting, but who are you…?”

“We have a roasted glutinous rice cake here, a soft mung bean cake from Duke Tigris, and a rice cake from Duchess Aquila. By the way, our young lady was dropped from the sky by the lady herself.”

Vance added unnecessary information to Hamel’s curiosity. 

“Hello. I’m Rafi. I’m my Father’s daughter.”

“How did the lady give birth to a baby… You look exactly like her.”

Seeing Hamel stunned by my appearance, Vance shook his head as if forgetting his position.

“Oscar, I want to go to Father. I’m going.”

“Miss, it’s not a good environment for a child to go there.” 

Jenny protested with me still in her arms. Her words were true, but we needed to bring Father back quickly.

Among the people in this mansion, I was the one who wouldn’t get scolded even if I barked in front of Father. I raised my hand eagerly.

“I’m Father’s brave daughter, so I’m not scared. I’ll help.”

As soon as I volunteered, I was immediately put into action.

“Miss, if you feel uneasy, just say so now.” 

“I’m fine. Am I not courageous?”

Leaving Jenny behind, who was nervously tapping her foot, I followed the direction that Oscar had told me. And then, I saw it.

Clasping the stone monument, with a faint gaze in his eyes, the father who engaged in various conversations seemed to be in pain. It appeared as though he would die just like that, unable to properly express the pain in his heart.

In a precarious moment, Father looked at me and formed a faint smile. Having stolen the time for his wife and stories, I nestled against my father and ascended to the surface.

The father’s expression changed sternly upon seeing the parchment from Hamel. However, having received the piece of paper left by his wife, he held me and read it.

[To my beloved, my only love, Joshua,

Joshua, I’m sorry. Without getting permission from my beloved… I participated in the war to fulfill my duty as a knight.

But I realized it too late. Inside my belly, your seed is growing. I hope it’s a son, or maybe a daughter. I hope it’s a daughter who looks just like me. That way, my beloved could recognize her at first sight.

Since I found out that our child is in my belly, I’ve been telling all the stories of our family. It’s so heartwarming to speak to our child. 

I might not make it out of this battle. Perhaps our daughter will come to hate me. But no matter what happens, I will save our daughter. I will send her far away to live a different life and make her realize that her father’s embrace is the safest place. 

However, I don’t know when our daughter will return. She might come back late, resenting me, but please, if our daughter comes back, recognize her at first sight and take care of her.

Joshua, I truly love you. Even if you don’t express it, you knew I would understand your feelings, right? 

I know everything. Because I was born to become your wife.]