The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

Kkorrurruk-

My belly clock chimed, and my eyes snapped open. I must have walked with my brother and Ciel, following the cat’s eyelight. Then I had a dream. Through a pile of rocks, I heard my father’s voice. Gradually, the gap widened, and my father took my outstretched hand.

After a few days, nestled in my father’s arms, I had a happy dream. But when I woke up, I saw a clean ceiling. It was a familiar place, but my brain, which had barely regained its senses, couldn’t provide accurate information.

“Uh, where is this?”

“Miss! You’ve finally opened your eyes.”

When I heard a familiar voice, I turned towards it. 

“Is it you, Elena?”

“Oh! Do you recognize me? Our miss, you are truly amazing. You look so great.”

Seeing Elena, who was in tears, I got up and gently wiped her tears with my sleeve. 

“Elena, don’t cry anymore.”

“Oh dear, I’m, I’m sorry. I won’t cry.”

Elena must have easily empathized with others’ emotions, or so they say. Although she was well past that age, seeing Elena cry for no reason made my nose tingle.

“Our miss, would you like to clean up and change into fresh clothes now?”

“Uw. Later… Where is this…?”

“This is the Duke’s bedroom. Miss, you’ve been out of the house for days and you’ve already forgotten where this is? It seems like you should stay here continuously and not go anywhere else.”

Only then did I realize that this was my father’s room, thanks to Elena’s words. I let out a yawn and looked around.

“Where is Father and my brother?”

“The Duke and the young master are in the study. Miss, do you want to go there?”

I nodded.

As long as I’m staying here, I should make a good impression on the heir to this household. Even though I’ve spent the past few days wandering underground, I needed to act as though nothing was wrong. That way, even if my brother becomes the Duke later on, he won’t chase me away.

“I want to see my brother. Can you take me to him?”

“Oh! Our miss, you are quite determined. But aren’t you hungry? When you woke up, your stomach made a growling sound.”

“I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, Miss! I didn’t mean it that way. Ah, you must have had a tough time in the mountains…”

Elena, who looked at me with concern, immediately instructed another servant to prepare me. After a quick wash, I put on new clothes and tidied my hair.

“Shall we go now? Jenny should be outside with some water for you.” 

“Sure.”

Elena and I walked outside, where Jenny was holding a tray with a cup and a pitcher. I saw Jenny, with her nose and eyes all red and swollen, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Jenny, did you miss me?”

“Miss, are you asking that now? My heart has been burning up all this time.”

Seeing Jenny’s longing eyes that seemed to want a warm embrace right now, I smiled.

“I missed you too, Jenny. Elena and Oscar and Vance too, I missed them all but couldn’t see them, so I was sad.”

“Oh, our miss… I wonder how much you’ve suffered to miss even Lord Vance.”

Although everyone expressed their happiness at seeing me, Jenny added a touch of humor to it. For a moment, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“But Miss, you have an empty stomach, is it okay to move around?”

“Yeah, I don’t feel sick when I’m with my brother. Jenny, you gave me sticky rice cakes.”

“Oh my, I’m glad. Even if you said you wouldn’t take anything with you, I just left them there, and it turned out to be helpful. I’m really, really relieved.”

I pretended I didn’t hear her when she said that she would have been upset if the sticky rice balls hadn’t been rounded. One of the reasons my brother and I were able to return safely this time was because of Jenny. Perhaps my father was going to reward her greatly.

“I want to see my brother.”

“Of course. Let’s go surprise the young master and the Duke.”

Jenny’s face had a mischievous look, as if to say, ‘When did she look so determined?’ 

As I walked hand in hand with Elena, everyone who saw me seemed at a loss, wiping away tears with their sleeves. It seemed like they had worried a lot for me. For their sake, I greeted them with a big smile.

“Good morning.”

“Yes, Miss! It’s a very, very good morning. Where are you going, Miss?”

“I’m going to see my brother.”

“I see. The young master will be pleased. Please be careful not to fall.”

“Okay!”

After shaking hands and saying goodbye, I took Elena’s hand again and headed towards the study. As we got closer to the study, the sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries grew louder.

“Miss, it can be scary to see them practicing with sharp weapons. If you’re afraid, you can hide behind me.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been to the training grounds in the Castle before. The knights there are very impressive.”

I remembered the fantastic movements of the muscular knights. With a blissful expression, I recalled the time when I had gone to Aquila Duchy in my mind. I turned to Jenny.

“Please fetch some water. I want to give it to my brother.”

“Are you sure? Just a moment.”

She handed me a half-filled cup of water. Holding the cup carefully with both hands, I took cautious steps. Although it wasn’t full, the water sloshed around with every step, threatening to spill.

As I carefully made my way, I locked eyes with my brother, who was sparring with a knight. 

“Brother, I brought some water.”

Since there was some distance between us and to close the gap quickly, I ran with the cup in hand.

“R-Rafi! It’s dangerous, so walk slowly… Rafi!”

Splash!

This was why children could be so inconvenient. I was sure I wouldn’t trip, but as I ran, my foot got caught, and I fell. I fell forward with both hands outstretched. The water I had painstakingly brought spilled out, and the cup rolled on the ground.

Ah, do I have to feel embarrassed again?

I couldn’t even get up, my head still on the ground, when my brother quickly rushed over and helped me up.

“Our Rafi, are you hurt anywhere? Oh my goodness. Look at the scrape on your knee. You’ve got dirt all over your pumpkin pancake.”

My brother blew on the injured area to remove any debris, and then he carefully inspected me. He quickly wiped his face and the back of his hands with the handkerchief Oscar had given him.

“Does it hurt here? What about here?”

At first, I didn’t notice, but as I looked where my brother was pointing, the pain gradually intensified. However, I shook my head from side to side without crying.

“I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re brave, Rafi. Other kids would cry a lot if they fell.”

I found it strange that I didn’t cry, though. My brother’s expression seemed oddly gloomy.

“But why did you come here? There’s nothing to see.”

“Brother, you’re thirsty… I wanted to get water for you… I accidentally spilled it all.”

Only then did my brother understand the reason I had brought the cup with me, and he let out a sigh. Then he hugged me tightly.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Brother, my gift to you!”

Since I was already embarrassed, I boldly declared it as if I were making a big deal. That’s when people around us started to chuckle.

“And for your father?”

Hearing Father’s voice from behind, I suddenly remembered that I had been told that he was also practicing here.

“Uwung, Father is the strongest.”

“I want my daughter to protect me, too.”

Hearing Father’s voice filled with a sense of sadness, I nodded reluctantly.

“Father is the strongest but I’ll protect you.”

“Is that true? Thank you. Our daughter is truly the best. But why did you come here?”

“Uh, um…”

If I told them I came here just to get water for my brother, I was sure he would be jealous. So, I smiled mischievously and applied some saliva to my lips.

“I came to get water for Father and Brother.”

As it turns out, being perceptive is a must for survival in this world. At my rolling eyes, Father chuckled and pulled me into a tight hug. 

“Our cute daughter is indeed one of a kind.”

“That’s right. Having a little sister like a pumpkin pancake is quite a handful.”

Jenny, who had been observing me, quickly poured water into a cup she had brought. With both hands, I held the cup and handed one to Father and one to my brother.

“It tastes so sweet because Rafi gave it to us.”

“Our little sister is the best, as always.”

I felt like I should go back to avoid my brother’s sharp gaze, but I didn’t want to meet his eyes. Still feeling embarrassed from falling earlier, I awkwardly smiled and accepted the affectionate gestures from Father and my brother.

“Our Rafi, did you wash before coming here?”

“No, I came here without washing because I wanted to see Father and Brother quickly.”

Upon hearing that I was planning to wash later, Father suddenly lifted me. 

“Then let’s go and wash together, Rafi.”

My brother looked at Father with cloudy eyes for a moment.

“Our Rafi already bathed with me before. Father washed her so gently.”

“Father.”

“Let’s wash and treat your injuries quickly. If scars develop, it will hurt me every time I see them.”

I winced, remembering the sting of the antiseptic on my wounds. I wanted to escape right now, but Father didn’t let go. 

“You don’t have to come here to fetch water in the future. Our roasted pumpkin pancake got all dirty like this. Dirt can be washed off, but if you get hurt, it may leave a scar, so be careful.”

“But some wrestle…”

“Even if other children wrestle and fight while growing up, our Rafi won’t. Who dares to challenge my daughter to a fight? Before that, I’ll stomp on that guy’s family…”

“Duke, please remember that the young lady is present. Please be mindful of your language.”

As Father’s tone was about to become more aggressive, Oscar, who was following us, intervened. Father cleared his throat and pretended not to have heard what he had just said. Caught off guard, I lowered my head, and as soon as I entered Father’s bathroom, my clothes were swiftly removed.

As I soaked in the bathtub with floating rubber ducks, Father entered after me. When Father entered the bathtub, the water level rose instantly, reaching up to my chest. 

“Does it hurt where the water touches?”

“It’s okay.”

“Our daughter is tough, no matter what.”

After heaving a small sigh while looking at my injuries, Father lifted me and carefully sat me on his lap, making sure the injured area didn’t touch the water. He gently washed me, being extremely cautious.

Once he had washed me completely, Father carefully placed me next to the bathtub and began to wash himself. I pretended to play with the rubber duck, like a child. 

Watching Father wash himself, I sighed inwardly. It was sadly regrettable that he was my father. If I had been born 30 years earlier, I might have had a chance before Mother married Father. 

I chuckled and thought about the marriage proposals that still come to my father these days. Even though he had two children, Father’s popularity had not diminished. However, he had burned the marriage proposals in front of me. He claimed that children shouldn’t see such things.

After Father had finished washing both of us, he sat me on his lap again, and we relaxed in the water for a moment. Suddenly, the door swung open.

“What are you doing?”

“I also want to shower with Rafi. I’ll take this opportunity to wash Father’s back.”

Father turned around in response to my brother’s somewhat desperate voice. I tried to see something that was right in front of my slightly delayed eyes. Just as my eyes were gradually widening, Father’s large hand blocked my view.

“You shouldn’t see things like that. Cover yourself.”

“What do you mean, cover myself? Even if I look like this, I have a body recognized in the academy.”

“Eugene, it seems like you’re showing it to your younger sister too lightly. Cover up with a towel quickly.”

That’s what happened. My brother rushed inside so hastily that he made a slight mistake. After being pointed out by Father, my brother quickly covered himself and entered the bathtub.

Sitting next to me, my brother laughed as he poked the bubbles that were rising in the warm water.

“It looks like you’ve been in the water for a while; your cheeks are already puffy.”

After touching my cheeks, which were filled with warm water, he now brought his cheeks close and pouted them. Seeing this, Father gently pushed my brother away.

“Your wet, puffy sticky rice cake might burst, so be careful in the bathroom.”

“It’s swollen like this? If anyone sees it, they’ll think I’m rubbing it with all my might.”

Seeing my brother with a ridiculous expression, Father immediately picked me up and held me in his arms as if trying to shield me from my brother, who seemed intent on touching me.

I looked at my brother while stuck to Father’s chest like glue. 

“When you grow up, will your chest get as big as Father’s?”

Even though he said he was learning martial arts, compared to Father’s chest, my brother was like a fledgling bird.

“Hmm? Why would that ever happen?”

Father’s resolute words left me feeling disappointed. In a moment when Father seemed to want to comfort me, he smiled at me and continued.

“By the way, Seraphina had a small chest too. But don’t worry. No one dares to comment on your body.”

I was immersed in disappointment by Father’s consolation that wasn’t really comforting.