The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

On a day in the autumn when the pomegranate was ripening –

Suddenly, the house became busy. The employees of Duke Panteur, who were always calm, had been cleaning the mansion diligently for the past few days, making it shine. Blinking my eyes, I looked at my brother and asked.

“Brother, it seems like everyone is busy.”

“Hmm? Oh, in a few days, it’s Father’s birthday.”

“Ah, I see. I didn’t know that.”

“And the day after Father’s birthday is your brother’s birthday.”

I suddenly realized a fact I hadn’t thought about, and my head became complicated. I needed to prepare a birthday present, but I didn’t know what to give. When I lived in South Korea, I had never given anyone a gift before.

And when I lived as the princess of the Benedict Empire, I only received gifts; I had never given anyone one. I hadn’t even given a birthday present to my brother, Lancelot. 

At that time, I was grateful for the fact that my brother supported me because I had nothing.

“When is our Rafi’s birthday?”

“Huh? I don’t know.”

“Oh… I see.”

How could I possibly know when my birthday is? I shrugged my shoulders and held my brother’s hand as we continued walking forward.

My brother, who had been silent for a while, pulled me into his arms when we reached the garden.

“So, can we decide Rafi’s birthday together with Father?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Initially, I didn’t attach much importance to birthdays. The best thing was not to receive or expect anything, and it was comfortable that way. However, since I had landed here, it seemed that I couldn’t avoid celebrating birthdays in some way.

“What do you want for a birthday present, Brother?”

“I don’t need a birthday present.”

Even though it was just words, I felt grateful and giggled as I rested my face on my brother’s shoulder. Then, at some point, Ciel, who I had no idea when he’d gotten here, nuzzled my face against my legs. 

Before I could extend my hand to indicate that it was okay, Jenny, who had followed right behind, grabbed Ciel.

“Ciel’s fur doesn’t seem to be in good condition, so it might be better not to hold him.”

It was only then that I took a closer look at Ciel. His black fur was completely covered in dirt as if he had taken a mud bath. If I had hugged him without knowing, my clothes for the day would probably have been covered in dirt.

“I’ll wash Ciel’s fur and comb it for him.”

“Yes, please do that.”

Lately, Ciel’s fur had been shedding frequently, and he had been wandering around my room.

My Father didn’t seem too pleased with this. I managed to prevent him from suggesting that we send Ciel outside immediately.

“Sometimes, he seems just like an ordinary cat.”

“He’s just an ordinary cat.”

I shook my head from side to side, still unable to shake off the idea that my brother thought Ciel was a dragon. Then my brother opened a book he had brought.

“Shall we read?”

“Yes, I’ll read it to you.”

It was a simple children’s book, but my brother enjoyed reading it to me. The problem was that I already knew the story, so I didn’t pay much attention, and the result was drowsiness.

I yawned with a sluggish expression, and then I nestled into my brother’s arms and fell asleep. I woke up later, not knowing how much time had passed, but my brother was still reading the fairy tale.

“Did you like listening to my voice, little one?” 

“Mm-hmm.”

“Well, how about I put you to bed every night?” 

“I promised to sleep with Father.”

“It’s okay. If Rafi wants to sleep with me, Father won’t openly object to that.”

As my brother predicted, Father didn’t openly object. Instead, his gaze towards me was filled with a subtle but intense meaning. 

After dinner, he didn’t express the desire to sleep together through words, but his eyes spoke volumes, and it felt like his hands were reaching out to me.

With that look, it seemed like it could easily captivate anyone who saw it, and without realizing it, I left my brother for Father’s embrace. I clung to his chest like it was the most natural thing, surrendering to the warmth that seemed to ask me to choose him.

“I want to sleep with Father.”

“Our daughter has chosen me today. So, Eugene, take care of Ciel and go to bed.”

“No, Rafi, I’m supposed to be sleeping with you tonight.”

My brother asked with a sulky expression, but, as expected, my Father’s embrace was the best place in the world for me.

“Brother, you have a nice chest too…”

“You know, I sometimes wonder if you’re really Mother’s daughter. Even if you resemble her, it’s probably just a coincidence. When I was little, Mother used to put me to sleep, and Father would try to entice her with his chest, and then she would leave.”

My brother shook his head in resignation, but he promised that no matter what happened tomorrow, we would definitely sleep together, even making a pinky promise, and then he left, holding onto the back of Ciel, who was about to come after me.

“Alright then, Rafi, let’s go to sleep with Father. But before that, let’s wash our mouths.” 

I tried to skip it, but I had to suck on the orange-flavored water spirit for a full three minutes. At first, it didn’t seem like I would get used to it, but now I had resigned myself to it.

“Now, spit it out.”

Jenny handed me a piece of the water spirit, and I spat it out. I could taste the refreshing flavor and aroma in my mouth.

“Now, let’s go to sleep, my daughter.”

Before bedtime, I changed into pajamas adorned with embroidered yellow chicks and settled into my Father’s embrace.

“Father, give me a kiss!”

“Huh? Oh, I almost forgot. Alright, a kiss before bedtime!”

After we exchanged kisses on the forehead and cheeks, I closed my eyes. 

Just as I was starting to fall asleep, my Father’s strong hands gently pulled me close, whispering.

“Our daughter, Father will make up for all the hardships you’ve endured. Let’s live together forever. Father will protect you no matter what you do. I’m sorry for not knowing, I’m sorry for being foolish…”

* * *

On the day of my father’s birthday celebration, which lasted a total of 3 nights and 4 days, I found myself completely at the mercy of the employees.

“I’m just a guest here.”

“Why aren’t you the main guest, Miss? The Duke is the main guest, so naturally, his family becomes part of the main event. And since the young master’s birthday is also included, you’ll probably be very busy.”

I got up and moved around as usual, but Jenny, who had been feeding me glutinous rice cakes since lunch, immediately called the employees to help me get dressed. 

She had brought a measuring tape a while ago, and it seemed like new clothes had arrived. And not just one set, but dozens.

“How do I even wear all of these?”

“You’ll change into different outfits every few hours. You can’t spend a whole day in just one outfit, and our employees’ pride won’t allow that.”

The same situation that happened in the Benedict Empire was repeating itself here. The only fortunate thing was that I was a child, so the clothes were easier to make and cost less.

“It’s troublesome.”

“It can’t be helped. So, should we try this outfit now?” 

The pink dress was adorned with lace and ribbons, exuding the utmost cuteness. Wearing the dress, I also put on the pink diamond hairpin that my grandfather had given me not long ago.

It was a perfect match.

Wearing pink shoes, I nestled into my father’s embrace, not knowing when he had arrived.

“Father, you look cool.”

Dressed in regal attire and a red cape, my father was more than enough to captivate the hearts of the ladies.

“Thank you for saying so. Our daughter has become a pink glutinous rice cake, and yet this outfit suits her so well. She looks so lovely; just looking at her could wear her out.”

My father gently touched my cheek with his. His freshly shaved face was smooth and firm.

“And what about brother?”

“We agreed to meet at the entrance to the venue. There’s no need for us to go together from here.”

My father, who wasn’t so fond of escorting his grown-up son to the event hall, kissed my other cheek.

The aides who followed us from behind looked very pleased. 

“I wonder what our duke would be doing right now if the baked glutinous rice cake lady hadn’t descended.”

“I’m sure he’d weigh them down and sweep them away as usual.”

According to the aides, my father, who was known for his tyrannical rule, had slowly started to change since my arrival here. 

“Father, you’ve arrived. Happy birthday.”

“Yes, and I wish you an early happy birthday for tomorrow.”

Oddly enough, the difference of just one day in the birthdays of the wealthy seemed even greater. After wriggling around in my father’s arms and coming down to the floor, I reached out my hand to my brother.

“Brother, hold my hand.”

“Sure. I’ll hold your hand, Rafi.”

Seeing my brother gently take my small hand, I then extended my hand to my father.

“Father, hold my hand too.”

Father, with a gentle smile, tightly held my hand, as if he had understood my intention. With this, I formed a perfect bridge between my father and my brother and slowly entered the venue.

“Oh my, that child is the harbinger of…”

“Hush! Be careful with your words. If you say such things, your head might roll first.” 

They hushed each other, and when I saw them regulating their speech, I looked up at my father. 

“Don’t pay attention to such nonsense.”

“Father.”

Holding the hands of both of them, I skipped along, and when I saw familiar faces, I burst into laughter.

Elena was the governess of this mansion but originally the Countess of Lawrence. Today, she attended as the Countess, wearing a beautiful dress.

“Elena!”

In response to my call, Elena smiled and waved her hand discreetly.

“Ahem, is the young lady the one the lady mentioned? The tiny one, no matter how you look at her… she’s a glutinous rice cake.”

Glutinous rice cake seemed to be the unanimous nickname for me wherever I went in this neighborhood.

“Our freshly baked glutinous rice cake lady’s cheeks are so soft and sticky when you touch them. But you wouldn’t know the feeling because you haven’t touched them. Ho ho ho.” 

Elena, looking triumphant as if she had won a pointless argument, laughed while covering her mouth with a fan. Seeing this, my father led me forward, and I took light, skipping steps.

As we reached the podium, my father picked me up and turned to address the attendees at the birthday celebration.

“Thank you so much for coming to my birthday, as well as our son Eugene’s birthday, every year from far and wide. I hope you enjoy the celebration safely rather than making it more memorable.”

In short, my father’s greeting contained a message that if anyone caused trouble here, whether it be from drinking or for any other reason, he wouldn’t just stand by. 

When my father spoke, everyone nodded in acknowledgment.

Thunk –

My father tapped his index finger and thumb together to make a sound, and the orchestra, which had been holding its breath until now, began to play a piece. As the quiet music filled the venue, the heads of the attendees turned.

“Duke Panteur, we came from afar and haven’t had a chance to hear the details. May I ask who the child you are holding is?”

Some of the local nobles, seeing me, raised their eyebrows and asked my father. It was a reasonable question, and my father replied casually.

“This is the freshly baked glutinous rice cake and soft bean rice cake that Seraphina sent us.”

“Father, you forgot the pumpkin rice cake.”

“Let’s just overlook that. We have too many rice cakes dedicated to our Rafi.”

Such nonsense.

Why go through all the trouble of listing various types of rice cakes when he could have just said I’m his daughter? I gave my father a little poke in the cheek and he responded with a gentle smile.

“Seraphina Panteur, that’s her name. And today, she’s celebrating her fourth birthday.”

After making this bombshell statement that surprised everyone, my father stamped my cheek with a kiss.