The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

Father’s words left me and the people around me wide-eyed. 

It was understandable that he mentioned I was his daughter, but today was my birthday, something I hadn’t even thought about. I blinked my eyes in surprise.

“Father, are we sharing a birthday?”

“Since you don’t have a separate birthday, we decided to celebrate it on the same day as mine.”

I blinked my eyes in disbelief at Father, who had made this decision without any discussion. When I asked if he was doing this just to avoid the hassle of preparing another birthday celebration for me, his gaze shifted in the opposite direction. 

Seeing that, I burst into laughter.

Anyway, our Father couldn’t be stopped, it seemed. As I laughed at my Father’s cute behavior, everyone except for the aides stared at me in shock, their mouths agape. I was surprised, but they were probably even more surprised.

Most people in this household probably don’t even know that I exist. 

“Is it true that this little girl is going to become the Duchess of Panteur?”

“That’s right. I’m not going to lie at my age. Our whole family has agreed to it.”

He said sternly, in response to the man who asked if he would lie at his ripe old age over a baked sticky rice cake.

“But you haven’t been in contact with the older miss…”

“Father! We’ve arrived.”

Just as the unrecognizable nobleman was about to retort, my sister walked in with my brother-in-law and Colin. They stared in amazement at the father-daughter reunion after three or four years, followed by breathless shouts.

“Rafi, didn’t you want to see your sister? Why haven’t you come to her house?”

“Sis, I’ve been busy. I was preparing for the wedding.”

That’s right. My sister had been busy preparing for her belated wedding with her husband. That’s why I didn’t think she’d be able to come here, but it seemed like she managed to find the time.

“Our sweet rice cake sister-in-law, it seems like more flesh has accumulated since we last saw you. Very satisfying! Oh, um… Hello, sister-in-law.”

My brother-in-law’s eyes lit up when he saw me and greeted me.

“Hello. Brother-in-law. I hope you’ve been well.”

As simple greetings were exchanged, Colin, a little boy, approached me with small steps and stood in front of my feet. Because I had been in my Father’s arms, I lowered my head and looked at him.

“Aunt, play with me.”

Still, I grinned in response to Colin’s words, prioritizing his playfulness. In return, Colin also laughed. Just as my Father was about to put me down, the doors of the banquet hall swung open wide, and the extended family entered festively.

“Who decided on Rafi’s birthday today, as if it’s up to anyone! We haven’t even brought a birthday present.”

“Honey, it’s our son-in-law’s birthday, and instead of celebrating, you’re saying such things first? How embarrassing.”

“Uncle and Aunt, happy birthday. By the way, Eastern nobility… they have no manners.”

At Daniel’s words, the Eastern nobles immediately stepped back and lowered their heads. In this world, there were only two people who could call my Father their son-in-law.

Until now, the interaction between the Tigris and Aquila ducal families had been known to some extent, but everyone had been cautious. However, this time, bringing the entire family along made it impossible not to trust.

“Grandfather, grandmother!”

“Oh! Let’s hug our soft rice cake, shall we?”

I left my Father’s arms and ran to my grandfather, embracing him tightly. As always, it felt comfortable, like dealing with mana.

“Rafi, why have you become so skinny?”

“Really? I thought I had gained weight.”

Even though it felt like my cheeks were about to burst from the weight, whenever my grandmother saw me, she insisted on feeding me more, saying I had lost weight.

“It’s not that you’ve gained weight, but it seems like you’ve become smaller, like a soft rice cake. Perhaps you’ve been eating rice cakes here. How about coming back to our house on this occasion?”

My grandfather quickly agreed with my grandmother’s words and hinted at the idea of taking me back to the Tigris ducal estate.

“Father, don’t even think about taking Rafi to your house; she’s been consistently gaining weight. Instead, please show her the birthday gift you brought.”

With a sudden and shameless request for a gift, my Father left my grandfather looking dumbfounded. Then he looked at Daniel behind him.

“I brought it on the way here, but it might not be anything too impressive. Well, by the way, what should we give Rafi as a birthday gift?”

“Grandfather, tomorrow is my brother’s birthday.”

“Oh? Don’t worry about it. I’ve already prepared a birthday gift for Eugene. Hahaha. By the way, what would Erica and her husband like as a wedding gift?”

Rumors about their wedding had already spread widely. So, my grandfather had told them to speak up if they needed anything, but in response to my brother-in-law’s words, he made a displeased expression.

“I’d like to have our sweet rice cake sister-in-law.”

“Have you gone senile?”

“I guess I have. Tsk tsk, they say early senility is on the rise these days.”

Continuing from last time, this time too, my Grandfather and Father blamed my brother-in-law for dementia. However, my sister didn’t say anything and just smiled, tightly holding Colin’s hand. 

“Jerome, do you want Rafi because you didn’t have a daughter? If that’s the case, wake up from your dream. If you try that again, there’s a way to make you step back early.”

With a sweet yet sharp remark, my sister congratulated me on my birthday with a kiss on the cheek.

“You too, big brother!”

I forced myself to include my brother, who was one of the guests of honor at the birthday banquet, even though his birthday was tomorrow.

“Huh? Eugene? Do you want a kiss too?”

“Are you crazy?”

When my sister said it with a cheeky smile, my brother panicked and refused. He used to like it when I gave him kisses, but he seemed to dislike it when my sister did it.

“The little one who would smile happily when Rafi kissed him…”

“Hmph!”

Turning his head with a snort, my brother didn’t even look in my sister’s direction. Seeing him like that, my sister shook her head and threw something at him. She threw it unexpectedly, but my brother quickly caught it.

“I found it on the way here. If you don’t need it, throw it away.”

My brother, after opening the black velvet box, glinted in his eyes. Then he smiled.

“I guess this should make up for all the presents I didn’t receive so far.”

“Okay, now it’s my turn for the wedding.”

“Yes, whatever you say.”

Seeing the jewels piled inside the box, I realized that even though my brother received only one gold piece of pocket money per year, he was not poor at all. It was his birthday, and people didn’t just fill it with empty words.

After exchanging greetings with family members, we returned to our seats, and this time, the guests who had been invited presented gifts to Father and my brother. Just looking at them was enough to make one’s eyes widen like lanterns; they were expensive gems that could light up the room.

After the birthday gift presentation ceremony ended, both my Father and my brother simultaneously looked at me.

“Rafi, what’s my birthday present?”

Simultaneously questioned, I rolled my eyes. 

Just a few days ago, my brother had clearly said he didn’t need a gift, but now that his birthday had arrived, he seemed to want one. After a moment of thought, I smiled and said.

“Me! Hugging Father and Brother is my present!”

“Ha! That’s right. That’s the right answer. I’ve received a lifetime’s worth of gifts all at once.”

“I kept pestering Mother to have a little sibling… Her gift to me is clear.”

With one word, I casually resolved the birthday gift issue and sighed with relief. Then I held Father and my brother’s hands tightly. In this world, my family members looked at each other with smiles in their eyes.

While looking at the joyous banquet hall, my eyes suddenly grew heavy.

“Father, I’m sleepy…”

“Yeah, it’s time for bed now. Father will go put you to sleep.”

“But Father, you still have to…”

“It’s okay. No one will say anything if Father goes to put his little girl to sleep.”

Father, whispering in my ear, lifted me from my seat while I was dozing off in his arms. When my body relaxed against his strong chest, my sister came running.

“You stay put, Father, and I’ll put our little Rafi to bed, because I think Colin’s getting sleepy, too.”

“Are you saying they’ll sleep together in the same bed?”

Seeing my Father advocating for co-ed sleeping, my sister wore a bewildered expression.

“They’re not even seven years old yet. Who cares if a young aunt and nephew sleep together? If anyone says anything, I’ll slap them.”

My sister said quite emphatically, expressing her strong views on the matter, seemingly believing that family ties could be maintained this way.

“I will hold Lady Rafi, so Lady Aquila can hold the young master.”

No matter how much she called herself an older sister, it was difficult to hold two children just before they fell asleep. Helena rushed over and, after taking me from Father, kissed my cheek with her own.

“Today, our young lady is a soft bean cake covered in bean powder. She’s so cute. Hoho, I wish I could have a girl at this age, but I’m afraid to have a son again.”

“Me too. My husband keeps urging me to have a daughter who looks like our sweet rice cake, but that’s impossible. I’m not even her birth mother, so there’s no way I’ll have a daughter who looks like a sweet rice cake.”

“Hoho, in that case, I might have a slight chance. After all, my grandparents had a latecomer too.”

My sister, holding Colin, and Helena, holding me, chatted away. 

“Are Aiden and Jaden not here today?”

“Yes, they are studying or doing something productive since they seemed too distracted following our young lady around. When the kids see only their aunt, they go wild.”

“I noticed that last time I saw them. Anyway, our Rafi is quite popular.”

“Princess Sylvester always asks about our Rafi’s well-being whenever she communicates. Hoho, if you ask how our Rafi managed to build a bridge between Princess Sylvester and Aiden…”

She continued to talk without pausing and entered my sister’s room. 

“Huaaah.”

“Our young lady, it’s time to sleep now.”

Helena, with Jenny’s help, undressed me, patting my belly and singing a lullaby. Maybe it was her skill in raising two sons, but I fell asleep without realizing it while listening to Helena’s lullaby.

I slept deeply, and when I woke up, it was early morning. 

My sister’s room was unmistakable, but the room’s owner was nowhere to be seen. It was evident that my uncle had gone to the guest room for the night.

Feeling like I had chased the owner away by accident, I yawned with a guilty expression.

“Huaaah!”

Stretching my arms upward, I felt an odd gaze and turned my head abruptly.

“Colin?”

“Aunt, it’s a good morning.”

It seemed like the two children had been put to sleep together in the same bed. 

“Did you just wake up?”

“Just a little while ago… Aunt, I’ve been looking at you… You’re really pretty!”

I wondered if my sister was still reading romance books to Colin at bedtime because he spoke like a grown man in love. I gave him a dumbfounded look.

“But Aunt, do you know about that?”

“Know about what?”

“At first, I didn’t know, but…”

“But what?”

Suddenly, as I moved my head in confusion, Colin very naturally leaned in and closed the gap between us, making a kissing sound as his lips met my cheek.

Is it a good morning kiss? Since I often exchanged kisses with Father and my brother, I didn’t feel anything unusual. However, Colin, who had just given a good morning kiss, blushed deeply and fidgeted with both hands as he spoke.