The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 73

CHAPTER 73

Upon seeing Eugene’s younger sibling, Eren let out a federal exclamation. 

They looked somewhat alike and somewhat different, but the two siblings gazed affectionately at each other. 

Then, Rafi kissed Eugene on the cheek. A surprised expression crossed Eren’s face as the skinship between the two occurred very naturally.

“Brother, who are you fighting with? I heard fighting was bad.”

“He’s Duke Draco’s son, the one who tried to take our Rafi away by force, so don’t worry about him.”

Hurriedly, Eugene nudged Eren and gently kissed Rafi’s cheek. He smiled at the soft and adhering feeling.

“Ahem, I’d like you to introduce your sister…”

“Rafi, let’s go home quickly.” 

Eugene interjected with a teasing smile as he cut Eren off. Outsiders weren’t allowed in this place, but immediate family members could visit once or twice a year with permission.

“Brother, I waited for you to come… Brother didn’t come, so I got permission from Father and came.”

“Oh? Sorry, I had some things to take care of before I could leave. I see Rafi was waiting for me.”

“Yeah, I even drew pictures for Brother!”

“Oh, really? I want to go home and see what kind of pictures Rafi drew for Brother.”

To the dormitory, Eugene, who had always been friends with silence, was busy answering Rafi’s fast-talking questions, and Eren, who had been following him, was in awe.

Could there be a woman who could melt that rough presence? But he melted in front of her little sister.

“Rafi, just sit here for a Motherent and wait. Let’s pack our things and go together.”

“Okay.”

Rafi, who sat on Eugene’s bed, nodded. Taking a step closer to Eugene while observing her expression, Eren spoke. 

“Hello, I’m Eren, Eugene’s roommate. Oh, do you know what a roommate is?”

Because she had just turned four this year, he asked carefully, thinking she might not know. 

“Hello. I’m Rafi. Are there people who don’t know these days?”

“Oh? Uh, sorry. I didn’t know because I don’t have a younger sibling.”

Looking puzzled, Eren seemed to understand why Eugene’s family called Rafi ‘rice cake’ as he looked at Rafi’s plump cheeks.

“Why don’t you have a younger sibling? You have cousins, don’t you?”

“Oh, I heard they went down to the estate. I can’t focus on my cousins. But, Rafi, since I’m your brother’s friend, you can call me Brother Eren.”

“Woong, you’re a friend of my brother’s, and I’m a friend of yours.”

“Th-that’s right. Rafi is lucky to have a big brother. I wish I had a sibling like Rafi.”

“Tell your mother and father to make a baby.”

“I want to do that too, but Mother said she won’t have any more children because she doesn’t want to ruin her figure after giving birth to the heir.”

Since Lady Hyallu had already given birth to the heir, she had been using birth control from that time forward, not wanting to ruin her figure.

“So, what I mean is that Rafi is like my sister…”

“Shush! Where do you think you’re getting with our Rafi? Rafi, let’s go home with Brother. And, by the way, sister and sister’s husband are coming too.”

In the past, they used to exchange letters, but now it was Eugene and Erica who communicated directly via a communication device. Eugene knew that all of this change for the better was thanks to Rafi.

“I’m sleeping with sister tonight.”

When Rafi, who had the choice to sleep in the same bed, spoke, Eugene, who was packing his things, stopped. 

“Are you sleeping with sister tonight? Not with Brother? You only see Brother on the weekends?”

“Yeah, but when sister comes, I always sleep with sister…”

Rafi, who usually spoke as a habit, stopped talking when he saw what Eugene was offering him. His two eyes sparkled at the brilliantly shining blue stone.

“Brother’s giving you this. So, let’s wash up and go to sleep together.”

“Okay. But it’s not jellyfish, and I’m not talking about the ocean. It’s a secret.”

“Of course. Let’s go then.”

With all his belongings packed, Eugene hugged Rafi affectionately.

“Rafi, remember that besides Brother and Father, all other men in the world are wolves, so don’t speak or meet them carelessly, okay?”

“Okay, what about Aiden and Jaden, and Colin?”

“Let’s make an exception for nephews. Now, let’s go quickly.”

Holding Rafi, Eugene left for the dormitory without even having a chance to say goodbye to Eren. Seeing this, Eren chuckled.

“So lovely and cute, melting so gently. I wish I had a sibling like that…”

For Eren, it might be more realistic to have a daughter like Rafi than a sibling.

* * *

When my brother didn’t arrive on time, I impatiently tapped my feet, and I asked my father for help. Then, my father connected the warp gate to the academy where my brother attends.

Upon arriving there, with the guidance of a teacher whose father asked to meet me, I was able to locate my brother’s position easily. Thanks to the teacher who brought me to my brother, I could meet him without any trouble.

Without even getting the chance to say thank you, the teacher disappeared from my mind, and I went back home. My brother and I showered together, and of course, father joined us. 

Although I remembered that Father had showered in the morning, he insisted on showering again in the afternoon, squeezing in between my brother and me.

We washed thoroughly and changed our clothes. I was becoming drowsy as my older sister, brother-in-law, and Colin would arrive soon.

“Sleepy.”

“Then, go to sleep. I’ll wake you up later.”

Sitting on the couch with me in his arms, my brother’s voice made my eyes blink slowly. 

“Brother, sing a lullaby.”

“Huh, what? A lullaby?”

“Mmm, sing a lullaby.”

Bent over my brother’s knee, I let out a big yawn. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was too tired to think about anything anymore.

“Lullaby, Mother used to sing a lullaby.”

After thinking deeply for a moment, my brother, as if in resignation, patted my back with his hand that softly grazed my stomach.

“Lullaby, lullaby, our pumpkin rice cake! Sleep well. Our pumpkin rice cake!”

That’s not it, is it? Mother wouldn’t have called my brother a pumpkin rice cake. But, too drowsy to think it through, I listened to my brother’s silly lullaby and closed my eyes.

“Sleep well, our baby. In the front yard and the backyard…”

At some point, as I faintly heard a proper lullaby in my ears, I couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

Meow. Meow.

“I’m sorry, Ciel! I’m a bit busy.”

Ciel, who had been wandering around outside for a while, clung to my side as he entered in the evening. It seemed like a request to play, but there was no time to play with Ciel.

“Today, the teacher will come.”

For a while, I had been studying alone, bringing books from Duke Panteur’s library and self-studying. However, self-study also had its limits.

“Miss, don’t be nervous. I’ll be watching from behind.”

Jenny, who spoke those words, seemed to be the one who was nervous as she widened her eyes. Originally, only the teacher and I should be in the room, but this time, I specially allowed Jenny to observe.

“Do you know who the teacher is?”

“Oh, you still don’t know? The person coming today knows Mr. Vance, who has been on a hot streak in recent duels and is raising quite a stir.”

Even before Jenny could finish her sentence, a knocking sound was heard. Jenny, who had received my permission, opened the door with a polite tone.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Edward. I’ll be teaching you history from today.”

The man with a kind smile entered carrying a thick book. Seeing him, I stood up from the chair.

“Van, you look older. But you look even more handsome.”

Vance, who I usually saw as a handsome man, was there. On top of that, it was clear that he dressed up as an older person to deliberately make fun of me. Do handsome men not age gracefully?

Naturally, the disguised Vance smiled. When a young Vance smiled, it felt a little cheeky. But the current Vance’s smile was deep and mature.

“Miss Seraphina, I didn’t finish my introduction. My real name is Edward Christopher. I am Vance’s father.”

“Vance’s father? Ha, I don’t believe it! His father is more handsome than his son?”

“Phew, excuse me. I’m sorry, I applied a bit more pressure at the end and ended up creating a worse guy than myself.”

Edward, who had laughed for a long time, seated me on a chair. He then spoke briefly. 

Until a few years ago, he was the Count of Christopher, but he got tired of it and passed it on to Vance. He said he wanted to spend his old age comfortably, playing around and reading books at home. He looked like he was in his mid-40s, far from being old enough to call it old age.

“For this reason, I’ll be your history teacher for a while. I hope you’ll take good care of me.”

“Sure, Professor.”

“Our Seraphina is quite good at answering, isn’t she? Haha.”

“Seraphina is my mother’s name. Call me Rafi.”

“Oh! Are you allowing me to use a nickname? Thank you.”

Seeing the warmth of the young Vance’s smile, I couldn’t help but grin. With that smile, I began Edward’s history lesson. 

During my time as a princess, I learned a variety of things under the title of “homeschooling.” I thought it would be the same as then, but Edward’s lesson captivated my ears.

“So, you’re saying there were ancient nations on the Spenta Continent?”

“That’s right. What we know now is that there were two ancient languages, the Chinese ancient language and the ancient language we speak. Also, at that time, science and magic coexisted.”

“Um, magic and science continued to exist until now, but why did it disappear?”

“According to documents discovered in the ancient language, it is said that a world war occurred. It’s said that most of the ancient people died during that event. Some managed to escape underground.”

The surface was completely devastated, and the air and water were extremely polluted and undrinkable. This led some survivors to hide underground, leaving records of their actions in writing.

Thousands of years ago, writings in the ancient language were discovered, revealing that there was an ancient nation on the Spenta Continent before the current countries.

“So, countries were reestablished after the disaster?”

“That’s right. After hiding underground, the survivors managed to return to the purified surface after hundreds of years and established their own countries.”

“But why didn’t science survive?”

If the ancient people established countries, science would have surely developed, but the world here was still a primitive one without electricity.

“The survivors were not all scientists. Moreover, after the devastation, there were no resources to use, and before long, another war broke out, destroying everything.”

Even though they reestablished countries based on the names of ancient nations, they were plagued by conflicts, and nations split, leading to a turbulent history. 

In other words, there was no time for scientific progress. Every attempt to achieve something failed and the first to be killed were the scientists.

“Until the Savannah Empire as it is today, the name of the country changed dozens of times. And other countries had similar or even more frequent name changes.”

I nodded in response to Edward’s explanation, which was easy to understand.

“So, why didn’t the ancient language continue to be used in the country the ancient people established?”

“Oh, you have a sharp observation. The language and culture of a country usually follow the rules of a dominant country. A long time ago, the Spenta Continent was dominated by the current Chinese Empire.”

In other words, they enforced the use of the language of the dominant country after swallowing a nation that used ancient language, similar to the era of Japanese colonial rule.

“Hehe, they forced the language and culture of the dominant nation to dominate the country, didn’t they?”

“Oh, our little Rafi! Excellent. Naturally, when governing a conquered nation, it’s efficient to eliminate or change their existing language and culture. The Chinese Empire has its unique script, whether in ancient or modern times. However, the China Empire hasn’t always had a peaceful history. It experienced numerous internal conflicts and wars, and as a result, it was even conquered by other nations. This naturally led to a blending of cultures and languages, and they couldn’t maintain their distinctive language and script, which is why they now use the common language of the Spenta Continent.”

Edward concluded the lesson with a satisfied expression and remarked.

“So, we’ll end today’s lesson here. Hehehe, how could someone like you be so clever?”

As Vance arrived, he asked.

“Father, did you say anything strange during the lesson or something like that?”

“I had no chance to say anything strange. Our little Rafi here was such an attentive student, wasn’t she? Right, Rafi?”

With a grin, I confirmed his compliment. Edward’s teaching was truly excellent, and I responded positively to emphasize this.

“Yes, yes, Teacher!”