The Softest And Cutest Of The Dukes - Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Duke Panteur gritted his teeth as he looked at the little Rafi in his arms, remembering the child in his arms who had held out her tiny fingers to him for a promise. He held her tightly, his heartbreaking every time he thought of her, but so warm. 

With trembling hands, he stroked the child’s back, very careful not to bruise it with the force of his touch. Elio smiled at the sight. 

“I see you’re doing well, Duke.”

“I suppose so, for she stopped crying as soon as I embraced her.”

Young Rafi, who had cried for the world to go away, began to calm down. She still had tears in the corners of her eyes, but other than her whimpering, she was fine. 

“The Duke is very good at taking care of children.”

“Yes. Normally, a child would be scared and cry in a man’s arms, but the Duke and young lady seem to be a good match.”

No matter what Elio and Jenny said next to him, Duke Panteur still looked at the sobbing child. Her eyes were puffy and salty.

“Well, even the plainest rice cake has become all puffed up.”

“Hicc, no, I’m not puffy. Hicc…”

Duke Panteur laughed heartily at the child’s ability to say everything she needed to say while crying. Even so, he comforted the child who was upset about being called puffy. Rafi giggled, buried her face in his shoulder, and sagged. 

There was no more crying. Feeling more at ease in the world, the child blinked her heavy eyes and clutched at Duke Panteur’s robe. Her tiny fingers seemed to have no strength in them, and she looked a little pitiful as she clutched at them with a shaky grip.

If she had been abused by her father, the mere sight of a man must have been frightening, and how could she be so hungry for affection that she would hold on to a stranger and not let go? 

With the child now somewhat at ease, Duke Panteur walked out of the room. Outside, spring was in the air, but inside, the Duke was a bitter old man. 

As he walked through the dreary corridors, his servants stared wide-eyed and bowed their heads against the walls. The Duke appeared with a child in his arms, exuding an aura so powerful that even a crying child would faint at the sight of his face.

Whenever Duke Panteur walked by with Rafi in his arms, the hired help gave him a startled look. But their expressions quickly faded. 

“Lady Seraphina must have been crying.”

Rafi’s golden eyes were glazed with tears from crying so much, and Oscar, feeling sorry for her, wiped them away with his handkerchief. Rafi’s closed eyes blinked open at the touch. 

“Why was our little lady crying?”

“Earlier, her head was hurting.”

“Oh no! She cried because her head was hurting. Is there anywhere else you’re feeling uncomfortable?”

“My head hu…hurts a lot, so I’m crying.”

“Ugh. That’s right, my dear Seraphina is so sad because she has a headache.”

Duke Panteur frowned as Rafi answered Oscar’s question in a muffled voice. Then he held out his left hand to Oscar.

“Give me your handkerchief.”

“You want the handkerchief with Lady Seraphina’s tears on it.”

“Never mind, give it to me.”

Oscar smiled and handed over the handkerchief, which Duke Panteur took and held up to the child’s nose.

“Sniff!”

Knowing what that meant, the child naturally blew his nose into Oscar’s handkerchief.

“Huuufhhh!”

Rafi smiled as she blew her nose into Oscar’s handkerchief, which instantly cleared her nose. With that smile, Oscar was able to take back her snotty, damp handkerchief.

“This is Rafi’s snotty handkerchief, and I give it to you as a special heirloom.”

“Cool!”

Duke Panteur, who had seen the nanny do it a few times in his early years, mimicked it, and when he succeeded, he patted Rafi on the back, beaming. Passing Oscar, who had tearfully wiped Rafi’s snotty handkerchief, Duke Panteur said to the child.

“Rafi, do you want to go outside for a bit?”

“Are you going?”

“I was just asking to check.”

He smiled at the child, who seemed to know what he meant every time he spoke. Feeling strangely comfortable with the child in his arms, Duke Panteur stepped outside, a fresh spring breeze caressing his skin.

It still held a slight chill, but it was warm enough to make up for the freezing winter winds.

As Duke Panteur headed out to the gardens, Rafi supported by one hand in the spring breeze, the gardeners began to get busy.

“Do you know what this flower is?”

He plucked a fresh spring flower and held it in front of Rafi. Rafi held it in front of her as if to sniff the scent and then sniffed it.

“I don’t know. Does brother knows?”

“I don’t know.”

With cloudy golden eyes, Duke Panteur handed the flower to Rafi, as if he didn’t understand why she was asking him to name it. Rafi took the flower, smelled its faint fragrance, and popped it into her mouth. It tasted slightly sour and sweet at the same time.

“That’s not something to eat.”

Just as he was about to snatch the flower from Rafi’s hand as if to ask if she was eating it because she had nothing else to eat, Oscar, who had followed them from behind, spoke up.

“My Lady Seraphina knows something: the flowers are used as an analgesic for pains.”

With that, Duke Panteur plucked all the nearby flowers and gave them to Rafi. Rafi, who was instantly engrossed in the flowers, stuck out her lips in disbelief.

He nodded and coughed as if he were asking if she was a rabbit, and then walked away and sat down without a mat under a large tree. Rafi, perched on the Duke’s leg, looked at him distantly.

The tree looked like it was about to bloom with spring flowers, and as he sat under it, Duke Panteur touched his face to Rafi’s as he watched her squirm on my leg.

His hand clung to Rafi’s tiny cheeks as if they were sticky and wouldn’t let go. At first, he stroked, but then he cupped Rafi’s face. Her cheeks were tugged and released with both hands, and Rafi’s face puffed up.

“Don’t.”

“I see.”

Duke Panteur smirked at the child’s words. Looking at her puffed-up cheeks, it was as if he was looking at a five-year-old girl who was unhappy about being separated from him and having to go back home. Back then, he too used to puff up her cheeks when she was unhappy.

“Hey, don’t do it.”

Duke Panteur’s hands still hadn’t moved away from Rafi’s cheeks, even though she had clearly said she don’t want it. The squishy feel was addictive. As the Duke continued to fondle, Rafi jumped to her feet. 

She left his arms and wandered around the garden, though she hadn’t put on her shoes since she’d left the room. She was barefoot, but the Duke never stopped her. 

There was nothing in this garden to hurt a child’s feet. 

Rafi’s hopping and scampering set the hearts of the gardeners watching from afar racing. They felt that if they cut her feet, he would cut their throats. 

“Big brother, what is that?”

When Rafi pointed at a fluttering insect, Duke Panteur casually replied,

“It’s a butterfly.”

“A butterfly? What’s its name?”

“……It’s just a butterfly.”

What does a duke know about the name of a butterfly? 

All he needed to know was that it was a butterfly, but the details were for his paid aides to know. Feeling Duke Panteur’s gaze on him, Oscar smiled wryly.

“The butterfly is called a golden butterfly because it is golden in color.”

“I see, he is smarter than you.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda smart…… hmmm.”

Oscar, who had smiled brightly at Rafi’s comment, shut his mouth at the piercing stare from the side. But they say that praise from a small child can make Oscar go on a rampage. As Rafi jumped up and down to catch the butterfly, Oscar jumped up and down to catch it too.

“Put that away.”

Duke Panteur said through clouded eyes as he watched Oscar run around unruly for his age, but the knights intervened and dragged him away, leaving the little girl running around trying to catch the butterfly.

“That’s not fair. I’m playing with a lady.”

“Oscar, think of your age, you’re old enough to have a granddaughter like that.”

“I’m not married!”

“I don’t care if you’re busy with work, but don’t run around catching butterflies, it’s unsightly.”

Oscar didn’t argue with the insensitive Duke Panteur. He just looked at the plump sticky rice cake, still unable to catch the butterfly. 

“Brother, butterfly.”

Rafi pointed her tiny finger at the flying butterflies and turned to Duke Panteur. 

“You don’t think I’m your servant, you have to catch those things yourself.”

“Please.”

With a grim expression on his face, Duke Panteur stood up. He strode forward as if the child’s request were a command.

“I thought you said one time that you didn’t want me to run around looking ugly.”

“I don’t have to run.”

Duke Panteur replied to Oscar, who had been pulled to one side and grabbed a butterfly that was hovering slightly above Rafi with both hands. Rafi gasped as he caught the butterfly with a single stroke of his hand.

“See? This is what I’m made of.”

“Whoa, whoa. Big brother!”

Rafi said, jumping up and down and tugging on Duke Panteur’s pants. Duke Panteur’s nose turned up a notch in delight, and he coughed to clear the air as he heard giggling around him.

“Show me.”

At Rafi’s words, Duke Panteur lowered his stance and opened his hands slightly. Within them, a yellow butterfly was trapped, its wings fluttering.

“Woah, pretty.”

Seeing the butterfly, Rafi opened Duke Panteur’s hands a little wider. The butterfly fluttered and flew away again.

“Do you want me to catch it again?”

“No. Butterflies fly, and they’re cuter.”

Rafi imbued with a respect for life that the Duke Panteur would never have, yawned nonchalantly. Her little open-mouthed yawns were so cute that they wanted to pick her up and put her to bed, but they didn’t get the chance. Duke Panteur picked up Rafi and rubbed her back.

“Let’s go to your room and get some sleep.”

Returning to his room with the child in his arms, Duke Panteur laid Rafi down on the bed and stopped dead in his tracks. A tiny hand grabbed his collar and wouldn’t let go. As if the tiny hand had some kind of power over him, the Duke remained frozen in place.

Exhausted and seemingly asleep, but not letting go of his clothes, he stroked Rafi’s hair. Her eyes closed, and her lips formed a soft curve.

“I don’t know what you remember or think, but I don’t care if you are a child of destruction or a normal child. You could lie to me and I would still believe you.”

Seeing her lips part slightly, Duke Panteur smiled a sickly smile. Seeing her smile made him feel like he was smiling back.

“Seraphina…… you don’t have to do anything here anymore. I’ll protect you this time, no matter what, but don’t leave. Don’t leave us.”