Chapter 54

✾

I hugged the child who was talking with his cute lips twitching, then kissed his cheek.

The boy’s cheeks were flushed with anger.

“Daddy, mommy.”

The child stuck out his tongue.

I wiped the child’s mouth with a handkerchief tied around his neck and said ‘Dad’.

“Yeah, you miss your dad, don’t you?”

“Uh!”

“You’ll see him soon.”

“Hiik!”

The child dangled his legs and buried his face in my arms.

Still, he did not let go of the word card with the word ‘clothes’ written on it, holding it tightly with his wriggling hands.

‘Are you going to check it when Daddy comes back later?’ Astel chuckled.

A warm, regular breathing could be felt on my chest.

‘Baby I will protect you.’

As he grew up smiling proudly, I felt strange gazes from those around us.

‘What is this?’

I slightly glanced and stared at the place where I could feel the gaze.

A squirrel was climbing up and down the tree. Other than that, it’s little animal friends were hiding somewhere and peeping at me.

“Hi, do you want some acorns?”

A bunch of chubby brown fur that looked like a chestnut shook its head.

“…Are you a beast?”

The squirrel seemed to be trembling for some reason, but I couldn’t figure out why.

‘Come to think of it, did the squirrel hear what I told my nephew?’

But whoever heard it didn’t really matter.

It was just a casual and peaceful conversation that wouldn’t cause any problems.

✾

The squirrel’s report was as fast as collecting acorns.

The little squirrel quickly crossed the threshold of the garden.

And the squirrel headed to the maids of Duke’s Castle, who were watching over Astel’s movements that shook the Duke’s mansion with an unexpected child.

Of course, the maids weren’t the only ones there.

Astel’s dedicated maids, rabbit and fox maids, as well as the escort knight Lord Retro, were together.

A fox maid who spotted the squirrel first tilted her head.

“Squirrel?”

“We’re busy.”

After a brief pause, Sir Retro continued to speak in a serious tone.

“I asked her earlier this morning while delivering the word card. Astel said it was never her son. When I saw her honest eyes, I didn’t think it’s her son either.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

The squirrel shook its head, biting a lot of acorns in frustration, and jumped up and settled on the back of the maid’s hand to gain her attention to listen.

“Does that squirrel have something to say?”

A rabbit maid who talked to the squirrel took an acorn out of its mouth and told the story.

They all listened carefully.

“Squeak.. squeak!!”

The rabbit maid stiffened as she heard the squirrel mumble.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“What’s going on? Why are you making that face?”

“So…”

She slowly opened her lips to speak and brought out the words the squirrel had told her.

“That baby, called Astel… he called her mom.”

“I’m sure it was just a joke.”

Lord Retro raised his chin and leaned his face in front of the maid as he spoke, and the rabbit maid hated his actions.

“Hey, please don’t talk right in front of my face. It’s a little scary.”

“That’s not what matters right now.”

The rabbit maid, who turned away from Sir Retro, muttered like a whisper.

“Why do I keep having bad ideas?”

“Come to think of it…”

Sally, who had been standing still, snapped out a word.

“…Wasn’t the age at which humans get married around 17 or 18?”

“I heard commoners get married a little early. But…”

Sir Retro swept over his face lightly. He recalled all the warnings he had heard from the Duke with a dreadful mind.

With his ferocious face distorted in half, he buried it in his large bear-like hand.

The rabbit and fox maids around him hovered around him and comforted him.

Sir Retro spoke quietly, opening his mouth stiffly.

“Do you happen to know how the duke handles Monsters?”

He didn’t ask that because he didn’t know.

The ignorant rabbit maid babbled again.

“Usually, monsters are neutered and then torn and killed. Why all of a sudden? For someone who knows it well. Do you have a problem?”

The Duke had said that if Astel encountered a problem or if she and him became closer than he needed to, the Duke would treat him like a monster.

Retro, who recalled a future that would become a defect after not having a single relationship, hardened, fear could be seen on his expression along with sweats on his forehead.

Rather, he was frighteningly calm.

Sir Retro calmly lowered his hand and muttered.

“…Everyone, it’s been fun.”

He said goodbye to the maids in a serious manner.

“No, we’re not sure yet.”

The maids have lived in the castle for a long time and took care of the mansion.

However, until Astel came, there was no history of seeing the Duke smile. Astel was an exception, so no one knew what other variables would occur.

“Yes, there’s nothing for sure yet…”

Sir Retro smiled benevolently and staggered up to his feet as if he had given up on everything.

“Anyway since the arrival of the baby is a variable, I will write a letter to the Duke. I’m the escort of Astel, so I’ll report…”

With the saint’s heart that he would carry everything with him, he looked around at everyone.

❆

The next morning,

I was thinking that the atmosphere in the Duke’s Castle was a little strange these days.

Everyone feels restless in front of me.

They seemed to want to ask me something, but no one came to approach.

In the midst of growing doubts, the tea time with Ricardo and Bell came.

“Whoa… What’s that guy?”

“Lord Ricardo, this is my friend’s baby!”

Ricardo nodded without asking more.

On the other hand, Bell clenched his fist and muttered. The tone of the voice sounded very gloomy and low.

“I’m cuter…than that little guy…”

“Huh?”

“No!”

Bell raised his shoulders, pretending to be stern, like the successor to the Silver Fox Family.

“Anyway, how did you end up taking care of that baby?”

Bell looked me in the eye and spoke clearly with both fists on the sides.

‘Oh, my. You’ve become so brave, Bell. You look like a very brave, wonderful child.’

Even his shameless raised chin was cute and lovely.

It’s all thanks to my potion, nope, Bell has overcome it well.

I smiled happily and responded to Bell.

“Ah, my friend has an emergency, so he can’t raise his baby.”

Astel hugged the baby and laughed low.

Seeing Ricardo coughing, I put a soft smile on my lips.

“It just so happens that I like babies.”

It won’t be obvious, right?

“Hi!”

The baby, who had been rolling his eyes the whole time, waved at them.

He looked so lively. Maybe this was all thanks to the potion I fed him morning and night!

The baby gained a little more weight and became plump in just one day.

‘After all, it’s worth making a mana control potion!’

At that time, the baby raised his hand and pointed to Ricardo.

“Meow!”

“Huh? Meow?”

For a moment, it seemed that Ricardo’s hands revealed jaguar’s unique pointed nails and patterns.

“Uh!”

“What?”

Ricardo waved his hand, which had changed like that of an animal again, slowly.

Because jaguar was a feline, So he called him meow?

The baby crawled over Ricardo’s lap without hesitation. Then he shouted, pointing his finger at Bell.

“What’s this? What’s this?”

The baby had a lot of questions…

Every time he spoke, his cute small face and short neck moved here and there.

Bell shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment.

“…That punk, how dare you call him a cat! Don’t you know our fox?”

“It’s a little late for a baby to start talking, and it’s because he doesn’t know much about animals.” Astel said.

“Huh… Did that friend teach him that our Jaguar family is a cat? Did he entrusted you with his education?”

Blood vessels stood on Bell and Ricardo’s neck.

Bewildered by their overreaction, I tilted my head and nodded again.

“Oh, yes. My friend is very busy, so I had to raise him now.”

In my words, the atmosphere became colder.

…Why? What’s wrong with what I said? Oh, was that too much of a pushover remark?