CH 33

Translated by EunEun

Edited by Zil

Beatty asked back with a puzzled look.

“Although it’s hard to move the Main Castle.”

The Duke’s Castle, which borders the mountain range, was installed with all kinds of secret values using not only the underground but also the inside.

Considering the various equipment that extends everywhere, it was close to impossible to move the Main Castle to another place.

‘But if Baby wishes that.’

Even though it is going to be very difficult, even so, if his daughter really wants him to find a way to move the Main Castle….

While the Duke was thinking that if his ancestors, who had been guarding the North for hundreds of years, had heard it, they would have collapsed by grabbing their neck.

At the strange progress of their conversation, the freaked-out Beatty hurriedly opened her mouth.

“I don’t need that kind of thing!”

Just where does anyone use the phrase of moving the Duke’s Castle to the Capital?!

No, but she came down to avoid the Capital in the first place.

‘Not the Capital!’

She didn’t want to be trapped there again.

Either way, there is her childhood friend who betrayed and killed her, or also her aunt who seemed to follow him.

Beatty’s ill-fated relationship was all in the Capital.

“Just by letting me stay in the Duke’s Castle, isn’t it much ch….”

—Isn’t it much cheaper?

It was a thought that came to her mind naturally without realizing it herself, but it seemed too frivolous to spit it out directly in front of the Duke.

So Beatty slightly changed her words.

“…fight, wouldn’t I be a help in fighting?”

“Fight?”

Hm. Although it was a word that she put as much as she could, it was okay.

Even at times like this, the quick reaction to not miss an opportunity is the quality of a big merchant!

“Yes. The North is a place where many fights occur with other countries, right?”

She gently ignored the fact that there were also many quarrels from other countries, but there were also as many fights that invaded the Aslan Duchy.

“Although I can’t directly go out and fight, I can help you in other ways!”

“….”

Humph!

Beatty confidently stretched out her chest while snorting a little. The Duke who saw Beatty like that, as usual, thought that his daughter was so cute, and felt a tingling emotion spread in his heart as well.

‘Baby.’

To think that her figure of clenching her cute fist while saying that she’ll help the family’s fight with her small hands, that was smaller than that bundle of tail fur, and also having a weaker body than ordinary people, let alone a shapeshifter.

He was also frustrated with her weak body, but it makes him sad that he is reminded that she also inherited the blood of a warrior even if she doesn’t show any signs of it.

“…My Lord?”

Once more, she was loveable.

“?!”

Beatty had a surprised face at the large hand on top of her head.

It wasn’t long before it fell off, but it felt like the warmth that had definitely touched remained on her hair for a long time.

“….”

It’s warm.

That was her impression of her father’s touch for the first time.

Beatty somehow felt strange, so without realizing it herself, she put her hand on her head, chasing after the traces of the warmth.

‘It sure is cute.’

At the figure of Baby tilting her head with both of her small hands on her head, the Duke’s corner of the mouth naturally went up.

At the same time, the Duke, who tried to reach out his hands again without realizing it, hesitated and thought, withdrawing his hand which was trying to go out.

‘I have to be careful.’

Like a squirrel who shook off twigs and washed her hands, she raised her hands to protect her head, as if refusing any additional touch, whether the part that he touched was irritating.

Maybe she didn’t like human touch.

‘She’s smart.’

How many people would bother Baby if she let anyone pet her defenselessly when she’s so cute?

Although it was sad that he was included in ‘anyone’, it was a cheap price to prevent other people from approaching Baby.

Whenever Baby tilted her head, the Duke hid his flinching hand behind him, wanting to pet her cute head, and thought.

‘Yeah. Surely it’s a good thing to be wary.’

Holding back his desire to hold up Baby’s cute wiggling toes, the Duke soothed himself by signing the documents of the gifts which were going to be sent to Baby instead.

***

The next day.

“…What is this?!”

Beatty woke up surrounded by all kinds of weapons, starting from children’s armor, training armaments, and even real swords.

“Oh my, Young Miss. Turns out, the Duke sent you a present again!”

“This armament here is even made by a dwarf! Just how much does the Master care about the Young Miss…!”

“?”

‘That’s impossible.’

Beatty was puzzled, but thought it was simply a one-time event that originated from their past conversation.

However, this was only the beginning of the ensuing gift aggression.

As if the first time waking up being buried in a flower garden was just the beginning, weapons, jewelry, dresses, certificate of title, etc.

Every day when Beatty opened her eyes, she was encountered with tremendous gifts.

‘To think that he’s giving me these expensive things.’

At first, she was dumbfounded, but Beatty soon figured out what her father’s gift meant.

‘…So you’re telling me to take this and move out!’

The Duke did not say that she could finally stay in the Duke’s Castle.

Why else did he send an expensive gift that would have made a decent person have no choice but to shut up, instead of the residence permit that Beatty asked for?

I acknowledge your contribution of finding a solution to the food shortage, but it cannot meet the demands. Be satisfied with this.

That must be what it means.

“I can’t do that.”

Press.

Beatty bit her lips.

“….”

A pile of gifts piled up in the room. Beatty looked at them silently and jumped up and went outside as if she was determined to do something.

***

Thud!

The cart full of goods stopped with a dull sound. The cart was loaded with all the gifts that had arrived for Beatty.

“….”

Looking vacantly at the cart’s inside, the Duke’s gaze turned to Beatty.

“I will return it back.”

“…I gave it to you.”

Beatty tilted her head at the answer that came out a tempo slower, somehow unlike usual.

“I appreciate the gift, but I can not receive it.”

“Why is that?”

“Since it’s more than the one that I wish for.”

“More?”

Beatty nodded and said it clearly.

“I do not wish for anything else. Please allow me to stay here even just for a month.”

She was bidding for victory.

The period of time of a month which was too short to do anything.

‘Even so, since if it’s not this much, Father wouldn’t compromise.’

She thought that it was important to take this step first, even if she had to go back in a few weeks.

‘It’s okay. If I use the knowledge I know, I can complete the next card within a month.’

A little bit of trust that the other party doesn’t know.

For the next proposal, Beatty was already making a card.

“….”

Meanwhile, the Duke fell into a strange feeling as he saw Beatty, who was giving a lot of energy to her round eyes.

‘Turns out, Baby has grown up.’

He remembered the days when he last saw her as a baby.

Was it when she was 3 years old, the last time that he hugged her in person?

Of course, it was not enough by just seeing one painted portrait of her that a painter sent every year.

The Duke faced Beatty, who clearly opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

‘It feels like yesterday when she was still toddling.’

The memory was clear when she couldn’t control herself while walking around with her elbow-sized body at the most and collapsed and hugged him.

But the surprise was that that small child had grown up and was big enough to make her own claims like this.

The deep regret that he couldn’t watch her grow by her side.

And a much greater emotion came in than the two combined.

‘Yeah.’

In the end, the Duke could not overcome his longing inside of him and brought up the buried compromise.

‘It surely will be okay if it’s just a little bit, right?’

Because winter hasn’t come yet. While it was warm, wouldn’t it be acceptable to see his daughter by her side, even if it were only for a while?

‘I just need to be more careful.’

When the Duke was about to speak with such determination.

Misunderstanding the prolonged silence of the Duke, Beatty hurriedly opened her mouth.

“Don’t tell me, you aren’t going to say that you’re not allowing it even for a month, right?”

“….”

“Uhm? Father?”

“!”

Wondering if the last compromise was being rejected, Beatty, who looked forward in urgency, didn’t know.

That she accidentally used the title ‘Father’, which she had only called internally, instead of the title ‘Lord’.

The Duke, whose eyes had grown for a moment, bent his eyes sweetly and gave out the answer she wanted.

“Yeah.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll do as you say.”

At that moment, Beatty did not understand the Duke’s words immediately, but gradually her eyes were filled with joy.

The Duke watched without missing a moment as the small pebble-like black eyes filled with sparkling light.

And he added a condition to the last remaining reason.

“But, only until winter comes.”

Beatty’s arms, which were going up as if she was doing a ‘hooray’, quietly went back down.

***

A negotiation that made a winning move.

‘I’m relieved for the time being!’

Fortunately, Beatty, who brought the desired situation, celebrated her small achievements inside.

‘Although the accommodation fee for a season is expensive.’

To think that the price of the special information called alternative food is limited to autumn. Isn’t that a rip-off?

But, come to think about it again….

‘It might be that expensive.’

If it’s a space that was fully equipped with a study, playroom, dress room, bedroom, etc, in a place like the Duke’s Castle, the cost may be originally set that much.