CH 35

It was seen that the shining sunlight made the Duke’s golden hair near the window shine even more golden.

With a brilliant glow on his head like a statue carved in a temple, and an insensitive look as if God was looking down on the human world.

The Duke looked outside as if he was contemplating.

‘Is he looking for something?’

While Beatty, who was hiding and watching, tilted her head.

Suddenly opened the window of the office himself, the Duke of Aslan was watching outside the window without saying anything.

“Your Excellency?”

After hearing his subordinate calling him oddly, the Duke turned away again.

As the Duke moved away from the window, the office which was blocked from her view was revealed more clearly.

The large desk with several mountains of papers she saw earlier was the closest to the window, and it was covered with a densely packed bookshelf that was dimly seen.

And when she slightly shifted her gaze to the side, in the organized space where everything was angled, there was a different kind of part.

One bookshelf which was separated from the other bookshelves.

On the side table in front of it, scribbled papers were scattered here and there.

There were several thick books piled up next to a pile of paper, but looking at the condition of the bookshelf where things were out here and there, she thought it was a book pulled from there.

Plod. 

Moving from the window to the side table, the Duke picked up one of the disordered papers. 

And then, he opened his mouth with his eyes fixed on the paper, as if he was reading what was written on it.

“Beatty.”

‘Huh?’

At her name which suddenly came out of Father’s mouth, Beatty peeked with a puzzled look.

And like that, while the squirrel was struggling to look inside from the outside.

The Duke glanced at the space which had been filling one side of his office for a long time.

A bookshelf filled with books from all kinds of countries about the etymology of names. Numerous naming books on the side table that have already been rotated dozens of times.

Under the paper on which [Beatty] is written in clean handwriting, which is now in his hand, there were the marks that have been written, and erased several times and there were even rewritten marks.

[Rikitta] [Del] [Dolchia]

[Leticia] [Letty] [Titya]

[Amonita] [Suabi] [Mel]

[Fortuna] …

Even besides this, papers with all kinds of names on it were piled up like a mountain on the side table.

They were numerous name candidates, all with the meaning of wishing for happiness. It was something that would suit the loveliest child in the world.

“The meaning of [Beatty].”

What will be the name that will bring the most appropriate fate for his most precious daughter.

‘It surely was ‘a blessing of happiness’.’

It was a trace of countless agonizes.

As he silently looked at the papers which he had spent years of time, the aide next to him opened his mouth while looking at the Lord’s complexion.

“Isn’t it interesting?”

“….”

“Didn’t Your Excellency contemplate that name for the longest among the several candidates? Although you couldn’t put it on the Young Miss yourself….”

At that moment, after having hardened abruptly, the Lord’s mouth twisted a little as if he didn’t like it.

The aide, who served the Lord for a long time, did not miss such a tiny reaction.

The aide continued to say his next words to quickly improve the Lord’s mood, just like an experienced subordinate.

“Even so, looking that the name went looking for its owner like this, the name [Beatty] must be the name which perfectly fits the Young Miss’ fate.”

“Uhm.”

It fits the fate of the person.

About the name that they have, it was the best compliment and blessing for the Northern people.

‘Yeah.’

Nodding satisfactorily at the praise about his daughter, the Duke put down the paper he was holding.

“Now, clean this up.”

It was just a pity that he couldn’t directly give his child a name and call her for the first time.

‘Still, it’s the name that Baby likes.’

Therefore, even at his daughter’s fate, it will fit well.

With such blessings, leaving his regret behind, the Duke ordered to organize the space he had spent a long time in.

“Your Excellency must be sad. Whenever Your Excellency had time, you had picked up these candidate papers and thought about the Young Miss’ name.”

Hearing the order, the aide looked very sad and regretly looked back on the side table which was full of traces of several years.

“But since the name that you’ve been thinking about for years went to the Young Miss…. Ah, Your Excellency. Do you know that?”

As he organized the pile of paper with names on it one by one, the aide mouthed as if he was trying to relieve his regret.

“To think that it took more than eight years to name the Young Miss, it surely is a record that will never come out again, even in the future. Being cherished like this, I’m sure the Young Miss is the only one, even in the North, haha!”

“Hm.”

The Duke reacted as if it was an obvious thing. 

Isn’t it natural that the most cherished child is my daughter?

And she’s so loveable like that.

The Duke nodded his head, recalling objective facts—for himself—inside and in the next moment.

Quickly.

He turned his head towards the window.

“….”

“Your Excellency? Is there something outside?”

The Duke, who was looking outside, muttered.

“She’s gone.”

He even opened the window just in case she wanted to come in.

The Duke turned around again after sadly looking at the area around the leaves which had become quiet and were moving a little.

***

“Chuu….”

Thump. Thump.

Beatty tightly grabbed her chest which was beating wildly, on the window of the hallway again.

‘Father contemplate about my name?’

It was an unexpected fact.

When she got the name, she just thought that after just forgetting about it… it was something that he just remembered and somehow sent it to her. However—

‘To think that it’s a name that was made after much consideration?! And to add to it, it’s been years.’

If she thought about the time when she received a letter with her name on it before she regressed.

If it’s not for her coming down to the Duke’s Castle this time with the name which was already decided and delivered to her, Father actually thought about the name ‘Beatty’ for 10 years.

“….”

Somehow her chest was ticklish.

Without realizing it, Beatty covered her face that could not be fully covered with her both small hands.

The squirrel’s white cheeks with its head buried in its small hands seemed to have somehow turned red.

It wasn’t because of her fast-beating heart.

‘By any chance….’

It was because of the emotions that filled her heart.

‘Is it that he doesn’t dislike me that much?’

For a moment, the expectations that she thought had all disappeared peeked out.

Thump! Thump!

Surprised by the sudden beating heart with anticipation, Beatty shook her head in a hurry.

“Chu chuu!”

‘No, no.’

Calmly and rationally.

Beatty tried to calm down the excited mind by arranging her breathing, “Hoo hoo.”

‘Anyway, it may be because he cared about the record left on the family register because I’m a descendant of the Duke Family.’

Like that, Beatty tried to calm her pounding heart, although she poured cold water on it.

‘…Even so, the fact that Father spent a long time naming me doesn’t change.’

She couldn’t stop the wall which she had already built in her heart from gradually decreasing.

“Chuuuuuuuu—!”

‘Aaaaaa. No, no.’

I can’t do this kind of thing rationally at all!

At her unrelaxed heart, Beatty grabbed the curtain that was fluttering and shook her head violently as if shaking off her itchy heart.

However, the emotions that rushed in were not of a personality that would calm down easily.

‘Other thoughts, rational… Let’s think about something else.’

Huft. Huft.

From moving her body rapidly, Beatty breathed heavily as she desperately put her brain to work.

“Chu!”

‘Right!’

What was the reason for climbing up the tree earlier?

It was to prepare measures for a long-term residence in Duke’s Castle!

‘Yeah. I surely have to think about this kind of rational and constructive thing.’

Nod. Nod.

Beatty moved her head up and down, then she quickly came up with a good plan.

‘What I can do right now… Right! There surely was a new finished recipe!’

Apart from the next card that Beatty was preparing alone, the development of the Tuberosum recipe was ongoing.

No matter how it is, in order to quickly popularize it, the more diverse the dishes are, the better.

‘Yeah. Last time, I only took the ones that were too basic.’

Beatty made up her mind, and immediately climbed down the long curtain.

‘Moreover, just seeing it through the report is different from tasting it in person, right?’

Step. Step. Step.

Beatty nodded and headed to the kitchen.

To make only the most popular recipes, even among the future Tuberosum recipes she knows.

‘Tuberosum soup with… since that’s the standard. I can’t take out the fried Tuberosum, right? Ah, also Tuberosum cookies… and, and then….’

She was thinking of making so much and bringing it to Father.

‘If he looked at it with his own eyes, he could feel the value of this price more, right? Yeah. This is to increase the value of my cards.’

As expected, I’m very rational!

Thinking like that inside, Beatty’s tail fluttered with joy as she was running.

‘I’m going to hurry up and take it.’

At this time, Beatty was not aware of her actions properly.

‘Food should be eaten when it’s warm… no, um. The value of the proposal? Right, since the value of the proposal will be set higher.’

That was certainly a sign of humanity’s long instinctive affection for ‘bringing food’.