CH 60

“Hee-heeek!”

At the bloody energy that seemed to rip off the back of her nape, Firina unconsciously dropped down and dragged her hips to the floor as she stepped back.

The Duke, who looked at her with contemptuous eyes, spoke up.

“Gold coins or what not. Do you think that is the only problem?”

“U-Ugh.”

Her jaw trembled on its own as her teeth bumped against each other. Overwhelmed by the tyrannical energy, Firina recalled anxiously.

‘No way, don’t tell me did even that matter is found out?’

In fact, there was a more vicious ulterior motive in arranging a meeting with the Second Prince.

The Royal Family planned to make Beatty a hostage under the pretext of engagement.

A hostage to control and shake the Duke whose reputation had been threateningly increased through the war. That was the role that was going to be given to Beatty.

‘It’s a failed plan anyway because that kid suddenly ran away, though.’

Her guilty conscience got pricked, Firina’s eyes wandered anxiously.

“The Capital entry ban.”

“!”

This was information that came to the Duke, who returned from the battlefield and took care of the Capital’s trend personally in a few years, even before seeing the report that was handed over by the First Prince.

The Duke opened his mouth as he closely observed the sinner’s reaction.

“You must’ve heard of it, right?”

Startled, Firina’s shoulders flinched visibly, Firina opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“W-What are you talking about….”

‘Damn it! That was planned to be put after she was taken hostage! Just from where was it leaked?’

Her eyes shaking anxiously, Firina recalled the worst-case scenario and bit her lips.

“They say a family who has more than a thousand soldiers is prohibited from coming to the capital.”

Since the Duke Family was the only one in the kingdom who had that many soldiers, it was actually a targeted shot for the Aslan Family.

“I-I think I have also heard that there was such a matter. But, hoho, just how unrealistic is that? I guess it was such a ridiculous thing that I must have forgotten about it right away after I heard it.”

“Yeah.”

Firina’s guilty conscience was pricked and her words lengthened.

“If that ridiculous idea had been implemented, I almost became unable to even see my own daughter.”

Gulp. Firina was thirsty.

“But the Viscount said that you knew about this matter?”

The thickened murderous energy seemed to be strangling her neck directly.

“And even so, you didn’t report it.”

“T-They wouldn’t even actually do it!”

After she stayed like this, at the feeling that was just like being strangled to death, Firina hurriedly brought up an excuse.

“It surely must be that someone in the court was just being over-loyal. Would there even be a chance that the Royal Family would even think of prohibiting the Duke Family?”

When Firina was writing a story desperately that’ll excuse her.

Blink, blink.

At the talk which she first heard throughout before and after regression, Beatty’s pine needle-like eyelashes were busily fluttering.

‘A law that makes Father unable to come to the Capital… they’re saying that there was such a law?’

Although it looked like right now it had not yet been implemented, seeing Father’s hardened face, it seemed to be a law that would soon be threateningly implemented.

‘Then by any chance….’

Before regression, she had never heard even once of such a background like this.

If she hadn’t run into Father and together with Aunt through a three-party encounter coincidence like this, she possibly might have passed it with not knowing about it this time as well.

‘By any chance, it that possible? The thing that Father didn’t come to the Capital mansion was….’

There may have been other reasons that he had never come to see her.

Because he doesn’t like his daughter who made him lose his wife and that his half-shapeshifter kid is just a disgrace.

Not something like that, but perhaps.

Beatty’s mind became complicated at the thought of all the different possibilities that came in at the moment.

“What’s even more, it’s immediately after the Aslan Family came after ending that Great War for this Kingdom! Would there be any way that they would have done these things at the back to such a great family like that?”

Since when had she cared for the Aslan Family like that.

Even until then, Firina was eager to escape from the suspicion, saying only she herself has never done that.

‘Well, originally, I was thinking of actively supporting the Capital entry ban if I caught that kid as a hostage. But anyway, now I didn’t actually do it, right?’

“……I.”

Clearing her voice for a moment, Beatty spoke out.

Of course, her words were not directed at Firina who only spat our self-justifying words habitually.

Beatty said as she looked at the Duke who was in front of her with shaking eyes.

Now, rather than thinking alone.

“I thought Father doesn’t come because you don’t like to see me.”

Whatever answer came out, Beatty chose to hear it from that person directly.

“What?”

It was a voice as if Father was taken aback.

He’s definitely right close by, but.

Strangely enough, Father’s figure in her eyes seemed to sway and blur as if reflected in the water.

“Why such thoughts…!”

Father’s voice, which she felt the urgency in, rang in her ears.

Beatty, who was full of water around her eyes for reasons that she didn’t know like a foggy lake, asked Father.

“By any chance, was it that you couldn’t come?”

Perhaps embarrassingly enough, this might be a question in which she distorted the facts to follow what she wants.

But she couldn’t hold it back.

“It’s alright even if it isn’t like that every time. Once, by any chance, was there a time when you wanted to come but couldn’t?”

Since even if it’s really just once, it’s fine.

She wanted to hear the answer ‘Yeah’.

“….”

The Duke could not answer immediately.

Since he could already see anxiety permeating from Baby’s gaze, which was desperately staring at him, with crystal-like teardrops hanging on her big black eyes.

He was extremely ashamed of himself, who had made her so anxious.

“I’m sorry.”

The voice that was trembling at the sense of shame gently reached Beatty’s ears.

Afraid that by any chance, she’ll get hurt, he couldn’t even put his fingertips, which had become rough from holding a sword for a long time, on her skin.

Using gloves, the Duke hands carefully placed Beatty’s hand on top of his palm with the most careful touch in the world, as if he were very carefully holding the daughter of an enemy which was a baby.

“I’m sorry I left you alone and couldn’t be by your side.”

Beatty felt the body temperature, which had been carefully holding her hand, spreading warmly from her fingertips to her stomach.

Or it also seemed like at that time for the first time, she recognized that her hands were cold.

The Duke opened his mouth with a trembling voice. It was words of apology that he had never said in his life.

A sincere atonement, dedicated to his daughter.

The Duke bowed his head like a holy knight praying to God, attached his forehead to the child’s fingertip, and whispered as if he confessed.

“I’m sorry for making you feel lonely.”

Hearing those words, Beatty smiled broadly as if she was satisfied.

Smiling happily like that and just like that….

Thud.

“…! Baby!”

Holding on Baby’s falling body, the Duke was surprised.

Baby’s forehead, which he hurriedly touched, finding where the burning was hiding in the small body, was boiling hot.

All the blood entirely drained out from the Duke’s face.

“The Family Doctor! Call the Family Doctor right now!”

At the voice of the Lord who was holding the body of the fallen child and shouting urgently, the Duke’s subordinates moved quickly.

“You quickly go and get the Family Doctor!”

“Yes! Mister Aide.”

“Hurry up! You have to get hot water right away, and quickly get the supplies that are needed to nurse the Young Miss.”

Leaving behind the busily moving subordinates, the Duke entered into the room that was attached to his office and carefully laid the child in his arms on the bed.

He came here because it was the closest room that has bedding, but since the already small child was lying on the bedding that matched his size, she looked even smaller.

Why does this little and delicate child have to be sick again?

Throb.

As he felt his chest being pierced, the pain that he couldn’t get used to no matter what, the Duke held Beatty’s hand.

“If only…”

The words which he suddenly blurted out without realizing it himself contained his sincerity.

If only he was the one sick instead. He wished he could carry the pain this little child will suffer in her place.

At the reality that he couldn’t do anything but watch the child’s pain helplessly, the Duke’s eyebrows painfully distorted.

All he could do for her was…

‘…It’s this small, though.’

…hold her small hands.

The Duke felt a deep sense of shame at the feeling as if he was the one rather being comforted by the temperature of the child whom he held onto, while he couldn’t even lessen her pain.

“Gasp, gasp…! Y-Your Excellency. I heard that you were looking fo—“

“The child collapsed.”

The Duke gave up his seat to the doctor who had arrived and watched from behind.

As he felt the burdensome gaze stabbing his back, the Duke Family’s Family Doctor did his best to attend the Young Miss.

After checking all the symptoms he knew and doing everything he could, the Family Doctor stood up as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Hooo. I’m finished now.”

“What kind of disease is it?”

Looking back at the Duke whose face was seriously hardened, the Family Doctor opened his mouth as he put on a troubled expression.

“Uhm. The Young Miss is not sick with the disease right now.”

“What?”

At the sharp-edged gaze which seemed like would cut his neck immediately if he spoke nonsense, the Family Doctor hurriedly continued his words while shaking inside.

“It’s not a disease! The Young Miss just collapsed now because she suddenly had a fever.”

“Isn’t that a disease?”

Isn’t he a quack?

At the gaze which he felt even though the Duke didn’t say anything, the choked-up Family Doctor spoke.

“Originally when one is a child, they naturally experience a sudden fever. It’s a matter which everyone goes through except one out of ten.”

“Carl and I weren’t like that.”

“….”

About that, that’s because you guys are not the one out of ten, but a sturdy constitution which is that of one out of a thousand….

And also how can you compare the Young Master who chews and eats iron to the Young Miss!

“…Since Your Excellency and the Young Master are different from the Young Miss.”

The Family Doctor swallowed his true feelings and spoke politely.

Saying that it was a matter which might happen if a child is too immersed in something, or maybe it’s because a lot of people suddenly gathered and got stressed.

Because it’s simply just that a fever has risen, now that she has been fed herbal water that cools her body, you can just wait.

After finishing the diagnosis like that, the Family Doctor left, and the Duke vacantly watched Beatty, who was breathing quietly, and opened his mouth.