CH 63

Hearing all about Baby’s life in the Capital mansion from the direct interrogation, the Duke was furious.

Without any kind of tolerance for relatives by marriage relationship or a noble status, after a thorough interrogation, Firina’s limb was imprisoned in the lowest floor prison where the blood of other sinners didn’t even cool.

In order to drag here the employees who believe in the Viscount’s backing and abused Beatty at the Capital, the Aslan Family’s subordinates rushed out the fastest horse.

The moment they arrive in the North, they will face the wrath of the Duke of Aslan, who had reigned with absolute fear against his enemies.

But his boiling wrath was reversed to self-blame and apologies when he faced Baby.

“Baby.”

While Beatty blinks shyly at the title which she’s still unfamiliar with.

“I shouldn’t have left you at the Viscount Family.”

The Duke said in a soft regretful voice.

To think it’s a regret.

It was an unfamiliar feeling for him, who was born as the Aslan Family’s legitimate son and didn’t allow even once a thing to be regretted.

The main cause that became a hindrance to the future was him, who had physically broken and neglected her, but as much as this matter, he could not help but regret it.

Saying that she was his Wife’s younger sister. He was wrong to entrust her after he saw the shallow blood relationship.

“How dare that Viscount….”

Grit.

Since he was in front of Baby, the Duke barely calmed down his murderous energy and then continued.

“How dare she, if I’d known she treated my daughter like that.”

Whatever the Great War.

He should’ve rushed right away to baby, and not been caught by that kind of matter.

Beatty opened her mouth, flustered by Father’s energy, which seemed to cut Aunt apart immediately if she was in front of him.

“Uh, I didn’t think of it… as such a huge matter like that, though.”

Was it not a life where she particularly shed tears as she lived?

‘I don’t want to be seen as a child who’s exaggerating pain for nothing .’

When Beatty hesitatingly open her mouth at such thoughts, the Duke, who was watching her still, asked with a calm voice.

“Were you really okay?”

Staring seriously, the golden eyes seemed to beat her down like the sun which was always there for her without saying a word.

That’s why the hesitant Beatty could say it honestly.

“…My body was fine. Really.”

She couldn’t say that her heart was really fine.

And that very one was the most important thing for the Duke.

“If there is, even just one thing that makes you not okay.”

He wanted to take off ten points of the enemy’s flesh and pay it for each point of Baby’s sorrows.

A murderous energy slowly rose from his body.

“I’ll come back after taking all that price.”

She’s a precious child who’s like a treasure even if she’s only holding him in his hand.

The Duke was truly angry that some bastards who don’t even have an eye for treasure had dared hurt his treasure.

The murderous energy which he can’t finish yet it reached Beatty.

‘Ah right!’

The Duke quickly dispersed his energy and hurriedly checked Baby’s face.

Fortunately, maybe it’s because Baby just woke up, so there seemed to be no problem except that her cheeks turned slightly red.

‘This is… must really be Father getting angry, right?’

Of course, at the energy which even if it’s still small, just like a sensitive shapeshifter, Beatty shortly recognized the identity of the energy Father spread.

‘Because I was tormented. So….’

And from that murderous energy.

‘It’s for me!’

Beatty’s cheeks flushed red after she read Father’s true feelings.

Recognizing the extremely delightful truth, Beatty said as she smiled brightly like the winter sun shining on the snow mountain.

“Turns out it wasn’t that Father hated me?”

It was the tone that was closer to an exclamation of realization than a question.

Since he was absorbed in her pretty smile like a flower that burst into full bloom.

The Duke belatedly recognized the contents of the words which were like a poisonous needle that a dirty bee stabbed from a flower and placed there.

“What?”

Saying the obvious.

No, but the thing that such sound came out of Baby’s mouth.

‘…Good thing I haven’t kill her.’

The Duke gnashed his teeth.

To think that she thought he hated Baby.

Doesn’t that mean that Baby has heard horrendous things, enough for her to believe such nonsense?

The Duke’s face was painfully distorted.

‘From now on, I’ll surely make her beg me to kill her.’

Determined like that inside,

“Not even a moment.”

The Duke declared towards Baby, whose glittering newborn foal-like eyes were shining.

“From the moment I first saw you who was born, there was never a single moment in which I didn’t love you.”

“…!”

At that passionate love confession, Beatty’s face, pang! turned red.

‘L-L-Love?’

At the sound of sweet emotions that she had never even once thought would be headed for her, Beatty’s eyes turned round and round.

With a reverent face that seemed to never say a lie, the Duke opened his mouth again with a serious voice.

“Baby, if you have anything you’re curious about, ask me everything now.”

“Something I’m curious about?”

After resolving the misunderstanding that Baby had because of those bastards whom even if he grind and drink them, it seemed like his anger still wouldn’t be relieved, and so that there absolutely would be no such matters like this in the future, the Duke decided to explain everything to Baby.

“Yeah. I’ll answer whatever you want.”

At first, Beatty, who was also flustered by Father’s sudden suggestion and blinked, opened her mouth after a brief hesitation.

“…Then.”

And like that, the Duke Family members had a long conversation for the first time.

“Aren’t you ashamed of me?”

If she asks like that.

“Tiny Kid, why would we be ashamed of you?”

“About that… Since I’m, a useless small shapeshifter animal….”

Grit.

“Who dares.”

“Just what kind of bastard was talking about such a bullshit like that?”

They told her that the bastards who treated her recklessly were the wrong ones as they gritted their teeth. 

That during those times, there’s nothing she can offer, so just because Aunt is family, she can’t expect anything without a price.

That’s why Aunt says to the useless Nieve that she has received suitable treatment for her.

“Forget such words that are not even worth listening to.”

Father, who was the ‘Lord’, whom until now she had thought she have to make a proposal diligently, firmly denied it.

“You don’t need to pay any price.”

At that voice that makes her lean on him.

“Because you’re my daughter.”

At the strong warmth that grabs the fingertips which became cold after it slightly came out of the blanket.

“….”

One by one, one by one. The thorns which were embedded deep inside Beatty’s heart escaped one by one.

“My only daughter.”

It was a strong gaze that witheringly burned down even the single remaining piece of anxiety.

“Beatty.”

The voice calling the name of his loved one was sweet.

“Everything that I have, is obviously yours.”

The confident voice was engraved in her ear as if trying to embed a new root in her small heart where the thorn was removed.

‘Father.’

Blink.

In Beatty’s black eyes which her abundant eyelashes were going up and down, the Duke’s figure was seen guarding her front like a strong wall.

‘My family….’

When she turned her head slightly, she saw Older Brother sitting on the window.

While seeing his figure of not leaving the sick Young Sister’s side, even while he was putting on a ‘getting nettle rash’ expression at the Duke’s sweet way of speaking as he turned his head.

‘Loves me…!’

Beatty’s heart was fully filled with a plump deeply satisfying feeling that she felt for the first time in her life.

What is the meaning of the simple word ‘happiness’, Beatty realized it for the first time on this day.

Hehe.

At the bright smile just like a child, which is caught around the child’s mouth for the first time, softness permeated even into the Aslan Family member’s gazes who were watching her.

***

After the long misunderstanding was resolved.

On the surface, the Duke Family seemed like there were no particular changes.

But one place.

Only in Beatty’s surroundings, the air was different.

“Father…”

At the sweet gaze which wasn’t like the iron-blooded Duke, the air surrounding her warmly heated up….

“Isn’t it that you used too much firewood?”

…is not that.

The room inside was burning like under the summer scorching sun because they were overprotecting Beatty’s health, who only had collapsed.

Outside the window, the cold early autumn wind, which is just like the North, is blowing, but at the heat of the fireplace, which fuel was put in without saving it, the window inside the room was to the extent it steamed up with unseasonable steam.

At the warm heat, Beatty’s hair was slightly sweaty and stuck over her forehead.

‘Whoa. I mean, it’s not even summer.’

While Beatty shakes her head at the heat.

With a careful touch, the Duke put back Beatty’s hair, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her forehead carefully as if he was wiping a white new thing.

“I heard that cold air is bad for a sick body.”

It was a cold face, but the way he spoke, explaining the reason why he heavily raised the room temperature, was soft.

“Is it so suffocating?”

“….”

At the Duke’s words, who asks with a gentle voice, Beatty couldn’t answer it without hesitation.

‘It sure is a little hot, but….’

But since she doesn’t dislike the worried eyes she learned about for the first time.

Shake, shake.

Beatty pretended not to know the sweat that was flowing down behind her nape and shook her head.

“It’s fine.”

As if he was relieved by her answer, the corners of the Duke’s mouth rose a little.

“Yeah.”

“….”

Watching Beatty as he smiled quietly, Father’s gaze which was like seeing an extremely precious thing, somehow made the inside of her throat ticklish.