Ch. 38

"Eve, these people are Ferdinand's vassals. You will meet them often in the future."Haha...I see...so they are the vassals...

As I felt their gazes pinned on me, I glanced away with an awkward laughter. 

'Whoa, this is so burdensome.'

I wasn't sure what kind of occupation it was, but Ex was there to enlighten me. 

[They are the people who will nag at every single thing you say or do once you become the head of the Ferdinand family.]

'Aren't they a bad people?'

[Most of them aren't good people.]

I kind of get what Ex meant when I looked at those 'vassals'. 

So they are like in-laws who will nag at you for every single thing?

[Where did you hear something like that, brat?]

'Mrs. Nelson told me.'

I was just sitting quietly on my grandfather's lap since I didn't know what to say to those in-laws...I mean, vassals.

Thankfully, I didn't have to say a word. 

"I will teach her our family's swordsmanship starting tomorrow. This child is my only granddaughter and my direct descendant, so I hope there won't be any opposition from all of you."

Because my grandfather opened his mouth first. But none of them answered him. 

Regardless of the cold response, my grandfather continued. 

"I intend to put an article in the newspaper immediately, and hold a banquet to announce her as my daughter as soon as she is ready. Eve is my one and only true successor."

My grandfather scoured the entire table as if to dare anyone to refute that. The atmosphere was really suffocating. 

'I think I'll get an upset stomach from this.'

Especially after I heard about me being his only successor and was required to learn swordsmanship. 

That I was Ferdinand's direct descendant, and that I would soon become the star of the newspaper and banquet. 

I wasn't interested at all in being a successor or whatnot. All I cared about was how to get out of this suffocating situation. 

'I think I heard that there is another child who has been appointed as his successor already. What is he thinking by appointing me who's only been here for a few days over another child who's set to have that position even before my arrival? What's going to happen to that child?'

[He'll be cast out, I guess.]

Because of me?

It made me feel bad. I didn't want to be the successor in the first place. It hadn't been long since I met my grandfather, so it never crossed my mind that I'd be his successor. 

But the vassals didn't refute what my grandfather said. My grandfather must've taken their silence as their agreement, so he smiled in satisfaction, but when he was about to end the meeting, someone interjected.

"Speaking of which, Your Grace. I have a question."

A brave old man tried to tempt fate by raising a question in this already tense atmosphere. 

"We, the vassals, are meeting Miss Eve for the first time today. But we have never heard of her."

Didn't you say you heard about me earlier?

[That was just a formality, you fool!]

What do you mean?

[Forget it.]

Ex gave up trying to explain to me on his own. Then I focused on what the old man would say next. 

"Hence, I think we should go through the process of confirming that Miss Eve Royce is indeed Mrs. Astrid's real daughter."

What's up with this old man? Isn't he too audacious?

As soon as this old man brought up his suspicion about the legitimacy of my blood, I could see veins popping out on my grandfather's hands. 

However, this tactless old man kept blabbering as if he didn't notice my grandfather's sour mood...

"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but we are-"

"Then you better not say it, Hubert."

At last, he let out anger in such a knife-like voice. His grim and deep voice sounded like a beast's growl.

'Goodbye, brave old man....'

Looking alternately between the veins on my grandfather's hand and the old man, I said my goodbye in advance. 

Of course, I didn't feel sad about it since he was just a stranger. 

'But this kind of question is bound to come out in this meeting.'

It was very obvious.  Seaʀch* The Novelƒire.n(e)t website on G00gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Even I had a hard time believing that my mom was the Young Duke of House Ferdinand, what do you expect people who saw me for the first time to react?

From their point of view, it must have felt like an eight-year-old who suddenly fell from the sky claimed that she was Duke Ferdinand's successor. 

The problem was the timing was bad. 

My grandfather was very sensitive to such remarks because of the incident with the maids and the obnoxious man a while ago. 

He wouldn't be gentle to those who doubted my legitimacy. 

My grandfather had been trying to distance me from anything related to that. But just now, that brave old man deliberately brought up that 'topic' here. 

Moreover, my grandfather was putting me on his lap as if wanting to brag about me. There couldn't be a worse timing than this. 

'Auh, I should've taken my digestive medicine earlier.'

A cold wind blew in the meeting hall. I could feel my grandfather tighten his grip around me. 

"Have you ever seen a child with blue eyes and blonde hair that isn't a Ferdinand?"

"...Blue eyes and blonde hair are clearly Ferdinand's distinct traits, however, Your Grace! But they are rare among noble children!"

"Then let me ask you again. Do you remember how Astrid looked when she was young?"

At his question, the vassals began to nod one by one. 

So my grandfather sprang up from his seat while holding me in his arms. 

Uhh? Suddenly?

"Eve looks exactly like Astrid when she was young. Her age also matches with the timeline. Besides..."

My grandfather paused for a moment. I was dangling on his arms like a baby otter while waiting for him to continue. 

"This child got the Dragon's recognition just a day after she arrived at this mansion."

What?

Who recognized who?

What are you talking about?

I looked back at my grandfather in bewilderment, but he didn't bother to elaborate on what he meant about 'the Dragon's recognition' to me.

"Eve entered Ferdinand's secret chamber. There's no one here who doesn't know what that means."

He looked straight at the vassals as he emphasized that. 

"Eve is my granddaughter. His father has been writing letters to me since Eve was born, hence informing me of her existence."

"Your Grace, then why don't you-"

"Are you asking why I didn't bring her here sooner? I will answer. I couldn't just bring her here since I've committed so many sins to Astrid."

My grandfather didn't even give the vassals time to talk.

"All of you are somebody's father, mother, and grandparents. There are no parents in the world who don't recognize their children. If animals can recognize their own offspring, why can't a man?"

"......"

"So I don't want to hear you question our relationship. Eve is my granddaughter. Nobody can deny that fact, even more so after I publicly announce that Eve is my successor."

After my grandfather said that, nobody dared to say a word. 

That old man, Hubert, suggested checking my legitimacy only for him to get berated multiple times.

Would anybody dare to stand up for him? 

[Even I won't do that.]

'Nobody will.'

In the end, the vassals expressed their will to follow my grandfather's decision. 

That was the conclusion of today's meeting. 

In fact, it was more like an announcement than a meeting, but my grandfather didn't seem to care about that.

"Then we are done for today. I only called you here to introduce Eve."

At my grandfather's curt remark, the vassals turned their gazes on me in an instant. 

Because of that, I was barely able to hold back my hiccups. 

"Hehe."

And laughed awkwardly.