âYour Grace, you have arrived.â
âOh, Lucas.â
The perpetually expressionless Duke Bluea smiled for the first time when he spotted Lucas, who had come in late to attend to some official business.
Duke Bluea seemed to like Lucas quite a bit. He was about to give Lucas a friendly hug, but Lucas stiffly bowed his head and greeted him. He scowled at Lucasâ aloof manner.
âItâs been awhile.â
âNo, Lucas. Whatâs wrong with your face?â
Duke Bluea cast a worried glance at Lucas. Lucasâ face didnât look good. His normally perfect white face appeared rough. Lucas could only smile uncomfortably at Duke Blueaâs concern.
âWhy are there two Mary?â¦â¦â
In surprise, Lucas turned to look at Seulbi and I. Hmm, she doesnât resemble me at all, but I guess he made a mistake because there are two black-haired girls.
Lucas rubbed his eyes like I did earlier.
Despite his best efforts, Lucas couldnât help but look at Jung Seulbi with a face that said he had seen something he shouldnât have, even if he hadnât.
âSheâs my daughter.â
â⦠What?â
Duke Bluea coughed a few times before introducing Jung Seulbi to Lucas, as Lucas watched in confusion.
âHaha, you must be surprised.â
âI never imagined meeting such a beautiful lady.â
Elegantly, Jung Seulbi tucked her black hair behind her ear. She appeared embarrassed.
As soon as I saw her acting in that way, I got chills. She may look like Jung Seulbi, but that doesnât guarantee that she is. But still itâs Jung Seulbiâs face. I couldnât help but feel goosebumps.
âAre you certain sheâs your daughter?â
âYoung master!â
Lucas cut Theodore off when he asked a daring question. Duke Bluea crossed his arms and gave Theodore a look that said, âLook at this guy.â Gilbert nervously shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
âAre you⦠Theodore?â
âYes.â
âMy brotherâs approach to his kids is surprisingly gentle.â
He claims that the way we are educated is flawed.
There are so many people who care about the education of the children of the Grand Duke of Conler. Duke Blueaâs voice was as cold as his blue eyes. It was an icy voice that chilled me to the bone.
Theodore, who was under Duke Blueaâs imposing gaze, did not seem at all intimidated, on the contrary, his mouth became sharp.
âI wish my father had inherited half of his fatherâs toughness.â
âStop it, Theodore.â
âLet me hear what he has to say.â
Gilbert, recognizing the sarcasm in Theodoreâs voice, stepped forward to silence him.
Duke Bluea, on the other hand, put a stop to such Gilbert. Theodore continued, elegantly holding the teacup in front of him.
âHow hard are you with your child? Have you talked to Rex Bluea?â
Duke Bluea only looked at Rex next to me after that.
Rex just stared at Duke Bluea, not saying anything. After a long time, their first greeting was a staring contest.
âYouâve already grown this big.â
His voice was emotionless, despite what appeared to be admiration on the surface.
When he was dealing with Theodore, he seemed more sincere. Theodore tried to say more about, but Aiden, who was next to Theodore, blocked his mouth with his hand.
Rex, on the other hand, remained silent.
âHmm, letâs move on. Iâm here to introduce you to my daughter.â
Duke Bluea moved his gaze away from Rex and placed his hand on the shoulder of the girl next to him.
With her innocent eyes, Jung Seulbi attempted to make eye contact with everyone present. It must have been scary for her to be surrounded by people sheâd never met before.
Is she truly oblivious, or is she just overly enthusiastic?â¦
âSheâs Tia Bluea.â
âHello!â
Jung Seulbi was introduced as Tia Bluea by Duke Bluea. Jung Seulbi greeted us with a bright and cheerful voice when her name was called.
Duke Bluea regarded her with affection. He had a human expression on his face, unlike when he looked at Rex. How can he openly discriminate?
Tia Bluea
Is she, then, not Jung Seulbi? Iâm confused.
âHow did you getâ¦â¦.â
Lucas asked that everyone in the room must be curious about, but he blurred the end of the sentence because he thought it would be impolite to ask such a question.
Lucas didnât even look at Jung Seulbi, or Tia Bluea, as if he couldnât bear looking at her.
âOh, sheâs Rexâs age; sheâs probably a year younger than Mary Conler.â
I froze for a split second when I heard Duke Bluea say my name. No, it wasnât just me who stiffened.
Jung Seulbi, or Tia Bluea, smiled at me whether she was aware of the situation or not.
I bit my lower lip. It felt a little, no, very strange to see that face smiling at me.
âYou donât have much in common.â
âThe childâs mother was a wandering dancer. I only recently found out.â
Duke Bluea had been desperate to have a daughter since I was kidnapped, according to Rex.
Thatâs how Rex was born. If you put it that way, itâs not impossible for him to have a daughter who is one year younger than me.
But why does she resemble Jung Seulbi? And Duke Bluea was unaware of her existence until recently?
âIâm sure sheâs my daughter.â
Duke Bluea stated firmly. As if he could see right through my suspicions. The fact that he was so emphatic only added to my skepticism.
Is he going to start calling everyone with black hair his child? And he leaves his own son behind?
Theodore asked Duke Bluea, as if he shared my sentiments.
âHow can you be so certain?â
âHow did you know she was Mary?â
âShe looks exactly like mother, and she has black hair and black eyes.â
âAnd Tia is just like her mother, with black hair and black eyes.â
The battle between Theodore and Duke Bluea raged on. Theodore was not one to back down from a fight, but Duke Bluea was no pushover either.
âTheodore, stay quiet. Uncle, please forgive his rudeness.â
âHmm.â
âNice to see you, Tia Bluea. My name is Gilbert Conler, your cousin.â
âHello, brother.â
Gilbert eventually stepped forward, and when he greeted Tia Bluea in a friendly voice, Tia responded brightly.
I was irritated by his noticeably different attitude from when he first met me. I was so nervous when we first met.
âYou are a very pretty lady.â
âOn that note, Iâd like you to look after Tia Bluea at the Grand Duchy.â
âUncle.â
Duke Blueaâs main point was quite striking and serious. Gilbert paused before speaking to Duke Bluea.
Duke Bluea appeared to know what Gilbert was going to say. He had a grumpy expression on his face.
âIf you have black eyes and black hair, you can receive the last name Conler, right?â
âUncle is right. But now the Head of Conler position is vacantâ¦â¦.â
Gilbertâs voice explaining the situation was so heavy that I had to close my eyes tightly, not wanting to listen.
I wanted to cover my ears, but I had no choice but to keep my eyes closed as we were in public.
âGilbert, I hear youâre doing a great job, especially with the talented Lucas by your side. If itâs Lucas, I trust him because we grew up together.â
âThank you, Duke, but it wonât be too late even after the Grand Duke gets wellâ¦.â
âYes, Iâm sure heâll be up soon, and I donât think heâll mind Tiaâs presence until then.â
Duke Bluea was showing no signs of relenting. I didnât like Tia Bluea staying here either.
I felt suffocated just thinking about seeing a face that resembled Jung Seulbiâs on a daily basis. The situation is what it is, but I didnât like how stubborn Duke Bluea was.
Still, heâs Rexâs father. How could he be so different? Rex has a wonderful personality.
Please, Gilbert and Lucas donât get pushed back. I pray quietly.
However, Jung Seulbi or Tia Bluea were not to be underestimated. She raised her hand and spoke up.
âUh, if Rex Bluea can stay here, why canât I?â
Everyoneâs eyes turned to Tia Bluea.