Chapter 17

Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 17

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The Duke, who had been walking alone in the quiet hallway, mumbled to himself while looking out of the window as if he had something in mind.

“I can’t let Rere hate me. Was it chocolate? That’s right. I can fill up the room…”

The Duke’s face subtly changed along with his diminished voice.

Astra couldn’t have been the one on his mind.

***

Night came.

The night here was colder than I thought, thus the maids were busy setting fire to the furnace.

After taking a bath, Rere strode towards me in pajamas with a rabbit sketch in the middle of it.

“My bed is narrow. I want to sleep in mom’s room.”

“Huh? The bed in Rere’s room is wide enough.”

It was a very spacious bed enough to fit five adults, but Rere was being stubborn.

“If Rere says it’s narrow, it’s narrow!”

Wearing her pajamas, she held up a rabbit doll and a pillow then looked at me.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Huh?!”

The child was determined. Rere had already walked ahead, so I had no choice but to walk behind her.

But the way to my room was a bit strange.

I followed her despite knowing that, but Rere headed the opposite way to my room.

After a while, we stopped in front of a huge room.

“You’re not going in?”

“What?”

“We have arrived at your room. Come in.”

“Rere, it’s not my room.”

“What? It’s not your room?”

“Uh, yeah.”

As if she couldn’t understand my words, Rere wrinkled her brows.

“But isn’t this the Duchess’ room?”

At that time, whether she was bothered by the noise outside the room or was about to get out, Astra came out of the room,

“What is this? Why is it so noisy?”

“Why is this poop coming out of there?”

Astra, who came out with disheveled hair that didn’t look nice, raised the corners of her mouth when she saw us.

Then, she folded her arms and looked down at Rere.

“It’s my room.”

“This is my mom’s room!”

“That’s why it’s my room. Because I’m your mom.”

Her behavior became more relaxed as she grasped the situation.

“Ahhh. I know.”

“What do you know! Get out! This is my mom’s room!”

“Isn’t this proof that your daddy recognized me as your mother?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Get out of the way!”

“If you want to come in, do whatever you want.”

Bang-!

The door was closed loudly. Furthermore, she even locked it from inside, so only the sound of the door locking rang in the quiet hallway.

Even before the sound died down, Rere worked hard to twist the doorknob, but of course, it couldn’t be opened.

“…Darn it…!”

Rere, who was unable to withstand her anger, kicked the door.

“Hey! Hey! Get out!”

Bang-! Bang-!

Despite the loud sound, there was no response. Instead, it made Rere’s face flushed.

“Rere, if you continue to do that, you’ll only hurt your feet. Let’s go back now, hmm?”

“Daddy! Where are you!”

However, no matter what I said, she won’t listen to me.

Perhaps Rere also felt it, but the child’s footsteps, which are now headed to another room, were faster than before.

Come to think of it, I had been here for quite a while, but I didn’t know any place except for Rere’s room, my room, the kitchen, and the drawing-room where I first met the Duke.

It’s my first time going to Astra’s room as well.

“Hurry up, mom. I need to fix my dad’s habit! I’ve spoiled him so much that he was so mean these days!”

The appearance of Rere who spoke like an adult made me laugh unconsciously.

Even now, seeing her tiny feet stomping around was so lovable.

“Come quickly,”

In the meantime, Rere approached me and held my hand.

“Mom, hold my pillow!”

Perhaps because her hands were full, Rere handed me her pillow and gently held my hand.

Her soft and chubby hand was very warm.

“But mom, are you a fool? You should’ve told my daddy! That room is mine! Why can’t you say it!”

“Do you think so? I must be a fool, then.”

“…Darn it. Stupid. You shouldn’t be that stupid! Okay?!”

Rere, who led me, looked up and made eye contact with me.

“Then, how am I supposed to live?”

“Ah! The thing is…”

“Should I live like Rere?”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t like it if there are two people.”

Then, we arrived at our destination.

“I’ll tell you later about how to live! First, we need to meet my daddy!”

As expected, we arrived at a room that seemed to be the Duke’s bedroom.

“Mi-Miss?”

Originally, most of the Duke’s attendants were taken aback whenever they saw the child because they knew of Rebecca’s personality.

The young attendant, who was guarding the Duke’s room, was startled and bowed his head.

“Door.”

“Yes? Ah. Th-The Duke, right now…”

“Door!”

As if it was a familiar scene, the attendant quickly opened the door.

But the person who came out of the room wasn’t the Duke, it was the knight who always followed him around.

I had seen his face several times, but since I never met his gaze, I do not particularly remember him.

No, the man, whose presence was blurry in my head as if I wouldn’t be able to remember him, was now clearly visible.

“Miss. How may I help you?”

“Luca, why are you here?”

“I’ve got a brief assignment.”

“Suspicious….What about my daddy!”

“The Duke went outside because he has a lot of things to take care of.”

“Why!!!”

Rere, who blew her nose, stomped the floor with her feet.

Then, the man who came out of the room met my eyes.

He was a man with similar features to the Duke. If anything was different, it’s only the color of his eyes.

Unlike Duke Ian, who had black hair and red eyes, the man named Luca had black hair and gold eyes that didn’t match well.

He was a man who looked at me strangely. Perhaps it’s just my feeling, but he seemed suspicious.

Handsome but suspicious.

Coming out of his master’s room when he wasn’t even there…..That’s suspicious.

As if he knew that my eyes were directed at him, he closed his eyes and bowed to me.

“More than that, it’s my first time to greet you. My name is Luca.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Leona Selen.”

“It’s my first time to meet you like this. I wanted to talk to you if we ever meet again.”

The way he looked at me contained a clear boundary. Of course, not only that, but there was also a slight wonder in his eyes. I could feel that as well.

“It’s my mom. Don’t look at her! Let’s go, mom!”

“You seem to adore Ms. Leona very much. That’s a relief. Please let me know if you need anything.”

He stepped back while putting on a smile. But as if Rere was very frustrated, she grabbed and dragged me away.

By the time we got far away from Luca, Rebecca stopped her stride.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“Daddy is a poppy head and he’s snobbish…but Luca is a no!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Daddy is mean. He hates mom. He’s indeed like that…but not Luca. Luca is handsome, fights well, and is cool but still!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rere, who put on a serious look, forced a smile and swung her arms back and forth.

“Mom is mine.”

“I’m yours?”

“Uung! Actually, Luca….! Has a lot of flaws. Uh…that’s why…anyway! You can’t, okay?”

Rere’s lips that puffed through her chubby cheeks moved up and down each time she mumbled. I laughed at her cute appearance, which was similar to a duck’s beak.

“Okay, don’t worry about it. But who’s that guy?”

“Don’t be interested!”

I was going to ask more, but due to Rere’s hostility, I finally gave up and followed the child.

“Do you understand?!”

“Uh, okay.”

Rere, who was screaming loudly, looked around the vicinity.

“But where is mom’s room?”

“My room…it’s quite far from here.”

“That’s fine! But my feet hurt. Carry me.”

“Of course. I should do that.”

I let go of Rere’s hand and handed the pillow back to the child. Then, I walked for a long time while holding Rere in my arms.

Perhaps because it was already time to sleep, Rere fell asleep with her face resting on my shoulder.

“Good night.”

“Not asle…ep…..Rere…is not asleep.”

The already sleepy child mumbled for a long time and eventually fell asleep. Meanwhile, I arrived in front of my room.

Recently, I tried to find my way back without May’s assistance, and now it came into use.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

Sweat formed on my forehead after walking for a long time. I wanted to rest as soon as I arrived in my room, but I briefly agonized over the poor appearance of the door, which was different from Astra’s, and looked at Rere who leaned on my shoulder.

‘She’ll get angry if I take her back to her room without telling her.’

While agonizing, I slightly shook her shoulders to wake her up.

“Rere. Are you really going to sleep in mom’s room?”

“Huh? Are we there yet?”

Rere, who woke up while rubbing her eyes, hurriedly looked around.

“…Where is the room?”

“Ah, it’s right here.”

“…But it’s a warehouse.”

“No, it’s mom’s room.”

The room that we saw a little while ago was embellished with gold ornaments. On the other hand, my room only had a wooden door. It was only natural that Rere’s face stiffened.

The child pointed at the door with a frightened look.

“Do you really live in a warehouse…?”

“Yeah! The inside is not as wide as yours, but it’s nice!”

I opened the door with a smile.

Rere, who quickly got inside the room, wriggled her nose and shook her head.

“Is this a room? How come….they let you stay in this room?”

At the child’s words, Leona’s life flashed before my eyes.

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