Chapter 26

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded fiercely.

‘...I knew this would happen.’

Beatty couldn’t understand why she was so shocked all of a sudden.

‘It’s because I’ve been seeing strange things lately.’

She had become too accustomed to the kindness of the noble, polished people around her, and that’s why it felt out of place now.

‘But that’s what makes it unusual.’

Glancing up, Beatty saw her father’s cold, distant gaze. It wasn’t the look one would expect from a father looking at his only daughter.

‘This is how it should be. This is normal.’

His cold gaze slowly seeped into her chest.

She found herself strangely calm.

Before coming here, this had been the look of adults she was used to. This was the kind of treatment she had known.

“Um…”

She tried to speak calmly, intending to get straight to the point, as she guessed he wouldn’t want to engage in a long conversation with her.

“!”

Suddenly, a large hand loomed over her face, and Beatty instinctively took a step back, startled.

“Stay still! Someone like you deserves punishment!”

The voice of her aunt, who sometimes muttered angrily and raised her hand in her childhood, echoed in her memory.

Without thinking, Beatty braced herself, curling her body and closing her eyes as if preparing for something.

“...”

Her father’s hand stopped.

As he retracted his outstretched hand, Carl, who had come in late at the urging of the knight, spoke up.

“Father.”

“Carl.”

The greeting between father and son felt unusually cold, as if they were strangers rather than family.

“You’ve carried out the supply orders without any issues,” Duke Aslan offered a dry compliment.

“Well done,” he added.

Carl shrugged and responded.

“Why are you telling me that?”

“D-Duke, please use formal language!” the knight whispered, aghast at Carl’s casual tone.

Carl, dismissing the knight’s fuss with a snort, spoke again.

“That's something you should tell Tailfur, not me.”

“Tailfur...?”

The Duke’s confused gaze followed Carl’s subtle glance toward Beatty.

Startled, Beatty flinched as her eyes met her father's.

“...”

She could feel the weight of his stare as he silently observed her, and she swallowed nervously.

‘Right. I’ve already given him something big.’

She believed it was enough to invite him to the negotiation table.

‘Stay calm. The cards I hold, only I know about them. I can definitely make this trade work.’

As Beatty steeled herself, her father shifted his gaze and spoke again.

“Housekeeper.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Why did you bring her out?”

His tone was displeased.

Beatty quickly pieced together who he was referring to.

‘He’s blaming Johanna for drawing attention to me...!’

“I came out on my own, as I have something important to say!”

Beatty quickly stepped forward.

She couldn’t let Johanna, who had always been kind and smiling, get blamed for this.

“I have a trade proposition that you won’t regret!” Beatty said with renewed confidence, standing tall.

Fortunately, the Duke’s gaze, previously directed at Johanna, who had been glaring at her, returned to Beatty.

“A trade?”

The Duke’s furrowed brow and the look of irritation on his face were terrifying, almost enough to make a child cry.

But Beatty was no ordinary child.

Years of training her mind to stay alert had made her immune to such looks.

‘It’s just a glare. It’s not like he’s gagging me or anything.’

Compared to the punishments her aunt had given her when she was young, this glare seemed almost civilized.

‘Phew.’

To calm herself, Beatty took a deep breath, then spoke with a confident voice.

“I helped replenish the burned supply stock, didn’t I?”

The Duke gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, and Beatty didn’t give up, continuing.

“I can offer that same help again. It will surely bring tremendous benefits to the management of your territory, my lord!”

“...”

For a moment, Beatty thought she had made a mistake when the Duke stiffened unexpectedly.

“My lord?”

She carefully addressed him with the most respectful title she could think of.

To her surprise, the Duke flinched, his shoulder twitching, though it might have been her imagination.

“...We’ll talk tomorrow.”

The Duke, still looking down at her, gave his calm response, his face devoid of any trace of emotion.

‘Tomorrow? I did it!’

Although it was delayed by a day, the Duke had agreed to the negotiation.

Beatty responded cheerfully.

“Yes!”

“Take her away.”

Without sparing her a glance, the Duke ordered the housekeeper to take Beatty away and walked off.

Though it might have been disappointing for her to be met with such indifference from her father, Beatty felt no bitterness.

“Hmm.”

She hadn’t expected anything, so she wasn’t disappointed in the least.

‘Good! Tomorrow, I’ll persuade him and seize the opportunity!’

Filled with a small sense of accomplishment, Beatty clenched her fist.

Johanna approached her.

“Miss, shall we go to your room? You must be careful, as you haven’t fully recovered yet.”

With a concerned look, Johanna wrapped a shawl around Beatty, noticing the chilly evening breeze.

Beatty nodded vigorously, unsure of what to say, and followed Johanna.

***

In the Duke’s study.

The sound of heavy military boots echoed through the room, marking the arrival of the master after a long absence.

“Welcome, my lord!”

“I’ve already reported through letters, but the number of merchants entering the territory has been rising sharply... My lord?”

As the Duke entered, his eyes shifted toward Johanna, who had just opened the door.

“Congratulations on your return, my lord.”

“...”

“Miss Aslan has gone to bed.”@@novelbin@@

Johanna, experienced as a housekeeper, anticipated the Duke’s unspoken question and answered before he could ask.

“Thankfully, she no longer shows signs of illness.”

“...I see.”

The Duke paused for a moment, eyes closed, as though contemplating something. Then he gave a command.

“I heard she was ill. Make sure she stays well.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best to ensure she doesn’t relapse.”

Having understood her master’s unspoken words perfectly, Johanna bowed before exiting the room.

“By the way, the girl who came to greet you earlier—was that your daughter?”

“She was so small and cute. I’m sure it must have pleased you to be welcomed by such a lovely daughter.”

“Haha. Surely, you must have been happy to see her... My lord?”

The subordinate stopped speaking upon seeing the Duke’s furrowed brow.

“Why would you send an ill child out of her room?”

The Duke’s tone was full of displeasure.

“Well, you haven’t seen her in a while. Perhaps, given your recent victories, you thought it would be rude not to greet her?”

“Greeting...”

The Duke cut off the conversation sharply, making it clear that he didn’t care for such formalities.

“My daughter...”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

‘She’s already so weak.’

A sorrowful expression crossed the Duke’s face.

He recalled the earlier scene. Despite having grown a little, his daughter still seemed so small, too small.

He wanted to pat her head.

“...”

The Duke glanced down at his hands, muttering to himself.

“I...”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Am I scary?”

“Pardon? If you’re asking me, I always offer my utmost loyalty with reverence to you—”

“No.”

The Duke cut off the subordinate’s excessive words.

“On the outside.”

“The... outside?”

The knight hesitated, trying to figure out what the Duke meant before responding seriously.

“Yes! You look intimidating!”

“...”

The knight, having honestly answered, continued to explain.

“If you’re referring to your appearance, my lord, you look terrifying to both children and adults.”

A fearsome lord!

A ruler with dignity!

The knight earnestly praised the Duke, misunderstanding the loyalty he was expressing.

As the knight’s words continued, the Duke’s expression grew darker.

“Anyone who sees you would surely step back in fear.”

“...”

The Duke’s shoulder twitched slightly at the mention of stepping back.

After a moment’s thought, the Duke seemed to reach a conclusion and looked up, calling for his subordinate.

“Lieutenant.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Prepare ‘it’ from the spoils of war.”

The Duke swiftly picked up a document from the desk and handed it to his lieutenant.

“‘It’? ...Ah! Yes, yes!”

The confused lieutenant quickly understood what the Duke meant and stood at attention.

“I’ll have it prepared without fail.”

The lieutenant’s eyes gleamed with determination.

The Duke nodded in satisfaction.