Chapter 20

I overdid it with the role of the adopted daughter 020.

The door to the Duke Heron’s office opened.

The butler Carlton drew his thin sword.

Carlton was one of the few confidants who could draw his sword in front of Heron Bellato.

He aimed it at the man who entered.

“Sir Hixon, show some respect.”

In the Duke’s mansion, who would dare to enter the Duke’s office without knocking?

Hixon grabbed the blade of the thin sword with his fingers and gently pushed it away.

Duke Heron, who was sitting in his chair and checking documents, spoke.

“Leave it.”

Hixon chuckled and approached Heron. Heron didn’t even glance at him.

“What is it?”

“You’ve taken in a cute daughter.”

Instantly, Heron’s body flinched.

“Cute?”

It felt strange to hear the word “cute” from Hixon’s mouth.

Cuteness and Bellato were as incompatible as oil and water.

It should have been that way.

She shouldn’t be cute.

“Yeah, she’s very cute.”

“She’s not like Bellato.”

Hixon sat on the edge of Heron’s desk.

“Do you remember what my long-held dream was? The one you mocked as pitiful.”

Heron continued signing documents with his quill pen.

He didn’t seem to be paying much attention to Hixon’s words.

“I lost that dream, and my world crumbled.”

“So?”

“And I became a drunkard.”

Hixon crossed his legs.

“I know why you let me stay in the annex. I know.”

He pointed at Carlton with his finger.

“That old, stuffy man must have always advised you to kick me out.”

“Your snake-like wives must have been eagerly waiting for a chance to poison me, as I was the one who tarnished Bellato’s reputation.”

“You know well.”

Heron signed another document and handed it to Carlton.

Carlton bowed and left the room.

Now, only Duke Heron and Hixon were left in the office.

“Even so, you kept me in the annex.”

Duke Heron finally looked at his old friend, Hixon.

He spoke frankly without hiding anything.

“If you couldn’t recover, I kept you close to kill you myself.”

“How long did you plan to wait?”

“Five years.”

Five years.

Hixon burst into laughter. Indeed, Heron was still Heron, unchanged.

“That’s how my friend Heron respects his friend, me.”

“You seem to have come to your senses.”

“Yeah. It’s not grand enough to call it a new dream, but I feel like I can dream again.”

Heron’s eyebrows twitched.

“A dream?”

“Yeah. Your daughter. To be precise, Viola, who is only registered as your daughter on paper.”

“What are you trying to say, Hixon?”

“The absolute rule we set in our childhood. Remember?”

We never kill children under ten years old, no matter what.

That was the promise between Heron and Hixon.

In fact, it was Hixon who proposed this promise.

Hixon said,

“Children deserve to be protected and have the right and qualification to grow up with plenty of love.”

“So?”

“You accepted your daughter on paper, but I want to accept her in my heart.”

“What do you think? You’re not really interested in being a father, are you? You just need an excellent successor.”

“……”

“Don’t you like it?”

Heron silently looked at Hixon.

He didn’t ask for details.

“Do as you please.”

Hixon stood up.

“She extended her cute little hand to me, asking for help.”

“……”

“She asked me to stand by her side. She said she needed a reliable adult.”

“She’s not like Bellato.”

“She’s not, originally.”

Hixon smiled.

“But it wasn’t at all humiliating. When she asked for help, her attitude was so Bellato-like that I was surprised. It was a strange atmosphere.”

“……Are you just flattering her?”

“Why would I? I’m just telling it as it is. She’s extremely Bellato-like, yet strangely different. A very charming kid.”

“You sound like Zyon.”

Extremely Bellato-like, yet with a progressive touch.

Hixon seemed to feel something similar.

“I want to be a fence for her, so she can grow up more properly, in a prettier world.”

Heron nodded.

“Do as you please.”

He seemed indifferent.

His attitude suggested that someone like you couldn’t do anything to a child who bears the Bellato name.

“I’m going.”

Hixon left the room.

A smile lingered on his lips.

‘Look at him.’

The Duke was different from usual.

‘He seems to find Viola cute.’

It shouldn’t be the case,

but it seems like it. He probably hasn’t admitted it to himself yet.

That night.

Snap!

Seven of Duke Heron Bellato’s quill pens broke. No one knew why.

***

Two days before the welcome banquet.

Duke Heron suddenly invited Viola to dinner.

The reason was unknown.

Viola was very uncomfortable.

Dining with her favorite person was always a dream, but not in this atmosphere.

Silence prevailed.

It felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.

There was delicious sweet potato soup and duck roasted with a special sauce in front of her, but she couldn’t eat.

About ten minutes passed.

After ten minutes, Duke Heron finally spoke.

“You wear your mask well.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, but I pretended to be calm. Like a predator. Like Bellato.

“You asked Hixon to stand by your side.”

“Yes.”

“Did you ask him to hold your hand?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Viola had a hunch.

This was a test.

Bellato shouldn’t beg for help.

Bellato should be the one giving help, not receiving it.

She deliberately smiled.

“I thought I could use him to my advantage.”

Duke Heron looked at Viola.

Viola met his gaze without flinching, though she was trembling inside.

Heron’s eyes were like a black hole. Staring at them made her feel like she would be sucked in and torn apart.

‘Strange. His behavior is different from my favorite character’s.’

The Duke never has private meetings with the candidates for the successor.

He knows that each of his actions could give someone power.

Though puzzled inside, she maintained a meaningful smile.

With a more villainous expression than anyone else, she said,

“A beautiful idealist, easy to manipulate, isn’t he?”

She acted with all her might.

To avoid giving Duke Heron any leverage.

“Indeed.”

What?

Viola was a bit surprised. Heron seemed more satisfied than expected.

“I heard you extended your cute little hand to him.”

“I did extend my hand.”

Viola looked at her hand.

Hmm.

It’s small, cute, and pretty, which doesn’t fit my character.

“Hixon took your hand, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Viola hummed and looked at Heron.

Despite the heavy and intimidating atmosphere, his good looks were undeniable.

“Don’t give your hand away so easily.”

“…What?”

“It might disappear at any moment.”

Viola swallowed hard.

Indeed, this is a world where one can’t let their guard down.

“Let’s eat.”

Clatter.

The only sounds were the fork and knife touching the glass plate.

Viola cautiously observed Heron.

‘Suffocating!’

She couldn’t tell if the food was going down her nose or her mouth.

The main course was finished, and cold persimmons soaked in honey were served as dessert.

‘Delicious!’

Viola’s eyes widened.

She had eaten persimmons on Earth, but this was a new experience.

The sweetness melted in her mouth.

The honey and persimmon created a perfect harmony.

It felt like a sweet pudding melting in her mouth.

“You like sweets.”

“Yes, I’m a child.”

The Duke stared at Viola.

Viola felt suffocated again.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“Can you stop staring at me when I’m eating?”

Zyon, standing behind them, flinched.

‘Princess?’

Who would dare to speak to Duke Heron like that?

‘Stop staring at me.’

It was an unfamiliar request for Duke Heron.

Fortunately, he didn’t react much.

He simply asked,

“Why?”

“Staring while someone is eating is rude.”

Heron thought of Rael. Rael had said the same thing.

‘Can you stop staring at me?’

‘Staring like that is rude.’

Rael was the only one who spoke to Heron like that.

At that time, Heron had replied,

‘I am your husband.’

Heron had a faint smile then, but now he was expressionless.

“I am your father.”

He looked around.

“The comfortable environment and delicious food you enjoy all come from me. The egg tart you craved and the cold persimmon you’re eating now were given by me. So, a little rudeness is acceptable, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t ask to be brought here. You brought me here, and now you’re taking credit for it?”

Coincidence?

Viola’s attitude had similarities to Rael’s.

She spoke her mind without hesitation.

‘You said you married because you loved me.’

‘I love you too, but you proposed, and now you’re taking credit for it?’

Heron lifted his fork.

Viola was startled for a moment.

Given the atmosphere and his attitude, she feared he might stab her eyes with the fork.

He stabbed the persimmon with the fork.

“It’s not a pleasant thing to say