Chapter 54

Elhardt, who had been smiling lazily, thinking that the momentum had been broken, suddenly paused.

'...What am I thinking?'

He had scoured the entire empire to find Damian.

He had thought that even if they couldn't sit together and chat warmly about 'your father was like this, and like that,' they could at least have a relationship like a guardian.

But now, he found himself in a showdown with the child he had searched for so desperately.

Elhardt laughed bitterly.

It was absurd that such a situation had arisen, but on the other hand, he didn't want to lose.

'Who would think that the bloodline of the Klauder would be like this?'

He found it annoying how Damian bristled, but also cute how he wagged his tail as if pretending not to.

Elhardt, lost in a strange sentiment, exuded an indescribable air of maturity.

He was undoubtedly Damian's benefactor. He had scoured the entire empire to find Damian, solely because he was the son of his friend, and had spared no effort in supporting him afterward.

Not only that, he had even brought Ellie along.

'He is certainly grateful, but... still...'

I don't want to lose.

Ugh... Damian, who had been tightly clenching his jaw, now looked at Ellie with a pout.

"Ellie."

"…So, you won't eat with me anymore?"

When he glared fiercely just a moment ago, it seemed like he was about to bark, but now he looked at Ellie as if his invisible ears and tail had drooped.

"I've been training hard..."

His shoulders slumped, and his tightly bitten red lips made the onlooker's heart ache.

'It's a trick.'

Elhardt saw through it immediately.

It was clear that Damian had deliberately included the word 'from now on' to get the answer he wanted.

But it wasn't just anyone; it was Ellie.

There was no way she couldn't see through the true intentions of this small dog who was hiding his teeth.

"What are you talking about, Damian."

…Right?

"Of course we should eat together."

"Really?"

"Of course. Who else would I eat with?"

Elhardt still hadn't realized one thing.

It was that Ellie was particularly weak for Damian.

When she saw this small child whimpering and seeking affection, she wanted to do something for him.

"Let's continue eating together from now on."

As Ellie held Damian's hands and made a promise, his ears turned pink.

"I said, good things should be shared."

The eyes of both of them sparkled as they looked at me.

There won't be any more fighting, I thought, and was about to continue eating...

"Share this too."

"Ellie, do you want to eat this too?"

"Slow down, you'll get indigestion if you eat too quickly."

"This is delicious too."

My actions seemed to have only fueled their sharing.

Sigh...

I sighed as I looked at the mountain of food being piled up.

* * *

"It was a real mess."

When I sighed deeply, the viscountess chuckled.

"You are receiving a lot of love."

"Love?"

I put down the decorative knot I was making, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Originally, I was supposed to take a walk with her, who loved strolling.

But recently, due to her worsening cold, we had been spending time together making handicrafts.

Decorative knots were often attached to sword scabbards or worn around the waist, and were usually given as gifts by women to their lovers or husbands.

"I don't think it's love. I've gained a lot of weight recently."

I pinched my chubby cheeks.

Compared to the meager diet at the orphanage, the meals at the ducal mansion were like heaven, so gaining weight was inevitable...

'But this is too much!'

I recalled the duke's face, who kept feeding me even when I was about to burst.

I remembered the duke smiling with a raised corner of his mouth, his playful nature overflowing.

"The duke must enjoy teasing me."

"Oh, do you think so?"

The viscountess laughed weakly and shook her head.

"How can the people around me be so clumsy?"

Muttering to herself, she looked at me again.

"Why don't you make this knot as a gift and give it to the duke?"

"Th-this one?"

Compared to the viscountess's neat and intricate knots, mine looked shabby and amateurish.

If I gave him something like this, the duke would surely sneer at it.

"That's not true. The duke will like it very much."

But the viscountess said with confidence.

I tried to deny it but was startled when the viscountess suddenly coughed.

After covering her with a blanket and having her drink a few sips of hot tea, the viscountess's coughing finally subsided.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. My condition hasn't improved."

"Madam, it's cold. Why don't you go inside and make it?"

"No, I prefer being in the wind. It gets stuffy in the room."

The viscountess's cheeks were slightly sunken.

"Let's finish it, then. I'll help you."

"...Okay."

I nodded obediently and focused on completing the knot.

* * *

"Your gift will be better if you put your heart into it."

The knot I finished, following the viscountess's advice, was...

'A mess?'

I looked at the completed decorative knot with a troubled heart.

The viscountess had praised it, saying it was very well made, but it was clear she was being considerate to prevent me from feeling down.

I sighed as I walked down the corridor.

The viscountess's request to tell her the duke's reaction kept echoing in my ears.

Standing in front of the duke's study, I sighed deeply.

Just as I was about to knock, the door suddenly opened.

Creak!

The door opened abruptly, and Butler Franz looked down at me with a flustered expression.

"Ellie?"

"Ah... Hello."

I greeted him and glanced into the study.

The study, which was usually filled with suffocating silence, now had several people gathered inside.

"Ellie. What brings you here?"

Some of the enforcers and retainers acknowledged me.

The duke, who had been standing by the door, looked at me when called by Ante.

"Where are you going?"

"An inspection of the territory."

The duke was indeed wearing his formal uniform, which he usually left unbuttoned to the chest.

"Recently, there have been more people causing trouble in the territory. He's going to deal with them."

Ante explained easily, but it was clearly not a simple matter for the duke to handle it himself.

"Will you be away from the ducal mansion for a few days?"

"Yes."

The duke answered with an irritated voice.

"Those damn bastards are not just a few."

The duke's muttering was ominous, and he stopped when he saw me.

"The Black Lions will also leave the castle. Of course, a few will remain behind."

"..."

"I mean, don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."

"I won't cause any trouble."

"Hmm, really?"

"Really. Sir Franz is here, the viscountess is here, and Sir Jeritt is here too!"

I declared confidently.

Jeritt had already petitioned the duke to teach me merchant skills.

'Without my help, he can't understand Talum’s language.'

So, Jeritt wouldn't just stand by if I were in danger.

'No, before that, there's no way anyone would dare approach the Schuetz ducal castle so recklessly.'

Thinking this, I chuckled, but the surroundings were quiet.

'Huh?'

When I looked up, I saw the duke with a menacing expression.

"Interesting, you two seem quite close."

The duke muttered grimly, as if facing his mortal enemy.

"It's like Sir Jeritt is your guardian or something."

"Ah... Isn't he?"

Since the family I was to join was initially Amande, it was natural for Jeritt to become one of my guardians.

But the more I spoke, the more the duke's face turned frightening.

"…I should have seen this coming when you started talking about education."

The duke muttered chillingly and stroked the sword at his waist.

The other retainers swallowed hard.

"Sir, Duke. It's time to go."

At that moment, Ante spoke cautiously.

Tsk, the duke removed his hand from the scabbard.

'The duke doesn't have any waist decorations.'

While other knights had decorative knots tied around their waists, the duke had nothing.

I approached the duke and held out the decoration I had made.

"...What is this?"

"It's... a decoration I made."

I stammered and added,

"I made it with the viscountess."

It's my first attempt, so it looks terrible, but my voice grew weaker.

I didn't feel this nervous when I gave a gift to Damian.

I didn't understand why my heart was pounding so hard.

"You made this?"

The duke tilted his head and looked at the pathetic decoration in my palm.