Translator and Editor: Skye and Einna
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Chapter 36
✦
After a short conversation, the sun was already setting down outside. So I walked quickly while holding Doggy in my arms.
“Damien!”
Damien, who was waiting near me, appeared as a hawk. I had ordered him to sit on the wall at the church earlier.
“You do remember the man’s face from before, don’t you? Noah de Castilla.”
“Kirrk (Yes, Master).”
“Go after him. I need you to figure out the rest of his movements for today.”
Damien flew high instead of answering. I was looking up at the hawk that disappeared in an instant, and then I took Doggy out of the narrow alley.
As soon as Amber, who was waiting in the carriage, saw me she rushed over to me.
“Why are you so late, Milady? I really thought my heart was about to burst.”
Of course, I expected Amber to be worried.
“I’m sorry, I met up with someone… But Amber, you’re exaggerating a bit. I don’t think this is enough to set your heart off…”
I smiled brighter at Amber deliberately, while she had a serious look on her face.
When I go back to the mansion, I was definitely going to get nagged from verse 1 to verse 4 anyways.
“I’m not exaggerating. Milady thinks too comfortably about the Duke’s overprotectiveness. You shouldn’t ignore the power of the Duke.”
“…I’m just an adopted daughter of the Duke. You’re blowing it out of proportion.”
Amber’s expression crumpled as she was deeply displeased with my nonchalant answer.
Still, she didn’t continue nagging me anymore, so I guess she really was in a hurry.
As we rode the carriage back to the mansion, the surroundings outside could be seen gradually turning dark.
I tried to sneak out, but as expected, I failed. This was my only thought as the carriage went up the small hill towards the Ducal estate.
Even from a distance, the brighter than usual lights in the manor proved this.
As I looked towards Amber, who was sitting across from me, I felt my heart pounding louder.
Amber couldn’t take her eyes off the carriage window, her expression complicated.
I swallowed back a sigh as we passed by the knights standing in a neat row with the street brightly lit.
Maybe I shouldn’t have drank tea with Noah?
I didn’t know the situation would get out of hand like this. I already expected that I would hear something from the Duke after getting back, but I didn’t know he’d kick up a fuss like this.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the door burst open. Apparently, I thought the Duke would come rushing in first.
“I’m sorry, I was just curious about the outside, so I went out for a while…”
But what I said didn’t last. It was because outstretched arms came in and hugged my waist and pulled me out in an instant.
“Ack.”
I stretched my arms out in surprise. I hugged his broad shoulders and blinked quickly.
A thick musk scent came into my nose. Unlike the Duke, who has a masculine scent that is refreshing.
“Ray!”
“…Brother?”
With this kind of fuss, I thought that the Duke would be the only one who would do this.
But when I saw Lucian, who has now grown up and is already an adult, it seems I still looked at him as a child.
His position was just normal before I left for the South, but now he looks like he is showing that he isn’t like that anymore.
When I opened my eyes, I saw knights over his shoulders.
The sensation of being held in his large and hot physique was very strange. He wasn’t anything like the skinny body I remember, he was so sturdy now.
His thumping heartbeat was obvious due to our contact at that point. Through that alone, I could tell how worried he was about me.
Somehow in a sullen mood, I hugged his firm shoulders tightly with my arms and whispered.
“…I’m sorry, Brother.”
“…Where the hell did you go?”
“I just… just wanted to go around alone…”
I couldn’t say I’d been to the information broker. There was no reason for me to hide it from Lucian, but there are so many eyes looking at us at the moment.
“Rachel! My daughter!”
Then the Duke appeared from the back of the mansion. He was dressed in his uniform as if he were about to go on a field exercise.
And even the Duchess was rushing out of the mansion.
The woman who appears to be a perfect noble woman was running out while holding onto her skirt.
At that moment, I felt something warm rising up inside me. In my head, sirens of all kinds were mixed together and started to go off and resounded.
This is not the first time I’ve experienced this.
I’m sure I’ve felt this affection before.
But my head refused to remember it. Barricades were stacked in layers and tightly blocked, some of which were pierced easily but not all of them broke.
So I was rather relieved.
Therefore, it is easy to accept their affection.
This is not actually familial affection.
They’re already a twisted family…
Because of my inner turmoil, I didn’t even notice I was breathing hard.
If Lucian hadn’t patted me on the back awkwardly with his hand, I wouldn’t have noticed my symptoms.
“Call the physician right away!”
I closed my eyes as I listened to Lucian’s harsh voice in my ear.
Bang!
Another barricade was built in front of a barricade that was tightly blocked. In the distance, the voices of Lucian, the Duke and the Duchess were heard.
The voices of three resonated as I expelled big huffs.
—Hyeyoung, Ahn Hyeyoung. My daughter.
✦
Rachel had so easily disappeared from the Duchy earlier.
When he noticed she was gone, Lucian looked like he was losing his mind.
How come no one knew where his sister disappeared to?
Lucian never thought Rachel would have gone out on her own. It was mostly because he was her brother and she always reported her movements to him.
Seven years of separation existed between the two, but he still saw Rachel as a child.
Looking at his grown-up sister, he still smiled cutely and wanted to follow Rachel.
—Hmm, I don’t really feel any negative emotions, but…
Due to Lucian’s request, Enzo sought to check for anyone who had ominous feelings in the mansion.
As a black wizard, he likes the murky, dark sides of a person so he can sense them well.
—I think she’ll just come back on her own. Do you all really have to make such a fuss?
“If you’re just going to say that, then leave.”
He could borrow the power of his ancestors and control them. Though there are no records left, Lucian has started to compile his own data about Enzo’s attitude.
But this time, Enzo was not giving in that easily either.
—I don’t waaant to!
Enzo, who would have temporarily disappeared if he was blocked, has been having a tough day today. Lucian was in a sensitive state because he was desperate to find Rachel who disappeared.
Enzo is in an interesting position due to his nonsensical descendant.
—Some people might think you guys lost a small child.
“Ray is young.”
Due to Lucian’s prompt reply, Enzo snorted.
—Is there any kid that looks like that? No, it seems that you are looking at her as a child…
Lucian couldn’t say anything in response.
It was definitely like that. Well, she’s a weird kid. Other humans don’t like you. Since I have some influence on you, it’s normal for people to react like that. But from the very start, that kid doesn’t act like that.
“…Because she’s special. It’s because she’s a special person, that’s why.”
A desperate voice came from his throat that didn’t match his beautiful appearance.
Enzo laughed as if he is a devil that is borrowing a human body and talking like that.
—Special, Ra…
Lucian ignored his words and headed to the office. The gift in his hand was crumpled horribly, but he couldn’t throw it away anywhere.
It was a gift for Rachel. Although crumpled, the contents were for her.
Enzo muttered as if referring to the crumpled box in his hand.
—But she’s a 19-year-old woman… Do you think she would like that?
The gift he prepared was a bright yellow bonnet. It had a cute petal-shaped corsage that was brightly hung on the side.
Enzo, who recalled that the bonnet had a rather childish design for a 19-year-old woman to use, murmured with a curious look.
—Just what the hell do you want to do with her?
At that moment, Lucian stopped his rushing stride and froze in place.
“…What?”
—See what I’m saying? Just looking at you like this, I think you’re going crazy because you want to arrest a lover who can’t live or can’t even die. But I don’t think that’s the case.
Lucian stood tall near his office and listened to Enzo.
—I thought I was going crazy. She sacrificed herself to save the country, but I wanted to crush it. It took me a long time to admit that I would never see her again. How can I accept her death when I still have her breathing alive right in front of me?
Enzo kept muttering to himself. Sometimes he talked to himself as if he couldn’t control himself.
—I don’t even remember her beautiful hair, eyes, voice… Yeah, it must have been around this time of the chilly autumn.
Lucian turned his head and looked out the window, picking at his words.
It was still chilly, but it was definitely spring now.
There were times when his ancestor would always say things in reverse or jumbled like this just like now.
Then a question from Enzo pierced through his ears.
—So, what do you want to do with that child?
At the simple question, Lucian could only look deep into his heart.
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