episode_0428

“What does that bloodline mean…”

After letting out a deep sigh, Viscount Hutton continued.

“Your letters keep coming to my attention. I simply couldn’t refuse.”

But to me, who had delved deeper into the background investigation, it seemed like a repulsive act.

“In the end, it seems the Viscount forcibly separated us to appease his wife.”

“Viscount! No matter how much you are a stepchild, there’s no need to distance yourself so coldly even in private. You can call me father.”

If Fran had even a slight interest in the position of a stepchild, it would have been quite a comforting remark.

Noble stepchildren couldn’t call their biological fathers ‘father,’ you see.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t change the subject. What I want to say is that our misfortune started with you.”

“What nonsense is that? Everything you’ve had so far is all thanks to me!”

“It was only natural for you to protect us. Please don’t act as if you’ve done us a great favor by doing so.”

Fran spat out the words with a cool demeanor.

“A child doesn’t come into being alone.”

Both sides had responsibilities to fulfill, leading to the birth of a child, right?

He acted as if he had done something great by fulfilling his duties as a stepfather.

It was shameless to the point of being outrageous.

“Well, with such a thick face, it’s no wonder he goes around doing such things.”

There was no need for me to intervene as Fran was handling it very well.

Viscount Hutton took out a handkerchief to wipe away the cold sweat.

It seemed he realized that Fran was not an easy opponent.

“I want to say that I did my best…!”

“No.”

Fran interrupted Viscount Hutton.

“You have never done your best. You’ve just shown pity. You’ve shown easy mercy out of compassion for your wife and didn’t care.”

Viscount Hutton closed his eyes tightly as if struck in the heart.

“Thank you for meeting me today. And there will be no further contact from me in the future.”

“What? You’re just going to leave like this?”

Viscount Hutton stopped Fran, saying it was unreasonable.

“I have nothing more to say. Oh! By any chance, do you have anything to say to the Viscountess?”

“No, I don’t. I only followed you out of concern.”

“Really! Isn’t it absurd to say there’s nothing to talk about between us?”

He looked shocked as if betrayed.

“Me? Do I have something to say to you?”

“Of course!”

“I don’t have anything to say…”

It seemed that Viscount Hutton’s changed attitude was because of Negees.

“We miraculously reunited like this, so naturally we should think about our future, shouldn’t we?”

“Our future?”

As Viscount Hutton continued to speak, Negees’ expression began to sour.

Negees also seemed to have realized why he was saying such things.

“I was so surprised when you suddenly disappeared. My feelings for you haven’t disappeared yet. I turned away and lived to protect you, but I always missed you.”

To me, he looked at her with a smoldering gaze, but it seemed to work well with the woman.

Although I, as a man, couldn’t understand why that gaze worked, it was a bit uncomfortable to see him staring at Negees with such a superior gaze full of affection.

“Having a lover and being shameless…”

I couldn’t openly criticize him since I also had three lovers.

“I didn’t miss you. I’ve already moved on. So if you truly have such feelings, please neatly sort them out.”

“I know you suffered in prison. I won’t leave you alone like before. I will protect you.”

“I don’t need protection right now.”

“If my wife finds out you’re alive, it’ll be dangerous.”

“I have a daughter. And there’s someone else who’s protecting me.”

The person protecting Negi.

Without a doubt, the words directed at me were unsettling.

“Are you seeing another man?”

While the Viscount himself had been involved with many women, he showed signs of uncomfortable jealousy at the misconception that Negi might have a man.

“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t?”

It seemed like the Viscount had realized some misunderstanding, but he didn’t seem inclined to correct it.

Instead, Negi brushed off the Viscount’s misunderstanding without giving it any thought.

“You were in prison, so you wouldn’t have had a chance to meet anyone… Or did you meet someone after getting out of prison?”

“There’s no reason for me to tell you that. Since we’ve finished talking about the child, I’ll take my leave.”

“Hah, with that face, you could have easily found a new man. Who is he exactly? Is he a nobleman? He better not be a commoner. If he’s a commoner, it would greatly damage my pride.”

Frances’ expression hardened at the Viscount’s rude words.

Negi, who had been insulted, drew a line with a calm voice against the Viscount.

“This has nothing to do with the Viscount.”

“Why does it not matter! Our daughter could end up being the daughter of a common man!”

The Viscount, with his eyes rolling, shouted, and Frances did not stand by silently.

“Mother, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to keep hearing these insulting words.”

“Fine. I understand.”

“Did I say something insulting? I’m the one being insulted right now! Do you know how I feel coming here? I never imagined I would be treated like this as soon as I arrived!”

The Viscount’s facade was beginning to crack.

“You came to see your abandoned child and expected to be treated well?”

“I explained that part properly. It was the best way I could protect you. What’s the reason for constantly repeating the same thing? Is that what you were taught at the academy?”

A kid who didn’t do anything but study at the academy sure knows how to talk.

“If you think that’s a sufficient explanation, then I have nothing more to say. Let’s go back, Mother.”

“Alright.”

As Frances stood up, and Negi followed suit, the Viscount spoke in a deep, ominous voice.

“If you just leave like this, your daughter might be fine, but you’ll be in danger. Can that man really protect you?”

Leaving now would be a threat to let his wife know about the two people.

The man who had just been expressing deep love and longing like Romeo and Juliet moments ago was now saying something entirely different.

Seeing him quickly change his attitude, it was clear that their firmness was not to be underestimated.

“I don’t think there’s any need to worry. I can stop him no matter what he tries to do.”

As they stood up, the man approached them closely.

“Who are you?”

“That’s not important. If you want to talk about Negi’s future, maybe you should sort out your relationships with women first? Of course, even if you sort out your relationships, Negi won’t meet you again.”

“Are you the one? Were you eavesdropping nearby like a rat?”

The Viscount challenged with a fierce look in his eyes.

“If you threaten us, we won’t stay quiet either.”

“You… are you not a commoner?”

If he had been a commoner, he wouldn’t dare provoke me, so he must have realized that I was a nobleman.

“You’re a new face to me, which family do you belong to?”

The Viscount’s voice suddenly became calm at the mention of me being a nobleman.

It seems he has a typical strong and weak personality.

“That’s not necessary to know, it’s better not to touch it. It would be good if we didn’t have to embarrass each other with unnecessary tricks.”

“….”

Viscount Hutton bit his lips tightly.

“Let’s go.”

He walked out of the shop with Fran and Nekisi on either side.

Whether Viscount Hutton was aware of me or not, he didn’t seem to follow me.

Thinking about being left alone to brood, I felt relieved.

“It feels uncomfortable.”

“I feel like we met for no reason…”

“That’s not true. Meeting was worth it. Thanks to that, I feel like I can sort things out clearly.”

There may have been lingering feelings towards my birth mother, but there was no lack of lingering feelings towards my birth father.

And this meeting seemed to have cut off those lingering feelings.

If Viscount Hutton had continued to act as he did at first, it would have been more awkward.

It wasn’t a touching reunion, but there was a certain expectation in Fran’s eyes when she first saw her birth father.

But then, he was caught pretending to have excessive feelings towards Nekisi.

“Are you okay, Nekisi? You must have felt bad because of that person.”

“I did feel bad, but I’m okay now. Fran was there, and you protected me.”

Confirming Nekisi’s words, it didn’t seem like she was forcibly hiding her hurt.

“But I’m worried that I misunderstood something. I should have said it wasn’t the boss, I’m sorry.”

“No, you did well. I thought it was better that way. That’s why I stepped in.”

“That’s right. You appeared just in time. When I thought it was risky, you showed up.”

Fran agreed with me.

“If you had said there was no one else, he would have made things difficult for Nekisi. Knowing that I was there, he would have been more careful.”

“When he made that comment, I was worried, but when I saw the way he looked at his mother, I realized I had nothing to worry about.”

Fran sighed.

“I was angry when I saw someone who has a lover looking at my mother with desire.”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to dislike that person because of me.”

“How can I not worry? Your mother and I are practically in the same boat with that person.”

“That’s right. If Fran was precious to you, you would have shown respect to Nekisi too.”

“I told you before we came here. I don’t desire anything that person has. I never expected anything from him, and if I wanted something, I would have achieved it with my own hands. So please don’t let yourself be swayed by that person because of me. It only hurts you more.”

“…Okay, I won’t. Thank you. Our daughter.”

Nekisi’s eyes welled up with tears at Fran’s dignified words.

“Is the only impression you have of meeting the Viscount uncomfortable? Do we not need to meet him anymore?”

I was curious if there might be a desire for revenge towards the Viscount.

“No. I don’t think there’s any need to meet him anymore. I thought I might want revenge, but when I saw his face, I didn’t feel any of those emotions. He just didn’t mean much to me.”

When I hadn’t met him in person, my feelings towards my birth father were too vague, leaving some lingering feelings.

But after meeting him in person, all doubts and lingering feelings disappeared.

‘Isn’t the opposite of love indifference?’

Fran’s indifference towards her birth father would be the kindest yet cruelest revenge she could show.