episode_0055

It was all a lie.

Neither the fact that they had hired a famous tutor nor that they were taking proper care of the child were true at all.

I figured the reason I, the butler, didn’t notice was simply because I was left out of the mansion. I should have suspected it long ago, but this stupid author was full of optimism.

“Ah─Abba?”

Letia couldn’t even utter a single word. She was already a child with intellectual difficulties, and to make matters worse, she seemed to have been cut off from the world for too long.

Squeak, squeak.

Every time Baekryeon took a step forward, the wooden floor would scream without fail. Soon Baekryeon knelt down on one knee in front of Letia and held her cold little hand tightly. Then he slowly embraced Letia.

“Did you see? Ttaa─ddeut.”

“… Yeah.”

Baekryeon forcibly pulled her lips into a curve.

“It must be warm.”

“Ttara. Meaning.”

“Haha…”

Baekryeon let out an empty cry. Then, after leaving the shabby attic, she opened a suitable room and lit a fireplace. Then, Letia crawled towards the fireplace flames.

“… This kind of thing.”

Baekryeon was afraid that the child might get hurt, so she put her hand under her armpit and lifted him up, and sat him down on a soft chair.

“No─oh? Pa.”

“Old woman… It’s tall. Oh, right. It must be tall. You could get hurt if you fall.”

She picked up the child again. And after leaving the room again, she found a room with a bathroom. Baekryeon temporarily sat the child on her lap and used scissors to trim Letia’s hair.

The sound of the scissors clanking together was cheerful, and Letia quietly enjoyed the moment.

“You are… really Berna’s child.”

As the cumbersome hair fell out and the child’s true appearance was revealed, Bernacien’s young face gradually became visible.

Baekryeon swept the hair off the floor and filled the bathtub with water. Indeed, Herreis’s invention was so great that the bathtub quickly became warm with just a press of a button.

“Brrr…”

As soon as her toes touched the bath water, Letia let out a sigh.

Was it too hot for the child?

As Baekryeon had no experience raising children, she couldn’t understand the meaning and had no choice but to fluster. However, Letia sat quietly and accepted Baekryeon’s care as if the fuss was unfounded.

‘I guess I should be thankful I wasn’t beaten…’

It happens, but occasionally. An incident occurs in a home where a child is beaten to death. This tragedy is an uninvited visitor that visits both the common people and the nobles.

In that respect, it was fortunate that Letia’s skin was clear.

Soon, a large towel covered Letia’s body. Then, he dried Letia’s body as cleanly as possible with a dry towel, and then wrapped her in the towel and held her in his arms.

First, I wanted to dress her up, but her existing clothes were too dirty. I needed new clothes. Unfortunately, the mansion had little intention of providing Letia with clothes to wear.

So Baekryeon rolled Letia up again with a new towel, then slowly laid her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket.

“If I say I’ll be back in a bit…, won’t you understand?”

Then, out of nowhere, Letia laughed.

“Ahhh. Gyaha.”

“Oh, I didn’t do anything…?”

Are children such embarrassing beings?

More than that, anyone can see that Letia is not my child. If the family of the mansion saw Letia now, they would surely be convinced.

There was no way such a beautiful child could possibly be genetically my child. Baekryeon was quite self-objectified enough to be convinced of that.

“Mineldaa─. Anny. Anny─.”

“Minelda? No?”

“And─is. Blindfold.”

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

Letia’s focus was off somewhere. She seemed to be staring at something beyond her shoulder instead of the white lotus. She looked back with an eerie feeling, but there was no human figure at all.

Besides, there is one more thing that is unknown.

‘Why are you sticking out your lips? It’s like you’re pouting…’

Thud!

Without even a moment to satisfy her curiosity, Letia buried her face in the pillow defiantly.

I was worried that she might not be able to breathe, so I turned my body around on purpose. To my surprise, Letia fell asleep in that short moment.

Perhaps it was inevitable. After being locked in that desolate room and finding a comfortable place, the desire for sleep would naturally come.

Anyway, it worked out well. It saved me time to buy some children’s clothes.

“… Now that I know, there’s nothing I can do.”

It was a request I received a long time ago.

As a warrior, I was asked to become the godfather of the unborn child and protect him.

Bernacien proposed and Baekryun accepted.

“… I’ll come right away.”

Even a false father is better than none.

With that thought in mind, Baekryeon leisurely left the mansion for a stroll.

◇

Herreus’ workshop is located in a remote area far from the mansion.

The Duke, who had chosen complete isolation of his own accord, looked very different from before.

His former handsome face had disappeared, worn out by fatigue. It seemed as if he had rarely had a good night’s sleep.

It was like that in reality. Whenever he felt like he was about to fall into a deep sleep, Bernacien would inevitably appear in his dreams and scold him. Every time, he would start to doubt the outcome of his choice, and a headache would come over him.

But the cause of headaches these days is not lack of sleep.

The woman screaming at the side – it was because of Attila’s angry appeal.

“Your Majesty, please drive out that foreigner. Yes? He’s running around the mansion without permission! Didn’t he break the canopy of the bed earlier? Didn’t he threaten me, the Duchess…!”

“… ‘Duchess’?”

At those words, Attila’s mouth snapped shut. Then, her sharp voice gradually regained its forced composure.

“Even though she’s the Duchess’s agent… she doesn’t listen to me properly. Even though she was Belle’s friend, shouldn’t she be kicked out at this point?”

“Kick me out?”

Hereis listened to Attila’s words and snickered.

“Hah, haha… Chasing them out… Who in the world, and by what means?”

“… Yes?”

“Let me give you one piece of advice, Attila, out of respect for old times.”

Herreus turned his self-deprecating gaze toward her.

“If it’s luxury, do whatever you want. I can even tolerate you doing whatever you want in the mansion as long as you fulfill your duties as a proxy. But… Try not to confront that guy as much as possible.”

“Net, yes…?”

“I’m not the type to care much about what you do… As long as that’s not the case, do whatever you want. Do you understand?”

“…”

“Just know that this family can be in danger at the whim of just one person.”

It was a notification that was not even as convincing as a speck of dust.

Who is the owner of this mansion?

Who are you?

Isn’t that Herais Arkaden?

He is a man who leads the civilization of the empire and is said to be worth as much as all seventy-two saints combined.

Moreover, he was a noble person who was awarded the title of Duke even though he was not of royal family.

Why is this person having such a hard time with that one immigrant butler…?

“Ugh…”

Of course, apart from the fact that it is incomprehensible, Attila, who is only a proxy, is not given the right to rebel.

“I will follow… Your Majesty.”

“Go out.”

“Yes…”

She was a guest who had no affection at all. It was a complete contrast to how she treated the former Duchess Bernacien.

If it’s obvious, then it’s obvious.

On a subject so suspect of injustice, Bernatien’s huge portrait still hangs proudly on the path leading up to the second floor.

Just by looking at this, you could tell which direction Herreus’s affection was directed.

“Damn it!”

Attila kicked the stone nervously.

◇

The moment Baekryeon returns to the mansion.

The sky is filled with hues of red sunset, struggling to avoid being pushed out by the darkness. Nevertheless, the laws of nature are strict, and the blue of the evening gradually eats up the red light.

It’s been a while since I’ve been out of town, so my schedule is running late.

I wasted a lot of time because I was not used to shopping, and I even got lost. In addition, many stores did not sell to foreigners.

After much struggle, I finally managed to secure a few sets of children’s clothes. I didn’t know what colors Letia would like, so I just picked out all of them by color.

‘I hope you are satisfied…’

Squeak.

Baekryeon opened the door to the mansion and entered. Then the servants’ strange gazes turned to him.

It was an open secret that the butler was not allowed on the fourth floor. However, if there was any use for children’s clothing in this mansion, it would most likely be for… a child born of illegitimate birth.

The butler has broken the taboo. What weakness did he exploit to infringe upon the authority of the head of the household?

Attila, who returned first while Baekryeon was away, said that he ignored the incident from earlier. This is why the atmosphere in the mansion is bound to become strange.

‘Now that I actually get there, I feel regretful. It seems like there were a lot of clothes made of better material…’

Over the past few years, I have had nothing to spend on, so my savings have piled up like a mountain. Even though I have this much money, I can’t sell it to foreigners, so what can I do?

The reason why Baekryeon cannot easily take Letia away is also due to this background.

A child from a black-haired, black-eyed immigrant tribe and a black-haired, black-eyed imperial family will definitely stand out. In a bad way.

If Letia can’t find a place to settle in this empire, this mansion might actually be a cozy place for her.

As long as I keep my eyes open and watch, at least I won’t be abused like before…

Following that train of thought, I opened the door to the room where Letia was sleeping.

Without even dreaming about what was going on in the room.

“… What?”

For a moment, Baekryeon’s mind became hazy. It was so hard to believe the scenery that came into view that she had to rub her eyes hard.

“Wow─Ahhh.”

Kwak, kwak.

Letia was laughing out loud.

Sometimes they clapped their hands like ferns, and sometimes they cheered with both arms wide open.

Blankets and towels float in the air. Lighted candles fly in acrobatic movements. And Letia reaches out to chase the flame of the tiny candle.

The moment he witnessed that unrealistic portrait, a conversation from the past flashed through Baekryeon’s temples.

[This is a fact that even Herais doesn’t know, but witches actually grow incredibly slowly. Their development and intellectual development are the same. How old do I look?]

Why is it so neat?

In the end, it’s a mixture of half and half.

Why didn’t I even consider that possibility?

Perhaps, Bernacien knew everything from the beginning…

Looking back, every word Bernacien said was meaningful.

The attitude that seemed like he was going to leave for somewhere and the words that completely ruled out the possibility of a change of heart might not have been a coincidence.

Furthermore, Bernacien’s death may have been inevitable.

‘This world… where did it go wrong…?’

Magic is a technique for processing magic energy in the atmosphere through a certain procedure. Even simple magic requires thorough training.

Therefore, the means by which an idiot child creates this supernatural phenomenon should be called power, not magic.

“Ugh, woof…”

This isn’t right.

I don’t want to be a bad adult who makes my child feel insecure.

A feeling of helpless nausea comes over me, accompanied by a sickening realization.

The prophecy is not over yet.