The Baby Who Raised the Devil

I'll Adopt You (10)

A few days later, the story of Teramore goes crazy in the midst of his imprisonment spreading. I tried to peek in front of the dungeon to ascertain the truth of the rumor.

'Since Henry's incident, Teramore suspects my identity. It would be very convenient for me if he really lost his mind, although even if he lost his mind, it was still better to remain calm for a while.'

As I kept pacing around the entrance. I lowered my head and tried to steal a glance at the door that opened a little.

Someone's feet suddenly blocked my view and Viscount Dubos, the chief advisor, came out of the dungeon. He stood straight in front of me.

“Small number.”

“Halo, mistew…. Amazed, you will scold kawkek Tewamoe?” (Hello, sir .... Are you still scolding Grandpa Teramore?)

That question hides my true intentions I want to say, 'Is it true that Teramore has lost his mind?', burying the truth in an innocent investigation.

“No, his mind.. is not in the right place. The man was supposed to wait for me to cut his ankle slowly and throw it outside—ahem,”

Sir Dubois tried to fake a small cough when he realized his real thoughts were sneaking through his mouth in front of the little Leblaine.

Dubos looked at his plain eyes flashing as if his words were too unfamiliar for his little mind to comprehend. He laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.

“The examination is done. I made sure he wouldn't do anything bad to you or Henry. I promise."

"Wow! Thank you, Tuawn Dubos!” (Wow! Thank you, Mr Dubos!)

Feeling the burden that had been weighing on my mind was lifted, I jumped from the prison entrance happily.

'I've been wondering what to do with Teramore ever since he suspected my identity. It was my fault when I showed her that I was too old for my age. With this one of my problems is solved. It's really luck.'

After I parted with Viscount Dubos, I walked around the castle, feeling the cold wind gently caressing my warm cheeks. The garden and the flowers looked more vibrant than yesterday. Everything seemed more beautiful than usual when the evil Teramore disappeared.

'Ah, it feels good to slack off occasionally ....'

Passing maids smiled and greeted me cheerfully as they watched me wander around the castle merrily.

“Halo, young lady.you are in a good mood today. Where are you going?"

"I'll find the snwacks." (I'll find some snacks.)

Since the incident with Teramore, Lea and the servants have given me a lot of snacks. Worried that Teramore's rude ways would get me hurt; the waiter became more pampering me than ever.

“Backing.”

"Dead!"

“Fuck you!”

The servants hurled cruel, horrible insults at Teramore every time they remembered what the rotten man had done to me. Lea was the only one who was quiet in the midst of the curse storm. Suddenly, his chair clinked as he stood up and paced back and forth into the kitchen. The other waiter was silent. They looked at Lea's sudden action anxiously.

'What really happened?'

Then Lea came out.

With a kitchen knife….

"I'll kill Teramore," his threatening gaze shocked the servants to the point of running out of sense.

If only Lea had not been afraid of the duke, Teramore might have left the world the same night.

'His eyes are burning with anger....'

When the thought of Lea with a kitchen knife crossed my mind, I inevitably felt goosebumps.

After venting out their stifled anger, the servants surrounded me in their arms and suddenly burst into tears. One of the servants broke his sobs and let out a question that had plagued his mind.

“How...what if the child is traumatized?”

"What?"

“Didn't that happen often? When you can't trust people all your life because of childhood trauma.”

From that night on, they showered me with snacks and told me things like: 'Breets:

"Young man is the most precious."

"Don't worry little lady, the bad guys will be punished!"

"You don't need to be afraid, little lady." and so on.

'Their excessive adoration of me feels a little burdensome, although I don't mind the amount of snacks they give me ....'

I hummed a happy song as I jumped into my room.

'Today's snack is a sweet pickled peach pie. I can't wait to enjoy one of those delicious pies.'

As I jumped onto the chair, the servants quickly surrounded me like bees and began to shout their usual spirit.

"You are so brave, young lady."

"Our young lady is the smartest."

"Young man is the most precious."

I could only nod at the praises adoring them. I tapped my feet impatiently while waiting for a plate of snacks.

But. Something is strange. No matter how long I waited, no snacks came in, and the servants started combing my hair.

I pulled up the sleeves of Dahlia, one of the servants present, and asked,

“How about the snack?” (Where's the snack?)

“Snack today will be served in the afternoon. Duke will be having lunch with you, so he will be arriving earlier than usual.”

'Why!!!'

I could feel imaginary tears flowing down my cheeks. It is quite disappointing that the snack time has been delayed, but have to eat with a duke in addition…. I can only shudder.

My mind drifted to an accidental meeting yesterday. When I accidentally bumped into the duke yesterday, his cold expression was even scarier than usual. Perhaps, as the meeting with the followers went worse than his expectations, his usual intense attitude became worse.

"I think I have a stomachache."

At this rate, I should take some digestive medicine first. With ****** great despair, I got up and fumbled about the elephant bag.

* * *

Dubbled was already sitting at the table when I finally arrived at the dining room. The food was placed on a long table, waiting to be eaten. As I was about to get into my seat, the door opened. Isaac's figure was revealed through a crack in the wooden door.

“Good day, duke.”

Isaac bowed as he greeted the duke. The quiet Duke nodded small towards him.

'Isaac is here. Is Henry coming to the banquet too?'

Right after I thought of Henry, immediately, the large dining room door opened once more and light footsteps approaching from outside the room sounded.

“Good day, duke.”

The one who entered lowered his head to the duke. As usual, Henry appeared very neat and elegant in a simple dress.

"Please sit down."

Instead of returning Henry's greeting, the duke simply sighed and pointed to the empty chair. Henry could only raise his head and walk closer to his designated seat.

'Are you okay now?'

Questions about Henry's state flooded my worried mind.

Throughout the week since Teramore's confinement, Henry locked himself in his room while the castle was rocked by a storm. All the servants who had previously served him were temporarily forbidden from entering his room. The only people allowed in were the waiter and the doctor. To feed him and check his health. Other than them, no one in this hall was allowed to pass through the door.

'The bruised arm '. hmm. fortunately, looks much better.'

Teramore's rude manner towards Henry worried me a lot because I was once a victim of people who were just as horrible and that was the worst thing I've ever experienced.

I sat down and glanced at Duke and Henry. The last time I saw the two of them interacting was when the duke interrogated Henry before he escaped, he didn't want to tell everyone what Teramore did to him. Could it be that they have become even more estranged from then on?'

"Duke, I'd like to ask your permission to take a leave of absence from the academy and be educated here for a while."

'Huh?'

'Did he keep an eye on the Teramores' case'? Is that why he would rather stay here?'

I was surprised by his sudden request, but the duke responded calmly.

"Why?"

“I'm sure there will be a lot of difficulties for a child as young as me to manage the territory, but I think I should start learning step by step.”

Only then did the duke look at Henry. His eyes were not filled with anger, but were filled with tenderness.

“Alright,” that short answer ended the conversation between the two.

While all the eyes in the room were looking at the two, the interested parties were not bothered by that gaze. I could only force myself to swallow my complaint.

'No matter how bad their surroundings were when they grew up, wasn't it too much for the duke, as an adult, to behave like this?'

It's not that I don't understand where they both came from. Duke and Henry, both of whom grew up under prominent families. The Duke, at Henry's age, was on the verge of dying in the war; meanwhile, Henry was harassed by his own teacher in recent years.

"That kind of explains the reason they don't know much about family relationships."

'But how can they know less than me? I, who have shed so much blood, life after life, only to finally find happiness in my fourth life?'

I looked at Duke with glaring eyes, and Duke, who felt that gaze, thought I was glaring at the glass-lined strawberry on his plate.

“You like sweet ones, right? Give me your plate. I'll give you some. ”

He then brought my plate to his side before moving his strobery over it. All without realizing the sharp gaze I gave her. I don't want to keep worrying about Henry.

I, as a child, didn't really like people's attention, but I still believed that every child needed their parents' attention. Especially a kid like Henry, who would rather keep everything to himself.

'What should I do?'

I hurriedly shook the duke's arm and said.

“Henwy weave stwawbewys also.” (Henry also likes strawberries.)

“….”

'Does Henry like strawberries? I hope he likes it or all my efforts will be in vain '

Duke looked at me, but there was no answer, so I told him once again.

“Henwy also, stwawbewy.” (Henry too, strawberries)

“….”

“Henwy! cool!” (Henry! strawberries!)

I screamed in frustration until somehow the duke flinched. He looked at Henry and moved his fork slowly. The movement is stiff, as if it was the first time using a cutlery.

And….

“….”

Henry's eyes trembled as he observed the strawberry the duke had given him on his plate as if it wasn't real. None of them had any change in expression and none of them spoke.

Stifling awkwardness could be felt miles away. I endured the disappointment and braced myself as I shook the duke's arm once more. After a while, he finally broke the silence.

"…Eat."

"…Thank you…."

I'm thrilled.

'All right.'

It won't tear down the high wall between the duke and Henry, but I hope it will improve their relationship a little.

I saw the two alternating with a happy grin on my face.

With a childish smile, I said to the duke,

“What's up?” (What's up?)

“Dyuke, you have to giwe swim to Isyac two.” (Duke, you should also give it to Isaac.)

You can't differentiate children as parents.

“…….”

Duke moved his cutlery again, his eloquence could not be found anywhere and only rigidity remained, as he moved the strawberry piece on Isaac's plate.

* * *

I rubbed my stomach while sighing as I left the dining room after a stifling dinner.

"The pleasure is a little too bothering my nerves."

I shook my head while pondering whether I should ask for more food from Lea. Today's snack is a pie with sweet peach pickles..Maybe I should just wait?

'Hmm... what should I do while waiting for a snack?'

It's funny to see myself contemplating what I should do in my free time.

In my first and second life, I really wanted to take a day off, but now I have too much free time and think about what I should do.

"What should I do?"

That kind of freedom was once a dream, which I never thought could happen.

'Am I really in heaven?'

I looked at it with serious consideration.

The sudden sight in front of me resuscitated me from the daydream, the door at the end of the corridor on the first floor had opened.

'Huh?'

That door separates the east wing and the west wing. The east wing is where outsiders can come and go, such as offices, conference halls, and guest libraries.

On the other hand, the west wing is an exclusive space only for Dubbled relatives. That's where the duke's bedroom and brother's room are located.

That way the door at the end of the first-floor corridor connecting the east and west gates will always be closed.

'West wing. What kind of place is that?'

I had just been adopted, and the duke had prepared my room in the west wing, but my room was undergoing renovation, so until the renovation was completed, I was still staying in the east wing VIP room.

'In the end I will stay there, so can't I go in and see it?'

I looked around after I made sure no one was around. Secretly, I crossed the corridor and opened the door that would eventually lead me to the west wing.

"Wow…."

I exploded with admiration at the sight before me. Of course, the eastern wing was excellent at everything, but it was decorated as a front to preserve the dignity and virtue of nobility when outsiders came and went. The west wing is completely different from the east wing.

The warm-colored smooth marble shines brilliantly, reflecting the incoming sunlight from the tall window. The trees planted on the floor at the end of the hall gave off a pleasant smell of the forest.

If a fairy king lives in a castle, this is what the castle will look like.

While looking around frantically in the grand hall, I found a doorless hallway with an arch-shaped passageway. I stuck my head out from behind the wall.

'Drawing?'

A giant portrait takes over one side of the wall. But the room was too shabby, in contrast to the magnificent hall, only decorated with paintings. There was only an old embroidery slab embedded in the upper middle of the frame. I stared at the big piece of art. The face that filled the picture was an old man. Despite his gray hair and wrinkles all over his face, his elegance and beauty could be felt even outside of the painting world.

"Who's there?"