Chapter 18

“What a crybaby.”

Even though he said that, he didn’t stop patting me.

“Oh, haha, then it’s a promise.”

I tried to hold back my tears and looked at my father.

“If anything happens, my dad will do it.”

“Yes, I promise.”

I stuck out my little finger.

“Promise!”

Dad put his finger very awkwardly to mine.

It seemed to be his first time making such a promise.

‘Ahem! Then I’ll teach you.’

I’ll have to tell you the K-promise!

I wriggled my thumb as my father tried to pull out his finger.

“You can’t take it out! We have to stamp it.”

“I don’t have a stamp now.”

When I saw him muttering seriously, I laughed.

Oh, my stomach is aching when I switch between crying and laughing.

I quickly spoke with a serious look on my face.

“This is how you stamp.”

I put my thumbs together.

“And then sign!”

Dad’s hands were big. I scribbled ‘Paeraton’ on the palm of his hand.

“Daddy too. Come on.”

Dad stared at me and signed me on my palm.But, the space was too small.

“The end is like this!”

After rubbing my palms together and making a copy, I was very satisfied.

Because I was smiling, my father also smiled.

“What does the last thing mean?”

“Copies! We’ve got one copy on each other’s palm!”

“Then you’ll never be able to break it.”

“Yeah! Whatever happens now, you’re my dad.”

Because we put each other’s oaths in our hands!

He stared at me and he asked.

“Even if I’m not handsome?”

…what?

“Even if I’m not rich or I don’t die for you?”

Only then did I remember what I said when I  was rambling in my head, saying that he was not my father.

‘Ahhhh!’

“I’ve been thinking about your conditions for a dad. I think it all points to me.”

Dad’s expression was very arrogant.

But I had to admit it.

He’s handsome and rich.

But…

“And the conditions of dying for me?”

“…yes.”

He spoke again with a slow but sure tone.

“If you tell me to die, I’ll want to die.”

I stared blankly at my dad.

It was impossible to tell whether he was serious or joking since he was holding up the corners of his mouth.

Chapter 5. I’m here to get my money, Marquess.

Buk

Buk Buk.

Buk Buk Buk Buk.

The guards tilted their heads.

There was a crackling sound that

Didn’t suit Paeraton’s Duchy.

‘Your Excellency is not the kind of person who’s going to stand this noise.’

Whoever it is, you’ll be in trouble right now.

But the Duke of Paeraton was signing the documents without any reaction.

‘What the hell is it?’

They glanced at each other, but there was no answer.

It was then.

Buk buk buk buk buk buk.

At the same time as the frequency and urgency of the sound changed, the Duke of Paeraton’s hand stopped.

‘As expected.’

‘Oh, my…’

The vassals expressed condolences to whoever made the noise.

Puk puk puk puk puk-.

It was that moment when the sound got worse.

The Duke disappeared with a thud.

Only the pen he was holding remained on the desk.

“…….?”

“Wh-what’s going on?”

“Are you going to kill them?!”

The vassals look around.

“If you run like that, you will fall.”

There was a voice outside the window.

“W-well, it sounds like, the Duke’s voice…….”

“Yeah, man! It’s a completely different tone. What kind of a mess is that? Can’t you understand the Master’s voice?”

“Surely I do. When has the voice of our sir been so sweet?”

“Yes, and besides! He’s not the kind of man who will speak kindly!”

The vassals raised their voices as if the Duke had been insulted.

“Th-then who is it?”

No one could answer that.

It was then.

“Hahahaha!”

There was a clear laughter in the garden. It was the sound of a child’s laugh.

‘Child’s laugh?’

One sound they thought would never be heard in the Duchy….!

The vassals approached the window.

In the garden, the Princess of Paeraton was held by the Duke and laughed at something like it was incredibly enjoyable.

The vassals opened their eyes to the unbelievable sight in front of them.

“Oh my God, that was really him…?”

The vassal couldn’t finish his sentence due to a great shock.

Goosebumps arose all over the Vassals’s bodies.

But they were capable in their own way.

They soon fully understood the situation.

“Oh, it was a dream. I was surprised.”

“It’s really a wild dream. No nightmare could be scarier than this.”

“A nightmare like this……after waking up, I have to put some donations in the temple.”

They wanted to get out of this scary shared nightmare as soon as possible.

The vassals tried to wake up from their dreams, wiping off cold sweat.

But.

“Huh?”

“Wh-why am I not awake?”

Even if they pinched themselves, or hit themselves, and danced wildly, they were still in a dream.

‘Then, are you telling me that all this is real?’

The retainers looked out into the garden with wobbly faces.

They saw a child smiling brightly without a care, held in her fathers arms.

Soft swollen cheeks.

Finely folded round eyes.

Plump arms and legs.

‘Ugh…’

The Duke was so loving that their hearts were overwhelmed.

Then, suddenly they heard the Princess exclaim.

“Dad! Drop me off! Come on, let me down!”

The problem was that it was the Duke of Paeraton who’s holding the baby.

The Duke’s mouth was slightly raised.

So it was even scarier.

When the child was fussy, the Duke dropped her to the floor.

Did he think he was playing catch?

The child approaches immediately. Every time that happened, a sound rang under her feet.

Byeolbyobyobyobyobyobyobyo!

“Catch me! Kyahaha!”

The child managed to run around the garden without falling.

As they watched the figure of the child playing, the corners of their hearts became warm.

It was a sense of peace that was a first after working in Paeraton’s family for all this time, the same family that was usually as cold as ice.

“Haha…….”

“It looks like cotton candy is rolling around.”

The light pink hair that looked fluffy was just like cotton candy.

The vassals looked at the scene with unknowingly happy smiles.

However, there was an existence that they had nearly forgotten…….

When they saw the Duke of Paeraton following the child, everyone held their breath.

Could it be that the cruel Duke Paeraton is going to harm that lovely child!

The honey dripping voice that sang ‘Aaaa’ earlier was naturally deleted from their minds because it was impossible.

But.

“……Your Grace…….”

“Oh, I think He is playing with her!”

Everyone who looked at the garden froze.

The Duke of Paeraton kept his distance as if he couldn’t catch her, but he hugged the child as soon as she was about to fall.

Laughing, the smiling child put her arm around the Duke’s neck.

The eyes of the vassals were torn apart.

The Duke of Paeraton had a faint but clear smile.

* * *

“Then I’ll see you again next time.”

“Yes, I hope we can share good news next time we see you.”

“It’s up to my owner, not me, but I hope so too.”

The butler of the Duke of Paeraton left the office with a gentle smile.

Yutra saw him off with a relaxed expression.

But the moment the door closed.

“Woohoo….”

There was no way to stop the leaking laughter.

“Finally…….!”

“Congratulations, boss!”

“I can’t believe you got a contract with the Duke of Paeraton for a year!”

With the congratulations from the staff, Yutra sat down in a chair.

Yutra was a designer who was really on the road to success, and was given the title of viceroy the emperor.

However, in this vast empire, there is only one designer who was like a star.

Every year, every season was a competition.

In fact, Yutra was in charge of the empress’s dress during the dry season, but another designer took over for the upcoming ceremony.

‘But what if He only wears clothes I designed for the Duke?’

The Duke of Paeraton.

The Empire’s top-notch trendsetter who held countless eyes and had countless rumors.

The Duke of Paeraton is also called the cheat key of all the gossips in the empire.

The moment you put gossip about the Duke into a paper, the sales volume rises vertically.

‘That’s a perfect model.’

Yutra laughed as she recalled the Duke of Paeraton.

From face to body. It is a waste to even say that they are perfect.

How about the Princess of Paeraton?

‘It’s like a living billboard by age group.’

Just anything they’re wearing was ordered from Yutra..

‘There’s even a cute softie!’

My heart was pounding as I remembered the cute angel.

“The boss’s judgment was right.” Someone whispered.

“Yes, when they made shoes that jingled by attaching mana stones, I thought they would go bankrupt.”

Yutra delivered all the costumes ordered by the Paeraton Duke and gave a gift.

They were shoes that made a noise every time the wearer walked.

Diamonds, lace, silk, leather, and other shoe materials are all expensive, and if you add up the money in the development costs, you’re just using the profits from the Duke.

“I thought it would be more efficient to give gifts to the Duke, not the princess. Don’t you think so?”

When asked by the employee, Yutra nodded as if she had no idea.

“What’s most important is what the Duke likes. They are determined to spend money and make decisions based on that.”

“Yes, so of course a gift to the Duke -.”

“Would he really want to devote all his energies to himself?”

The employee tilted his head.

Yutra decided to give more hints.

“His Excellency isn’t very interested in clothing. He’s too lazy to get measured, and he leaves design choices to the senior butler.”

“Exactly…….”

“But how was it when you matched the princess’s clothes?”

The employee nodded with a bright expression that seemed like they understood.

“Oh, that’s right! Unlike the Duke, the princess is the age to be interested in pretty clothes, so targeting the princess is-.”

“No!”

Yutra looked at the employee as if they were speaking some kind of nonsense.

“The Princess of Paeraton is just a daughter…… Hmm, no, you mean he cares for his daughter a lot?”

What?

A daughter’s slave?

The Duke of Paeraton?

“Doing your best with the princess’s clothes will capture the Duke’s favor!”

Yutra clenched her fist and shouted.

“The most powerful person in the family is the youngest princess! If you don’t know, memorize it!”

The force unexpectedly caused the staff to clench their fists together.

“The princess is the real power!”

“And I’m going to ingratiate myself with the princess, too! She’s my muse I’ve just found!”

What?

“You won’t be taken away by another designer! The Princess’s clothes are mine!”

Yutra’s eyes are burning.

That’s it.

There were a lot of personal feelings about it.

‘Is it okay, to stay in this company……’

The employees were worried.

* * *

“Your Grace.”

When my dad walked into the office while holding me, the vassals were confused.

They greeted him while making an effort to hide their expressions.

They must have been working since they were all gathered.

Did you stop in the middle because of me?

‘But I was a total baby earlier.’

It was beyond my control.

Dad put me down, poof! And then the sound went off.

“The shoes…”

“Yutra brought it.”

The retainers looked at my dad in surprise.

“I can’t believe you’re calling the designer by name…….”

“Isn’t it the first time?”

I heard a hum.

“Every time she walks, I hear a sound.”

I often walked to him because he gestured.

Buk buk buk buk!

Dad held me up again and looked around at the vassals.

The vassals who received their lord’s attention opened their mouths a beat later.

“Yo-Young Miss walks really well!”

“She’s so cute, like a fairy!”

“I think the youngest princess really likes her dad so much, seeing that she goes to you even when Your Majesty puts her down!”

“Hmm, I do meet all the ]conditions my daughter wants in a father.”

My dad raised his chin arrogantly and answered.

‘……Why do I feel ashamed?’

“Then, let’s resume the meeting. There are important things to keep in mind, everyone.”

The atmosphere in the room changed due to Dad’s declaration.

The vassals looked at him with serious eyes.

“When my daughter walks.”

Huh?

Suddenly talking about me?

Dad tapped the bottom of my shoe with his hand.

Buk buk buk.

“If it sounds like this you can rest assured.”

Puk puk puk puk.

“If you hear this sound, you have to be alert from then on. But.”

Buk buk buk buk buk.

“As soon as you hear this, everyone has to be ready to protect my daughter. The moment my daughter falls or disappears out of sight.”

His eyes sank dimly. His voice is low.

“Unless you’re wondering what will happen if you don’t.”

The pale and tired vassals answered quickly.

“I’ll look after the Young miss even when it’s an exhibition!”

“I will sleep with my ears wide open all through the night!”

“Let the youngest miss never fall!”

“Good.”

Dad was pleased and nodded his head.

“Then let’s start the meeting.”

“Yes, Sir. First of all, are you planning to attend the ceremony with the Young miss?”

“…..She’s still too young. We don’t have to show those old foxes to my daughter already.”

Oh, you’re improving.

To be honest, I didn’t think it would be good for me to go because I didn’t know how old I am.

“Okay, then I’ll take the young miss’s name off the list.”

Listening to what the uncle said, I remembered something I had been curious about for a long time.

“By the way, Dad.”

I pulled my father’s shirt. Dad looked straight down at me.

But He was still far from me. I raised my hands and gestured. Closer, closer.

Dad bowed his head to me completely.

I made a cave with my hands and put it to my dad’s ear. I felt my dad smile.

“What’s my name?”

Whispering.

” ……What?”

I guess it was too small. I asked again.

“My name.”

I whispered again.

“And how old am I?”

Dad didn’t answer.

Do you think he doesn’t know?

I feel something strange.

He raised his head.

The vassals were frozen.

It was such a cold atmosphere that I couldn’t even hear the sound of breathing.