CH 2.18

It was nothing new to him anymore. This scene was always similar every year that passes. At least it was still the King’s funeral.

Even in the face of an embarrassing death, the royal family and nobles were in a hurry to calculate this or that.

Didn’t he leave the palace because they were disgusting?

He wanted to get farther away from the capital as much as possible…

“…!”

At that very moment, a headache struck him. With that force, he staggered, missing the umbrella he was holding. Fortunately, before anyone else could notice what was happening to him, Pedwin, who was standing behind him, came up and took the umbrella for him.

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

Pedwin put an umbrella over Haven and asked in a low voice. He had lowered his voice to the point where others would not hear it. After Haven breathed in and nodded his head, he held out his hand to Pedwin.

“I will hold it.”

But instead of returning the umbrella to Haven, Pedwin stood firm by his side. Haven did not dare to scold him for being stubborn against his will. He didn’t know that Pedwin would be worried for him.

He smiled at Pedwin and rubbed his hand near his temple. His gaze fell heavily.

Whenever he attempts recalling the past that had been long lost and forgotten, he will have a headache like this. As if someone had forcibly sealed his memories, so then if he tried to revive those memories, they would be forcibly blocked.

“…”

Haven casually turned his head to the left. She saw a child standing alone among the adults.

Sniff.

He saw Flitta squeezing her little hands together and rubbing her eyes. Seeing this, Haven’s brow furrowed. His first thought was that she was sleepy. After all, the child had to stand still for a long time, so it was only natural that she would be bored and sleepy.

‘It would be too embarrassing to complain about being sleepy.’

He does not know that there are various opinions about the origin of the birth mother who gave birth to his child. Under such circumstances, if Flitta made a mistake, she would hear all sorts of criticism.

Haven swallowed a sigh and turned to pay attention to Flitta. But first, what his eyes caught was the person next the Flitta, whom she leaned over.

Her name was Rosé.

He whispered in a low voice while that woman was asking Flitta something, and then she took out her handkerchief. She then wiped Flitta’s eyes with her other free hand as the other held the umbrella.

‘… She wasn’t sleepy, she was crying.’

Haven then realized that he had misunderstood Flitta. Meanwhile, the woman wiped Flitta’s wet eyes, and she then patted her child.

“Hnnng…”

If one comfort someone who is crying, they will cry even more. Flitta couldn’t have been an exception to that rule either, so she grabbed her by the hem of her skirt and clung to her, then started crying. So much so that he could hear her crying.

“Rosé, hnnng.”

“… Princess.”

Rosé hesitated as if she would be in trouble, but then folded her knees and sat down. Then she took Flitta in her arms and comforted her again. It was then that Haven, who had been watching them quietly, approached them.

* * *

“I’d rather take my child.”

Suddenly, there was a man’s low voice sounded from above her head. Rosé patted Flitta, tilted her umbrella slightly, and raised her head between her and the owner of the voice.

Instead of the dark clouds that used to rain on her, a large black umbrella caught her eye. And she met the eyes of the man holding the umbrella.

“Ah, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

Rosé hurriedly tried to raise her body. But Haven stopped her with a gesture of his hand, then turned his attention to Flitta. Flitta was in Rosé’s arms, then she raised her head and looked at him. The child’s eyes were slightly swollen and red. They looked like anyone could that she was crying all along.

“She must have cried.”

“Yes. The Princess is saddened by the death of His Majesty the King.”

“… She is sad?”

Haven’s eyes lit up. It was like someone who casually asked a question and got an unexpected answer. He stared down at Flitta. As Rosé was saying that, Flitta cried again while staring at her father.

“Huinngg…”

Tears welled up in the child’s round light-green eyes. She was even unfamiliar with his appearance.

Why is that?

Haven impulsively wanted to ask the child that question in his mind. Flitta’s tears were sincere. She was not forced to ‘pretend’ like the others gathered here but was sincerely grieving the death of the former king.

Why on earth?

That’s why Haven couldn’t understand his child. She is clearly his own daughter, but nevertheless, he had no choice but to look at his child crying, who seemed staring at someone unfamiliar with her.

“You…”

Do you know whose death are you grieving?

He swallowed down the question he had into his throat which he hadn’t been able to ask his child. He didn’t have to ask the child. What could five year old child know?

He was at the same age where he couldn’t even understand the meaning of ‘death’ in the first place. But how can she grieve the death of a person who has already died before she was born, much less even in the memory of the child?

She must have burst into tears because she was afraid and frightened of this dark and gloomy atmosphere.

Haven tried to understand the child’s tears. It was then. Flitta, who was looking up at Haven while being held in Rosé’s arms, approached him hesitantly.

“…?”

Haven’s eyebrows furrowed at the action of the child holding on to his pants and shaking them. However, Flitta didn’t care, grabbed his pants a couple more times and shook them, and then she patted his legs with her small hands.

Just like how Rosé comforted Flitta who had burst into tears earlier.

“Dad, brother….”

“…?”

Haven narrowed his eyes even more at the child’s words he couldn’t understand. Flitta’s shoulders trembled, perhaps frightened by the sight. But even so, the hand that was patting his leg didn’t stop.

“Because it’s my dad’s brother… Hnnggg, that’s sad. Dad, sob.”

(TN: Ugh, let me hug you please.)

No matter how much he listened to the child, he couldn’t understand her words. Even more so when it sounded like grumbling instead of talking.

But why?

His heart throbbed as he listened to her incomprehensible words.

“… Earlier, I briefly spoke to the princess.”

At that moment, Rosé stood up and gently spoke to Haven. His blue eyes turned from his child to her.

“His Majesty the King here… He is the older brother of Your Highness the Grand Duke. But the princess isn’t used to that title yet.”

Rosé kept her mouth shut after adding the reason why Flitta called her ‘dad and brother’. The rainwater trickled down the umbrella that slanted downward. Haven looked at the rainwater under Rosé’s feet for a moment, then turned his gaze to his own leg. He met eyes with the child who was still patting his leg.

‘Dad and brother…’

Haven mumbled without even realizing it. To say the least, it would be difficult for a child to call a name. It can be difficult to tell his older brother and him apart. Of course, in the eyes of others, this may also be seen as a mistake made ‘because of his low birth’.

Haven’s jaw tightened. He took a step back. Because of that, the small hand of the child who had been patting his leg went down as it was once patting nothingness.

He felt strange. As if someone had squeezed his chest tightly and then released it. Just like his child who just squeezed the air and then dropped her hand.

“I will take my child.”

He had no words to describe the strange feeling. Nor could he take it lightly. Haven couldn’t handle the unfamiliar consolation and turned away.

He just repeated what he had just said.

* * *

“Take care of this, too.”

Tak. What was thrown was a large bag. One could guess the heavy weight of the bag just by hearing the sound. Rosé was carrying both hands full of luggage, then looked up when she saw the large bag thrown in front of her.

The maid who was to accompany the grand duke opened her mouth at Rosé’s gaze and asked in a crooked tone.

“Why? You do not like it?”

“No. It’s not…”

“Hurry, hurry up. Why are you so slow? Yet, at the same time, you pretended to be a maid in charge of a certain princess.”

The maid glared at Rosé and grumbled, and then she left the room. The steps of the maid carrying one of her small bags were light. Rosé looked at the door for a moment, then let out a sigh and picked up the bag the maid had just thrown at her.

“Haa…”

Her luggage, which she originally carried, was heavy, and in addition to that, she had to carry her large bag. However, Rosé struggled and barely managed to drag her luggage, bag, and left the room.

The corridors were crowded with hired men, each of whom had packed their belongings. Some of them were maids of honor of the Grand Duke. They gathered together carrying a small bag or luggage and had a conversation, then glanced at Rosé. And someone opened their mouth in an uncomfortable tone.

“Shouldn’t we help her?”

“Leave her alone. Since she’s the princess’s exclusive maid, she’ll take care of herself well. She has a talent chosen by His Highness, the Grand Duke himself.”