A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father - Chapter 43
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
This time, when I pretended to slip my hand away, his eyebrows drooped down in a pitiful expression.
At this point, even someone completely oblivious would have to notice what this little one wanted!
“Young Master, shall I feed you?”
“N-no! I’m six years old, you know? I’m not a little kid or anything!”
That’s not it? I was pretty confident about my guess.
Just as I was tilting my head and about to pull my hand back, Jayden hastily added:
“I-I absolutely don’t want it like a little kid would! It’s just that if Viola really wants to feed me, I might be willing to go along with it!”
Pfft.
“What? Why are you laughing? Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not the one who wants it!”
“No, no. Not at all. I wasn’t laughing.”
I belatedly covered my mouth and tried to regain my composure.
But my composure didn’t last long.
It was because I made eye contact with Cain, who was pretending to be calm but whose eyes were wavering.
My nephew had this side to him? He seemed to be surprised by that very thought.
“Hey, n-no! Really, this is so unfair…!”
Jayden’s ears began turning redder than the tomato soup.
At this rate, his whole face would be cooked, so I decided to go along with what Jayden wanted.
“Yes, yes. Of course I know. It’s because I want to feed Young Master.”
Saying that, I hurriedly stabbed a piece of meat with the fork.
“Young Master, say ah!”
“Ah~”
Chew chew. A smile slowly spread across Jayden’s face as he chewed the meat. An expression of complete satisfaction, as if he owned the whole world.
I also looked at Jayden fondly, but not everyone was satisfied.
“Mama! Woo!”
Melody seemed jealous and began urging me on.
After that, it was a frantic repetition of the same thing.
Feed Melody, feed Jayden, put some in my own mouth.
I only had two hands, but there were three people to take care of!
No, let me correct that! It was one person and two baby birds!
“Mama!”
“Viola!”
Aaah, so busy, so busy. The baby birds were chirping here and there as if they were competing, and I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my nose or what.
Perhaps because of that, as I mechanically moved the fork in a trance, I ended up making an unbelievable mistake.
“Woo!”
“Yes, Melody’s turn! Ah!”
“Me too, me too!”
“Yes, Young Master’s turn! Here, say ah!”
“Viola.”
“Ah, yes! Duke’s turn! Here, say ah~”
At the sound of Cain calling my name, I automatically lifted the fork and held out a mushroom covered in sauce.
Poke. I felt the sensation of the fork tip touching something.
“…”
“…”
Suddenly, a cold silence fell over the dining table like a lie. The noisy Melody and Jayden both closed their mouths at the same time.
I think I just said something incredibly strange…
My body, which had been moving busily, stopped abruptly at the sense of wrongness I felt belatedly.
I slowly raised my head.
I couldn’t understand the situation unfolding before my eyes at once. It was like a nonsensical dream from oversleeping.
Cain was watching me with a flustered expression.
Yellow sauce was dotted on the smooth lips of the Duke, who was supposed to be a model for all nobles.
And… my hand holding out a sauce-covered mushroom toward his mouth.
What is this?
Is this a dream?
I slowly blinked my eyes.
“Six-year-olds and four-year-olds are perfectly capable of eating by themselves.”
After pausing briefly, he belatedly added:
“…Of course, twenty-six-year-olds too.”
Only after hearing Cain’s low voice did my sense of reality return.
No matter how frantic I was…
‘Am I really going crazy?’
How dare I perform ‘say ah~’ on the noble Duke of the Dragon?
“I… I… s-sorry…”
What did I do to someone who probably drank formula elegantly by himself!
I was so ashamed I wanted to bite my tongue right then and there. Why do I keep showing Cain such embarrassing sides of myself!
I hastily shoved the mushroom into my own mouth, pretending nothing had happened, but it was already spilled milk.
The sauce was still on Cain’s lips, after all.
Fortunately, Cain elegantly wiped his lips with a napkin and pretended nothing had happened.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes…”
But once the atmosphere became awkward, it didn’t clear up until we finished the meal.
The only fortunate thing was that the baby birds stopped chirping because they were reading the room…
But at this point, it was a meaningless change.
I looked down at the food in front of me and swallowed tears inwardly.
Sob.
I’m really going to get indigestion.
* * *
Fortunately, we finished our meal safely without the misfortune of indigestion.
When I came to my senses, we were already in the carriage returning to the manor.
‘Ugh. So awkward…’
It had been a while since we left the restaurant, but it was still a bit difficult to face Cain.
The carriage wheels rolled smoothly. The children must have been tired from fooling around all day, as both of them had fallen fast asleep using my knees as pillows.
Thus, in the quieted carriage, Cain was only gazing out the window.
‘Sigh. This isn’t the time to be like this.’
I had something to say to him, but it was really difficult to find the right timing to speak up.
While I was hesitating, the carriage seemed to have reached the manor and slowly began to slow down.
The servants who came out to greet us immediately lifted the sleeping children gently. They headed quietly into the manor, holding their breath so as not to wake them.
It was the moment when even Cain was about to turn around, as if today’s outing was finished.
“W-wait a moment! Duke!”
I mustered up courage and stopped him. Cain stopped, looking puzzled.
The gaze looking down at me kept overlapping with the earlier situation, making my face burn.
But I can’t keep being like this forever.
I took out the box I had carefully kept in my arms and held it out to him.
“…Please take this.”
“What is this?”
“…Gloves.”
Cain raised his eyebrows slightly as if surprised.
I added in a hesitant, mumbling voice.
“It’s just, well, I remembered you wearing gloves before… It’s still quite chilly when taking evening walks…”
“…”
“Ah, of course! You probably already have much better ones, but still! These kinds of things are better when you have more of them… Haha.”
In the awkward silence, random words started tumbling out. I decided to just smile awkwardly and shut my mouth.
Cain stared at the box I held out without saying a word.
Ugh, did I do something unnecessary? My fingertips trembled with embarrassment.
This was something I had secretly bought after making an excuse about leaving something in the carriage.
Men’s silk gloves I had seen on the way to the boutique.
‘They kept catching my eye.’
So I had spent my own salary to buy this luxury item… but now that I think about it, it might be ridiculously cheap for Cain to use.
‘Sigh. He really doesn’t like it, does he.’
Just as I was about to quietly withdraw my hand, Cain suddenly took the box.
“Why for me?”
“…Uh, well. A bribe, I suppose? It means please take good care of Melody and me from now on.”
Yes, that was definitely what I meant when I bought it. I squeezed my eyes shut and added.
“And, and also if you could forget about the trouble I caused earlier…!”
Pfft. A deflating laugh came from above my head.
When I glanced up slightly, I saw Cain’s lips forming an elegant arc.
‘Ugh, so embarrassing…’
My face burned, so I lowered my head again.
“Well, I’ve given you the bribe, so I’ll be going now…! Melody is waiting for me!”
Using the child who was probably fast asleep as an excuse, I immediately left the spot.
* * *
Cain quietly watched Viola’s retreating figure.
Like a squirrel scurrying away, Viola’s steps toward the annex seemed more hurried than usual.
She had long since disappeared, but for some reason Cain stood there as if rooted to the spot.
Looking down at the small box in his hand, Cain’s lips slowly curved.
“…A bribe.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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