A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father - Chapter 9

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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 9

In high society, unwed mothers were objects of scorn. For nobles who valued appearances, it was a fatal scandal.

Thus, there were countless cases of secretly abandoning children and concealing the truth.

But Viola hadn’t done that.

‘What remarkable responsibility.’

However, he couldn’t simply admire her for it.

He couldn’t even imagine the feelings she must have had when she struggled to hide it alone, then finally revealed the truth to her family.

How much humiliation must she have felt.

Nobles called such behavior undignified, but in truth, Cain didn’t think such acts were wrong.

Rather, what was truly undignified were things like political marriages.

Blinded by power, strangers marrying each other, bearing children without love…

Cain too was a child born that way. And Cain felt no pride whatsoever in his origins.

He suddenly recalled Viola’s eyes from earlier.

Those desperately sad eyes that longed for and resented someone while struggling painfully to forget.

Though he didn’t know what love was, he understood it wasn’t an easy emotion.

For someone born with indifferent dragon blood like him, it was an emotion he wasn’t even permitted to have.

Everything had happened simply because she loved. So he didn’t think Viola was at fault.

But why… he couldn’t understand why his hands were trembling so much.

Drip. Drip. The ink flowing down his hand soon stained the report below black.

“Your Grace? Are you alright? The ink…!”

Conrad asked in a worried voice, but it didn’t even register in his ears.

Hah. After letting out a deep sigh, he asked.

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why on earth did that man do such a thing?”

He absolutely couldn’t understand it. Before being the child’s father, didn’t he have even the minimum responsibility as a human being?

How could he leave such a woman alone and abandon her?

He thought of the woman’s brightly smiling face. Her skill in dealing with young children too. He’d thought she was simply someone who liked children…

But behind that was the reality of having to raise a child alone.

He muttered again.

“How could he do such a trashy thing.”

The killing intent seeping into his low voice made even Conrad, standing nearby, tremble.

“Even if you ask me that…”

Having been caught in the crossfire out of nowhere, he felt like crying.

* * *

At the same time.

The guest room of the ducal mansion.

I was engaged in a sudden late-night chase.

“You there, little one who hasn’t brushed her teeth, stop running away!”

“Mmph.”

“What did Mommy say? You have to go brush-brush before bed.”

I caught the back of Melody’s neck as she was scurrying away.

“Mmng.”

The child let out a deep sigh as if this was the greatest injustice in the world.

Oh my. Does she hate brushing teeth that much? She does fine in the morning but particularly dislikes it at night.

Is it bedtime fussiness? But I couldn’t give in.

‘Cavities are not a matter for compromise!’

I put my bag down on the table, then took out the toiletries and escorted Melody to the bathroom.

“Now, say ah.”

“Mmph.”

“That’s right. Brush-brush.”

“Bweh.”

“Oh no. Don’t spit right away, swish around and then ptui!”

After the war-like tooth brushing time ended and I finished washing up too, it was already well past 9 PM.

Finally ready for bed! What a ridiculously long day it had been!

The healer interview, making a contract with Cain, and even moving all our belongings to the ducal mansion. Really, without the consideration of good Melody and Cain, ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

“Melody, shall we sleep now?”

“Yeah!”

I picked up Melody and headed to the bed. This was the guest room the servants had shown us earlier.

“This is where you’ll be living from now on. Since guests rarely visit the manor, if there’s anything lacking, please feel free to speak up.”

The head butler’s words from when he was guiding us flashed through my mind. Just letting us stay is more than enough.

Since I had barged in so suddenly, it was natural there wouldn’t be a room ready. I would have been grateful even for a storage room. But…

Just where exactly is anything lacking?

“…Wow, what is all this?”

“Waaaah!”

Under the soft lighting, silk bedding that gleamed and a cloud-like mattress.

The moment we saw it, Melody and I sparkled our eyes and simultaneously jumped onto the bed.

“Ooh! Hehe? Hee!”

Wow, the texture is really so soft. We got excited and rolled around on the bed. It was so wide that even when I lay across it, there was length to spare.

‘I really did well coming to the ducal mansion.’

Tears of emotion naturally formed in my eyes. Not only the exceptional weekly salary, but such a perfect sleeping arrangement too.

Is this the dignity of the Ashern Duchy?

How gracious…

I felt loyalty burning toward Cain, who wasn’t even here.

Loyalty, loyalty. Your Grace, I’ll really work hard.

More than that…

“Puhup.”

I must have been too absorbed in rolling around. When I lifted my head, both Melody and I had disheveled hair.

Seeing Melody’s hair puffed up like dandelion seeds from static electricity made me burst into laughter. We giggled for a while before finally calming down.

“We played well, so shall we sleep now?”

“Yeah.”

Click. When I turned off the lights, the bright room instantly became dark.

Lying side by side with the child and looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling, it finally hit me. The fact that this would be where we’d be living from now on.

Melody also seemed bewildered, blinking her eyes for no reason.

‘She must feel unsettled.’

When coming to the ducal mansion, I had explained the general situation to Melody.

That Cain would protect Melody, who was a saint, from the Temple going forward. And that our lives would be very different from when we lived in Hailon Village.

Fortunately, smart Melody understood everything, but I also felt sorry for the child. Since she had loved country life so much.

I gently held the small hand of the child fidgeting beside me.

“Melody.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s do our best starting tomorrow.”

When I said this in a quiet voice, the child burrowed into my arms. Warm warmth touched me.

“Mommy, yeah.”

I love Mommy.

Even though they weren’t clear words, I could understand the child’s meaning. I smiled gently.

Mmnya mmnya…

Before I knew it, Melody had fallen asleep, and I could hear her cute breathing sounds beside me.

* * *

The next morning.

Knock knock. When I went to answer the door at the knocking sound, I saw a new face.

“Excuse me, Lady Viola. May I come in?”

“Of course.”

While answering calmly, I inwardly brightened my eyes.

‘As I thought… I’m right, aren’t I?’

I discreetly looked over the man’s face.

Long brown hair tied up high, thin wire-rimmed glasses too. His appearance was familiar, seeming like a supporting character from the original work.

“It’s my first time meeting you. I’m Conrad, working as His Grace the Duke’s aide.”

Wow. I had my suspicions, but it was really true. It really hit me anew that this was the world inside 『Future Saint』.

Conrad was a supporting character in the work.

An aide who would suffer eternally because of the Duke becoming a daughter-obsessed father… and actually the man who would become Melody’s number one fan!

He was essentially Cain’s closest confidant.

“I’ve heard all the circumstances from His Grace. Where is Lady Melody- Hup.”

Conrad stopped mid-sentence and covered his own mouth.

It was because Melody, who had been hiding behind my skirt at the stranger’s appearance, peeked her head out.

Conrad immediately bent his knee to lower himself and carefully greeted Melody.

“Hello, Lady Melody. I’m called Conrad.”

“Hehe.”

The child smiled brightly and waved her hand. Conrad adjusted his glasses and stood up from his spot. Looking at his stiffly set mouth corners, he seemed angry, but…

‘Mm-hmm. Those eyes are definitely that.’

The eyes of an adult who finds a child so cute he can’t stand it but is gritting his teeth and doing his best to restrain himself, worried the child might get scared and cry if he grins foolishly!

‘Melody is cute though.’

I could relate, so I rubbed under my nose. Having worked at a kindergarten for a long time in my previous life, I knew that feeling very well too.

“More importantly, Lady Viola. I’d like to guide you to the young master right away, if that’s alright.”

“Yes, of course.”

Just then, the maids who had agreed to look after Melody came to the room.

“You have to listen well to the maid sisters, okay?”

“Uh.”

Melody patted her chest as if to say to trust only her. She’s quite the show-off.

But thanks to that, I could leave with peace of mind.

Thus, following Conrad on the path from the annex to the main mansion.

It was while I was walking and listening to explanations about the manor.

“Right above this floor is where Young Master Jayden stays.”

“What kind of person is the young master? I thought it might help with getting close to him.”

“Hmm, well…”

Conrad, who had been answering without hesitation until just now, hesitated to speak for the first time.

“Well…”

“Please speak comfortably.”

“First, let me apologize in advance. The young master is a bit, no, quite a lot sensitive.”

“He’s a patient, after all. I understand that much.”

I answered readily, but a gloomy expression crossed Conrad’s face beneath his glasses.

“Well… it’s probably more than you’re imagining.”

Just how bad could it be?

The original work did describe him as sensitive, but it wasn’t covered deeply so I couldn’t get a good sense of it.

But in less than even 5 minutes, I was able to understand the reason.

“I said I don’t need it. I told you to get lost!”

Along with a voice full of irritation, something quickly flew toward me and fell.

Crash!

What broke was a glass vase. Sharp fragments scattered messily across the floor.

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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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