I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - 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】

 

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“It’s because you’re anxious due to the prophetic dreams. I’ll prepare tea mixed with chamomile and lavender so you can rest peacefully.”

 

After the physician who had bowed politely disappeared, the maids let out sighs of relief.

 

Surrounded by the maids and receiving their concern, Serena finally felt a bit more stable.

 

“But if Madam’s prophetic dreams are true, is Mary really a dark mage?”

 

“It seems my dreams are indeed prophetic dreams. So that child is… Hic, hiccup. We haven’t been together for long, but… I really thought of her like my own daughter…”

 

The maids sighed at Serena’s frail appearance as she buried her face in her hands, unable to continue speaking.

 

“Madam, please cheer up. When you give birth to the child, they’ll surely be a time ability user.”

 

“Thank you for saying that. Speaking of the child, I miss the Duke… Where is the Duke?”

 

She had created plenty of witnesses to defend her by now. It was time to meet with Casselik directly and probe his intentions.

 

“Ah, the Duke is…”

 

The maid who came at Serena’s call answered with an awkward expression.

 

“He went to a dessert shop with… Lady Rie.”

 

A moment of silence flowed.

 

“I must have heard wrong, right?”

 

“Who went to a dessert shop? The Duke?!”

 

The maids whispered to each other as if they had heard something they shouldn’t have.

 

Listening to their voices, Serena felt her mind go blank.

 

‘The Duke who kicked me out even when I was crying in my underwear… went to a dessert shop with Rie?’

 

Her insides boiled with shock and anger.

 

Thud.

 

Serena collapsed again.

 

“Madam!”

 

* * *

 

Groban, the wealthy district of Theodore Duchy.

 

In this place where trends changed as quickly as in the capital, the dessert shop ‘Rose et Blanc’ had maintained its position for 100 years and welcomed customers today as well.

 

Among them, the terrace seats with good views were always occupied by high-ranking nobles.

 

Mary’s children, who had fled from the Duke’s castle and taken refuge here, were chattering.

 

“By the way, about Mary. Why was she suddenly dragged away by the knights? From the atmosphere, it seemed like the adoption might be canceled…”

 

“But she’s a time ability user! And Mary is so well-mannered and loved by adults. I think it’s because of Rie.”

 

“Why that guy?”

 

“Rie was also in the reception room. Maybe the Duke told Mary to get along well with Rie? And Mary said she didn’t want to.”

 

“It would be an annoying situation, but… knowing Mary’s personality, she wouldn’t have openly gotten angry.”

 

The boy who had been pondering ruffled his hair with his own hands.

 

“Damn, I don’t know. My parents said we should stay close to the Theodore Ducal House, so I’ve been following Mary around. What if she really gets disowned?”

 

The other children were equally troubled by the dilemma.

 

“I don’t like it, but should we pretend to be friendly with that Rie girl?”

 

At one child’s words, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, her surname is Birdwell, but she seems to be receiving plenty of affection from the Duke…”

 

“What? Hahaha!”

 

Immediately, laughter burst out among the children.

 

It was clearly mocking laughter.

 

“Hey. If she received plenty of affection, she wouldn’t have gone to the Birdwell Family in the first place! Would you go to a viscount mother if your duke father loved you?”

 

“Right. Look at how the maids at the Duke’s Castle treated her. They wouldn’t even bring her a glass of water…”

 

“Oh my, Duke Theodore has arrived!”

 

At that moment, with murmuring sounds, the gazes of all the surrounding customers turned toward the window.

 

The curious children also stood up from their seats.

 

Soon, they were all shocked by the scene they witnessed.

 

In front of the Theodore Ducal House’s carriage, tall Casselik was walking while bending down and holding little Rie’s hand.

 

“…?”

 

So the two were ‘holding hands’ and ‘walking toward the dessert shop’!

 

“Is this a dream…?”

 

The children, whose thought processes had stopped, muttered.

 

The same was true for other people sitting around them.

 

“What am I looking at right now?”

 

“The Duke is really entering the dessert shop, right?”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Eeing. Eing!”

 

In front of the entrance, Rie whined while pulling the Duke’s hand as if dangling from it.

 

He stopped walking.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Your steps are too fast. Rie is tired.”

 

Then the Duke, who had been looking down at the child for a while, answered.

 

“Then you take the lead. I’ll follow at your pace.”

 

Clang!

 

Several forks simultaneously fell from the customers’ hands.

 

They had dropped even the forks they were holding, shocked by that sweet response.

 

“…Rie’s legs aren’t short. Daddy is just fast. And you’re forcing me to hold hands. You said you’d do what I want.”

 

But despite the Duke’s excessive courtesy, Rie only grumbled.

 

What was more surprising was that the Duke, who they thought would get angry, was watching the child’s protruding duck lips and reading her mood.

 

“The Duke seems to care for Rie a lot?”

 

The children, who had been stammering in disbelief, suddenly became anxious.

 

They seemed to have bullied Rie too much at the wedding banquet last time.

 

But in the midst of this, one boy who had been quite thick-skinned shouted.

 

“Then let’s go greet Rie right away. She only talks about weird novels and is stupid anyway. If we greet her casually, she’ll accept it!”

 

Then they started running toward the entrance.

 

The children also looked at each other and nodded their heads.

 

“R-right. Friends fight with each other sometimes!”

 

When they hurriedly went down the stairs, everyone standing at the shop entrance was already bowing their heads.

 

“Rie!”

 

The children imitated exactly how their parents had acted charming toward others.

 

“Rie, it’s been so long!”

 

“Have you been well? We missed you so we went to visit the Duke’s castle, but you weren’t there!”

 

Then the blue eyes that had been choosing desserts turned toward the children.

 

Duke Casselik, who was standing beside her, asked.

 

“Are they friends?”

 

The children answered triumphantly.

 

“Yes! We’re really close with Rie. We became friends at the wedding banquet last time…”

 

“Third-rate villains!”

 

But suddenly, Rie raised her eyebrows and pointed at the children.

 

“Third-rate villains from 【The Cave】!”

 

“Ha, haha. Right, we did play heroes in the forest. We were playing the villain roles.”

 

That damn novel, novel!

 

The children forced smiles as they explained to Casselik.

 

The Duke wouldn’t think deeply about the word ‘villains’ that Rie had said.

 

To anyone, it would seem like the fantasy of a four-year-old absorbed in fairy tale books.

 

However.

 

“Those kids are villains?”

 

For some reason, the Duke looked serious.

 

“Yes. Mary is a mid-level villain. Those kids are third-rate villains.”

 

“Mary is a mid-level villain, but those kids are third-rate villains… That means they’re connected to Mary.”

 

A hint of killing intent appeared in the red eyes that had seemed calm.

 

“Ah, well. We do have some acquaintance with Princess Mary, but… not to that extent…”

 

“Bellik. We need to investigate everyone connected to that child. Transport these children to the Duke’s castle.”

 

“Y-yes?!”

 

Even if they had bullied Rie, to the point of transporting them to the castle?

 

“W-wait a moment. We only teased Rie a little, we didn’t hit her. We really only teased her a little. Rie, we’re sorry. Rie… Waaaaah!”

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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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