I’m The Real Daughter, But I Don’t Want To Go Back To The Duke’s Estate - Chapter 15

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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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“Magic power? This is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.”

I abruptly stopped pretending and shook my head, then suddenly threw a question at them.

“More importantly, is the young lady alright? She almost got hit by a carriage, so I’m worried she might have been injured.”

“Ah.”

Only then did the Duchess hesitate.

A look of realization flashed across her beautiful face.

The Duchess looked up at the Duke with a troubled expression.

“D-dear?”

“Don’t worry. I sent Mrs. Howard.”

The Duke quickly reassured the Duchess.

But my expression grew increasingly sour.

‘Are they seriously calling that an answer?’

How much does Mrs. Howard torment Cecilia?

Of course, even in the original story,

the Lusert family was completely unaware that Mrs. Howard was abusing Cecilia.

…or so it was described.

But even so, isn’t this too indifferent?!

“The young lady is safe, right?”

I pressed the Duke again.

The Duke smiled brightly at me.

“Of course, that child has returned to Tranciere Manor as well. She should be in her room right now.”

“…”

Looking at the Duke with complicated eyes, I let out a deep sigh inwardly.

‘Well, at least Cecilia is safe.’

I wanted to separate Mrs. Howard from Cecilia, but that was beyond my capabilities.

What more could a mere maid do?

‘Then I should go home for today.’

I needed to check on Mother’s condition first, then carefully think about future countermeasures.

I should think in the direction of avoiding the ducal family as much as possible.

If that doesn’t work, it might be extreme, but taking Mother and fleeing in the night…

With such thoughts, I pulled back the blanket again.

Then the Duchess urgently grabbed me.

“W-where are you trying to go?”

“As I mentioned earlier, I’m worried that Mother might be concerned about me.”

Mother.

When I emphasized that word, the Duchess’s face clouded over like a stormy sky.

I smiled brightly, pretending not to know anything.

“I’m planning to head back now.”

When I drew that line, the Duchess looked at me desperately.

“Why don’t you rest a little longer? You collapsed too.”

“I’m fine. I think it would be better to rest comfortably at home.”

“But you are…!”

Just as the Duchess couldn’t hold back anymore and was about to cry out something.

“Dear.”

The Duke stopped the Duchess.

He looked intently into the Duchess’s eyes, then gently shook his head.

Then he turned to look at me.

“Alright, I understand. Instead, I’ll provide a carriage for you to take.”

“It’s fine. I can walk there easily…”

“Well, you don’t look particularly fine to my eyes.”

The Duke clicked his tongue briefly.

“You can’t even move properly right now, can you?”

“…”

He hit the mark.

In the end, I obediently bowed my head.

“I’ll do that, Your Grace.”

“Good.”

The Duke nodded and added as if he had just remembered something.

“Ah, that’s right. Thank you for saving Cecilia.”

Ah.

My eyes widened slightly.

The Duke’s eyes curved gently.

“I’ll make sure to reward you properly later.”

At the same time, my tense expression relaxed.

Still… it seemed like the ducal family at least thought of Cecilia as family.

“Yes, thank you.”

I was finally able to feel somewhat at ease.

* * *

After Milena left like that.

The Duchess, who had been looking at the closed door with desperate eyes, suddenly turned toward her husband.

The Duchess widened her eyes and raised her voice.

“That child, isn’t she our Chesha?!”

“Dear, please calm down first.”

“How can I calm down? She has blonde hair and green eyes, and they say her wind ability has awakened too!”

The Duchess’s eyes grew moist.

Biting her lips and suppressing her overwhelming emotions, the Duchess continued in a strained voice.

“If we lose that child again…!”

“We can’t be certain she’s Chesha yet.”

The Duke gently comforted his agitated wife.

“If we speak hastily, we might provoke the child’s rebellious feelings.”

“But!”

“Seeing how she keeps talking about her mother, the bond between mother and daughter seems deep.”

The Duchess, who had been raising her voice all along, finally quieted down.

Mother.

She recalled the expression Milena had when she spoke that word.

That child was genuinely very worried about her mother.

The Duke reassured his wife once more.

“We’ll be able to find out where that child lives soon. The coachman is our person, and we sent knights along too.”

“…”

“Since she’s a maid of Tranciere Manor, we can ask the Baron’s family too. Don’t worry.”

Elias quickly chimed in.

Only then did the Duchess’s expression become somewhat more comfortable.

But that was only for a moment.

“More importantly, is the young lady alright? She almost got hit by a carriage, so I’m worried she might have been injured.”

Milena’s words from earlier came back to mind.

Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember when Cecilia had left the room.

She was sure they had been together at first.

“D-dear.”

The Duchess, who had been hesitating for a moment, carefully spoke up.

“How is Cecilia doing? Is she alright?”

“Cecilia?”

“Yes. I was so shocked that I don’t think I paid proper attention to Cecilia earlier.”

The Duchess nodded and quietly lowered her eyes.

Her golden eyelashes, spread like a fan, trembled slightly.

“She was out all day. For a young girl to be in danger like that, really, so fearless.”

“Don’t worry too much. She said she was fine.”

“Still…”

However, the Duchess still had a dark expression.

The Duke gently stroked his wife’s back.

“Mrs. Howard will take good care of her. Hmm?”

Mrs. Howard.

Only after hearing that name did the Duchess’s expression become somewhat more at ease.

“Yes, then I can feel relieved.”

The nanny who had cared for Elias and Cecilia since they were young,

she could be trusted with them.

The Duchess, who quickly brightened up, carefully opened her mouth.

“Then, that child from earlier…”

“Well, I can’t give a definitive answer yet. We’ll have to proceed with a paternity test first, won’t we?”

The magical engineering technology possessed by the Mage Tower, ‘paternity verification magic.’

Through that, they would be able to confirm whether that child was truly their biological daughter.

“For now, meeting that child’s parents is the priority. We’ll need to go up to the capital first to conduct the paternity test.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Duchess pressed her chest gently.

Her heart was beating pleasantly with anticipation.

The Duke looked at his wife, who was happy for the first time in a long while, with fond eyes.

Ever since losing their ‘real daughter,’ the Duchess had been listless like a withered flower.

But now, wasn’t she shining with hope in her eyes?

“Oh right, yes. Elias.”

Just then, the Duchess glanced back at her son.

“Still, would you go check on Cecilia? Go see if she’s doing alright now.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Elias readily stood up.

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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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