The Duke Dad I Chose Can’t (Really) See Well - Chapter 12

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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 12

During the estimated time of pregnancy, Enril had been away from his position for quite a long time, so she couldn’t claim it was his child.

To make matters worse, on the night of the imperial banquet, more than a few people witnessed Trisha coming out of the room where Paterre had been staying.

Perhaps because of this, his older brother Enril Stukkyia died from a sudden illness.

However, after Paterre inherited the position of family head following his brother, he did not take Trisha as his duchess…

It was natural that criticism toward him would intensify.

Of course, among them were people who believed there might have been misunderstandings or other reasons, waiting for Paterre’s explanation.

The deep brotherly bond between the Stukkyia brothers was a famous story, after all.

“My brother did nothing wrong. Everything is my responsibility.”

However, for some reason, Paterre closed the castle gates after saying those final words.

Without making any excuses or explanations.

From that day forward, ‘trash’ became synonymous with Stukkyia.

This was the decisive reason why Stukkyia Territory became a land where anything could be dumped.

‘He abandons even the woman pregnant with his own child, so anything can be thrown away!’ they said.

Because of this, no one questioned why the duke, who had been perfectly fine when he closed the gates, suddenly lost his sight.

A curse from someone abandoned by the duke.

It was a plausible story, and the duke himself did not deny it.

‘Well, it was all just rumors, and the truth was never known.’

In any case, from a servant’s perspective, he was hardly a master worthy of loyalty.

‘That’s why I didn’t expect there to be good people in Stukkyia’s castle…’

I looked at myself reflected in the mirror.

Before I knew it, I had been thoroughly washed clean with the help of the maids. Hot water must be precious in such a cold place, yet they used it generously.

Moreover, they even lit the fireplace, filling the room with comfortable warmth.

Everything was far too good for someone like me.

“We should have prepared a tidier room for you, we’re sorry. We hadn’t prepared a child’s room in advance…”

Even so, they apologized, saying it wasn’t a good room.

Instead, they even brought warm food, saying ‘This is all we have since we prepared it hastily.’

It wasn’t strange that there was no room for a child in a place where no child lived. Rather, even this much was something to be grateful for.

While I looked around in bewilderment, the maids finished arranging the bedding.

“Sleep well.”

“Sweet dreams.”

“…Sleep well.”

I awkwardly smiled as I received their good night wishes.

After sending Lisa away, I thought there would be no one to say good night to me.

Somehow my heart felt ticklish, so I buried myself deep under the covers.

* * *

That night.

“What? The duke’s daughter has appeared?”

“Is that story really true?”

Stukkyia’s retainers, who received the news belatedly, were thrown into chaos.

A few days ago, orders had come down from the Temple and the Imperial Palace.

The content was to establish a successor for the honor of the Four Great Ducal Families.

In such a situation, when the duke declared he would take in some abandoned child as his daughter, it was natural for the retainers to be so shocked.

“It’s not certain that she’s really his daughter.”

“You don’t even know her origins? Surely she’s not from the streets?”

“If she were from the streets, that would be fortunate. She might be someone pushed in by some unknown humble family.”

Then one of Stukkyia’s retainers let out a hollow laugh.

When they heard the castle gates that had been closed for over 10 years had opened, they thought he had finally come to his senses. But he had to cause trouble!

“This cannot be allowed. Let’s go see the duke immediately!”

The retainers burst open the door to the duke’s study without even reporting their entry.

A room so dark that the interior was barely visible.

Someone was there in a place filled only with darkness and silence.

Long black hair that seemed unkempt flowing down. A refined nose bridge, tightly closed lips, and a sharp jawline. Even a strong cigarette in his hand.

It was Duke Stukkyia and owner of the trash heap, Paterre Stukkyia.

“You haven’t shown your faces all this time, but I didn’t expect you to come visit as a group like this.”

As if not surprised at all by the sudden entry, Paterre replied leisurely.

As if proving his dissolute character, his upper garment had slipped down enough to reveal his firm chest.

One elderly retainer cleared his throat with a cough, but Paterre just continued smoking his cigarette as if he didn’t care.

“Is it true?”

“What is?”

“…I’m asking if it’s true that you brought your daughter.”

“Ah- right. My daughter came to find me.”

Paterre spoke as if he had just remembered.

“I didn’t even give her directions, but isn’t she sweet? I don’t know her face or name, but her mother certainly educated her well.”

His tone was leisurely throughout.

He had clearly decided to be completely shameless.

“…We cannot agree to this.”

“I’m bringing in my own daughter, so what can you do about it?”

“She might be a spy planted by someone to bring down Stukkyia!”

“A spy…”

Paterre muttered slowly.

That might be possible.

The Imperial Palace, or the Temple. Or perhaps another family that held a bitter grudge against Stukkyia. There were many candidates.

However.

“Yes. No one knows who daddy is! Not even mommy!”

Those words would have been true.

Though he couldn’t see ahead, Paterre’s senses were superior to others by that much.

Magic power was a wicked force. It reacted sensitively to emotions like malice and confusion that others possessed.

So if that child had really been lying, he would have known first.

“A-and I like cold things too.”

“I like dark things as well.”

“I-it doesn’t have to be as a daughter. Even as a s-servant would be fine…”

The child had told the complete truth.

“Or I could even become the d-duke’s eyes…”

And that trembling voice.

Somehow it wasn’t unpleasant.

Besides, wasn’t it the first time since then? The first person to boldly enter after being given a bad guy as food…

“…”

The habitual smile that had been on Paterre’s face the entire time was suddenly withdrawn.

Paterre slowly and repeatedly clenched and unclenched the hand that wasn’t holding the cigarette.

A few years ago, someone had planted a malicious ability in his body.

This ability manifested in various forms – sometimes whispering cruel words to him, sometimes appearing before his eyes in terrifying shapes.

It was the result of the magic power dwelling in his body, the divine power granted by God, and the ability clashing with each other.

However, no matter what he did, the foreign substance-like ability in his body would not disappear.

But the moment he held hands with The Girl, he felt as if that sensation was fading away.

Unless it was a cleric with strong divine power, abilities could basically only be withdrawn by their owner. And most abilities were hereditary.

So there were two possibilities.

Either she was a child sent by the Temple, or… she was that person’s child.

So when he held her hand again, he felt nothing from the child.

The emotion he felt then was… yes, it was probably disappointment.

He thought he had grasped a clue to the one he had been searching for so desperately, but in the end, he was back to square one.

‘What was I even expecting.’

It was when self-mockery was about to leak out.

“…If you need a daughter now, couldn’t you just bring that person here?”

It was a statement from one of the retainers who had long protected Stukkyia.

Though everyone kept quiet about it, they all believed it.

That the daughter of Princess Trisha Klain of the Klain Duchy was Paterre’s daughter.

Having an affair with his brother Enril’s fiancée – it was truly a shocking matter.

But there were more nobles who kept mistresses behind the scenes while pretending to have peaceful families.

Though criticism would be unavoidable, if he formed ties with the duchy, those words would eventually become a shield that would make Stukkyia even more solid.

Perhaps incomparably more so than the Imperial Palace or Temple.

So now was the time to speak of what they had been holding back.

“Your Grace clearly has a daughter. So why would you adopt a child of unknown origins as your daughter instead of your own flesh and blood?”

“If you truly need a child, please adopt Princess’s daughter, Heidi, as your own daughter. Since the Princess has not yet married…”

Even as they spoke, the retainers trembled with fear.

They couldn’t know what consequences bringing up this taboo would have with Paterre.

That’s when it happened.

“Daughter.”

Paterre muttered in a flat voice.

“A daughter… Right, there was that.”

“…”

“I had a daughter too.”

The hollow laugh he let out, as if he had forgotten, seemed somehow like a laugh of emptiness, and also like self-mockery.

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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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