The Golden-Handed Baby Fixes Everything! - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17
In truth, most of the people working in the Duke’s Residence probably shared the same thought.
After all, the Duke had only ever had one lover.
That lover had already passed away four years ago, and the two of them had no children.
Of course, that made sense, since she had died in an accident before they ever married.
Since then, countless marriage proposals had arrived, but the Duke had never so much as glanced at them.
Not even the retainers, the branch family, or the late Duke and the others who pressed him to remarry had ever moved him an inch.
And now, an illegitimate child?
Could such a thing even happen?
The young lady is four years old, which means he would have been unfaithful while he was seeing Lady Ravella…
‘That’s utterly absurd.’
The Duke had been sincerely devoted to Lady Ravella.
After she died, he had been little more than a living corpse for quite some time.
So, to be honest, it’s only natural that no one can believe the young lady is the Duke’s biological daughter-
“I never imagined the young lady had noticed this and was troubling herself over it.”
The moment I heard her hesitantly put questions about ‘father and daughter’ through that tiny mouth.
My heart truly sank with a thud.
“The young lady is so skilled at reading people’s expressions, isn’t she?”
“She is. It’s almost heartbreaking how skilled she is.”
The young lady had a sharpness about her that was unbecoming of a child.
Perhaps it could be seen as a strength, but the maids who attended Melloni closely saw it differently.
“I suppose she must have suffered a great deal before coming here.”
“Yes. Every time she reads someone’s face, she goes stiff all over.”
It was as if a small animal were bristling its fur just to survive.
…How much hardship must she have endured.
I can’t know what kind of life she led before meeting the Duke, but judging by how awkward she is with the words ‘family’ and ‘father and daughter’, probably…
‘She must never have had a family.’
Hrrrk.
With their hearts aching, Eina and the maids all let out a deep sigh at once.
Our young lady is so gentle, so kind, so adorable, and so dainty.
Anyone who spends time close to her is bound to fall in love with her.
All four of them had already fallen completely under Melloni’s charm.
And so.
“From now on, we stand together. Whatever happens to the world, we’re on the young lady’s side.”
“Yes, agreed!”
“And from now on, no thinking that the young lady isn’t the Duke’s blood. Don’t even let it cross your mind, not even in secret. Lie to yourselves if you have to!”
“Right. Whatever anyone says, the young lady is the Duke’s blood…!”
Just as they were exchanging resolutions burning with fervor,
“But you never know, right? She might really be the Duke’s daughter!”
The moment those words left her mouth, a frigid silence fell.
“…”
“…”
“…”
As if that could ever be true.
The answer had risen right to the tip of everyone’s tongue, but the three of them couldn’t bring themselves to say it aloud.
Hadn’t they just sworn, no matter what, to regard the young lady as the Duke’s true daughter?
Still, the maid with no sense of timing tilted her head at the unanswered silence and added, casually,
“Could she perhaps be the daughter of Lady Ravella and the Duke…? Look at it this way. The young lady is four, and Lady Ravella’s accident happened four years ago, right?”
“…”
“Besides, Lady Ravella was apart from the Duke for about half a year before her accident, so maybe she was pregnant-”
“Watch yourself. Let’s not cross the line.”
“Yeah, sorry. Even I think I jumped to conclusions there. I’ll be more careful with my words from now on.”
The four of them looked at one another with grave faces and stacked their hands together.
“Alright, everyone, from now on, keep your heads straight. So the young lady never has to feel anxious again.”
The voice giving the reminder belonged to Eina.
“Fighting, fighting! Gong-sa-mo, Gong-sa-mo, fighting!”
Following Eina’s lead, the hands piled together rose high into the air.
* * *
‘How can no one have noticed at all?’
For the past few days, I had been casually throwing out questions about ‘family’ and ‘father and daughter’ to the maids I was reasonably close with.
Maybe I could dig up something useful.
But every answer that came back was the same—
“Eh? Uh, well, that is… hmm. Well, I don’t know. What could it be?”
—the same flustered kind of reply, over and over.
Ugh, how could it be this unproductive?
At this point, there’s no helping it.
I’ll have to resort to the last resort.
Right away—
“Eina, I wanna go to the library!”
Time to study with books!
At my wish to go to the library, Eina gladly scooped me up in her arms and headed for it.
The moment we arrived at the library, a gasp escaped my lips on its own.
“Wow.”
I thought I’d stopped being surprised by anything by now, but the Duke’s Residence really was something else.
‘How many books could this be?’
An amount too vast to even count was crammed tightly onto the towering shelves of the enormous library.
“Is there a book you’re looking for, Young Lady?”
“Um, well, that is…”
Honestly, I’d planned to quietly look through books about ‘Daddy and daughter’ on my own…
But the moment I saw all these books, that idea fizzled right out of my head.
Finding the book I want in here would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
As I hesitated, unable to speak, a man sitting at the library entrance hurried over, stammering.
“Ah, p-perhaps… are you the young lady?”
Nod, nod.
“Yeah. I’m Melloni, four years old. I’m the young lady.”
“Ah, so you truly are the young lady…! Ahem, forgive my late introduction. I-I’m Keil Dastian, twenty-four years old. I work as the librarian of the Duke’s Library. P-please, take good care of me!”
Once Keil finished his introduction, Eina, who had been listening quietly, let out a small exclamation.
“Oh, so you’re the librarian who just started a few days ago.”
A librarian who started a few days ago?
I glanced between the two of them with a questioning look, and Keil took it upon himself to answer.
“Well, the librarian who was working here before suddenly fell ill… so they had to quit in a hurry.”
I see.
Hearing that story, I felt an odd sense of kinship with him.
After all, it hasn’t even been ten days since I came to the Duke’s Residence myself.
And yet, somehow.
‘Keil Dastian, huh…’
His name strangely felt familiar.
It seemed like I’d heard it somewhere before.
Where on earth have I heard that name?
As I stared at him, Keil blinked rapidly, his face pale.
“Y-young lady. Did I do something wrong…?”
“Nope. I was just looking at you ’cause I’m happy to meet you! I’m gonna be good friends with you too!”
“I-it’s an honor!”
Watching the color return to his pallid face, I beamed at him.
‘It’s probably just my imagination, that’s all.’
As if I’d have heard a noble’s name somewhere before.
Nothing came to mind, so I shrugged it off.
“Well, have you come to look at books?”
“Yeah. I came to borrow some books!”
“Um, what sort of book are you looking for? If you’d like, I can help you find it.”
At Keil’s words, Eina also turned to me, her eyes sparkling.
“Me too! I’ll help look, too!”
Haha, everyone is so kind.
They’re this eager to help me find something to read.
With them both volunteering like that, there’s no way I can refuse their help.
“I have a book with a daughter and a daddy in it.”
“A book with a daughter… and a father?”
“Mm-hmm. One where there’s a daddy and a daughter!”
Oh, right, I should add this condition too.
“One where they get along well.”
A novel where a father and daughter are at war would be awkward. I’m supposed to use it as a reference, so they can’t be on bad terms.
Still, if the two of them are at odds, that won’t do.
But why is it…
‘Why are their faces like that?’
The expressions on Eina’s and Keil’s faces as they looked down at me were strange.
“Hmph. Our young lady…”
Something about their eyes looked suspiciously moist.
‘Is it because the library is so dry?’
As I tilted my head, the two of them began to bustle about.
“How about this book?”
“Hmm, u-um. This one would be far more exciting for the children than that one.”
“If we’re going to pick one, shouldn’t it feature a character with a temperament similar to His Grace’s… no, his personality?”
“Yes. I think that would be better.”
After whispering together for a good while, the two of them brought over a total of three books.

“Ahem, we picked these to be as entertaining as possible.”
“Do you like them, young lady?!”
Under their sparkling gazes, I went over the titles of the books once more.
…This, this.
“So cute!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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