Translator and Editor: Lily and Nabi

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Chapter 19 – It’s Hard To Be An Emotional Handsome Man

Sierra gulped and tried to control her thoughts.

She needed to remember how huge the gap between them was, one between a duke and a commoner.

Under the empire’s laws, theirs was a fate that had been doomed from the start. The nobility generally had nothing to do with the lower class unless they were mistresses.

He shouldn’t even consider the possibility. It was a poisonous apple, briny seawater, never to be ingested. Besides, as soon as the misunderstanding is resolved, he would no longer have a responsibility to her.

She raised her head and stared at Cassius.

He was biting his lip, perhaps out of nervousness due to having her in his arms. The tendon on his forearm was visible through his sleeve.

Cassius had truly grown into a man.

‘Anyway, since we’re close, wouldn’t we be able to have a pretty honest conversation?’

Sierra, also biting her lips nervously, subconsciously buried her face in Cassius’ chest. She felt him flinch.

She was crazy, how could she have made such a mistake―

She lifted her head again, attempting to fix the situation in a hurry, and spoke.

“Cassius, I have a question.”

“You may ask as much as you wish.”

“So… I want you to answer honestly.”

“…Okay, I will.”

Sierra ignored the pain shooting up her leg. “I got… pregnant and ran away… No, when did you get that idea, exactly?”

It was a different approach from what she had already tried so far. In order to get to the bottom of the situation, she had to make some adjustments.

The words “She’s not your daughter!” didn’t work on Cassius and the godmother, who firmly believed that Hanael was the child of him and Sierra. Thus, it was necessary to find out why they were so insistent on it.

‘I need to know when this disaster started.’

Cassius almost missed her words, thinking she was humming. He bit his lip again. “…I found out right after you left.”

Her eyes narrowed. When she left him after their graduation ceremony to go to Supe Village? The time when her sister left Hanael to her and said no one would be able to find them?

‘What happened right after I ran away? Did he think I was pregnant…?’

Sierra decided to dig in a little more.

“How soon after I left… did you come to think that I was pregnant?”

He paused, and she could notice him trembling, distress coming out of him in waves.

“You…”

“…?”

“…After you left, I went back to the cafe you used to visit often.”

“If it’s a cafe I used to visit often…”

Did he mean the cafe where I received the envelope from the godmother?

“…A cafe ran by a woman named Cindy. The place we used to visit when we were in a relationship.”

Sierra listened quietly.

What… Exactly what happened at that cafe, what the hell?

***

Five years ago.

The godmother asked Sierra to leave Cassius, and so she contacted him to break up, except out of sheer misfortune, he didn’t receive the letter. He’d been so busy preparing to leave for the army. Instead, he wrote her a letter asking her to wait for him.

Like how misfortunes overlap, Cassius did not receive the letter. He’d been so busy preparing to leave for the army. Instead, he wrote Sierra a letter asking her to wait.

He only received the break-up letter later on, and when he went to her house, it was already empty. Her friends didn’t say a word either.

Sierra disappeared just like that.

The only memory of her left was a cafe run by Sierra’s close friend, Cindy, which they often visited.

Cassius couldn’t bear such an ending, and rushed to the cafe to look for leads. He was able to meet Cindy, who knew him both from Sierra and because he often worked on assignments there.

At that time, Cindy gave Cassius a cup of coffee at the table, looking at him with pity.

Sitting opposite each other with a table between them, they had a small conversation.

“Have you come looking for Sierra?”

“…Yes.”

Cindy was a commoner, and he was the heir to the duke’s family, but he still used honorifics with her.

He got that habit from Sierra, who used honorifics when talking to people who used them as well.

Noticing that, Cindy awkwardly spoke to him. “…Sierra said she was going somewhere, and she hasn’t returned to the cafe in over a week. Her last time here seemed so hard for her, and she also said she would no longer stay here with a deep sigh.”

“That… what…”

“I don’t know either. Oh, and―!”

Cindy hurriedly headed to the cafe’s checkout counter and rummaged through the drawer near it. She brought out a pair of baby shoes.

“Take this.”

They were pink.

For a moment, Cassius, unable to understand the situation, looked down at the tiny baby shoes.

“Sierra cherished them, but she left them here somehow. By any chance, if you ever meet again, please give them back to her!”

Cindy smiled innocently.

By any chance…?

At that moment, Cassius’ heart sank to the floor.

***

Sierra froze when she heard the full story.

“I handed you the baby shoes you left behind.”

This is insane…

The only reason Sierra was struggling at that time was because her sister didn’t pay any travel expenses for her trip to Supe Village, so she had to make a deal!

And, of course, she bought baby products because she had to raise Hanael…!

She accidentally left them at Cindy’s cafe since she was busy. She didn’t expect that to cause this butterfly effect.

‘Even so, I don’t think he misunderstood only because of the baby shoes…?’

Sierra knew that Cassius was both emotional and brilliant. He wasn’t the top student for nothing, so there must be a more specific reason why he’s so convinced that Hanael is our child, one that’s more convincing than just seeing those shoes.

Sierra tried to probe a little more, but Cassius abruptly stopped walking and took a breath. Was he tired of holding her? But his feet looked fine, if the continuous tapping was any indication.

Sierra thought it was because it was hard to hold her, but his feet tapped on the floor like a ball.

“…I know, no matter what I say, your wounds won’t heal.”

Oh dear, she felt as if his heartbeat was ringing in her ears. His desperation and his regret when he had nothing to regret, all of it resonated within her.

Half embarrassed, Sierra whispered calmly at him.

“No, that was a misunderstanding. Please, stop thinking that,” Sierra whispered, embarrassed.

“I…”

He chewed on the inside of his cheeks so she wouldn’t see.

“…I’m sorry, I’ve brought back unpleasant memories.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, water started to drip over Sierra’s face. Shocked, she looked up at him.

“I’m not crying.”

‘Isn’t crying a bit too much…?’

‘No, what if I cry, too?!’

She stiffened. The eyes that looked down on Sierra were filled with tears.

“Because I know I don’t deserve to cry.”

Sierra was a commoner who knew her place very well.

She tried to pull her face away from his strong chest. However, Cassius used his considerable strength to hold her even tighter.

“…I won’t let you go until we get inside.”

‘I never said I was letting go…?’

His low voice hinted at a deep level of possessiveness.

“No more, I won’t ever make you walk alone.”

That voice sent shivers down her spine. She really was going to enter the mansion in his arms.

‘Before that, wipe your tears first…’

His cold, sharp face looked even more frightening with bloodshot eyes.

Of course, all the servants of the estate witnessed this scene, once more utterly convinced of Cassius’ love for Sierra, although they lowered their gaze and didn’t dare gossip.

Afterwards, all the doctors at the duke’s mansion were sent to treat her slightly sprained ankle.

***

Meanwhile, that evening.

It was peaceful when Cassius carried Sierra inside the mansion, though the servants were silently anxious.

There was a separate building where the doctors resided, and the mansion was virtually isolated.

The doctors from Hipo Kingdom, who arrived at the estate to perform the paternity tests, were working hard to produce kits for the first exam.

“Fresh potion production is done! I’ll tell the duke tomorrow.”

“…Hmm, have you picked up a list of good doctors?”

Lanya asked.

“Not a single person, really. It’s like a drought!” Kilo winced.

“As expected, there’s a talent drought outside our kingdom. Even the duke of the empire picked us.”

As soon as she finished her careless remark, the door to the examination room opened.

“This is a serious matter,” Hentel warned Lanya, then took a small potion bottle out of his pocket. It was the sample of the headache remedy that Sierra gave him.

“…Such talent.”

“Yes, master?” Kilo held out his hands, mimicking a diligent servant. “Ahh… have you seen the list of doctors? We think it should be in this order, but it might not be in Master’s view. It’s dire, isn’t it?

Kilo held his hands forward, mimicking a steadfast servant.

“…Our kingdom has no good doctors, either.”

“Haa, then no one can solve the chronic problems of our kingdom…”

Lanya had more to say, but she quickly shut her mouth as soon as Hentel shook his head.

“No, there is someone.”

She opened her eyes in surprise.

“What? Master, you know someone capable? When did you see them? Are they a doctor? What did they study? Are they from the imperial palace?”

“They’re a normal pharmacist.”

“You mean the talent our master discovered… was just an ordinary pharmacist?” Kilo asked.“Indeed.”

It wasn’t that they belittled pharmacists, Hipo Kingdom respected them and doctors. It was more that Hentel had such high standards that he would only recognize people with exceptional abilities. He didn’t care about fancy titles or positions, but rather, he thought hidden talents were more outstanding.

There was another reason why they were surprised. Their master, Hentel, wouldn’t even mention them in the first place, unless they had exceptional ability.

To some extent, he was not interested in those who were known only as a name.

However, his eye to see a hidden talent was more outstanding than anyone.

One prominent example was when he discovered a man within the remote areas of the kingdom, one with enough potential to be a genius at surgeries. Thanks to Hentel training him, the king who accidentally injured his leg during a hunting competition was able to walk again.

If Hentel, a master, could make such a meaningful expression…

Lanya couldn’t take the curious anticipation any more, jumping up and making the flask on the table wobble. “Where did you find the pharmacist? What about their skills?”

“…I don’t know yet. I’m not sure.”

Resembling an old angel, Hentel stroked his beard and lowered his gaze.

“We’ll have to complete our duties first.”

“Oh, yes, Master.”

As Lanya’s excitement drained away, she sat back on a chair, shrugging.

“Is the production of the kit going well?”

“Ah, that’s it! Yes, it’s going well for now. Tomorrow, we’ll be able to run the examination right away!”

Hentel nodded.

The day had finally arrived.

A hand-made paternity kit will allow them to examine Sierra, Cassius, and Hanael.

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