Later that night.

The Duke's office, the Duke of Aston, Colin's expression darkened.

He was a handsome man with gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes like the sea, and he still maintained the beauty of his youth.

His forehead, unlike usual, had deep wrinkles.

In front of the Duke's desk stood the capable chief secretary, Gadin.

A little while ago, what he reported was classified as to Beryl.

To be specific, it was about how Raphine had been doing in Beryl's house.

Beryl was a family that thoroughly managed servants. In addition, it took a little time because only a few of the servants knew about Raphine.

"How can I handle it?"

"...I don't know. How should I deal with this?"

"If you give me an order, I'll take care of it right away. Should I make the black mask move?"

The Black Mask was the most elite unit under the Duke of Eston.

Their main specialty was the assassination and stealing of information, known as the secret organization of the underworld.

It was an organization under the surface used by aristocrats secretly, but in fact, their head was the Duke of Eston.

It was a top-secret that neither the family's vassals nor the elders knew.

"It's too easy to deal with like that. First, block the money line slowly."

"All right."

"I can't leave out every single member of that family who dared make my daughter eat food that even a dog wouldn't eat, kick her, and accuse her of being of low blood."

"We will investigate and report on the personal information, family relationships, and financial situation of everyone, whether it is academics or merchants who come and go through their own families."

"Don't miss a single one."

"I see, sir."

After Gardin left, Duke Eston let out a deep sigh.

Colin blamed himself for all the moving in his family.

When the pregnant wife gave birth to Raphine, Sophia and her children were all staying in the mansion of the Duke of Eston in Sudoan, where her parents lived, not in the estate.

Apparently, that day, Colin was on the road to prevent the tyranny of barbarians at the border of the territory.

However, when they arrived, the annex of the mansion was on fire, and there was a great commotion.

Fortunately, my wife and family were unharmed....

When he met his wife, who was crying while holding the corpse of a dead infant.

He wanted to strangle himself.

It was no one's fault that the child died immediately after birth, and the people around him said that, but Colin had a different opinion.

If you were with your wife,

Maybe everything would have been different.

The work of that day remained as a burden on my heart that I would carry for the rest of my life.

But the child has changed.

At the time, I was so insane that I didn't even think of doing a paternity test for a dead child.

Of course, no one doubted it.

The newborn child's hair was pink, resembling Sophia, and there was no sign of breaking into the mansion.

Also, none of the servants in the mansion were pregnant, and unless they fell straight from the sky, they couldn't have imagined it would happen.

"Damn it...."

He swallowed the pain and drank the strong whiskey.

After learning that the youngest child died shortly after birth, the person who suffered the most was his wife, followed by Colin.

It was such a painful day that he couldn't even breathe because of the rushing guilt.

But the child was still alive.

And while it's going through such a hard time...

Tears welled up in his blue eyes, which were always cold.

At midnight. Only the sound of mournful weeping echoed from the Duke's office.

* * *

"Huh? But— why is father's face like that?"

As the whole family was having breakfast, Lois asked innocently.

At those words, the eyes of Luca and Adrian, Sophia and Raphine turned to the Duke.

'Is it a crucian carp?'

Raphine thought as she looked at the swollen Duke of Eston's face.

His eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks were all swollen.

The impression that he was handsome but somehow sharp and harsh, seemed a little softer today.

It may be because of the swollen face as a whole.

"Honey...."

Sophia cautiously called her husband, who was not at the very end.

My big husband looked particularly pathetic today. Just like my big brother who was abandoned...

"No, ma'am."

The Duke of Eston answered nonchalantly and began to eat. His voice was very different from usual.

'You cried again.'

Sophia seemed to be heartbroken, but soon she did not express it and started helping Raphine eat.

My husband didn't want to make it obvious, but I didn't want to bring it up.

And now that I see it's...

Sophia agonized for a moment.

She was sleeping with Raphine these days.

In other words, the Duke was staying alone every night.

I was already hated by Raphine, not hated, but remembered that I couldn't take care of my husband because I was only paying attention to Raphine.

Sophia wanted Raphine to open her heart to her Father as soon as possible.

"I should try harder."

Sophia looked pitifully at her husband.

And Adrian was also thinking the same thing when he saw his father's swollen face.

"You cried again."

Unlike a sweet and gentle mother. Father has always been a difficult person.

I don't remember in detail because I was young, but especially after the youngest died, my father became colder than before.

Of course, he smiled in front of his family, but Adrian felt that there was deep sadness and darkness beyond that smile.

"It'll get better."

The atmosphere of the Duke, which had always been hard and cold somewhere, changed after Raphine came.

Time will pass slowly.

In the end, the day will come when both the wounds that the family has suffered and the wounds that Raphine has inflicted will all fade away.

Adrian laughed at Raphine, who was eating hard.

"Lois, look at Daddy's face."

"I saw it too, so be quiet."

After reading the atmosphere on the table, Lois glared at Luca.

"But it's like crucian carp, isn't it, Raphine?"

Lois shrugged and asked Raphine, who was sitting across from her.

'I'm not the only one who thought he looked like a crucian carp.'

That fact was somehow funny, so Raphine unknowingly said, "Puha!" and laughed out loud.

"...."

"...?"

As Raphine laughed, silence came to the table.

There were many times when she smiled brightly, but it was the first time Raphine laughed out loud.

"Bah. Did Raphine just laugh?"

Luca asked, blinking.

「You are laughing out loud. Sweetheart, you are so rude. But baby, you'll be fine.」

"...."

At the words of Ruby on her lap, Raphine realized her mistake.

Raphine looked carefully at the Duke of Eston, who was sitting on the edge.

'I'm so sorry...'

The Duke of Eston showed a friendly smile with an innocently swollen face.

It seemed a bit pitiful to see him trying to look as not intimidating as possible.

Last night, even young Luca and Lois were so impressed that their father gave them a sympathetic impression. After hearing the report, he could understand why Raphine was afraid to see him.

You will have no choice but to be afraid of adult men.

That's why Raphine is no longer hurt by avoiding or being scared of him.

"...."

Raphine hesitated for a while and poked a piece of meat with a fork.

Then she stretched out her arm and held out a fork toward the Duke sitting at the end.

Sophia's face turned bright.

"Honey...."

"...!"

Duke Eston blinked as if he couldn't believe it.

"Me, for me?"

"...Yes."

In response to Raphine's answer, Duke Eston jumped up and walked in one step.

Then, next to Raphine's chair, he knelt down on one knee without hesitation

An iron-blooded Duke that even the Emperor couldn't do recklessly.

His wife and Raphine would be the only ones in the world who could bring the Duke of Eston to his knees so easily.

"Ah!"

Raphine shouted, "Ah!" with her mouth wide open.

"Okay. Ah...!"

Duke Eston was willing to open his mouth and eat a piece of meat from the child.

However, he couldn't even chew and soon began to sob, covering his mouth.

"Huh..."

The faces of Luca and Lois, who were watching the scene, were wrinkled.

'I witnessed my father crying a few days ago, but I've never seen him sobbing that much.'

"Hmm—"

"Dad—"

In the end, even Luka and Lois started crying.

"I was moved to see my father cry so sadly,' he thought, who he thought was the strongest in the world.

"Honey....."

Even Sophia started to weep, and the workers who were watching also took out their handkerchiefs and taped their eyes tightly.

"Sigh....."

Adrian took a deep breath. But his eyes were already moist.

"What's the mood for this meal, sweetheart...?"

"..."

Raphine was embarrassed that the situation had turned into a sea of crying, but when everyone started crying, her heart fluttered a little without realizing it.

"I'm sorry, Raphine. Baby, don't cry. Dad was wrong. So..."

As Raphine began to cry, the Duke of Eston comforted the child by stroking her face with a large hand.

"Ugh—"

With the tip of his lips down. His shoulders moved up and down. Tears were about to burst out.

'I don't want to cry!'

But tears easily spread. The sorrow was overwhelming and her heart kept shaking.

She reached out to the Duke who comforted Raphine.

"...Raphine."

"Honey—"

Sophia smiled as if she were asking for a quick hug.

The Duke of Eston looked carefully at the child with his trembling arms.

It was the moment I hugged my youngest daughter for the first time in 16 years.

"It's a crucian carp... I made a mistake in teasing you."

Raphine was held by the Duke of Eston and apologized with tears in his eyes.

At that, the duke burst out laughing.

Like tears, smiles are contagious.

At Raphine's cute apology, Sophia and Adrian began to smile on the faces of the twin brothers, and on the faces of the servants who were watching.