42.
“Oh, Father?”
At the sudden appearance of the grandfather, everyone but me stared in surprise.
“What, did I arrive at a bad time? Why are you all looking at me as if you’ve seen a ghost?”
“Well, it’s just that we didn’t expect you to recover from your sulking so quickly. You showed up as if nothing happened, so we couldn’t help but be surprised.”
“Hmph. Who’s sulking?”
The grandfather replied peevishly, pulling up a chair next to Lucian rather than taking his usual seat of honor. He stared at me across the table and spoke.
“Child, when I ran into you earlier, there was something I didn’t get to say.”
All eyes in the dining room turned to him. I waited, feeling a flicker of tension; I feared he might retract his favor or decide he couldn’t grant my wish after all.
“Congratulations on becoming a member of the Papiope Ducal House.”
“Pardon?”
The unexpected hospitality made me blurt out a question before I could stop myself. The grandfather shifted, clearly embarrassed.
“Ahem. Anyway, since you’ve become my daughter’s daughter, you are to call me Grandfather from now on.”
“Pffft, haha! I’m grateful for your words, but haven’t I been calling you Grandfather all along?”
“Tsk. You should know what I mean without me having to spell it out—you are to think of me as your real grandfather. You talk too much!”
After grumbling, he seemed to notice the handkerchief wrapped around my hand. His mood shifted, and he asked with genuine concern.
“So, is your hand all right? It looked like it would bruise for sure; it only occurred to me after I’d sent you away.”
When the grandfather worried about my hand, the Duke tilted his head.
“Oh, Father. Were you there when Tania bumped her hand on the door?”
“……What? Bumped it on the door?”
The grandfather narrowed his eyes, confused, but when I gave him a subtle look, he quickly corrected himself.
“Y-yes. I saw it with my own two eyes—her bumping her hand on the door. It was such a hard hit, I was tempted to give that door a good scolding for doing that to Tania, but I held back.”
“Oh, my.”
The Duke chuckled, looking surprised. “Tania, you said you met Father separately earlier—you must have completely captivated him in that short time. To think Father would even pretend to scold a door. You’re quite resourceful.”
“Well, the door didn’t do a very good job, either.”
I replied calmly, glancing at a flustered Lucian, and speared a piece of steak, popping it into my mouth.
The Duke smiled, clearly amused by the banter. “It’s nice to have you here, Father. It feels lively.”
The grandfather looked at the Duke’s smiling face with displeasure before quietly opening his mouth.
“Vivi, I heard Tania spent the night at her guardian’s house yesterday.”
“That’s right. Have you heard from Tania already?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t we invite the guardian to the ducal estate and meet them?”
“Yes. We did the same for Lucian, so it’s only natural we should meet Tania’s guardian as well. I’ve already sent the invitation.”
“When are they coming?”
“I sent it today, so I haven’t received a reply yet. If they accept, they should arrive in three days, around lunchtime this weekend.”
“Hmm. I see…….”
The Duke tilted his head, looking puzzled. “But why are you suddenly looking for Tania’s guardian, Father?”
“I’m just curious. Why, am I not allowed to take an interest in my grandchildren?”
“No, I’m glad you do. Please, continue to take plenty of interest in them!”
“Hmph…….”
The grandfather kept his grumpy expression, then turned his attention to me.
“Tania, you need to eat more! Your limbs are so spindly, I’m afraid they’d snap if I touched them.”
His tone was gruff, but his concern was evident. Irritated by how slowly I was cutting my meat, he took my plate and began to briskly cut the steak for me.
Before long, the meat, sliced into perfect, bite-sized pieces, was placed back in front of me.
This is why people are so fond of him.
Looking at my grandfather, who had gone to such trouble, I beamed and gave him an exaggerated thumbs-up.
“My grandfather is the best! I’m so, so happy that you are my grandfather!”
It was a clumsy bit of flattery, but the corners of his mouth twitched, unable to hide his joy. They were such a cute family.
✦ ✦ ✦
After the meal, I went into the room the Duke had prepared for me and couldn’t help but admire it.
It had been decorated in just a single day, but it was filled with treasures a young girl would love—from the princess-style lace canopy on the bed to the large teddy bear.
Why was the Duke treating me so well?
Of course, given his personality, I had never once thought he would neglect a child he adopted. But this was more than I had expected. It felt like a real family. It felt like I had truly become the Duke’s daughter.
I looked around the room, my heart fluttering. This was my first time having such a luxurious space. In my previous life, I had focused on saving every penny rather than spending it.
I jumped onto the bed, which looked like a cloud, and sank in.
*Flump!*
The bed was large enough that I wouldn’t fall off no matter how much I rolled around. A soft, cozy scent of well-dried sunlight drifted from the bedding. As I enjoyed the luxury, I suddenly thought of Aiden.
“I have to bring Aiden to the ducal estate soon, too.”
Of course, since I planned to get him a job as a Papiope knight, he wouldn’t have a room like this……. Still, I wanted him in the same space as me soon.
I was clutching the pillow and giggling to myself when—
*Knock, knock.*
I tilted my head. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Judging by the boy’s voice, I could guess who it was. There was only one boy in the Papiope household. When I didn’t respond, a very small voice drifted from outside.
“I…… came to apologize.”
You’ve finally come to your senses!
I curled my lips into a smile and trotted toward the door, throwing it wide open.
“Big Brother Lucian!”
“…….”
He avoided my gaze, looking elsewhere. His ears were bright red, likely shy about being the first to apologize.
“……Why did you shield me?”
“I told you. I wanted to get along with you, Brother.”
Lucian bit his lower lip as if he couldn’t grasp my reasoning. “Even though I hit you?”
“I know you didn’t mean to push me that hard, Brother. Honestly, weren’t you happy when I said I wanted to get along?”
He opened his mouth to argue, but eventually bowed his head.
“……Yeah.”
He replied so quietly I had to lean in. He caught his breath, then finally mustered the courage to look up and meet my eyes. A determined resolve was reflected in his red gaze.
“Listen…… I’m sorry about earlier today. I’m also grateful that you looked past my mistake.”
I felt a thrill, as if I had finally cracked the shell of a sensitive cat.
“So, you realize I meant it, right? From now on, you won’t push me away, okay?”
“Yeah…….”
“Promise me.”
When I held out my pinky finger, Lucian hesitated. “I-is your hand okay? If you’re feeling up to it, let’s go see the Papiope physician together.”
“Oh, this?”
I unwrapped the handkerchief still tied around my hand and showed him my perfectly healed skin.
“Just like the Duke said, I went to see a healing Abilitator right after dinner. Thanks for worrying about me.”
“I see…….”
Lucian seemed to finally lose his tension, slumping to the floor right where he stood. I was startled and reached out to support him.
“Brother, are you okay?”
He covered his face with both hands, his voice trembling.
“I’m so ashamed of myself for being wary of you. Tania, I’m so sorry……. I don’t know what I’m doing at this age.”
No, that is exactly the age you should be doing that. If a grown man had acted that way, he wouldn’t have his bones left by now.