46.
Holding Uncle’s hand in one and Grandfather’s in the other, I trotted toward the drawing room.
Fortunately, we were not late; the Duke was not yet in the drawing room when we arrived.
After we sipped the tea the butler had brought out, the Duke arrived in the parlor exactly on time.
As the sound of her heels echoed from outside the open door, I sprang to my feet and ran toward her.
“You’ve arrived, Your Grace?”
She chuckled and stroked my hair.
“You were here early, Tania.”
“Hehe. Both Uncle and Grandfather are inside.”
“Oh my, am I late?”
“No. You arrived right on time.”
“Then that is a relief.”
Only then did the Duke’s gaze, which had been fixed on me, shift to the interior of the room.
Given our positions, she had a clear view of Uncle’s face, making an introduction inevitable.
I pivoted from the Duke to head back inside.
A few seconds passed.
At this point, I should have heard the Duke’s welcoming greeting.
When silence followed instead, I looked up at her in confusion.
She was staring at one spot with a vacant, dazed expression, as if she had lost her mind, and muttered under her breath.
“……My, this is a problem. He is exactly my type.”
It was such a low voice that only I, standing right beside her, could hear it.
?????
In an instant, my mind was filled with question marks.
The Duke’s gaze was, naturally, fixed on Uncle Aiden.
What? No, really?
In a fleeting moment, a myriad of thoughts flashed through my mind.
If—it was an impossible scenario, but if, truly if—the Duke and Uncle were to marry, I am the Duke’s daughter, so wouldn’t Uncle automatically become my father?
There was only one reason I had hesitated to go to Papiope: the fear that I would never be able to call Uncle “Dad” for the rest of my life.
But if this absurd union between the Duke and Uncle became reality…….
My situation would be perfect, with nothing left to wish for.
Oh.
Does this mean I should support their love?
I quickly assessed the odds. Setting aside my bias, Uncle Aiden was incredibly handsome.
He had a raw, wild, and intense face that looked as though it could never be tamed.
He possessed the kind of powerful physique that would even catch the eye of the fastidious Grandfather Declan.
And a warm heart that contrasted with all of that……!
The disparity in status between a high noble and a commoner was a flaw, but what kind of person was our Duke?
She wasn’t the type to care about collateral branches or lineage; she was the woman who gathered commoner children to hold a competition and adopt the winner. Status was no obstacle to her.
Conversely, there was no need to speak of the Duke’s own charm.
A capable woman who possessed the greatest power and wealth in the Empire. She also boasted a beauty so radiant that, in her youth, she received more marriage proposals than she could count.
Though she might have aged a bit, that beauty hadn’t faded.
Of course, she had the reputation of being a “lively mad dog,” but that was something that would be resolved after spending just a few days with her.
Once I thought this far, I couldn’t help but get carried away.
……Th-this might actually happen!
I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d be cheering for the “stock” of Uncle Aiden and the Duke of Papiope.
I don’t know how long I had been staring at the Duke with trembling eyes, but she lowered her head to meet my gaze.
“Child, did you hear that?”
“……Yes? Oh, um, yes.”
As I stammered, the Duke pressed her index finger to her lips and crinkled her eyes.
“You’ll keep it a secret, won’t you?”
Seeing her reaction, I realized I hadn’t misheard the part about Uncle being too much of a type to handle.
I nodded vigorously, my eyes sparkling. Of course, I would keep the secret. Absolutely.
Having received my promise, the Duke took my hand and walked into the drawing room as if nothing had happened.
“Sit.”
Uncle, who had been standing since the moment the Duke entered, took his seat only after she gestured for him to do so.
I scurried to sit next to Uncle, and naturally, the Duke and Grandfather sat side by side across from us.
The Duke broke the silence.
“Nice to meet you. I am the Duke of Papiope, Viviana Papiope Dillum. Thank you for readily accepting my invitation.”
“The honor is mine to be invited to the Papiope Duchy. My name is Aiden.”
“Aiden, is it……. I shall remember that well.”
I observed their conversation with interest. Was it because I knew Uncle was her type? Even the simple remark that she would remember his name felt significant.
“I heard the general circumstances from Tania. Thank you for protecting a child who had nowhere else to go. Thanks to you, I was able to form a bond with her.”
“It is nothing. Helping the Young Lady was simply a matter of basic human decency.”
“There aren’t many who live by that human decency.”
“……Passing the academy entrance exam and winning the adoption competition were both achieved by the Young Lady herself. I have done nothing.”
“You are a very humble man. I like you.”
What is this, a battle between a spear and a shield?
I had been lost in delusions of them becoming an item, but hearing the actual conversation, my fantasies popped like bubbles.
I had forgotten because he was infinitely tender with me……. Uncle was blunt as could be to everyone else.
The Duke, looking unbothered, crossed her legs and took a sip of tea.
“Actually, I provide a modest monthly allowance to the parents of the children I adopt. It’s not much, but I don’t like to call it compensation.”
“……I see.”
“Tania has no parents, so if it is alright with you, I would like to provide that allowance to you.”
In an instant, Uncle’s expression stiffened.
“I can absolutely not accept that. Not only am I unqualified to receive that money, but……”
Uncle hesitated, weighing his words before continuing.
“As Your Grace mentioned that it is difficult to call it compensation, I also feel that the exchange of money feels like buying and selling a child beyond mere parental rights.”
Surprised by his blunt response, I glanced nervously at the Duke and Grandfather.
He could have just said he wouldn’t accept it—why did he have to be so uncharacteristically emotional about it, really……!
However, the Duke seemed to like Uncle Aiden’s firm stance, and her lips curled upward.
“I am relieved. That you are Tania’s guardian.”
Uncle, who seemed to have braced himself for the realization that he was being rude, appeared caught off guard by the Duke’s smiling reaction.
“…….”
“Actually, I was worried because I heard that her guardian was a single man and a freelance mercenary. It was a needless worry. That was my prejudice.”
Feeling as if the compliment were meant for me, I puffed out my chest and spoke up.
“I told you many times that he was a good person.”
“Yes. But I wanted to see it with my own eyes. I felt I could only be at ease that way.”
The Duke smiled tenderly at me, then looked at Uncle.
“I apologize. Let us strike the matter of the regular allowance from the record.”
“Thank you.”
“However, it is a fact that you helped my daughter, and I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t reward you in some way. Is there anything you wish for?”
“Nothing. Since I did not act expecting compensation, I am already grateful just for this invitation today.”
“Truly, nothing?”
When she asked again, Uncle, who had been immovable, tentatively offered a small wish.
“……If it is possible, I would like to be allowed to see the Young Lady from time to time.”