Firina, whose face turned whitely pale, tried to cling to the Duke.
“Duke! Please listen to me first, and… huh?”
Unexpectedly, the Duke didn’t have any sword in his hand.
Instead, something else reflected a shiny light from the side.
“Ah, unconsciously.”
As everyone’s eyes focused on him, Carl said in a tone as if he had dropped some light paper.
However, unlike his ‘mistakenly’ tone, he didn’t put the sword back in.
When Carl leaned his sword slightly as if he were toying with it, the shadow of the sword which received light was cast on the Viscount’s neck.
“Heup.”
Firina felt closer to death than ever.
“W-What are you doing! Duke, please stop him! You’re not going to watch the Family of the Duke of Aslan cutting off their own family, right?”
Instead of begging to another nephew whom she couldn’t communicate with at all while being dragged, Firina plead to the Duke.
“…You’re noisy.”
Carl’s eyes shone dangerously at Firina’s annoying shrieking plea.
At that time, the Duke opened his mouth.
“Carl.”
Carl, who didn’t hit her neck right away but was putting it down just to the extent of another place moderately, looked at the Duke, who called his name and stopped him, as if it was something unexpected.
“Later.”
Of course, it wasn’t that the Duke interfered to stop him for the Viscount’s sake.
‘To think he said ‘later’? Does it mean that he’ll just watch whether the Young Lord cuts off my head or not?’
The Duke looked at Firina, who was ruminating about the meaning of the Duke’s words inside while being taken aback, with the same eyes as when he looked at the subject of the underground interrogation as he spoke.
“Right now, there’s something I need to hear first.”
Hmm. Carl took away again his gaze which was headed at the Viscount’s wrist.
“In that case, please.”
Go ahead first.
Sheep Carl, a polite boy who gives up his turn, put his sword in as he stepped back.
(t/n: the ‘sheep’ is the animal that you guys know, but in this case, it’s a metaphorical reference to a person of a very gentle disposition.)
It was when his anticipating gaze which was aiming at the politeness section didn’t move.
Brrrr.
At that dry gaze which didn’t treat her as a human being, Firina’s nape became cold and her body shuddered.
‘To think they persecute a noble like me without the Royal Family’s judgement! Even if they are the Aslan Family, they can’t do this.’
Even though she was fully losing her nerve, the Viscount had such a plan inside.
Since the Young Lord is still at an age where blood was rushing to his head, he would go wild as he pleased, but the Duke, who is the head of the family, must be different.
‘Even if I don’t know why they’re doing this to me, there’s no way he’ll let them treat a fellow noble carelessly like this. Since the political burden will be big.’
He will moderately apologize for the Young Lord’s excessive behavior, and will negotiate in order to not make matters grow bigger.
Making a rational noble-like deduction, Firina’s eyes met with the Duke’s who was looking down at her and realized.
“First of all.”
That it was a useless expectation to find rationality in front of rage that had been silently burning.
“Let’s hear of where the gold coins I sent you were used.”
Firina’s trial had only just begun.
The Duke’s golden eyes, which were looking down at her, were boiling like melted gold, which was said the Lord of the Aslan Family poured into the enemy’s neck, in the distant past.
“To which insect did the gold coins Baby should use go to… Tell me thoroughly.”
Telling her to reveal the accomplices who dared touch the childcare cost, the Duke’s voice sunk low.
The energy that was more severe than the murderous energy that’s radiating from him, made her realize that he would make it impossible for the embezzled bastards to die an easy death.
Her nape rather became much colder even than before when a real sword was pulled out.
Firina hurriedly put her muddled brain to work.
‘Childcare cost, then he’s talking about the gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family. Then, it must be that he doesn’t know anything else yet, right?’
From the point of view of a woman with a guilt conscience, she had to be careful before talking. Since it would be hard if she got caught red-handed by any chance, from a mistake with what she said.
“…Is that why you dragged me here humiliatingly like this? Childcare cost?”
When the Duke didn’t have any particular reaction to the question in which she took the plunge and see the result in her own way, Firina was relieved inside.
‘That’s a relief.’
Being caught by the Duke Family belongs to the most trivial matter among the many problems that Firina’s hands made.
‘Well, even if I touched a little bit of the gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family, saying that it’s childcare cost, isn’t that the price for taking care of the child?’
Firina thought like that even without any guilt.
“No matter how I see it, I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
Smiling subtly, Firina talked with a tone that was trivial as if it were nothing special.
“That was just a small household problem… I guess the servants conveyed it exaggeratingly.”
She clicked her tongue, tsk tsk, while saying that there’s nothing that peasants can do about it.
“And doesn’t the Duke also know? How it takes a lot of work to raise kids that age. And how it costs a lot if you’re going to raise a child in the Capital.”
The gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family were also a big amount, though.
Saying such and such about that even after building five or six mansions on the Capital’s best land, leaving the money that’d remain, the money that goes into the children these days, was nonsense talk.
“….”
At the words that were not even worthy of a reply, the Duke’s gaze deepened.
‘If she keeps on babbling, saying nonsense like this while wasting time…’
The Duke’s mouth closed quietly because he was thinking that he’ll have to use oppressive tactics for a more constructive conversation.
‘…Is the excuse working?’
However, misunderstanding the Duke’s silence, Firina tried harder to talk.
“As you know, unlike when I was young, children these days really have no manners. Of course, our….”
‘Come to think of it, what was her name?’
Firina equivocated moderately the name that didn’t immediately come to her mind.
“…Niece was like that, is not what I’m saying. I don’t even care how much Niece’s childcare costs which were sent from the Aslan Family were, but since she was pestering me about this and that….”
Firina’s words which were full of fabricated lies about the luxuriousness of Beatty, whom she couldn’t even remember her name properly continued.
Dudug.
She was cut off by the noise that was heard from the corner of the hallway.
The sound of something light falling wasn’t loud, but it was because the Duke’s and the Young Lord’s gazes headed to the end of the hallway at the familiar footsteps sound it was immediately noticeable.
“…Baby?”
Thanks to shapeshifters’ exceptional vision, he could even clearly see the details ears, eyes, mouth, and nose of the small child who was at a distance.
The Duke who witnessed the close-to-tears waters gathering in her black eyes, like a pond that was disturbed by a stone thrown by a passerby, for a moment had a flustered look.
However, Beatty, the object whom he called, wasn’t in the right mind to notice such a change in Father’s expression.
From the small palm which lost its strength without realizing it herself, she didn’t even know that her favorite acorn bag had fallen.
“You said that….”
She spoke in a trembling voice.
“You sent childcare cost for me…?”
****
‘Aunt?’
When she first found Firina’s figure in front of the office, Beatty doubted her eyes.
Her hair which was always tied up high, saying that nobles have to always be elegant, was messy, and the dress which she insisted on being perfect was wrinkled.
At the unattractive look that was impossible to exist with the Aunt’s personality which she remembered, Beatty’s eyes opened wide, almost making eye contact with a soldier who was guarding the surroundings by the sinner, and–
‘Ah!’
Without realizing it herself, she hid in the corner again.
‘Just why on earth is Aunt in that appearance…?’
What is going on?
Beatty’s head was busily working.
Of course, for Beatty who didn’t know the situation, no matter how she deliberated on it, she couldn’t know the exact situation.
‘…I don’t have the slightest idea.’
Slightly depressed, Beatty somehow felt uneasy.
As if the bad memory of the Capital’s mansion was chasing her who was in the Duke’s Castle, at the ominous feeling that was like she would return to that time again with the way things are going, her heart restlessly pounded.
Tight.
Unconsciously, Beatty embraced the acorn bag which was in her arms tightly.
‘First, let’s hear what kind of situation is this.’
And like that, Beatty pricked up her ears with squatting in the corner.
The things that have been going on since then were somewhat baffling things for Beatty, who was listening.
Unlike her imposing appearance at the Capital mansion, Aunt, who was tied up like a sinner and stood in front of Father, made nonsensical excuses like a guilty person.
On the other hand, Father sternly interrogated her like the God of Law who held a sword in one hand and a law book in the other.
(t/n: it’s not the Greek mythology one, it’s the Korean one.)
Then, a word that couldn’t be overlooked reached Beatty’s ear, who had been listening to the two’s conversation.
‘Childcare cost?’
Since at first, she didn’t know who the ‘Baby’ was in the words ‘The gold coins Baby should use’ that Father was talking about, she couldn’t understand it right away.
After listening carefully to the after conversation… above all, even Aunt specifically said.
‘Niece’s childcare costs which were sent from the Aslan Family’, she said.
Since she has never heard in her life of another niece other than herself who lives in the Capital mansion, in that circumstance, the ‘Niece’ in that word would have been herself.
‘Sent from the Aslan Family….’
Without realizing it herself, Beatty kept thinking about those words.
‘It wasn’t that he put me away to Mother’s parent’s house for nothing?’
Chewing on the tender flesh of her small lips unconsciously, a memory of some time ago came to her mind.
***
Aunt used to talk while clicking her tongue.
“Tsk tsk, for real…. Is there such a thing as unprofitable as this.”
The calculations weren’t right.
That means she got more than Aunt.
“You really have to be thankful. Is there an Aunt more merciful than me?”
The expensive Capital mansion’s operating expenses, the unnecessary food expenses, the cost of clothing that can’t be worn for long, etc.
It was things that the merciful Aunt used because of the burden Niece.
Aunt used to get angry because she was put in a position where she had to unwillingly give more.
Firina, whose face turned whitely pale, tried to cling to the Duke.
“Duke! Please listen to me first, and… huh?”
Unexpectedly, the Duke didn’t have any sword in his hand.
Instead, something else reflected a shiny light from the side.
“Ah, unconsciously.”
As everyone’s eyes focused on him, Carl said in a tone as if he had dropped some light paper.
However, unlike his ‘mistakenly’ tone, he didn’t put the sword back in.
When Carl leaned his sword slightly as if he were toying with it, the shadow of the sword which received light was cast on the Viscount’s neck.
“Heup.”
Firina felt closer to death than ever.
“W-What are you doing! Duke, please stop him! You’re not going to watch the Family of the Duke of Aslan cutting off their own family, right?”
Instead of begging to another nephew whom she couldn’t communicate with at all while being dragged, Firina plead to the Duke.
“…You’re noisy.”
Carl’s eyes shone dangerously at Firina’s annoying shrieking plea.
At that time, the Duke opened his mouth.
“Carl.”
Carl, who didn’t hit her neck right away but was putting it down just to the extent of another place moderately, looked at the Duke, who called his name and stopped him, as if it was something unexpected.
“Later.”
Of course, it wasn’t that the Duke interfered to stop him for the Viscount’s sake.
‘To think he said ‘later’? Does it mean that he’ll just watch whether the Young Lord cuts off my head or not?’
The Duke looked at Firina, who was ruminating about the meaning of the Duke’s words inside while being taken aback, with the same eyes as when he looked at the subject of the underground interrogation as he spoke.
“Right now, there’s something I need to hear first.”
Hmm. Carl took away again his gaze which was headed at the Viscount’s wrist.
“In that case, please.”
Go ahead first.
Sheep Carl, a polite boy who gives up his turn, put his sword in as he stepped back.
(t/n: the ‘sheep’ is the animal that you guys know, but in this case, it’s a metaphorical reference to a person of a very gentle disposition.)
It was when his anticipating gaze which was aiming at the politeness section didn’t move.
Brrrr.
At that dry gaze which didn’t treat her as a human being, Firina’s nape became cold and her body shuddered.
‘To think they persecute a noble like me without the Royal Family’s judgement! Even if they are the Aslan Family, they can’t do this.’
Even though she was fully losing her nerve, the Viscount had such a plan inside.
Since the Young Lord is still at an age where blood was rushing to his head, he would go wild as he pleased, but the Duke, who is the head of the family, must be different.
‘Even if I don’t know why they’re doing this to me, there’s no way he’ll let them treat a fellow noble carelessly like this. Since the political burden will be big.’
He will moderately apologize for the Young Lord’s excessive behavior, and will negotiate in order to not make matters grow bigger.
Making a rational noble-like deduction, Firina’s eyes met with the Duke’s who was looking down at her and realized.
“First of all.”
That it was a useless expectation to find rationality in front of rage that had been silently burning.
“Let’s hear of where the gold coins I sent you were used.”
Firina’s trial had only just begun.
The Duke’s golden eyes, which were looking down at her, were boiling like melted gold, which was said the Lord of the Aslan Family poured into the enemy’s neck, in the distant past.
“To which insect did the gold coins Baby should use go to… Tell me thoroughly.”
Telling her to reveal the accomplices who dared touch the childcare cost, the Duke’s voice sunk low.
The energy that was more severe than the murderous energy that’s radiating from him, made her realize that he would make it impossible for the embezzled bastards to die an easy death.
Her nape rather became much colder even than before when a real sword was pulled out.
Firina hurriedly put her muddled brain to work.
‘Childcare cost, then he’s talking about the gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family. Then, it must be that he doesn’t know anything else yet, right?’
From the point of view of a woman with a guilt conscience, she had to be careful before talking. Since it would be hard if she got caught red-handed by any chance, from a mistake with what she said.
“…Is that why you dragged me here humiliatingly like this? Childcare cost?”
When the Duke didn’t have any particular reaction to the question in which she took the plunge and see the result in her own way, Firina was relieved inside.
‘That’s a relief.’
Being caught by the Duke Family belongs to the most trivial matter among the many problems that Firina’s hands made.
‘Well, even if I touched a little bit of the gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family, saying that it’s childcare cost, isn’t that the price for taking care of the child?’
Firina thought like that even without any guilt.
“No matter how I see it, I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
Smiling subtly, Firina talked with a tone that was trivial as if it were nothing special.
“That was just a small household problem… I guess the servants conveyed it exaggeratingly.”
She clicked her tongue, tsk tsk, while saying that there’s nothing that peasants can do about it.
“And doesn’t the Duke also know? How it takes a lot of work to raise kids that age. And how it costs a lot if you’re going to raise a child in the Capital.”
The gold coins that were sent from the Duke Family were also a big amount, though.
Saying such and such about that even after building five or six mansions on the Capital’s best land, leaving the money that’d remain, the money that goes into the children these days, was nonsense talk.
“….”
At the words that were not even worthy of a reply, the Duke’s gaze deepened.
‘If she keeps on babbling, saying nonsense like this while wasting time…’
The Duke’s mouth closed quietly because he was thinking that he’ll have to use oppressive tactics for a more constructive conversation.
‘…Is the excuse working?’
However, misunderstanding the Duke’s silence, Firina tried harder to talk.
“As you know, unlike when I was young, children these days really have no manners. Of course, our….”
‘Come to think of it, what was her name?’
Firina equivocated moderately the name that didn’t immediately come to her mind.
“…Niece was like that, is not what I’m saying. I don’t even care how much Niece’s childcare costs which were sent from the Aslan Family were, but since she was pestering me about this and that….”
Firina’s words which were full of fabricated lies about the luxuriousness of Beatty, whom she couldn’t even remember her name properly continued.
Dudug.
She was cut off by the noise that was heard from the corner of the hallway.
The sound of something light falling wasn’t loud, but it was because the Duke’s and the Young Lord’s gazes headed to the end of the hallway at the familiar footsteps sound it was immediately noticeable.
“…Baby?”
Thanks to shapeshifters’ exceptional vision, he could even clearly see the details ears, eyes, mouth, and nose of the small child who was at a distance.
The Duke who witnessed the close-to-tears waters gathering in her black eyes, like a pond that was disturbed by a stone thrown by a passerby, for a moment had a flustered look.
However, Beatty, the object whom he called, wasn’t in the right mind to notice such a change in Father’s expression.
From the small palm which lost its strength without realizing it herself, she didn’t even know that her favorite acorn bag had fallen.
“You said that….”
She spoke in a trembling voice.
“You sent childcare cost for me…?”
****
‘Aunt?’
When she first found Firina’s figure in front of the office, Beatty doubted her eyes.
Her hair which was always tied up high, saying that nobles have to always be elegant, was messy, and the dress which she insisted on being perfect was wrinkled.
At the unattractive look that was impossible to exist with the Aunt’s personality which she remembered, Beatty’s eyes opened wide, almost making eye contact with a soldier who was guarding the surroundings by the sinner, and–
‘Ah!’
Without realizing it herself, she hid in the corner again.
‘Just why on earth is Aunt in that appearance…?’
What is going on?
Beatty’s head was busily working.
Of course, for Beatty who didn’t know the situation, no matter how she deliberated on it, she couldn’t know the exact situation.
‘…I don’t have the slightest idea.’
Slightly depressed, Beatty somehow felt uneasy.
As if the bad memory of the Capital’s mansion was chasing her who was in the Duke’s Castle, at the ominous feeling that was like she would return to that time again with the way things are going, her heart restlessly pounded.
Tight.
Unconsciously, Beatty embraced the acorn bag which was in her arms tightly.
‘First, let’s hear what kind of situation is this.’
And like that, Beatty pricked up her ears with squatting in the corner.
The things that have been going on since then were somewhat baffling things for Beatty, who was listening.
Unlike her imposing appearance at the Capital mansion, Aunt, who was tied up like a sinner and stood in front of Father, made nonsensical excuses like a guilty person.
On the other hand, Father sternly interrogated her like the God of Law who held a sword in one hand and a law book in the other.
(t/n: it’s not the Greek mythology one, it’s the Korean one.)
Then, a word that couldn’t be overlooked reached Beatty’s ear, who had been listening to the two’s conversation.
‘Childcare cost?’
Since at first, she didn’t know who the ‘Baby’ was in the words ‘The gold coins Baby should use’ that Father was talking about, she couldn’t understand it right away.
After listening carefully to the after conversation… above all, even Aunt specifically said.
‘Niece’s childcare costs which were sent from the Aslan Family’, she said.
Since she has never heard in her life of another niece other than herself who lives in the Capital mansion, in that circumstance, the ‘Niece’ in that word would have been herself.
‘Sent from the Aslan Family….’
Without realizing it herself, Beatty kept thinking about those words.
‘It wasn’t that he put me away to Mother’s parent’s house for nothing?’
Chewing on the tender flesh of her small lips unconsciously, a memory of some time ago came to her mind.
***
Aunt used to talk while clicking her tongue.
“Tsk tsk, for real…. Is there such a thing as unprofitable as this.”
The calculations weren’t right.
That means she got more than Aunt.
“You really have to be thankful. Is there an Aunt more merciful than me?”
The expensive Capital mansion’s operating expenses, the unnecessary food expenses, the cost of clothing that can’t be worn for long, etc.
It was things that the merciful Aunt used because of the burden Niece.
Aunt used to get angry because she was put in a position where she had to unwillingly give more.
