I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 12
Strange child.
He looked down at the face of the child who had fallen asleep first while humming a lullaby. Her cheeks, twitching as she smacked her lips in her sleep, looked like ripe apples.
He knew from the moment he first saw the child.
That child, the illegitimate Imperial Princess he had saved, was not the type to be swayed by threats. If threats didn’t work, one could persuade with benefits.
He had more than enough power for that. But the moment he saw that face smiling at him without a trace of attachment, he realized.
“I don’t deserve Your Grace’s consideration. “
The child wanted nothing.
She was like… someone who was sick of life itself. Just living, and nothing more. Perhaps it was because the child had never experienced life.
So he instructed that gifts a young child would likely enjoy be sent to the Imperial Princess.
“Did the child like them? “
“Well… she did like them, but. “
Among all those gifts, the child chose the cheap ribbon that wrapped the box. Would this child want to live if she experienced things she had never known before?
‘How troublesome.’
Yurian lightly pinched the cheek of the young Imperial Princess who was sleeping soundly.
The soft, chewy texture was unfamiliar.
Come to think of it, he had never lain like this with his two sons. His deceased wife had always been frustrated by his hesitation to reach out.
“Children don’t die from being touched. Come on. Touch them. It’s okay. “
“… “
“Wait, if you hold the child like that! “
He had once broken the arm of his newborn second son while holding him. After that, keeping a distance from the children became natural.
It was fascinating to see such small beings, not even reaching his waist, talking and walking.
Not knowing how to interact with them, he only watched from afar.
‘I wasn’t a good father.’
After losing his wife and the daughter he never saw in an accident, he was preoccupied with managing his grief. When he decided on revenge and came out of his room, the children had grown significantly.
The already distant relationship with his children had become irreparable.
‘Perhaps it’s natural.’
In public, he was called an emotionless monster who had massacred countless people. As if the cruelty he showed on the battlefield was some kind of abhorrent sin.
He had long been accustomed to others’ fear and terror towards him.
That’s why the Imperial Princess was so curious.
Even while dying, she clung to his cape in fear, yet nestled against him without hesitation. Or how she would talk back consistently while still being cautious.
It was quite interesting to watch the child’s expressions change moment by moment.
“She says she likes me.”
How long had it been since he heard someone say they liked him?
‘It’s not good to get too close.’
But if left alone, it seemed the child would easily give up on life.
Was it because she didn’t expect a future? At times, the child looked desperate, like someone living their “last remaining day.”
Just like how he had once locked himself in a room, chasing traces of the deceased.
“My lady would never want this kind of commemoration. So please… “
“Shut up. “
“It’s been months since the funeral ended. Think of the two young masters, if nothing else! “
Neither the power over the imperial family nor the wealth considered the greatest among the continent’s merchants.
None of it could prevent the death of his loved one.
All he could do was resolve to inflict the same pain on those who took her away. Nothing else had value to him besides that day’s vow.
So even if he momentarily felt a sense of kinship with the child, nothing would change.
‘What needs to be done is clear.’
Whatever life the child had lived, he would probably end up trampling and crushing her future.
Perhaps this child’s real misfortune was meeting me.
Yurian pulled at the gray ribbon tied to the child’s hand. Just as his hand was about to untie the ribbon, his aide’s voice was heard.
“Your Grace, it’s about time for you to leave.”
“I’ll be right there.”
This outing would be a long one.
He fixed the child’s blanket that had slipped down below her navel. The ribbon loosely tied around her wrist resembled the child’s precariousness.
“…Don’t go.”
The child mumbled in her sleep.
Her small fingers, reaching out in her sleep, weakly grasped his clothes.
After hesitating, he removed the child’s fingers and kissed her sleeping cheek.
“Le Ceron (May angels dwell in your dreams).”
As he whispered the Empire’s customary greeting to young children, the child smiled faintly. This should be enough repayment for singing the lullaby.
Perhaps annoyed by the stimulus in her sleep, the child rubbed the cheek where his lips had touched with the back of her hand.
***
Several days passed after the Grand Duke left.
The Grand Duke said he was leaving the north for the capital, leading his retainers. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to return for a while, at least.
‘A trip to the capital at this time.’
I wondered if there might be an event related to the original story, but nothing came to mind.
Above all, the original story didn’t clearly specify the timeframes of major events. It was difficult to guess the original timeline without seeing a chronology.
‘The original story has finally begun, but…’
In fact, my mind was full of other thoughts.
For instance, about the person Gerard said he would bring.
The maids, worried about my recent reticence, held a tea party for me in the garden.
“Ta-da! Here’s the Grand Princess’s tea.”
Sen poured tea into a cup and set it before me. The refreshment table, carefully prepared by the maids, was full of all kinds of desserts.
‘I don’t think I can eat it all.’
Normally, I would have been excited by the lavish desserts, but I had no appetite. As I stared blankly at the desserts, Sen came forward with a doll.
“Look. This rabbit doll wants to have tea with the Grand Princess too!”
“Sen, dolls can’t drink tea.”
“No, no. Grand Princess, have you never seen dolls drink tea?”
Sen grinned and quickly moved her hand, splashing tea on the doll’s face. The pink rabbit’s face became wet and brown.
Sen proudly held out the empty teacup and declared triumphantly.
“See! It drank! Shall we make the other dolls drink tea too?”
No, that’s not right.
I stopped Sen just as she was about to dunk the faces of other dolls into the tea. Seeing Sen and the maids trying their best to cheer me up, I felt a strange tickle in a corner of my heart.
‘Why go to such lengths for a fake like me.’
A tea party under the warm sunlight with various high-class desserts.
An unpleasant sensation of occupying someone else’s place stirred in my mind. Was there no way I could give something back to them before being discovered as not the Imperial Princess?
After pondering for a moment, I grabbed Sen’s apron and asked.
“Sen, what would you do if you were to die tomorrow?”
“Grand Princess, why such frightening words…”
“Please answer.”
As I asked seriously, Sen’s expression became equally grave. She put down the doll and after pondering for a while with a furrowed brow, she finally gave an answer.
“Hmm. Wouldn’t I thank the people I care about for everything up until now?”
“I see.”
Hearing Sen’s words, I felt I knew what to do before Gerard returned. Even in this short life, there were plenty of people I was grateful to.
What if I left farewell letters for those who had worked hard for me, who wasn’t even the real Imperial Princess? As I found something to do, my heavy heart felt somewhat lighter.
“Thank you, Sen.”
“Wait a moment! I’ll bring the image crystal right away, so please maintain that expression!”
“…”
“I must record that wonderful face!”
As Sen ran off to find the image crystal, I made more concrete plans.
‘I can write it as a will too.’
It wouldn’t be right to write farewell letters on colored paper. I should ask for different paper.
“Bring me some letter paper, please.”
At my sudden request, the maids who were bewildered suddenly had tears in their eyes.
“So you were lonely because Gerard isn’t here. Are you going to write him a letter?”
“We were worried because you’ve seemed down lately, but to think this was the reason.”
I didn’t have any particular thoughts about Gerard though.
Before I could correct their misunderstanding, Sen, who had been listening to the maids’ conversation, whispered in a small voice.
“Shh. It’s not for Gerard.”
“Then who?”
“I think she’s feeling down because His Grace left.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense. She was fine the day Gerard left.”
After whispering and conferring for a while, the maids presented me with high-quality parchment. Sen, who handed me a quill, said cheerfully.
“His Grace will be happy if you write him a letter!”
“It’s not for the Grand Duke though?”
“Come on. There’s no need to be shy.”
Too lazy to correct Sen’s words, I quietly moved the pen. It wouldn’t be bad to curry favor with the Grand Duke by writing him a letter anyway.
‘Soon, it’ll be revealed that I’m not the Imperial Princess.’
As I pondered what to write to the Grand Duke, I scribbled roughly.
[I’m always grateful.]
Now it was time to write the will and farewell letter.
With the maids’ expectant gazes fixed on my cheeks, I couldn’t move the quill. I pouted my lips and said grumpily on purpose.
“The content is secret.”
The maids who had been hovering nearby scattered quickly.
“We’re sorry! We’ll just look at the wall for a while, so please write comfortably!”
“Such a precious letter should only be seen by the person it’s for.”
“Please call us when you’re done!”
It was quite uncomfortable trying to write a long text in a child’s body. I wrote as neatly as possible so it would be easy to read.
After finishing the first sentence, I could easily complete the second and third sentences.
Sen put the letter I had written into an envelope.
I put the will and farewell letter in a dedicated drawer, making the excuse that I hadn’t finished writing it yet. Sen called for a coachman and handed it over with a happy expression.
“The letter will be delivered to His Grace as quickly as possible using the mansion’s teleportation magic circle.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t care much about that letter anyway.
Although I sent it, I didn’t expect a reply from the Grand Duke either. As I sprawled on the table, Sen cautiously suggested.
“If you’re bored, would you like to go to the library tomorrow?”
“The library?”
“Yes. It has all kinds of fairy tale books.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
What if I borrowed a chronology from the library and looked up the detailed original timeline?
‘It’s a chance to figure out the original story’s timeline.’
Focused on the library, I didn’t realize. That the letter for the Grand Duke and the will had been switched.
