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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Father
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*Cough!*
Hearing Lumina call him ‘Father,’ the people nearby let out a series of dry coughs, as if something were caught in their throats.
“Father, have you been well? I hope nothing was wrong?”
*Cough, cough!*
At the repeated use of ‘Father,’ everyone grew flustered and continued to cough quietly.
As if oblivious, Lumina approached Lucius with light, quick steps.
The small, fair-skinned Lumina, grinning brightly, drew closer to the large, dark-clad Lucius.
The sight was reminiscent of an innocent baby rabbit approaching a fierce beast, completely unaware of the danger.
*What if she gets eaten alive?*
Everyone watched anxiously, unable to sit still.
Just as Lumina was about to embrace Lucius.
Lumina came to an abrupt halt, just one step away from him.
The memory of impulsively hugging him last time, only to be met with a chilly response, surfaced in her mind.
Look at the office now. The atmosphere wasn't just cold; it was so dry it felt like her skin was cracking.
Fearing that touching him would make the mood even more tense, Lumina fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled.
“Was I being too presumptuous? I should have called you Your Grace. If I offended you by calling you Father…”
“No.”
Lucius cut her off, his reply blunt.
“Legally, you are married to Karayan, so it is right for you to call me Father.”
Lucius was resting his chin on his hands, so the corners of his mouth were completely hidden.
With his sunglasses on, even his gaze was unreadable, leaving only his low, cold, baritone voice.
It was a tone that a sensitive person might have interpreted as anger.
But it was followed by the girl's cheerful voice.
“Really?”
“…”
“Are you really, really, really sure it's okay?”
*Sparkle, sparkle.*
Lumina’s eyes sparkled as she stared intently at Lucius.
“Yes. More importantly, finish what you were doing.”
“Pardon?”
Lumina tilted her head.
“You stopped halfway just now, did you not?”
There was only one thing Lumina had started to do but stopped.
Trying to give him a friendly hug.
Knowing this, Lucius couldn't bring himself to say it directly and spoke in a roundabout way.
*‘The Duke didn’t like it when I hugged him.’*
But now that he’d noticed she’d stopped short of doing something, she couldn’t just deny it and say it was nothing.
At a crossroads, Lumina thought for a moment.
And then…
*Tap—.*
She rested her head against Lucius’s arm with a light tap.
“This is what I was going to do!”
Lucius turned his head.
He saw the small, wheat-colored head.
It was just a light touch.
He was even wearing an outer coat, so there was no way he could have felt it directly.
And yet, that simple contact sent a ticklish feeling through his chest.
At the same time, the corners of his lips twitched upward.
In truth, though he hadn't realized it himself, he had been slightly upset.
That was why he had deliberately pretended not to notice Lumina when she returned, instead of welcoming her.
The reason for his displeasure was simple.
When Lumina left, she had only hugged Olivia. It was an emotional reason, unbefitting of a Legion.
But that feeling lasted only until a moment ago.
The moment Lumina touched him, Lucius’s heart melted away.
*‘Doesn’t the Duke look pleased?’*
*‘You see it too?’*
The servants, conversing with their eyes without moving their lips, shifted their gazes to Olivia.
It was to seek her agreement.
But Olivia was already lost in another thought.
*‘I’m so envious…’*
Her expression clearly said as much.
When Lumina first appeared, everyone had thought she was a baby rabbit foolishly sticking its head into the jaws of a beast.
But they were wrong.
The baby rabbit was inside the beast’s mouth, clicking castanets and playing a recorder, romping about as if it were its own home.
“You must be tired from traveling. Go back to your room and rest.”
“Okay!”
Lumina turned away without a second thought.
Lucius, momentarily flustered, said.
“It will be difficult to find your way. I shall take you.”
“I know where it is!”
“It's not that room, but another. You are no longer my ward, so a new room has been prepared for you.”
“But Father, aren't you busy? You were looking over documents just a moment ago.”
“They're for decoration.”
*What? Shouldn't those not be for decoration?*
But there was no stopping Lucius, who had already made up his mind.
Lumina found herself being led along by him. And Ash and Olivia followed quietly behind them.
As they walked down the wide corridor, Lumina chattered away by herself.
Lucius, who had been responding lightly, suddenly slipped his hands under Lumina’s arms and lifted her effortlessly.
*‘…?’*
The entire motion was as natural as flowing water.
“It feels like you've gotten lighter again.”
Lumina, who had been briefly lifted into the air before being set down, protested.
“I ate a lot at home! If anything, I’ve probably gained weight.”
Lumina puffed out a breath through her nose and patted her flat stomach.
As if she could have gained any significant weight to boast about.
To Lucius, her statement was absurd.
When Lumina had collapsed, he had been told she was suffering from malnutrition.
There was no way he could believe she had gained weight in just a few days.
“It seems the food at home was more to your liking than what you ate here.”
He said this while plotting to kidnap the Lanshuss estate's chef.
Hearing that she ate well at home must have meant the food there suited her palate better.
In that case, he would kidnap the chef, feed her all her favorite foods, and fatten her up.
The kidnapping plot was taking shape in a short amount of time.
But Lumina shook her head without a moment's hesitation.
“Of course not. The most delicious meal I've ever had in my life was the one I shared with you, Father!”
The plan to kidnap the chef was scrapped.
Instead, the corners of Lucius's lips rose again of their own accord.
*Twitch, twitch.*
Watching from the side, Olivia clicked her tongue inwardly.
It was a grim smile, one that would have made anyone else back away in fear.
“This is the place.”
Soon, Lumina was able to enter the new room assigned to her.
It was larger and more ornate than the room Lumina had stayed in before.
Given the grand scale of the ducal estate, it was incomparable even to her room back at the Lanshuss manor.
“This is the drawing-room, and the bedroom is over there. The bedroom has a spacious balcony, so you can enjoy teatime while looking out at the garden without having to go outside.”
“…”
“And if you come this way, the dressing room is…”
This wasn't a ‘room’; it was closer to a ‘house.’
One could have called it a villa and been believed.
Listening to Olivia's continued explanation, a hesitant Lumina struggled to speak.
“I'd like to stay somewhere other than here.”
*Ah. This is too much.*
Her sense of reason, crying out for restraint, vehemently protested against her staying in this room.
“Hmm, is it too small, then?”
“E-Excuse me?”
But Lucius, unaware of the situation, jumped to a completely different conclusion.
“Olivia, summon the contractors. Knocking down the walls to turn this entire floor into one room by the end of the day might be a good idea.”
“This floor contains a room where the previous Duke Heart's treasured art collection is stored, but I suppose…”
It seemed there was an important place on this floor whose walls should absolutely not be torn down.
Thinking Olivia was about to object, Lumina cheered for her inwardly.
“It should be fine.”
*Please, stop him!*
Her cheering had been in vain.
“Good. Let's get started immediately.”
“W-Wait a moment!”
“Hm? If you don't like the room itself, we can just tear it all down and start over, so speak freely.”
“No, no! That's not it. I mean that a place like this is too extravagant for someone like me.”
“Someone like you?”
*...Someone who is barely suppressing the desire for luxury?*
But she couldn't say that out loud.
“Even the room I stayed in temporarily was more than I deserved. I let it be since it was a guest room, but this is where I'll be staying from now on.”
Lumina was afraid of getting used to a place like this, of thinking of it as ‘my room.’
She felt as if the demon of greed would possess her at any moment, and her past life would repeat itself.
“Wouldn't a place just a little better than the attic you saw last time be perfect for me?”
“Be specific.”
Lucius gestured with his chin, clearly displeased.
“I mean, a place smaller than this, with less sunlight, and without any obviously expensive furniture! It would be even better if there were dust bunnies rolling around or some bugs.”
“…”
“I've lived in places like that for half my life. Suddenly living in such a luxurious place would feel as uncomfortable as wearing clothes that don't fit.”
Honestly, she was confident she could live here as comfortably as if she were wearing clothes she’d worn her whole life.
But Lumina did not let her guard down.
“So, Father. Please reconsider.”
In the middle of her passionate speech, Lumina suddenly felt something was off. The atmosphere around her had changed.
*‘Huh?’*
Hurriedly looking at Lucius and Olivia, Lumina understood.
They were all looking at her with pity.
Even Ash, standing like a shadow in the back, was sending her a look of sympathy.
