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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Tears and Laughter
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“……”
What is he doing?
Lellia was sitting at a table with a perfect view of the garden.
On the table before her, desserts were laid out.
Dessert time.
It was Lellia’s favorite time of day, second only to mealtime.
But today, she was with Carius.
‘He didn’t even eat a meal.’
Lellia found it strange that Carius would suddenly ask her to have dessert with him.
“Try one.”
Carius kindly placed a Maklia on Lellia’s empty plate.
The Maklia was a round dessert drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Just looking at it made her mouth water. It was a dessert she had never seen before.
‘Don’t tell me he poisoned it.’
Lellia eyed Carius with suspicion for a moment.
‘I know he dislikes me, but…’
Still, Carius wasn’t the type of person to kill someone, especially a child, through such a cowardly act.
‘Besides, Grandmother’s condition has improved so much since I arrived… There’s no way he’d do something like that.’
Lellia dismissed her suspicions and took a large bite of the Maklia.
“……!”
Lellia’s brow furrowed deeply.
The maid, Becky, who was watching, had a worried expression.
There was a reason why Becky had never brought Lellia a Maklia before.
Usually, young children prefer sweet desserts.
But the Maklia was filled with a strong-scented cinnamon jam inside its round pastry.
The stronger the cinnamon flavor, the deeper the taste, making it a dessert not typically favored by children.
‘How could he do this to a child?’
Becky shot a resentful look at Carius. To be honest, she was well aware that Lord Carius was not fond of the young miss.
It was understandable that he might see her as an outsider who had just rolled in.
However, all the servants in the castle were rather fond of Lellia.
While the Duke’s orders played a part, Lellia was also a very bright and lively child.
It was also heartbreaking to sometimes see sadness so clearly on the face of a child who should have been running around cheerfully.
Perhaps that was why she couldn't look kindly upon Carius for making the child eat a dessert difficult for children to enjoy.
Bullying her with food was just petty. It was downright childish.
However, Lellia, who she expected to spit out the mouthful immediately, did not.
With a scrunched-up face, she chewed diligently and then swallowed it down.
‘Did she force herself to eat it?’
The thought that she was doing it because she didn’t want to get on Lord Carius’s bad side made Becky’s heart ache.
But Lellia picked up another one and ate it.
“It’s so delicious! Becky! This is really good! I mean it!”
Lellia began to eat the Maklias enthusiastically, smiling brightly at Becky.
“……”
Carius, who had been watching her in silence, lowered his head.
It was because another surge of emotion welled up inside him.
Elizabeth and Carius, whose tastes in food were remarkably similar, had loved this dessert since they were children.
So much so that they would compete to see who could eat more.
Moreover, seeing Lellia scrunch up her face and chew diligently when eating something delicious reminded him of his childhood.
Whenever his sister ate something tasty, she would furrow her brow and savor the flavor.
It was a truly funny and cute expression, and Lellia’s was just like it.
Among all his siblings, Carius had been the closest to Elizabeth.
After Elizabeth’s death, he had fallen into such a severe depression that he had even developed mutism for a time.
It was far too late, but based on everything he had felt until now, he could be certain.
This child was undoubtedly his late sister’s daughter.
‘What have I been doing all this time…?’
And yet, how had he treated such a child?
He had directed his killing intent at this child when he met her at the Imperial Palace and intimidated her.
It was the same after she came to Castle Superion. Knowing the child was afraid of him, he had always glared at her with fierce eyes.
Soon, he covered his face with one hand and began to cry, his shoulders shaking.
“……”
Lellia, who had been busy devouring the Maklias, stared at Carius in bewilderment.
When she looked at Becky, the maid shrugged, as if she didn’t know what was going on either.
It was then.
“My dear child, are you having dessert?”
Duke Superion, who seemed to have just returned from an outing, approached and spoke in a gentle voice.
Startled, Lellia’s eyes widened as she looked at her grandfather.
The Duke took her expression to mean, ‘What about Grandmother?’ and answered, feeling proud of her.
“Your grandmother fell asleep in the carriage, so I had her taken to her bedroom…”
But as the Duke approached Lellia, his expression suddenly hardened.
What had come into the Duke’s view was his son, Carius, crying with his head buried in his hands.
Duke Superion blinked, finding the situation hard to believe.
No matter how many times he looked, his son was crying.
‘What is this fool doing? Why the hell is he crying in front of a child?’
The Duke glanced back and forth between Carius and Lellia, who sat opposite him with dessert crumbs all over her mouth.
He looked curious as to what could have possibly happened to create such a scene.
Flustered by his gaze, Lellia cried out without thinking.
“I-It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!”
“Hahaha… haha!”
But strangely, at her words, Carius now began to laugh out loud.
When they were young and bickering, if their father walked in, his sister would always say, ‘I didn’t do it! Carius just started crying on his own!’
But then, afraid she’d be scolded, she would quickly come over and hug Carius, whispering, ‘Big sister is sorry, so please smile!’
“……”
Lellia stared at Carius with a strange expression, as if she were looking at a madman.
Duke Superion, and the maid Becky who was watching, wore similar expressions.
