Chapter – 21
“Hmm.”
Back in my room, I recalled the words I had just heard from Crobie. Before I left the reception hall, he had stopped me, wanting to tell me just one more thing.
“Erusha. This is a top-secret, okay? If the Marquis finds out I told anyone, my head might roll!”
“Then don’t tell anyone!”
“But I want to! The Marquis even wanted to run away with you, Erusha, along with Juliet! Isn’t that shocking?”
“R-really?”
“Yeah… though it ended up being useless.”
What?
I had never expected such a revelation. The heir of a ducal house had actually considered abandoning his family to elope with his wife and child? And this was before he became the notorious rogue, when he must have been the perfect, elite man.
Leo’s actions clearly showed that he wanted to prevent a divorce at all costs.
“Wait… could it be that Leonardo truly loved Juliet?”
It felt strange, because in the original story, the Marquis and his wife’s relationship was described as fairly indifferent.
Still, I didn’t want to confirm Leo’s feelings through someone like Crobie, a mere subordinate. Certain sensitive emotions can’t be asked of others—they can only be known by the person themselves.
Bringing up Juliet with Leo was out of the question. That would be like reopening old wounds.
“Really… that’s strange. The Marquis and his wife didn’t seem that close.”
Or maybe it was just rebelliousness against his father that made him want to abandon the family.
Regardless, it was clear that at one point, Leo had genuinely wanted to protect his family. Even if later, he neglected and left me to my own devices.
I let out a sigh and sank into the large sofa, lifting Shasha onto my lap.
“This world is really cruel, huh.”
In my previous life, my father abandoned me and my mother, a child born out of wedlock, fearing he would lose his inheritance to my grandfather.
But Leo… at least initially, he was the opposite. Knowing that was oddly moving, and a little pitiful.
“Shasha… I wonder what mom looks like.”
I asked her, tilting my head. Sunlight caught Shasha’s lavender eyes, making them shine transparently.
Juliet Chartier.
She… had liked me? Then when I was left behind at the Shablin Ducal House, it must have hurt her, right?
The Chartier family had regarded the Shablin family as mortal enemies, so they would have abandoned me too, as a child with Shablin blood. Otherwise, they would have taken me immediately as a newborn.
No wonder Crobie’s words kept echoing in my mind.
“Erusha… she adored you so much.”
What would it feel like to have a mother who adored you?
I thought I would never know the answer. But just then, I remembered a small piece of good news I had learned last night.
“Oh! Limerick is a genius!”
I suddenly recalled the tasks I needed to prepare for. I put Shasha down and dashed out. Her eyes still shone mysteriously in the sunlight.
“Sanseaning, just come and see!”
The next day, during the daytime.
I held a bouquet of flowers in my arms, beaming with pride. Soon, Limerick would arrive for his lesson.
Learning the decisive reason for the feud between Leo and Surman had been valuable, but right now, winning over my grandfather’s favor was the most urgent task.
Rather than reconciling the two men, it seemed easier to make them realize that my daughter and I were valuable members of the household.
So I transformed the garden table behind the mansion into a classroom more lavish than any imaginable.
It looked like an outdoor wedding venue, filled with flowers everywhere. A red carpet was laid on the grass, exclusively for Limerick. Leo’s still-present fiancée and her maids helped with the setup.
Compared to the humble reception room where lessons had been held before, this classroom overflowed with effort and care.
“Limerick Bray is entering!”
Bang!
The maids fired small fireworks. Following my instructions, they stood along the red carpet and scattered flower petals.
I hurried to the end of the red carpet, smiling happily. In the distance, Limerick looked frozen.
“Sanseaning!”
Startled by my shout, he finally noticed me.
“W-what… is all this?”
“Sanseaning! Wait here!”
“!”
“This is for you!”
I ran up to him and thrust the bouquet into his arms. His eyes widened as far as they could. At that moment, I signaled Evote, who explained.
“Miss Erusha has prepared a special event for Limerick Bray. She was essentially left alone like an orphan, without a tutor. She wants to express her gratitude for being her first teacher.”
“F-first teacher?”
Limerick turned pale. It seemed he had not expected to be elevated to the role of my tutor, but I wasn’t offended.
He was a genius from a fallen noble family who had enrolled in Sozinius Academy but struggled due to his family’s lack of influence. Compared to other Sozinius graduates who were welcomed and treated well across the Empire, Limerick’s current position as a tutor to the rogue’s daughter was modest indeed.
‘Actually… this works out perfectly.’
Through Limerick, I could learn exactly what I needed to do to get into Sozinius Academy.
I couldn’t have expected my rogue father to help me like this.
“Sanseaning! Over there, there’s even a cake!”
I smiled brightly and tugged on Limerick’s sleeve.
He still seemed lost, turning his head away and running his hands over his face.
“What is this… I feel uneasy. Why is this happening all of a sudden?”
A peculiar habit of speaking one’s thoughts aloud? I thought to myself. Truly, geniuses are a different breed.
Meanwhile.
Surman was fanning himself to alleviate the throbbing headache. If he didn’t, he might have already collapsed from the heat.
Even without this, there were countless things related to the family that made him angry. Recently, one more concern had arisen.
“H-Haraberdy?”
“Erusha… the little rascal?”
A tiny head with purple hair, huge, round, lake-like eyes. So perfectly delicate and mysterious that it was hard to believe such a creature existed.
Just recalling the image made a corner of his heart ache.
“She’s adorable… I can’t believe one of my grandchildren is like this.”
Surman grimaced, clutching his chest. He already had many grandchildren he loved dearly—model grandchildren like the diligent Oscar and the polite Brianna sisters.
But upon seeing Erusha, he felt an indescribable shock, as if all his attention was stolen by this child.
A feeling he hadn’t experienced since Leonardo, his first child, was born 27 years ago… perhaps even stronger now.
‘Well, it makes sense. She’s a bloodline I never knew about.’
Regaining his composure, Surman resumed assessing the situation. As the head of the Shablin Ducal House, he was cold and stern. Even blood relatives weren’t enough to sway him so easily.
“Your Grace.”
At that moment, Nocturne’s voice reached him. Surman glanced up briefly.
“I have two updates for you. One is about the current status of Miss Erusha, and the other concerns Master Oscar.”
“Really? Tell me the bad news first.”
Nocturne hesitated and raised one eyebrow.
“…It’s hard to say which is worse.”
Could it be that the news about Oscar was also bad? Surman wondered.
“Just tell me.”
“Yes, Your Grace. First, Miss Erusha has acquired a private tutor.”
“A private tutor? That little rascal?”
