Chapter 21: 21

Chapter 21

Verney took me to the dressing room and dressed me in a bright yellow evening dress.

It was light and comfortable because it was spring clothes. I felt like a forsythia when I wore a bonnet of the same color.

My family, except Michael, said I was cute as soon as they saw me dressed up.

In particular, Pedro’s attack was particularly intense. He brought out the wolf’s ears and tail and rolled over the floor in excitement. It was like a dog excited knowing it’s going for a walk.

“Brother, I want to leave immediately.”

Pedro only calmed down after I said that.

He lifted me up, rode me on his shoulders, and ran down the central staircase, accessible only to the duke’s direct family.

When I was barely holding onto Pedro’s black hair, Alan naturally took my body like a flowing stream.

As expected, Pedro ran all over the place.

“Oh! Father, what are you doing?”

“Lily likes my arms the most.”

“How does Father know that?!” 

“It’s only natural because she’s my daughter.”

“Did you ask Lily?”

“……”

Alan swung his head away from Pedro and sighed.

Whether he realized that it was impossible to break his father’s stubbornness like a bull over 100 years old, Pedro shone his sparkling eyes at me instead of Alan.

“Lily, come here. You like me better, right?”

I intuitively felt that Alan was listening and waiting for my answer.

I took turns looking at Pedro and Alan, then hugged Alan tightly.

“I like Dad better.”

Bump.

Pedro made a face as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it.

The person I need to look good to right now is this person.

I slowly rolled my eyes and looked at Alan’s expression.

He had a smile on his lips as if he liked my choice very much.

‘It’s an opportunity. Alan seems to be in a very good mood today.’

If the timing was right, I might be able to ask again to let me go to a gladiator fight.

‘If Alan doesn’t allow it, I’ll have to sneak out to the carnival.’

I prayed earnestly in my heart, begging for this to never happen.

***

As I walked out the front door, the servants of the castle were lined up on either side of the route heading to the garden.

The four twin maiden larks greeted me by scattering paper petals in front of me.

“Welcome back to the castle, Princess.”

“May you be filled with happiness in the future.”

“Congratulations on your return, Princess.” 

In their spring dresses, they looked just like spring fairies.

Their soft voices tickled me, and I blushed and smiled.

Alan, holding me, passed through a tunnel of dazzlingly bright flowers and entered the banquet hall.

White tablecloths and tower-like vases. Crystal glasses and bowls with paintings. Fondue set with sliced fig fruits.

The number of people was small compared to the size of the banquet.

Only the elite servants of House Bauner served the meal on this occasion. 

As Alan and I appeared, an orchestra could be heard softly from beyond the bushes.

It was a slow and elegant symphony like the spring sunshine.

“If the chair is uncomfortable, tell me right away, Lily.”

Alan sat me at the head of the long table, and he sat right next to me.

Pedro sat across from Alan, and Hugo sat next to him. Then, with a single gesture, he called the servant and ordered him to serve the dishes.

The way everyone was ordering others seemed as natural as breathing.

‘…Something is strange.’

Suddenly, anxiety surged. For over a month living in the Ducal Castle, I couldn’t even hold a fork properly.

Because Alan sat me on his lap and fed me like a mother bird.

But now I was sitting on a chair. Not knowing anything about table manners.

‘Am I being tested whether I’m the duke’s daughter?’

I heard it when I was living in the ant cave.

Nobles consider themselves special from birth.

Unlike the commoners, blue blood flows, and they show off their natural dignity even without learning…

‘…If I stay idly like a fool, I’ll look weirder.’

I glanced at Michael, who came late and was sitting at the corner of the table.

He was folding the napkin with neat hand movements.

I followed him, washing my hands in a finger bowl, and folded the napkin. And held the spoon in the correct posture as much as possible.

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‘Let’s follow Michael.’

That was the best I could do now.

If I sit still because I was afraid, I’d miss even Michael’s actions.

Alan groaned as I tried to scoop up the mushroom soup with a close nervousness.

“Lily likes to sit on my lap and eat.”

I carefully lifted my head and looked at the faces of the people around me.

Hugo raised his monocle glasses and shook his head.

“Father, Lily is 10 years old even though she is smaller than her age, she’s old enough to feel burdened by Father’s attention.”

“A 10-year-old is still a baby.”

“That’s what Father thinks.”

Alan frowned, still dissatisfied, as if he did not understand his son’s words.

Pedro was also indignant.

“Hey, she’s a baby! She’s so cute!”

Somehow, I was relieved. There was no sign of surveillance on me in the noisy crowd.

“Brother. I admit that, but let’s think about Lily’s heart.”

“Then ask yourself. Lily, do you know what he’s saying?”

“…Uh, yes?”

Without realizing it, I made a screeching sound, but Pedro continued the conversation without paying any attention to it.

“Lily’s age is already double digits, so we should stop treating her like a baby. If you don’t, you’ll be hated later. Isn’t that funny?”

Pedro pointed to the seat next to him with a fork, jokingly imitating Hugo.

No matter how much heat was on his side, Hugo just cut the asparagus and put it in his mouth.

“I just made a decision for Lily.”

“Oh my gosh, does that appear in the parenting book you read? That doesn’t help anything.”

“It’s more helpful than Brother.”

“…Lily, the person you like next to Father is, of course, me, right?”

Pedro turned the arrow of the story at me and added more sneaky sarcasm.

“Next is Verney, then the larks, then whipped cream cake, and go down a bit, Brother Hugo who doesn’t even give you a bite of soup. Isn’t it?” 

Hugo’s eyes, which had been holding up well, twitched for a moment.

Alan didn’t seem to want to stop the white mana rising from his feet.

“What’s so bad about feeding a little soup to a daughter who has returned after 10 years as a father… I guess I should designate that parenting book as a forbidden book.”

The lawn was noisy. I closed my eyes for a while, then secretly sighed in relief.

‘…That’s what it was. I was scared.”

The people in front of me just wanted to practice good parenting methods, they weren’t testing me.

I laughed bashfully with joy. Then everyone stopped arguing and turned to me. 

‘What, what?’

Did I get anything on my face? 

In embarrassment, I rubbed my cheek, but Hugo coughed in vain.

“…As expected, it was a good idea to hold a simple welcome party only with family members.”

I couldn’t believe this was simple. The standards of aristocracy were always unfamiliar.

“Right! I’m afraid someone’s going to see her smile and take her away.”

For ‘Lilietta’, it was a pretty close remark because she had actually been kidnapped.

But amazingly, whatever Pedro said sounded like a funny joke.

Alan, who was staring at me, picked up the knife in front of me.

“Lily, cutting is dangerous. I will cut it for you.”

Alan didn’t want my hands to be oiled, and he was so anxious that I couldn’t cut even a single bean.

Pedro pushed food in front of me at the same time.

As the tension relaxed, my stomach felt warm. It wasn’t because I ate delicious food. The kindness of the family felt good.

The beautiful scenery dyed in beautiful colors made me laugh all the time.

Delicious. It was fun. As if I was the real Lily…

“…It’s boring.”

Clatter.

Then Michael, who had not said anything, put down his fork and let out a long sigh.

As if watching all the pathetic skits. I hardened my frown, but the rest of the family didn’t respond, as the cynical Michael was familiar.

In particular, Hugo ignored Michael as if he could not hear him.

“What’s wrong with you, Michael?” 

Alan asked as he smoothly raised a wine glass.

Michael, who had put his fingertips on the table, glanced at me sullenly.

“That’s, because she’s not Lilietta, is she?”

Clank!

The fork that I dropped on the floor was spinning like my head.

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