Chapter 223
Han Ji-hyuk stared at her bowed head, then let out a deep sigh.
“Huu…”
He sat back down.
Of course, the one who felt the most bewildered and furious right now wasn’t him, but Erylotte.
Han Ji-hyuk looked out the window, swallowing his own frustration, and asked Erylotte,
“So, what are you going to…?”
He stopped.
As he absentmindedly turned to look at Erylotte, his body froze.
Her eyes glinted with a fierce light from within her shadowed face.
‘What… what is this…’
Her gaze was so chilling it made him instinctively tense up.
It was the first time he’d seen Erylotte wear such a fearsome expression.
‘…Well, she does adore her father.’
And Erylotte cherished Ragon immensely.
It took an entire year for the steel crow to mature, and during that time, Erylotte had never let him out of her sight, raising him with such care. She slept with her head against his, fed him herself, and played with him every day.
‘It was practically as if she’d raised him herself. And for her to lose him like this…’
When Han Ji-hyuk had arrived at the estate, he saw Deacons leading soldiers toward the forest.
By now, Ragon was likely already…
Han Ji-hyuk placed a reassuring hand on Erylotte’s shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but I’ll help however I can.”
“……”
Erylotte could be terrifying at times like this.
When someone she had been lenient with crossed her limits, she never dealt with them easily.
‘If I had to guess, Anatoli’s in serious trouble now.’
Erylotte looked at Han Ji-hyuk, a smirk creeping onto her lips.
She quietly fidgeted with a whitewood flute in her hand for a long time.
It was the calm before the storm.
***
The next day—
The atmosphere in the duchy’s estate was tense, like walking on thin ice.
It was only natural, given the events of the day before.
Yet, Duke Astra, master of the estate, remained silent, showing no reaction. Despite the clear disturbance to his peace, no one could tell what was on his mind, so the servants lowered themselves and moved cautiously.
Meanwhile, Former Princess Anatoli paraded Daymond around the estate.
She was the only one smiling brightly and chattering away, while Daymond remained expressionless, as if soulless. Everyone in the estate knew.
They knew that the only reason Daymond entertained the former princess was for the sake of his daughter.
“I used to think the General was just naturally expressionless, but seeing his face lately, that’s not just any expressionless face.”
“Right? I’d say even a corpse looks better than that.”
“Miss Erylotte must be feeling awful too, right?”
“It must be more than that. Poor Miss, I don’t know how she’s managing.”
The servants sighed in concern.
Among the third-generation children, Miss Erylotte was the kindest. Unlike the others, who treated the servants like mere tools, Miss Erylotte treated them like people.
“Hewwo!”
The image of three-year-old Erylotte running around, greeting everyone, was still fresh in their minds. She was still adorable, though back then she was absolutely delightful.
“Haa, Miss Erylotte must be feeling so down…”
While the staff murmured their worries, Erylotte herself—
“Hello, Former Princess Anatoli!”
─greeted the former princess with a bright face.
Seeing Erylotte purposefully seeking her out, Anatoli forced a reluctant smile.
“Oh, what brings you here?”
Usually, the former princess was desperate to keep Erylotte close. She’d often say strange things, urging her to consider her a mother.
But with Daymond by her side, Anatoli’s attitude toward Erylotte now even seemed a bit annoyed.
However, she soon glanced at Daymond beside her and plastered on a wide smile.
“It’s lovely to see you again so soon, Erylotte.”
It was obvious to anyone that she was pretending to be pleased, solely for Daymond’s sake, but Erylotte nodded cheerfully.
“Yes!”
“But don’t you think it’d be best if you stayed in the jurisdiction?”
“The jurisdiction?”
“Yes. I’m only saying this out of concern for you. After what happened yesterday, even adults can be harsh and sometimes cast cold glances at children.”
“I understand that, but…”
Erylotte drooped her shoulders, as if disappointed, and spoke in a lively tone,
“Still, I came because I wanted to give Your Highness a gift!”
“A gift?”
“Yes! A gift of gratitude!”
“Oh my, what is it?”
Though Anatoli feigned curiosity, she wasn’t interested in the slightest.
‘Honestly, her disappearing and stopping her interference with me and Daymond would be a better gift.’
But this was Daymond’s cherished daughter.
Anatoli couldn’t show any hint of disregard toward the gift the daughter had prepared with such effort.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.