Chapter 52

✿

“…This child is my son.”

…My brother’s son and my precious nephew.

I gazed at the child’s golden hair and sparkling green eyes.

The child particularly resembles my older brother’s original hair color, blonde and green eyes.

A familiar face that resembles my brother and probably resembles my sister-in-law who’s not in this world now.

I quietly opened my mouth and stroked the child’s hair in my brother’s arms.

“Hello, baby.”

At my calm response, Cassian remained still as if he was tearing up, and carefully opened his mouth.

“…The child is in a very bad condition.”

As if I understood everything, I nodded without asking anything else.

And I reached out to him.

But he hesitated and refused to give the child to me.

“Magic power is helping his heart beat.”

Closing my eyes tightly, I glared at him with a firm gaze, who still did not hand over the child.

“Give him to me.”

“…”

“Hurry up!”

It wasn’t until I shouted that the strength in his hold gradually loosened.

At that moment, when he quickly handed over the child, I froze at the child crying in my arms.

With a pale nose because of the lack of sunlight, cute round glutinous-like cheeks, wheezing sound, and breathing leaking out of his lips, I stared at it one by one.

After a period of heavy silence, Cassian wore his robe deeper and spoke in a more determined voice.

“I’ll pick you up. Definitely.”

It meant that he would come to pick him up when his revenge was over.

His expression was hard to see, but it was presumed that his eyes were even redder.

I spoke to him in a serious tone.

“Okay, make sure to pick us up.”

Despite my mature attitude, my brother continued to utter worriedly.

“Don’t overdo it. Eat well if you’re sick. I brought some money just in case you need some pocket moneyㅡ”

“Never mind. Do you think I’m a kid? I have a lot of money!”

“Lies.”

He laughed for the first time, fussing. I shrugged and opened my mouth.

“…I’m not lying. So, what’s the name of the baby?”

In the original story, the child didn’t have a name until it was almost finished.

In the process of revenge, my brother always thought he didn’t know when he would die.

So he didn’t name the child right away and postponed it until the revenge was completed.

Thus, before he died, he just uttered the child’s name like the sound of a death sentence, like a will.

“No, there isn’t. The name, later…”

It hasn’t changed from the original.

He didn’t seem to intend to name the child yet.

Of course, after reading the original, I knew the name of my nephew to be given in the future, but of course, I pretended to be innocent.

“Can I just call it ‘Baby‘?”

“…You can name it, do whatever you want, Astel.”

I tried to peer into his face, buried deep in the robe hood.

However, only the hardened lips were visible.

Even if I don’t see it, he looks like he’s suffering from excessive debt and responsibility for his only family.

But he didn’t have much of a choice. the only way is to come to me.

“I can raise him well.”

“…”

I hugged the child tightly.

It was lovely to see him gently wrapped in my arms without crying and the fragrant milky baby smell hovering around the tip of my nose.

“I’ll protect you. Baby, let’s take care of each other.”

I gently caressed the baby’s little hand that gripped my collar.

My heart pounded as I felt the warm little child wriggling and digging into my arms.

“Oh, my!

“…What?”

“Ohh!”

The baby who opened his eyes smiled at me.

I told my brother, stroking my nephew’s fluffy hair in my arms.

“He can’t speak well because of the disease. It’d be really cute if he started talking.”

The child closed his eyes tightly as if about to fall asleep again.

My brother muttered with a long sigh.

“…I think I should go now.”

My brother seemed to be constantly being worried.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m really going to raise him well.”

My brother got up and headed towards the door.

I followed him and stood next to him. Now it was time to say our final goodbyes.

After leaving the child, I never knew when I would see him again.

I will continue to stay in the North for a while, and my brother will be busy with his full-fledged revenge.

‘It’s a miracle that my brother hid his identity and came into this place.’

We couldn’t let anyone open the door first.

Instead, he hugged me tight as I was holding the baby. Naturally, tears also formed in my eyes as it turned red.

“You should be fine.”

My brother looked at me.

Finally, I could see his face inside the hood.

He was smiling as playful as before, but his eyes looked sad.

The first time I saw his face, my heart pounded and I almost fell.

“Of course, I’ll be super luxurious, so don’t worry.”

I purposely smiled brightly, pretending not to know the sadness in his eyes.

“I’m proud of you.”

He stroked my head with a mischievous expression on his face. I held the baby in one arm for a moment and turned the doorknob.

It was then.

My brother, who had been restraining his emotions the whole time, called my name in a very gentle voice.

“Astel.”

“…”

The doorknob creaked, and the door slowly opened.

“…I’m sorry, I’m leaving you and the child alone.”

His voice trembled with guilt.

However, from the moment he decided to take revenge, he was prepared to make such a sacrifice.

After the Vietry family was falsely framed and destroyed, we are the only blood relatives of each other.

With that will, I had no choice but to nail my brother firmly.

“If you’re really sorry, you must come back.”

But he didn’t answer…

✿

On the way back from seeing my brother like that, I put the child who wiggled his body on the hallway, asking to get down.

Soon, with plump, sausage-like legs, I grabbed the baby’s hand, who was standing upright.

Wobble, wobbly~

Perhaps because of the disease, I think he’s late to speak, but it was lovely to see a three-year-old walking step by step with all his might.

‘I need to talk to him quickly and give him medicine so he can grow up healthy.’

The moment we entered the Delphinium Room through the hallway with a firm resolution.

The maids who were waiting for me in the room were shocked and hardened by the sudden appearance of the child.

Of course, all those reactions were within the scope I expected.

It was surprising that I showed up with a small child without saying a word.

I clasped the child’s hand even tighter, looking at the hardened maids.

“That child… Who’s that child…?”

I couldn’t answer whose child this was. I just smiled lightly at their puzzled faces.

“Oh, he’s my friend’s son!”

I felt sorry for the maids, but I had no choice but to say that.

“…Ah.”

“I said I liked his child and wanted to take care of him for a while. The baby’s also a little sick.”

“Aw, is he sick?”

Innocent Sally’s eyes widened. I nodded slowly with a sad expression and squeezed the child’s hand.

“There’s a small problem.””

At my words, Sally and Jenny looked at each other and struggled to smile. Nevertheless, I could not hide my embarrassment.

‘Suddenly, I have a child to take care of, so it must be a little uncomfortable.’

It’s natural that a customer brought another family member.

Strictly speaking, I’m a human being, and I have a difficult position to work in the Duke Castle in the first place.

Sure enough, Rudel, the maid who was frozen together next to the other maids, hurriedly opened her mouth.

“His Majesty… does he know this?”

The maid, who was always wise, seems to have stuttered her, but did I mishear it? So I spoke carefully.

“Ah, he doesn’t know for sure yet. I think I’ll formally greet him when he comes back!”

Of course, I told him that I would bring a friend.

But I didn’t specifically state that it was a baby, so it must have been embarrassing.

“Ah… I see.”

Their unknown gaze turned toward the angry baby.