Chapter 53

❆

A deep night when Astel was sleeping.

The maids of the Duke Castle who served Astel gathered in a small secret room to discuss the current situation.

Of course, the topic of conversation was ‘the child brought by Astel.’

“Is it really the child of a close friend?” Jenny muttered softly.

“It looked too much like Astel…”

When everyone brought up what they

thought about Astel’s situation, the atmosphere became cold.

“…And she seemed a little flustered.”

Astel wasn’t good at acting.

An experienced maid who always looked ahead, gently opened her lips and spoke.

“If it’s really Astel’s child, there might be a bloodstorm in the castle…”

Sally, Jenny, and the maid Rudel, as well as all the maids gathered in the room, have seen how Duke Anais treats Astel.

Since Astel came to the Duke Castle, he has never taken his gaze off her.

He pretends to be kind and sweet, but it’s just a mask.

But when he finds out that Astel has brought an unidentified child, what if that child was Astel’s hidden child… ?

Rudel felt dizzy and terrified at the thought. Then Sally spoke carefully.

“For now, let’s take it easy and watch over them.”

“What? I don’t think it’s Astel’s child, but a real friend’s child. Why?”

The other maid asked quietly, pushing her ragged arms. She was a knight and had a simple and calm personality.

“If Astel has a child, how can the Duke not know?”

“…That’s true.”

The maids were relieved for a plausible reason and swept over their chest.

“Then let’s slowly go to bed… Oh, what is this? Fox?”

While they had their hearts calmed and were about to disperse, a silver fox with sparkling fur stormed into the secret room.

It was Bell.

The voice of a human boy flowed from the mouth of the fox, with it’s prickly ear.

“What, what’s going on?”

One of the maids, a cheerful and naive young maid, told the fox.

“Astel has brought an unknown baby, Bell.”

“Baby? A human baby?”

“Yes.”

“…Tsk, I would be cuter.” Said by the silver fox with its nose twitching as he spoke to himself.

They smiled and began to comfort each other.

No matter how the hair color and eye color of Astel and the child are the same, and even though the child’s features are strangely reminiscent of Astel…

Blonde and green eyes were more common than they thought, and some say that friends resemble each other.

Of course, suddenly raising a friend’s baby was also a part that was somewhat incomprehensible to the beasts who were accustomed to living according to the law of the weak and strong.

However, wouldn’t Astel’s good hearted nature be enough to take care and raise a friend’s child just before culling?

No, no matter how kind Astel was, wouldn’t it be right to accept a friend’s child so readily?

Various debates continued in their heads, but fortunately, nothing was yet certain.

Therefore, there was only one thing that the loyal maids could do in the future.

To closely observe Astel’s every move in the future!

❆

Early in the morning on the same day,

At Dawn, in a dim lit sky, when they still couldn’t tell whether it’s a dog or a wolf in front of them.

The faint moonlight shone on the man’s face.

On his left cheek, a lightning-shaped bolt was drawn thickly.

“No matter how much I think about it, Astel, the human healer, is suspicious.”

Rumors spread that it was Astell who took care of Sam.

Up to this point, it was quite probable.

If Astel was a competent healer, she would only have saved the head of the Jaguar family she was in charge of.

However…

According to the eyes and ears planted in the Jaguar family, Sam died in tears, claiming that his artifact had disappeared.

“The artifact is still missing.”

At those words, the man with his entire body covered with a black robe and a hood covering his face, whispered quietly.

“Find the artifact first.”

“Right, if someone disassembles the artifact, our identities can be caught… We’ll have to figure out where the artifact is.”

Of course, it was confirmed through background investigation that Astel was a sincere healer.

But, even if it’s just a coincidence, if that woman has acquired the Artifact, things will be slightly different.

‘No matter what kind of person she is, we have to find the artifact.’

“While taking the life of the successor at the same time, I will also deal with that healer.”

Subsequently, the person covered in robe muttered as if predicting grimly.

“What can prevent the great monarch from moving forward?”

The other man grinned and stomped on the ants crawling under his feet.

“Yes, if I step on it like this, it’s over.”

There was no emotion in their eyes as they looked at the crashed insects.

❊

The next day, at the Duke of Anais mansion.

The weather was nice today. The sun was warm and the wind was cool, it was a perfect day.

So, after giving my nephew a potion, I held his hand and went out to the sunny garden.

This was because Rudel, the maid, briefly told me to go to the garden and take a walk with the baby.

Of course, I didn’t intend to just bask in the sun in the garden. Right now I was thinking of making a plan for how to raise my nephew.

‘Because this child shouldn’t be exposed to bad guys.’

I had to leave him in my room. And I had to feed the mana control potion, put a protective gear on him, and leave him where my eyes could reach.

“I wish you all the best, baby.”

I asked Lord Retro, who was beside me, for a word card.

The word cards were a total of a hundred sheets, and they were of a plain type with letters written on the front side and drawings on the back side.

I placed the child on the table covered with a blanket and sat on the chair opposite him. And pulled a few cards over.

‘What should I ask first? Because the baby can’t speak well…’

I think it’s still too difficult to read the word card ‘Wagon’.

As I pondered, I stared at the child.

As the baby moved around, he raised his hand, like plump white bread, and pressed it against my cheek.

Soft fingers pressed against my cheek.

I said, shoving the word card towards the baby.

“Hey, what is this?”

Green eyes resembling the innocence of a child began to tremble as he looked at the picture of the wagon.

Does this baby know the wagon?

If I just raise him well, I don’t think I could make him a genius, but I think I could raise him as a gifted one?

My heart started pounding.

The child shouted with his mouth wide open.

“Mom!”

“A wagon?”

Then the baby shook his head.

“Mommy!”

He’s been saying this for a long time. Does that mean ‘Mom’? I smiled happily and stroked the child’s head.

“You’re good at saying ‘mom’. Let’s try again, daddy.”

“Daddy?”

In case my brother returns, I had to educate this child about his biological parents in advance.

Worried that my nephew would resent my brother for leaving him alone, I hoped he would be proud of his father, who would reinstate his family in the future.

“Yeah. You have a very cool daddy, too.”

“Huh?”

The baby was struck with an incomprehensible glance, he seemed to not understand what I said well.

I carefully picked up the card with the word ‘clothes’ from the word card.

Luckily, a knight uniform was painted on the other side of the picture.

To be precise, it’s like the knight’s uniform that my brother often wears.

“This is what your daddy wears, isn’t it cool?”

The baby nodded as hard as he inflated his plump chubby cheeks.

Every time he nodded, his cheek shook like a soft potato.

“Uh!”

The boy answered vigorously and took the word card for ‘clothes’ from me.

Then, he stared at the painting for a long time, holding it with both hands.

“Daddy.”

“Yeah, Daddy.”

“Daddy, clothes.”

“Oh my…”

Was the potion for controlling the explosion of mana that I fed him in the morning working already?

Did a baby already say ‘clothes’?

Taking the medicine seemed to have the effect of clearing the baby’s mind, which had been clouded by pain.

“You must be a genius.”