Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 10

Running the Romance Fantasy with Baby-nim’s Cash – Episode 10

☆ Episode 10 ☆

* * *

“Hum, hmm-hmm?”

I hummed, moving my hands.

Colorful hues filled the sketchbook.

Anna chuckled and spoke to me. Now, the maids often struck up conversations with me. It felt like just yesterday I was treated like a piece of emotionless furniture.

“Our young lady is quite the artist. Is that a pineapple?”

“Nope.”

I replied sullenly.

How could that look like a pineapple? Why would a pineapple have eyes, a nose, and a mouth?

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

“This is Anna.”

I pointed at the pineapple… no, the Anna drawing, and said,

“Oh my! You drew me!”

Kind Anna exclaimed in admiration, but I felt a little self-conscious.

Honestly, even to me, it looked more like a pineapple than Anna.

“Are the young lady and I holding hands?”

“Uh-huh.”

“There’s a heart here too.”

“Umm…”

I felt a little embarrassed, so I fidgeted with my hands.

Anna was silent for a moment.

Well, even I didn’t think it was a good drawing. Crooked lines and colors all over the place.

The limitations of my potato-like hands.

‘Ugh…’

I groaned inwardly.

If I wasn’t really the Duke’s biological daughter, I would need the help of the employees.

‘I was trying to make them my allies for sure, but am I just making things worse?’

I’m also curious about the Ducal family and the Magi [powerful magic users]!

I hugged Anna tightly and patted her head.

“Pretty, pretty.”

“Oh my, are you calling me pretty?”

“I like Anna!”

“Young lady…”

No, why are you about to cry?

I felt awkward.

“I’ll treasure it forever. I’ll pass it down through generations.”

Oh? Oh, no, passing it down is a bit…

The thought of a drawing that was either a person or a pineapple being inherited through generations made me want to hide.

Anyway, I didn’t understand it, but it seemed to have worked very well.

I used the same method on the other maids.

But… their reactions were all abnormal.

“I’ll take it to my grave. I don’t need a husband anymore. I’ll be buried with the young lady’s picture.”

‘…Huh? So, you were originally planning to bury your husband alive?’

That was Nancy, the husband-burial advocate’s reaction.

“I’ll cover my room with the young lady’s pictures and look at them every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake up.”

‘Uh… isn’t that what a stalker does?’

That was Laura, who had stalker tendencies’ reaction.

“You gave me a heart… do you need my heart? I can pull it out for you if you want!”

“I don’t need it!”

“Then… someone else’s heart?”

Tilda’s reaction was… I’ll skip the rest.

Huhuhu, scary.

When I first saw them, they all seemed like perfectly rational and sensible people.

How did this happen?

Anyway, I waited for a moment when we were alone, gave them a special picture as a gift, said, ‘Pretty, pretty,’ and then it was time for a walk.

I was very excited because we were going to the glass greenhouse today.

A glass greenhouse in a mansion! So wonderful.

Now I felt like I was really in a romance fantasy world.

I ran off happily.

“Young lady! If you run like that, you’ll trip—”

“Ouch!”

Thud.

As if her words had come true, I fell right away. How embarrassing, sob.

“Young lady!”

“Are you okay?”

I heard the maids’ surprised shouts.

It hurt so much, probably because I had planted my face. My nose must be red.

I whined and raised my head.

But what came into view wasn’t the faces of the kind maids.

Long, handsome legs stretched out like a highway.

‘Could it be.’

I raised my head higher, sensing the unusual height.

The cold, stern face of Duke Paeraton was there. When our eyes met, he raised one eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

Well, what am I doing?

“I fell.”

Unlike my grumbling thoughts, I answered kindly and obediently.

“Why did you fall?”

The Duke looked at me with a look that he couldn’t understand at all.

I was so dumbfounded that my mouth dropped open.

Why did I fall? Because I fell! Because I tripped!

“Children often fall, Your Grace.”

“So weak.”

Is that something to say to a fallen baby!

I was furious, but I reached out my hands to the Duke.

“Pick me up, Daddy.”

I was worried he would ignore me and leave, but the Duke picked me up, although he narrowed his brow.

Hanging in the air, I received the Duke’s gaze.

His emotionless, bright red eyes scanned me from head to toe before stopping at one place.

“…Knee.”

“Yes?”

Following his gaze, I saw that my knee was red. Fortunately, it wasn’t scraped, but it was sure to be bruised.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

The Duke ignored my words and moved his feet, carrying me in his arms.

When the Duke arrived at his office, he sat me on his lap and stared at my knee.

‘He’s going to make a hole in my knee!’

After staring for a while, he tilted his head. His low, cool voice fell over my head.

“Why is the color getting darker?”

“The young lady will need to apply medicine, and it will take a few days to heal.”

The Duke frowned.

“I knew you were weak, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

My heart sank at his sigh.

Perhaps.

‘Could this be one of the reasons I was abandoned by my aunt and uncle?’

Because I’m too weak.

‘If I’m the real daughter or the heroine, I should have the Magi… am I really a bastard?’

I clenched the hem of my skirt tightly.

Meanwhile, Nancy brought the ointment.

Duke Paeraton applied the ointment himself. It was a very awkward touch.

I was worried that I was bothering him too much, so I looked at Anna, but she was just smiling happily, not knowing how I felt.

After applying the ointment, I tried to get off the Duke’s lap, watching his expression.

I didn’t want to be a nuisance anymore.

But the Duke got up and picked me up.

After that, he didn’t put me down.

Even when eating, approving documents, and even during meetings with his vassals.

I was nestled in the Duke’s arms like a baby kangaroo.

‘Did he forget to put me down?!’

I tapped the Duke’s chest with my small fists, but the Duke just patted my butt.

I became a pouting baby.

The vassals who entered the conference room looked at me and made a face as if they were being strangled again.

Just as the meeting was about to begin, Anna carefully opened her mouth.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry, but shouldn’t you put the young lady down now…”

The Duke’s eyes turned to Anna. It was such a sharp gaze that even I flinched.

Anna flinched, but she bowed her head and said everything she had to say.

“Someone from the clothing store has arrived.”

It seemed that the tailor the Duke had called had arrived.

I thought it was a chance to escape, so I wiggled off the Duke’s lap.

The Duke glared at me, looking very displeased.

‘Why?’

You were the one who called the tailor!

Are you regretting the money now!

When I looked at the Duke with a sulky face, he reached out his hand to me.

‘Ah! Did he read my mind? I’m sorry!’

I flinched, but unlike my expectations, he picked me up again.

“A-are you going yourself?”

Nancy asked the Duke without realizing it, and then closed her mouth, turning pale as if she realized her mistake.

The Duke left the office as he was.

‘No, weren’t we just about to have a meeting?’

The vassals, who had been watching the situation blankly, also got up and followed him.

‘Why are you guys following too?’

It felt like I had become a rare spectacle.

* * *

Utra Pelia.

She was a self-made person who started with nothing and received the title of Baroness for her contribution to designing clothes for the Imperial Family.

The one who creates trends across the continent beyond the system.

Unworthy of her fame, she was very nervous now.

Today’s guest was that special.

‘Finally, I get to meet the veiled princess.’

“I finally get to meet the owner of those dresses,” the chief tailor next to Utra whispered, thinking the same thing.

“I never thought I’d get to meet her. For the past few years, they’ve always ordered dresses around this time of year, but I’ve never met her.”

Every year, the Paeraton Ducal family ordered the best dresses, no matter the price.

When Utra first received the order, she was so determined that she made a dress worth a castle.

But the Paeraton Ducal family paid the price without any delay.

A young child grows quickly. A castle for clothes that will be worn for one season and then thrown away.

Even an imperial princess would not make a dress of this level.

‘I was sure then. It’s an opportunity to burn my artistic soul.’

I was able to show off so many things that I couldn’t do because of money.

The only regret was that I had never seen the owner of the clothes.

All Utra could know was the size.

“What kind of person is she? I’m curious because the Paeraton Duchess’s portrait is never released to the public.”

“Wouldn’t she look like His Grace the Duke and the young masters?”

Jet-black hair that wouldn’t let in a single ray of light.

Transparent blood-red eyes.

An untamed, fierce energy that was more untamed than a wild beast.

It was a characteristic of the Paeraton Ducal family.

“Even though she’s still a young lady, she must have great charisma.”

Utra sighed inwardly at the employees’ words.

Imagining the charismatic youngest Duchess, she felt her expectations fading.

‘I’ve been imagining a soft, cute baby while designing.’

It was the freedom she could enjoy because she hadn’t seen the Duchess in person.

She was a professional.

Even if the Paeraton Duchess looked exactly like the Duke, she would naturally create clothes that suited her.

‘Don’t expect a soft, cute darling from the Paeraton Ducal family, not any other family.’

There was only one model who had captured her heart so far.

Like an artist, Utra’s tastes were firm.

‘Don’t be too disappointed even if it’s the Duke’s mini-me.’

At that moment, the door opened.

Utra composed herself and bowed her head. Like a professional, she didn’t show any personal feelings.

However, the moment she saw the person who entered the room, Utra’s pupils shook violently.

* * *

The dozen or so assistant employees who came with Utra also looked at the person who entered with a look of bewilderment.

‘D-Duke Paeraton? Why is His Grace here….’

He was not the person who would appear to order clothes for his young daughter.

‘H-His Grace the Duke is holding a child?!’

‘Am I seeing things?’

It was a sight that was hard to believe even though they were seeing it with their own eyes.

But Utra was focusing all her attention on something else, not Duke Paeraton.

‘No way….’

Thud.

The tape measure in her hand fell.

“…Song-i [Song-i is a Korean name that means pine tree or pine needle].”

A low groan-like word flowed from her mouth.

Utra tried to calm down, puffing out her cheeks.

‘What is that cute, fluffy, soft thing!’

Even the frighteningly fearful Duke Paeraton was out of sight.

The moment she saw the lovely, pink-haired, cute, fluffy, soft thing in his arms, a sharp shock was applied to her soul.

At the same time, endless inspiration began to spring up.

The lovely darling with rosy, luscious cheeks was like the ideal she had thought of—no, more than she had thought of.

“Perfect!”

She clapped her hands and shouted without realizing it.

But the joy didn’t last long.

In the cold silence, Utra finally realized the current situation.

Feeling the gaze of Duke Paeraton, who seemed to be freezing her to death, she forced her mouth to move.

“T-the youngest Duchess is so lovely that I couldn’t help myself….”

She thought she was going to end her life like this, but the Duke just lifted the child in his arms and said nothing.

“Measure the size.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Utra and her assistants approached the Duke. But they couldn’t do anything more.

Duke Paeraton’s gaze immediately turned fierce.

Utra opened her mouth, sweating profusely.

“Um, Your Grace, to measure the size, you must first put the Duchess down….”

Flash.

The cold red eyes flashed fiercely.

“N-no. We’ll do it ourselves.”

Utra, who had turned pale, shook her head and gestured to her assistants.

She didn’t know how to properly measure the size while holding her in his arms, but they were professionals. They had to do it.

Utra measured the length of the Paeraton Duchess’s arm and glanced at the Duke’s face.

He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

At least it was much better than when measuring Duke Paeraton’s size.

‘Hmm?’

Her instincts, which had dealt with the nobles of the system, came.

Utra swallowed hard and opened her mouth.

“To be able to stay so still while being held like this, the Duchess must really like the Duke. She’s a very lovely daughter.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt eyes on her from all directions. It was a look that said, ‘Why are you trying to commit suicide?’

Utra quietly waited for the Duke’s answer.

“She said she would stick to me. Annoying.”

As expected.

Utra’s lips curved softly.

“To hold her like that, the Duke must really cherish the Duchess.”

“I’m just holding her because she keeps falling like a newborn deer, and it’s unsightly.”

Utra’s smile deepened.

She never thought that the Paeraton Duke would have this side to him.

The vassals who followed and watched the scene cautiously mustered up the courage to open their mouths.

“Our youngest Duchess really likes His Grace.”

“Last time, when she fell asleep on His Grace’s lap, she looked so comfortable.”

“Oh my, really? I guess there’s nothing better than Daddy’s arms.”

The expressionless Duke Paeraton’s lips lifted slightly, very slightly.

The vassals’ eyes shone like hyenas.

They had found a lifeline to breathe in the icy Duke’s residence.

“When I returned from the war, my daughter cried, saying that a scary uncle had come.”

“My son didn’t even recognize his father. I’m so envious, Your Grace.”

The Duke said nothing. He even hardened his face as if he didn’t like it.

But the vassals who had worked with him for a long time knew.

That Duke Paeraton’s mood was better than ever.

* * *

‘No, did these guys eat something wrong as a group? Why are they doing this?’

Every time they said that I liked the Duke or that I was comfortable with him, his expression hardened.

I trembled, seeing his face becoming more and more fierce.

I thought something was going to happen, so I tried to get out of the Duke’s arms, but he was holding me so tightly that I couldn’t move.

I ended up touching the Duke’s firm chest.

“Hehe, look at her hugging her father even tighter. Isn’t she cute, Your Grace?”

“Just annoying.”

No, I wasn’t hugging him? I was going to get down.

If it’s so annoying, just put me down!

“Our young lady, do you like His Grace that much?”

The vassal asked with a beaming face, so I hesitated for a moment and nodded.

“Yes.”

Well, I can’t say I don’t like him.

And honestly, he was a hundred or a thousand times better than Marquis Tarenka.

“Yes, how much do you like him?”

I glanced at the Duke.

He said he didn’t like being stuck to, and he said it was annoying to hug. And he called me unsightly.

‘…I shouldn’t be too much of a nuisance.’

I raised my potato-like hand!

“Oh?”

Not only the vassals, but also the maids and the clothing store staff looked at my hand with expectant eyes.

Emboldened by their expectations, I spread my index finger and thumb.

Very slightly.

Just enough for one bean to fit.

“This much!”

Whoosh—.

For some reason, a silence colder than the north wind settled down.