Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 107

☆ Chapter 108 ☆

Duke Paeraton’s low voice chilled the hall into silence.

The Duke was in complete control of his mana.

However, the overwhelming presence and raw power of the enraged Duke Paeraton oppressed everyone in the hall.

And what about the Paeraton sons?

They, too, were carefully controlling their mana, mindful of the children present who were vulnerable to its effects.

But that was mostly because they knew their youngest sibling would be upset if the children started vomiting blood.

The fury burning in their red eyes sent shivers down the spines of even the most battle-hardened royals.

A dense silence fell, so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Ixion broke through the oppressive quiet.

“Why is my cotton ball squished?”

His voice was devoid of anger, almost playful.

But that only made the tension in the room escalate.

“Indeed. My sister, even if she’s a bit of a tomboy, wouldn’t be seen with her hair all messed up like that.”

“Who dared to touch my youngest’s hair? I can’t even touch it as I please.”

The young ladies and gentlemen in the hall didn’t dare to meet the eyes of the Paeraton sons and lowered their heads.

Everyone already knew that the Paeraton daughter was deeply loved by her family.

Who wouldn’t know, with them escorting and greeting her like a personal guard detail every time she came to the Imperial Palace?

They even glared daggers at any man who so much as looked at the Paeraton daughter.

But this was on a completely different level.

It felt as if an invisible blade was hanging over their necks.

‘Wow, Lady Tarenka is totally screwed.’

That was all they could think.

They held their breath, hoping that the Paeraton family’s wrath wouldn’t splash onto them.

“Lulu, tell me.”

Duke Paeraton gently brushed his daughter’s disheveled hair as he spoke.

“Who bullied you?”

* * *

At my dad’s question, I braced myself.

There was no reason to hold back.

I was fully prepared to shout Clatie’s name and tattle on her.

But then Marquis Tarenka looked directly at Clatie.

As if answering Dad’s question before I could.

“G-Grandfather?!”

Clatie looked up at Marquis Tarenka in surprise.

I was surprised in my own way.

‘He’s not here to cover up Clatie’s mistake?’

“Clatie.”

Marquis Tarenka said to Clatie with a stiff face.

“Apologize to Ruatisha.”

“Grandfather!”

Clatie looked incredulous.

But Marquis Tarenka didn’t waver.

“What did you think I came here for?”

“That’s…….”

Clatie had a look on her face that clearly said, ‘Of course, to protect me.’

“To use money and power to cover up your mistakes?”

“…….”

“Wrong. I’m here to ensure you properly apologize to the person you wronged.”

“Grandfather, I一.”

“The victim’s parents have every right to step forward, but it would be impolite for us to sit back and do nothing. That’s why I came.”

Clatie’s face twisted.

“How, how can you do this to me? Why are you being so cruel to me! I’m your granddaughter……!”

“Is it so harsh to ask you to take responsibility and apologize for what you did wrong?”

“…….”

“Is it right to cover up this kind of behavior and not let you utter a single word of apology to the other person?”

Marquis Tarenka looked at Clatie with a resolute face.

“If that’s what you expect, then I can’t be a good grandfather to you.”

I was a little surprised.

‘Unexpected.’

I thought Marquis Tarenka would be the same kind of person as Clatie, given her personality and upbringing.

Clatie bit her lip tightly and turned her head to glare at me with teary eyes.

‘Why are you glaring at me?’

Is it really so unfair to hear your grandfather tell you to apologize for your mistakes?

I figured she grew up like that because she never took character education to heart.

That’s when it happened.

“Those eyes don’t seem good enough to look at my sister.”

I was horrified by the mutterings coming from the side.

“You can’t pluck people’s eyeballs out, Ares.”

“Then what about the mouth that dared to speak my cotton ball’s name in such a way?”

“Ixion, you can’t tear people’s mouths either.”

“Is cleaning allowed?”

“You don’t clean people.”

My brothers, who seemed ready to cause an international incident at any moment, became gloomy.

I looked anxiously at my brothers, who might cause trouble at any time, and then looked up at my dad.

‘Do something. This is the Imperial Palace.’

My dad, receiving my pleading gaze, finally opened his mouth.

“Then let’s compromise on this one thing.”

“Compromise?”

Why compromise all of a sudden?

“Let’s cut off the hand that dared to grab my daughter’s hair.”

“Huh?”

What are you cutting off?

That’s right, come to think of it, my brothers are all Dad’s children too.

They’re all the same kind of people, and I momentarily forgot that.

“Her hair was just messed up, she wasn’t hurt…….”

I never thought the day would come when I’d defend Clatie.

“Exactly three strands were pulled out.”

“……Huh?”

How do you even know that?

I didn’t even feel them being pulled out.

“Then I’ll pull out thirty strands of Clatie’s hair.”

Dad stared at me intently and then gently pressed down on my head.

“You’re so kind.”

No, how is pulling out thirty strands of hair because three strands were pulled out kind?

Dad picked me up and walked towards Clatie.

Clatie put on a pitiful face, as if she had never glared at me.

“U-Uncle…….”

“Who’s your uncle?”

Dad looked down at Clatie with a cold face.

Clatie flinched and stepped back at his fierce demeanor.

“You’ve been talking in a very strange way since before. Calling me uncle when you don’t even consider my daughter your cousin.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wanted to get close to Ruatisha, but Ruatisha pushed me away. I approached her first at the Dawn Festival too…….”

“You wanted to get close so you framed her for cheating?”

“T-That’s…….”

“You wanted to get close so you stole my daughter’s dress and wore it.”

“…….”

“You wanted to get close so you dared to grab my daughter’s hair?”

Dad’s eyes shone like burning flames.

At that moment, the Emperor stepped in.

“To see Duke Paeraton and Marquis Tarenka, who are usually so hard to find in the Imperial Palace, gathered here because of something like this, life is truly unpredictable.”

It was an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere, hoping to prevent something truly disastrous from happening.

But would that work on Dad, of all people?

“That’s right, Your Majesty. It’s a great pity that such an unpleasant incident occurred at the Dawn Festival hosted by the Imperial Family.”

His words had a sharp barb hidden within them, and the Emperor’s face stiffened slightly.

Usually, regardless of the details, one would first apologize for causing concern by creating a controversy.

Moreover, Dad hadn’t even paid his respects to the Imperial Family when he entered the hall.

“How can other nobles send their children to the Imperial Palace with peace of mind after this?”

Even at Dad’s words, which expressed his arrogant displeasure, the Emperor maintained his smile.

It was probably more of an intention to pressure the perpetrator’s family into taking action.

But Dad didn’t particularly point it out.

He just gave a sharp, knowing smile.

“The rights and wrongs have all been sorted out. All that remains is the resolution. How about we change locations? There are too many eyes watching.”

Dad nodded at those words.

He probably judged that there was no need to make a bigger spectacle than necessary.

‘And Clatie might reveal my past.’

There would be many people who would feel sorry for me after hearing that I was mistreated at the Tarenka residence when I was young.

But in aristocratic society, some people see that as a flaw, a mark of weakness.

That’s why Dad didn’t try to sue Nicholas Tarenka [Clatie’s father].

Because he was worried that I would be hurt in the process.

Because he was worried that the label of ‘mistreated child’ would continue to follow me.

‘I don’t care that much, though.’

The people who criticize that as a flaw are the ones who are strange; it’s not my fault as the victim.

But I was worried that Paeraton’s reputation might be tarnished.

‘Clatie cares a lot about reputation and honor, so she probably won’t try to reveal the fact that she abused me.’

‘It’s all or nothing. I can’t go down alone!’ Who knows if she’ll actually say that.

She’s not usually that meticulous in her planning.

‘It doesn’t matter much if it’s revealed, but there’s no need to create an excuse to reveal it.’

* * *

The Dawn Festival participants all went home, and we settled in the inner chamber of the Diluculum Hall [Hall of Dawn].

Of course, the atmosphere was terrible.

Clatie was sobbing, and my brothers were glaring at Clatie as if they wanted to devour her whole.

Marquis Tarenka kept looking at me for some reason, and I felt like his gaze would pierce right through my face.

Dad, wary of Marquis Tarenka, didn’t put me down on the ground.

“Ahem, I’ve heard that Duke Paeraton cherishes his youngest daughter, but I didn’t realize he cherished her this much.”

The Emperor opened his mouth to ease the tense atmosphere.

“Well, how can you not cherish such a daughter? I wish I had a daughter like that.”

‘Oh, I understand the Emperor’s intention, but this topic is a bit…….’

I looked up at Dad with anxiety.

Sure enough, the corners of Dad’s lips were slightly raised.

As if he was itching to brag about me to death.

“Even if you want to have a daughter like mine, you won’t be able to.”

“……Is that so?”

The Emperor replied a little awkwardly.

It was fortunate that the atmosphere had eased a little, but he couldn’t understand why this kind of answer was coming out.

‘Why else? Because he’s a fool for his daughter!’

Why did you choose a topic that presses the fool-for-his-daughter switch?

“Yes, my daughter said she wants to live with me forever.”

Dad said, pointedly glaring at Marquis Tarenka, not the Emperor.

Marquis Tarenka’s brow twitched.

“Forever?”

“She said she would live with Dad forever, not just once, but a total of seventeen times.”

……He was keeping count of all of that?!

“Huh, haha, it seems the Paeraton daughter really likes the Duke.”

The Emperor laughed, but no matter how you looked at it, it was a polite smile he put on for social situations.

“I’m envious, envious. Esteban is a son, so he’s not very affectionate.”

“My daughter is kind, gentle, and affectionate to me.”

“I see…….”

“She likes me so much that she told me not to go to the racetrack.”

“Why not go to the racetrack?”

The Emperor looked at Dad, who was only looking at Marquis Tarenka without even glancing at him, with slightly cloudy eyes.

Even so, he was diligently responding, probably worried that Dad would destroy the Imperial Palace if he didn’t.

Dad smiled crookedly and looked at Marquis Tarenka.

“Because I’m so handsome that words can’t even describe it.”

“…….”

The Emperor was silent and looked at me.

His eyes were shaking with shock.

‘You, did you actually say that……?’ His inner thoughts were practically screaming.

No, Dad, why are you bragging about that in front of the Emperor!

Keep some dignity!

But this wasn’t the end.

“Our youngest thought I was a sculpture and looked for me for a long time in the exhibition hall. I was holding her the whole time.”

The Emperor’s mouth dropped open at the words of Zeon Paeraton, who was said to be so taciturn that it was difficult to get even a single word out of him.

Ares opened his mouth, not wanting to be outdone.

“I should have told Your Majesty in advance, but I’m sorry. I need to change the information about me in the noble genealogy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m a hybrid of the Empire and Heaven, but the notation is wrong.”

“What……?”

The Emperor looked at Ares with a look that clearly said, ‘Did he eat something bad?’

“My sister said so. There’s no way I’m just human. I’m a hybrid of the Empire and Heaven.”

The Emperor’s gaze turned to me.

The same gaze he had when he looked at Ares.

I turned my gaze away, trying to avoid his eyes.

But Marquis Tarenka was looking at me with a very passionate gaze?

“Ahem, I’m a bit different. They say I have a wall.”

The Emperor didn’t even respond to Ixion’s words.

But Ixion wouldn’t care about that.

“A wall called perfection. To my cotton ball, I’m perfect.”

I had a headache looking at the four men who were holding their noses up high, practically radiating arrogance.

It’s the Imperial Palace, not some back alley.

And they’re doing this in front of the Emperor.

My carefully constructed image that I had built up throughout the Dawn Festival!

Where did the competent, confident, and smart image go!

‘Is this my karma?’

Why did I say such cheesy things and suffer like this until now?

“……It sounds a little tempting.”

Emperor, are you out of your mind?

What’s tempting!

The Emperor smiled at me.

“I’m curious about the Paeraton daughter’s heart right now. How is it?”

The Emperor brought his face close to mine as if he was subtly expecting something.

Hah, do I have to say cheesy things even to the Emperor?

I really hate this.

“……I’m a windmill right now.”

“A windmill……?”

“Because my family is making me go crazy.”

“……Puhahahahaha!”

The Emperor burst into laughter.

Dad raised his chin proudly.

“Did you hear that? She likes me so much that she’s going crazy.”

No, that’s not it…….

I glanced around and saw Marquis Tarenka moving his lips, as if he wanted to say something.

But he couldn’t bring himself to talk to me and kept his mouth shut.

At that moment, Clatie jumped up.