Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 69

Ares’s gaze flickered towards Cynthia, who was holding his arm, before settling on me.

‘Huh? Why is he looking at me like that?’ I wondered.

Cynthia tried to link arms with Ixion using her remaining arm.

“What is this? Get away from me!” Ixion recoiled in horror, swatting her away instantly.

“My little brother is so shy! How cute!” Cynthia exclaimed.

Ixion paused at the word ‘little brother.’ Then, he looked at Cynthia with an incomprehensible expression.

“Is she… not all there in the head?” he muttered.

Cynthia giggled. “Don’t say that to your big sister! You little rascal!”

While Cynthia was playfully trying to poke Ixion’s cheek, Ares approached me.

“Little sister, where were you headed?” Ares asked.

“Just to my room,” I replied.

“Then shall we go together? Let’s play while drawing.”

Ixion immediately cut in. “Get lost. Cotton ball [a playful nickname] is going to play horsey with me.”

“Such barbaric games are not suitable for my little sister,” Ares countered.

“Huh? She loved it so much last time I gave her a ride.”

Ares and Ixion each grabbed one of my arms and growled at each other.

‘Ugh, at this rate, I’ll be torn in half!’ I thought, panicking.

“Oh my!” A high-pitched voice cut through the commotion.

I looked up to see Cynthia covering her mouth with her hand, looking down at me.

“Lulu, what’s with your clothes? They’re so dirty.”

Having been sitting and playing on the ground with Dana, my pants and top were covered in dirt.

“So clumsy. But it’s okay. From now on, your big sister will take good care of our baby,” Cynthia said, patting the dirt off my pants, then scooping me up in a hug. “Now, let’s get you changed.”

As she started to walk, Cynthia turned around abruptly, saying, “Ah! Oppa [an affectionate term for older brother used by females] and Ixion, do you want to come with me too?”

“Why would I go with—” Ixion frowned instantly, protesting, but stopped when he saw me in Cynthia’s arms.

Ares smiled sweetly and said to me, “Of course, I have to go wherever my little sister goes.”

“Oh my…” Cynthia’s cheeks flushed red. While she led the two Paeraton princes away triumphantly, I remained quietly in her arms.

‘Annoying. But I also have a quest to do,’ I reminded myself.

“Come to think of it, Father’s birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?” I tilted my head at Cynthia’s words.

‘Is Cynthia’s dad’s birthday soon? But is it okay for her to be at the estate?’ I wondered. I didn’t know what her relationship with the divorced Lady Aphelia was like, but shouldn’t Cynthia, as her biological daughter, go there?

Seeing her preparing for her dad’s birthday, it didn’t seem like they were on bad terms.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m talking about Duke-nim [a respectful title for the Duke].”

She wasn’t talking about your dad, but our dad? Wait a minute.

“Our dad’s birthday is soon?!” I exclaimed.

“Oh my, Lulu, didn’t you know? It’s your dad’s birthday?” Cynthia looked at me with surprised eyes, then burst into laughter. “It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re still young, so it’s natural you wouldn’t remember such things. Ah, what a wonderful party it will be!”

“His Grace dislikes making a fuss. That’s why he doesn’t hold birthday banquets and quietly passes them by,” Ares said.

At Ares’s words, Cynthia puffed up her cheeks. “Aww, but it’s his birthday. I’m sure he wouldn’t really want to pass it by quietly, would he?” She continued with a confident tone. “Since the Duchess isn’t here, it must have been difficult to hold social gatherings. Things will have to change from now on. We need to interact with other noble families—”

“We can have social gatherings even without the Duchess,” Ares stated.

“Yes, we don’t really need social gatherings anyway. Moreover, His Grace was away at war, so there was no need to open the doors of the estate,” Ixion added.

“Anyway, His Grace would absolutely hate such parties,” I said.

I lowered my head. ‘So everyone knew it was Dad’s birthday.’ I was the only one who didn’t know. Only me.

“Your birthday is October 11th,” Ares said to me.

“It’s passed,” I replied.

“Yes, it’s passed this year. But it will come again next year.”

“Yes!”

“I will throw a party grander than even the imperial family for your birthday,” Ixion declared.

He said that to me, but I didn’t even think about celebrating Dad’s birthday. I should have at least asked. Not even thinking about it because it was the first time I’ve had a dad is no excuse.

In the meantime, we arrived at my room.

“Alright, alright, our baby. Big sister will help you change! Oppa and Ixion, sit there! I’ll come out after helping Lulu,” Cynthia said.

“This isn’t even your room,” Ixion grumbled.

“Geez, why do you keep being mean to your big sister?” Cynthia chuckled and shook her head. “Boys that age express their interest by teasing, you know? Tsk, tsk.”

Cynthia put me down in the dressing room and slammed the door shut.

“Wow, how can a dressing room be this big? And it’s decorated like a boutique?” She wandered around, opening and closing the glass doors and drawers, touching my clothes, hats, and accessories.

“Is there really a need for a kid’s clothes to be this nice? They’ll just grow out of them after one season anyway. What a waste,” Cynthia said, grabbing one at random. “Ugh, look at all that dirt. So messy.”

“It’s natural for a kid to play in the dirt. They say you have to be friends with dirt to grow up healthy,” I retorted.

“Who says that? This is why we need a Duchess. That way, the child will grow up neat and tidy.”

No matter how I thought about it, it sounded like she was looking down on me because I didn’t have a mom. Just as I was about to open my mouth, Cynthia added, “And His Grace’s birthday too.”

I closed my mouth.

“But you, did you really not know it was your dad’s birthday?”

“……”

“You really are something. Enjoying all these privileges just because you’re his daughter, yet you don’t even take care of such basic things. If I were your parent, I’d be a little…” Cynthia, who was muttering, looked at me and stopped, saying, “Oh my.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! You’re still a baby. Of course, it’s hard to remember adults’ birthdays!” Cynthia gave me a kind smile and tapped me on the head. “I’ll take good care of him from now on since he’s going to be my dad! You don’t have to worry!” She walked past me, grabbed the doorknob, and turned around abruptly. “Ah, change into that and come out. Can you do it by yourself? This is big sister’s homework for our baby! This is all training!” Cynthia opened the door and shouted to Ixion and Ares. “Did you wait for your big sister?! Oh my, Oppa! What’s that?” Bang. The dressing room door closed.

[The time has come.]

[Let’s go for some cider [refreshing resolution].]

‘If she’s just a clueless and tactless kid, you can just educate her, right?’ I thought.

[Education. Education is good. Let’s educate her quickly.]

I sighed and slumped to the floor. Cynthia’s words were a bit harsh, but I was shocked at myself for not knowing Dad’s birthday.

I changed my clothes and came out.

“My little sister looks pretty in anything,” Ares said.

“Hmph, what’s so pretty about a cotton ball,” Ixion scoffed.

“Come here. I’ll brush your hair,” Ares offered.

“Can’t even tie a ribbon by yourself. Come here,” Ixion said.

“Come to think of it!” Cynthia clapped her hands. “What did everyone prepare for His Grace’s birthday gift?”

“Why would we prepare something like that?” Ixion asked.

“Of course, you have to prepare something! Isn’t that proper etiquette? Right, Lulu. You think so too, don’t you?”

“Hey.” Ixion’s voice was low. The red eyes emitted a terrifying light that didn’t seem to belong to a boy. Just one word. With that one word, Cynthia’s face turned blue.

“Ugh, ah……” A suppressed moan escaped from her trembling lips. Then, Ixion’s gaze turned to me. He realized what he had done and withdrew his aura.

Cynthia trembled, unable to react.

“Well, wouldn’t it be better to go and rest?” Ares suggested. At Ares’s suggestion, she finally stood up, saying, “Yes, yes? Yes, yes…” Her legs gave out, but she didn’t look back as she stumbled out of the room.

“This isn’t my fault,” Ixion said to me.

“I didn’t say anything,” I replied, plopping down on the sofa.

“Ixion doesn’t like Cynthia?” I asked. Given Ixion’s personality, I thought he would like her since she approached him without any barriers.

“It’s strange that she’s scared when I’m hiding my true self this much. Did you see her trembling just because I glared at her a little?” He was hiding his aura completely.

“Anyway, I absolutely hate that kind of dark stuff,” Ixion said.

“Aren’t you giving that girl too much attention? I’m a little sad,” Ares said, gently stroking my hair. “Does my little sister like me, or does she like that girl?”

“O-Of course, I like Ares!” I exclaimed.

Ares smiled like the spring sunshine.

“But neither of you prepared a gift for Dad? When is Dad’s birthday?” I asked.

“Well, in about ten days? I’m not sure exactly. Anyway, around the end of this month,” Ares replied.

“What about the gifts?”

“Why would we prepare something like that?” Ixion asked again.

“Well…”

“We can all buy whatever we want on our own,” Ares said.

“Buying it with your own money is different from a gift!”

“What’s the difference?”

“A gift contains the giver’s heart.”

“Even if it contains your heart, it doesn’t feed you,” Ixion retorted.

Ares didn’t say it like Ixion, but he seemed to agree quite a bit. Hmph.

“Then there’s no need to give Ixion and Ares gifts on their birthdays,” I declared.

“What?” Ixion asked.

“Why?!” Ares exclaimed.

“You said it wasn’t necessary?”

At those words, Ixion and Ares looked as if they had lost their country.

* * *

After Ares and Ixion left, I first opened the report. I promised to approve it by this evening.

“Oooong……” I frowned and unfrowned repeatedly.

“I don’t understand anything!” No, no, I can do it! Let’s try!

“Black gold production… black gold, black bull, black stork……” I drew a black stork in the blank space and was satisfied. “Black stork!” Should I draw a black bull too? Moo, I’ll do it!

As I was diligently moving my pen, Anna passed by and smiled, saying, “Our young lady is working hard. How admirable.”

Yes, yes, I’m admirable! ……Am I admirable?

‘I didn’t even know Dad’s birthday.’ How did I not even think to ask? No, but it’s almost here, so everyone should have given me a hint! How could no one tell me!

“I hate Anna!” Clang! Anna, who had been holding a vase, dropped it, turning pale.

“Young lady, please don’t get up!” Anna cried.

“We have to clean it up quickly……!”

“I hate Nancy, Laura, and Tilda too! I hate everyone!” Thud, thump, collapse! The three people dropped everything they were holding and staggered before collapsing.

“H-Hate us? Young lady, do you really hate me?” Nancy asked.

“I hate you!”

“Young lady……!”

“Why didn’t you tell me it was Dad’s birthday,” I whined.

At those words, the tearful maids stopped moving.

“W-Was it His Grace’s birthday?” Nancy asked, flustered. The person who answered Nancy’s flustered question wasn’t me.

“It’s not his birthday yet. It’s in six days,” Dad said.

“Your Grace……!”

I turned my head to see Dad looking down at me from behind the sofa.

“Dad……”

“I came because I heard you weren’t feeling well,” Dad said, scooping me up in his arms. “You’ve become ugly like a dog that’s been rained on.”

“I didn’t know it was Dad’s birthday,” I confessed.

“It’s natural you wouldn’t know. I didn’t tell you,” Dad replied.

“I didn’t prepare a gift either.”

“There’s no need to give me one.”

“But……”

“Lulu.” Dad met my gaze. “Why do you feel so guilty?”

“……Aren’t you disappointed that I didn’t know it was Dad’s birthday?”

“I’m actually touched. To be so dejected at the fact that you didn’t know,” Dad chuckled and pressed my head. “You don’t have to take care of me. Just receive. That’s more than enough.”

I leaned my cheek against Dad’s chest. Listening to the thumping of his heart, I felt like all the worries I had until now were foolish.

“I want to celebrate Dad’s birthday too. I want to give you a gift too,” I said.

Dad stared down at me. “O-Of course, it’s less than a week away, so the gift won’t be much if I prepare it from now on.”

“Anything you give me is fine,” Dad assured.

“I don’t want to give you just anything,” I insisted.

At those words, Dad smiled. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Yes!” I quickly felt better and giggled. Dad fed me a lot of pudding and then left.

Then, the maids prostrated themselves before me.

“We are so sorry for not knowing it was His Grace’s birthday,” Nancy cried.

“I will be buried with the young lady when she is buried,” Laura sobbed.

“I will immediately create His Grace’s profile and collect and record everything related to His Grace from now on,” Tilda declared.

“Shall I pluck out my heart right now as an apology?” Anna asked.

What should I say? Should I call it an apology worthy of a husband’s funeral advocate, a stalker, and a heart donation hopeful?

It reminded me of when I gave the maids paintings in the past, and I chuckled a little.

“No. I was just angry at you for no reason earlier,” I said. After regaining my reason as a reincarnator, I felt a bit ashamed and sorry.

‘It’s surprising that the maids didn’t know Dad’s birthday though.’ Well, when I think about it, it’s strange for an employee to always remember the birthday of the company’s president. The circumstances are a bit different though. Unless it’s an annual event like other noble families, Dad has been away from the estate for the past four years, and it seems he passed it quietly even before that. Above all, these four people were maids of the Duke’s residence, not the estate. They came to the estate as my personal maids.

“Dad almost never stays in the capital. It’s possible they didn’t know,” I reasoned.

“How can our young lady be so understanding,” Nancy gushed.

“But I will still be buried with the young lady,” Laura insisted.

“Then I will still focus on recording the young lady,” Tilda added.

“My heart is always the young lady’s,” Anna said.

Um. I don’t need any of that.

* * *

“I heard from Cynthia that you haven’t held a birthday celebration for His Grace yet,” Lady Aphelia said, putting down the tea and asking Dad. “You’re not planning to prepare a party this time either?”

“Yes,” Dad replied.

“Oh my, but it’s the first birthday since you returned from the battlefield,” Lady Aphelia said.

That’s right. If I had known sooner, I would have prepared a party.

“It’s a bit short notice, but may I take care of it?” Lady Aphelia offered.

Huh? Is that woman going to host our dad’s birthday party? That’s totally— ‘Isn’t that what the Duchess does?!’