I Picked Up the Precious Daughter of the Villain

“……!”

Count Jacob’s face brightened as if dozens of candles had been lit.

“Your Grace!”

It was a voice overflowing with reverence and respect, as if calling out a savior.

The Duke continued with a dark face.

“Three days should be enough. In the meantime, I’ll take care of all urgent matters, so if you need me from now on, send someone here. Don’t even think about coming in person.”

Count Jacob nodded even though he looked very sad and disappointed. He seemed to be satisfied enough with the Duke’s promise to go to the Manor for now. 

“We’d better get going now, and …”

The Duke came slowly towards Elodie.

He continued to keep his eyes fixed on Elodie, desperately so, as if she would disappear forever if the child was out of his sight even for a moment.

He knelt before Elodie.

Judging from the fact that Count Jacob held his breath, it seemed that in an aristocratic society, this was not simply the attitude of an adult trying to meet a child at eye level.

“Sorry for ruining your birthday party, Elodie. I always feel apologetic for you.”

Elodie just stared at the Duke with wide eyes. 

“It will take me about a week to come back. Until then, I hope you stay healthy and well. Listen carefully to Miss Bertin. Okay?”

“……”

The Duke was about to stand up after smiling bitterly at Elodie’s silence. The child’s lips twitched slightly.

“……That.”

The Duke’s eyes opened wide.

He knelt down again and listened to the child in a half-cuddling position. A small voice flowed from Elodie’s mouth, who continued to hesitate.

It was a desperate yet hopeful voice.

“……Have you been looking for me?”

* * *

Theodore Vanice froze as it was, unable to hug Elodie or let go. Something hot boiled from the depths of his throat.

I have to answer.

I need to get rid of Elodie’s anxiety right now……

There were so many words stuck inside that nothing came out easily.

“……Yes.”

As soon as he managed to say a word, the words poured everything out as if a door was opened.

“Since I lost you, I haven’t slept properly even for one night. I searched not only the Empire but also neighboring kingdoms and principalities looking for you.”

Theodore closed and opened his eyes.

At that time, he thought he would be able to find Elodie soon. Because he was able to mobilize wealth, power, and even magic.

Oh, what a stupid idea this was.

“After a year, everyone told me to give up, but I have never forgotten you, my daughter.”

Elodie said nothing.

She just stared at him with wide eyes.

“Although my daughter forgot about me…….” 

Theodore moved his choked neck.

“I don’t care. Everything is fine. I’m satisfied with just having you healthy and happy.”

“……Hm.”

Elodie slowly opened her mouth.

Theodore drew in a breath.

It was because he was afraid of the words that would come out of the mouth of a child who had only rejected him so far.

“Everyone told me my parents abandoned me. That I didn’t have a mom or dad, that’s why everyone stayed away from me…” 

“……”

Theodore closed his eyes.

If he kept looking at Elodie’s eyes, which already saw too many things to be innocent, he felt like he would explode.

He wanted to hug Elodie tight and he wanted to ask what she had been through before she met Aria.

Finally, he wanted to find each and every one of the people who made Elodie have that kind of feeling and rip them from head to toe. 

But Theodore couldn’t lift a finger.

He didn’t want to forcefully hug a child who still didn’t like him, because he didn’t want to dig out the child’s painful old memories.

All Theodore could say was an apology.

“……Sorry. I should have found you earlier. No, I shouldn’t have lost you in the first place. I didn’t mean to let you out of my sight……”

Elodie shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The child turned her head slightly to look at Aria.

“Because I met Aria……Everything is fine now.”

“……I see.”

His eyes suddenly became hot.

Theodore admitted.

Elodie, who once babbled in his arms, whose first word was ‘Daddy’, who laughed so hard at their peek-a-boo play, was no longer there.

She exists only in his memory.

Now, Elodie in front of his eyes had suffered innumerable hardships and pain because he himself had missed her and she no longer needed him.

But, nonetheless……

Theodore Vanice needed Elodie.

His world lost the value of living just by completely severing the relationship with Elodie. 

Theodore couldn’t hug the child in the end. Instead, he raised his hand and stroked the child’s head very lightly.

Fortunately, Elodie did not flinch or looked frightened. Rather, she only looked at him with surprised rabbit-like eyes.

Theodore rose from his seat.

It was really time to get going.

“Bye, Elodie.”

He hesitated, then added.

“……Happy Birthday.”

Hoping, by all means, that Elodie knows how sincere he was.

* * *

Theodore barely opened his mouth all the way to the Duke’s Manor.

Count Jacob also kept his mouth shut because he knew the Lord’s discomfort.

Only once, he asked how the Duke had found Elodie. Even then, he shut his mouth as soon as Theodore gave him a nasty stare. 

Therefore, Jacob seemed surprised when Theodore asked for something first. 

“Well, how on earth did you find me? I thought I had been able to get away with it well enough.”

“We have been able to track you for a while, it’s just that His Grace usually doesn’t stay in one place for more than three days, so I’m just too late to pursue you. This time, since you’ve been in the same village for over a month……”

Jacob blurted out his words. 

His face seemed to have finally realized only then, why Theodore had moved from one region to another, and why he had stayed for so long this time.

Theodore laughed in vain.

It was difficult to call Count Jacob a particularly bad guy.

He lost his composure at the cafe, but he was also one of the few retainers of the Duchy who assisted in finding Elodie.

However he was stupid and had a dull corner, he used to be a step slow and now was such a time. If he had been himself before he found Elodie, he would have kicked him out long ago or broken the Count’s legs to keep him from following.

There was nothing he couldn’t do. 

‘……Done.’

Theodore sighed.

Apparently, after finding Elodie, he seemed to have become more relaxed.

If he breaks Count Jacob’s leg and returns home empty-handed, Aria Bertin would become annoyed and won’t stop nagging at him.

They arrived in two days a distance that would take three days at a normal speed. It was possible because they changed horses several times in the middle.

Theodore walked slowly into the Duke’s manor, it was the first time he stepped inside after many years.

Starting with the gatekeeper, he felt that the servants who found him were half confused and half dazed.

As they walked through the long corridor, Theodore suddenly said something.

“It is better managed than I thought. Who is in charge?”

“Th-that……”

Count Jacob, unable to answer properly, stuttered his words.

Theodore’s eyes narrowed.

“……I will have to see for myself.”

His steps sped up on their own.

Right after he lost Elodie, he was out of his mind, and after he came to his senses, he couldn’t stand people barking at him to give up the child, so he cut off all contact.

In fact, most of them were unable to contact him even if they wanted to. 

He didn’t know where Elodie had disappeared, so he wandered through crime zones across the continent.

Because of the side effects of black magic, he didn’t look like the living.

It’s been four years since he lived like that.

He thought that it was Count Jacob’s bluff that wanted to make him come back because even if the Duchy shook for four years, there was no way it would go to the brink of extinction.

Theodore, who had reached the office before he knew it, opened the door roughly.

‘……’

And closed his eyes.

As soon as he opened the door, memories flooded in and painful emotions welled up for a moment.

While raising Elodie, all kinds of toys used to roll around in the office.

There were times when he sat her on his lap while working, but she couldn’t stand still, so he had to bring the nanny into the office.

As for Elodie, she played well like a lively child, but she would burst out crying from nowhere, still, it didn’t bother him at all.

Because she was a precious daughter who was the apple of his eye.

‘Let’s calm down.’

Theodore took a deep breath.

There was a file folder on his desk.

‘As expected.’

Theodore shook his head as soon as he opened the file.

The report, which should have been clear and neat, was all a mess. Even at first glance, the skills of Count Jacob were easily recognized.

“Did Sir Shylo quit?”

Theodore mentioned the name of a man who had once been his competent right-hand man, but after making absurd remarks about giving up Elodie, he had been downgraded to a knight

He would have produced a much more readable report than this.

“Read it.”

Count Jacob replied with a hard face.

Theodore quickly went through the files.

It was a sea of information that was tantamount to chaos, but they were all pointing to only one conclusion. 

It’s……