Night of the Abandoned Duchess

Chapter 65

Rosalind slapped him on the chest as if he was being unbelievable.

“Aren’t you even tired?”

“Well. I guess I’ll have to try and see if I’m tired or not… So, let’s go to bed.”

“He’s sleeping, but there’s nothing he can’t hear.”

Even if it was a slight sound, what to do if he heard it, Rosalind rolled her eyes warning him.

“Leo couldn’t hear it because he was sleeping.”

“Still.”

“Well, you don’t want to?”

He asked Rosalind with a small smile. At that, she stared at him without saying a word before lifting her heel and kissing his cheek again. A small laugh erupted at the same time as the obvious affirmation.

“…Leo, just cover him with a blanket.”

She covered Leo’s chest with the blanket tightly. He was as pretty as an angel when he slept quietly. It is said that a child is the prettiest when sleeping, but seeing Leo sleeping beautifully, she felt as if she could give anything for this child.

The next moment, Kyle then reached out to the child and brushed the boy’s soft hair. Even when touched by a hand, he fell asleep soundly without showing any sign of flinching.

“I think I’ll have to decide for Leo to be the successor, formally.”

“…Official successor?”

Her eyes rounded wide.

“It’s Leo’s birthday in a little while. Then, we should throw a party and announce him as the official successor. Rosalind, what do you think?”

“I…”

Rosalind carefully opened her lips.

She had probably expected that it would be like this from the time she informed him of Leo’s existence.

He was from the Spencer family, so it would be right to be the heir. But, on the other hand, she didn’t want to make any decisions about the child’s future. She wondered if it was her parents’ excessive greed to make it an unconditional fate just because of her bloodline.

Rosalind was forced to make sacrifices for the revival of her family from an early age.

Her father was ready to sell anything for the sake of the family, including the beauty of his own daughter. Rosalind had to dance when she didn’t want to and say hello to men she didn’t like whenever she went to a banquet or a party. There were times when she still felt her breath suffocating when she thought of those moments.

“Leo, Dad wants to give Leo the title of duke. He wants you to be the successor.”

“Successor…?”

As she tried to explain, knowing that Leo didn’t really understand what she was talking about, Rosalind was at a loss as to where to start.

“He’s talking about Leo later leading this family like Dad and looking after the people on the estate. As an aide to His Majesty the Emperor, you will work for the country… You will enjoy many things, and you will be responsible for many things.”

“Am I going to be like Dad?”

There were too many things to describe with the words ‘like Dad’, but Rosalind nodded her head for now.

“Yes, like Dad. It may be difficult to understand now, but you will realize it as you grow up. If this road is too difficult or you don’t like it, you can always tell Mom and Dad.”

“Yes. Okay.”

Leo blinked his eyes and nodded.

“There is not only one road in the world. Even the long road in the back mountain that we sometimes walk on was not a road from the beginning. It became a road because people wanted to make it a road. So, Leo can also make a road where Leo wants to go.”

He probably wouldn’t understand what she was saying. Still, just because he didn’t understand now, didn’t mean she should say what she had to say. Even if he didn’t know the exact meaning of those words, anyone could feel the love in them.

May you always be happy.

That was all Rosalind wanted.

The appointment of the successor was made more splendidly than expected. In fact, it wasn’t her taste for such a grand event, but her desire to show Leo to as many people as possible and to get him officially recognized took precedence.

“Thank you for coming.”

Rosalind glanced at the nobles and raised her lips softly. As if responding to her kindness, there was a polite smile on Mrs. Heirin’s lips. Though that smile was short-lived, and the tip of the Madam’s lips quickly turned into a twist.

“I am glad that you invited me to such a wonderful place. But, I didn’t know that the Spencer family had a son. Why is there no news?”

“We wanted to make it known starting today.”

“Still, the duke didn’t say anything, so… Usually, the eldest son is the pride of the family. Isn’t it?”

Saying so, her eyes widened innocently as if she knew nothing. She was covering her mouth with a fan, so it was unknown whether her eyes, as well as her mouth, were smiling too.

Heirin, even before her marriage, was one of those women who showed her feelings to Kyle. Rosalind was also fond of him at the time, so it was only natural for her to remember the women who showed interest in Kyle as well.

In addition, she was famous in the social world because of her beauty. She only overheard that Heirin was getting married a few years ago…

“I think the party is really grand. Yes, it must be for the Young Master like this, although I wonder if he will remember all of this later…”

As she was looking at a person who was different inside than on the outside, she felt like she was finally back in the social world. People who have a different inside and outside with a subtle fight of nerves.

In the past, it was very difficult to forcefully smile and be kind among such people. Well, even now, it was not easy or pleasant.

Mrs. Heirin spat back out at Rosalind, who was smiling, forcing herself to pull her lips up.

“Of course, it’s better than being shabby, however…”

“He is the heir to the Spencer family. Shouldn’t it be done without lack?”

As Rosalind was about to say something, Kyle interrupted. He gently lowered his eyes and looked at Mrs. Heirin dryly.

“Oh, Duke! Long time no see. How long has it been?”

However, unlike him, Heirin had an extremely bright smile. Kyle walked up to her and gently grabbed Rosalind’s shoulder. And, he unilaterally opened his mouth while ignoring Heirin’s greeting.

“This is an event to announce the successor to the Spencer family, so there’s no shortage. I would do anything for the sake of my pride, my one and only son? Of course, my wife agreed to this publicity. Isn’t that right, Rosalind?”

“…Yes. It was.”

“Ah, I see. I just… saying that the party was gorgeous and it looked good. Hoho.”

He gazed at Rosalind with affectionate eyes, then turned to her. Even though there was a chill in his eyes, Heirin smiled brightly and responded in a charming way.

“Thank you for inviting me. Come to think of it, the Spencer family and ours were particularly special. We often visited each other for various things. I’d say it’s a relationship that has been handed down from our ancestors. I thought I was a little closer to the Duke…”

“Not long ago, I heard that Madam was in a bad financial situation because you wasted your fortune on gambling. They say that you didn’t even go through the proper procedure for appointing a successor… that’s very unfortunate. When appointing a successor, no matter how grandiose it is, the minimum formality is required. If you need any financial help, feel free to ask. As you said, Madam’s family and I have had a special relationship since my father’s day, so I’ll be a little more careful.”

In the words ‘special relationship’, he put strength in each word.

“Well, maybe just a little bit.”

Suddenly, a corner of his lips rose slightly. A strangely twisted smile was clear.

“I have some things to look out for with my wife. Your husband will be waiting for Madam too, so why don’t you go, too.”

“I, I see.”

Heirin, who had been smiling the whole time, was starting to show the subtle cracks on her face. Even the sound of forced laughter disappeared, and her face grew red.

“Then, goodbye.”

Kyle gave a light greeting and left with Rosalind. Glancing back at Heirin’s back, which was getting farther away, he raised the tip of his lips slanted.

Rosalind looked into his face and asked.

“Why did you say that? Of course, it was cool, but I think the words were a little harsh. I’ve heard rumors that she sold her fortune because of gambling.… She was probably grinding her teeth right now.”

“I just want to. I don’t want to hold it in after listening to all that.”

He responded briefly, then pulled Rosalind’s shoulder closer to him and hugged her.

“You and Leo are my biggest pride.”

In fact, considering that Heirin insulted Leo, Rosalind also thought that his response was not excessive. His voice was as soft as a whisper, unlike before a while ago. It seemed that her restlessness was relieved by the sensitive voice.

“You’re so pretty and lovely that I want to brag about it to everyone.”

His voice echoes softly between the splendid music of the band—Pleasantly low, calm, and soft voice.

“And, sometimes, I want to hide it tightly.”

“Even so, you can hide Leo, but where are you going to hide me that is this big?”

You…

“I wish I could hide you in my bedroom.”

Rosalind immediately burst into laughter at his witty reply.

He liked the neat, playful words. Perhaps, because of his calm voice, it was not unfamiliar to hear him say sly things. She even thought that maybe he was the type of person who liked to say strange words. Whenever he secretly said this, it was hard to stay calm, even if she pretended not to hear it.

“The time has come to read the letter from His Majesty, shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

Rosalind nodded her head.

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