《I Found a Husband When I Picked up the Male Lead》 Chapter 1 No content Chapter 2 I scanned the bags and accessories that filled the dressing room. The number of them was enormous when I opened the door. ¡°Did you call me Miss?¡± Chapter 3 No content Chapter 4 No content Chapter 5 No content Chapter 6 No content Chapter 7 No content Chapter 8 ¡°It seems like that. Oh! Our Lizelle was so small then. When did you grow up so much?¡± Chapter 9 No content Chapter 10 No content Chapter 11 No content Chapter 12 part 1 No content Chapter 12 part 2 That night. Werazel sent someone to the Prosier¡¯s to explain why she has to stay with the duke for a month. She didn¡¯t forget to say that she would drop by early tomorrow to pick up the luggage she wasn¡¯t able to bring earlier because this arrangement was not in her plans at all. ¡°Lizelle!¡± When they were ready to sleep, Lapel gazed out at the large window. The room that the Duke provided them was not only just as good as the parlor, but it was also as luxurious. It¡¯s probably just one of the dozen guest rooms, but it has a chandelier with beautiful crystals and marbled flooring. A king-sized bed, a sculpture-like dressing table, and a bathroom with a large bathtub. The room is reminiscent of a hotel suite that was three times larger than her own room at the baron¡¯s. ¡°Those are stars. So pretty, aren¡¯t they?¡± Werazel hugged the little boy. Lapel, being wrapped by Lizelle, smiled widely. Lizelle¡¯s arms always give me comfort. 1 The view of the night sky, seen through the window pane, was reflected in the eyes of the two with a friendly atmosphere. The scenery of tens of thousands of stars is spectacular. From her room in the house of the Baron, the sky was sparse due to the large tree outside. The sky that can be seen slightly through the leaves always brought her the feeling of being cramped so she wanted to stay in a room with an open view and this room was just like that. The landscape was brilliant and glorious without anything obstructing the view. It gave her a sense of freedom just by looking at it. I don¡¯t want anything in this mansion, but this view is out of this world. I want to take a picture. ¡°Yes. Pretty.¡± Lapel stretched out his short arm which was held by Lizelle¡¯s arms as if he wanted to catch the stars. To catch the star, he stretched his hand. ¡°Hmp!¡± But nothing caught. Lapel cried and pulled Lizelle¡¯s arm when he saw that his small palm was empty.1 ¡°Star!! Hing!! I want a star!¡±1 ¡°Star? That¡¯s something you can¡¯t catch. ¡° ¡°No! I want a star!¡± He was struggling. Lizelle became confused by the actions of this young child. It reminded her of a child misbehaving to buy a toy at a toy store in a department store. How do the child¡¯s parents deal with this? Werazel felt troubled for a moment. ¡°Star! Hmp!!! ¡° Lapel was struggling in her arms. Lizelle decided to do what she had seen one day. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Lizelle reached to the skies and clenched her fist as if snatching something with her hand, acting as if she had found something. ¡°You got a star?¡± Lapel stopped struggling and his eyes gleamed in anticipation. Lizelle didn¡¯t stop there, she waved her fist and brought it to Lapel¡¯s face and spread her palm out. ¡°Star, where is the star?¡± He glanced around Lizelle¡¯s hand with Lapel¡¯s eyes spreading as she moved with her dazzling hand movements. But there was nothing to see. Lapel thought, it should not be? She caught something, but her hand was empty, there were no twinkling stars. His confused eyes turned to Lizelle. ¡°The star? It¡¯s here.¡± Lizelle smiled and poked the end of Raphelion¡¯s eyes. Lapel laughed and touched his eyes with both hands, but when he felt nothing, he quickly became disappointed. ¡°Where¡­¡± Lapel stuck out his lips and looked down, pouting. ¡°Lapel¡¯s eyes contain stars. They twinkle.¡± ¡°Twinkle? ¡°Yes. Lapel¡¯s eyes twinkle like the stars.¡± The little boy lifted his head and captured the friendly smile of Werazel in his eyes. Lizelle¡¯s green eyes are like stars. It was sparkling. It was Lapel¡¯s only star, which he had been searching for, embroidered in the night sky. ~ Chapter 13 ¡°The stars went here!¡± Lapel shouted, pointing to Lizelle¡¯s pupils as if he had made some big discovery. 2 Ahh, my heart hurts. The boy who pointed to her eyes and said that it is a bright star was really cute enough to hurt her heart. The cheesy lines that men often use to seduce women flow out of Lapel¡¯s cute mouth and make her feel like it¡¯s the best praise. How could he just pick these pretty words? I¡¯m dead. 3 ¡°Thank you Lapel.¡± The two smiled at each other. The smile was so warm and friendly that it would be a delight to see if anyone else saw it. Lapel laughed then and yawned straight into Lizelle¡¯s arms. ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. You must have felt tired after a long time in the carriage.¡± As she glanced from the window and tried to turn to the bed, something caught her eye. Dark silhouette over the window. Dark hair that is obscured by the dark, but not covered by the moonlight. It was the Duke Chester. He was crossing the yard to wherever he was going in the middle of the night. Does this have anything to do with me or not? ¡°Huh, Lapel. Let¡¯s sleep now.¡± Lizelle snorted and quickly turned around. I don¡¯t even want to see his back. Lapel was already asleep in Lizelle¡¯s arms. She turned around quietly so that he would not wake up. *** Next day. Werazel headed to the Baron before dawn and explained to her parents what had happened with the Duke. ¡°So don¡¯t worry too much,¡± said Werazel with a small laugh, trying to reassure her parents, but the baron and his wife couldn¡¯t easily let go of their worries. ¡°It¡¯s still¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be a little inconvenient for you to stay with the Duke?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s best to be safe for Lapel, for me, and for my mother and father.¡± Werazel held her mother¡¯s hand tight. I haven¡¯t lived apart from my daughter for the past 20 years, but suddenly my daughter said she would stay with the Duke for a month, and of course us parents are worried. ¡°Then leave Lapel there and be the only one to come back¡­ ¡° ¡°What if he does not give me the reward?¡± ¡°The Duke shouldn¡¯t do that. ¡° ¡°If we¡¯re talking about him, he might.¡± Lizelle said with a determined expression. The Duke I interacted with yesterday was that kind of man. So, I have no choice but to stick to it until the end and cover all bases. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re really okay? Is there any mistake on the part of Duke? ¡°¡­¡± Rosalie was very worried about her daughter. I was worried about staying at someone else¡¯s house, but I was most concerned about whether my daughter would do anything stupid for luxury. It wouldn¡¯t be like the case when you think of these days, but when you think of Lizelle in the past, you¡¯ll still worry about that. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I have to help Lapel to adjust to me leaving and with the duke as well, and I have to pay the family debts by receiving the reward.¡± Rosalie was a little relieved to hear that she was paying the debt. Still, her concern was something that she was worried about. While Lizelle and Rosalie continued to talk, the Baron was silently bowing his head. There was a feeling of guilt on the face of the Baron, who¡¯s wringing his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because of your useless father¡­¡±2 It was the first word uttered by the Baron, who was silent the whole time. Werazel raised the other hand holding his mother¡¯s hand and placed it on the back of her father¡¯s hand. ¡°Father. It¡¯s really okay. It¡¯s something I did, so give me a chance to make up for myself.¡± ¡°Lizelle, my daughter, you have changed a lot.¡± Looking at Lizelle like seeing a thoughtful angel, the Baron¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m getting matured now too! A-ha-ha.¡± The Baron¡¯s words made Lizelle embarrassed and she just made a loud noise. If you think about it, as someone who is known for her luxury and vanity, the way she is taking care of debts and caring for a child in a blink of an eye now, it would be really strange and foreign to anyone. She decided to be careful. ¡°Yes, I see. If you are forced to do anything because of the debt, always come back.¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°If you have a hard time, come back anytime.¡± Lizelle smiled as he saw his father shaking and touching his chin under his tightly closed lips as if holding back tears. ¡°I¡¯ll come back.¡± With her mother and her drooping father behind her, Werazel climbed into the carriage. She also carried luggage for her stay in the Duke¡¯s home for a month. When she looked back, her father was stamping the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief as if he was finally crying. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m getting married, it will only be a month.1 ???? As Lizelle left the baron¡¯s residence, she repressed her uncomfortable heart. The sun was rising and morning had come. Well Werazel, you are really loved. That¡¯s the only thought in her mind when she saw her parents. She knows how difficult it was to show affection without expecting a price. Even if it is the affection between parents and children. She realized once again that Werazel¡¯s parents were really nice people. And somehow she missed her real parents. There aren¡¯t even pictures left, and I can¡¯t remember their faces anymore. Would Lapel wake up? She recalled Lapel, furthering her gloomy expression. Whenever she thought of her real parents, she naturally thinks of Lapel. Now, Lapel will raised by an uncle, not a parent. Raphelion, who doesn¡¯t have any parents to give him a warm embrace¡­ perhaps has a similar situation to himself. There is a place in the heart that only parents can fill. So no matter how well his uncle Chester treats Lapel, he will not be able to fill his parents¡¯ seats. Just like me. She couldn¡¯t be ignore Lapel who had been alone at a very young age like herself. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s why or if it was Lapel that was been bothering her from the beginning. Seeing his small arms that seemed to collapse in weakness, hearing his voice that cried desperately at Mom and Dad, made her feel like she was facing herself. ¡°Once I get back, I¡¯ll hug you a lot.¡± If only she can replace his parents¡¯ affection for a moment. Lizelle went straight to the Duke¡¯s, vowing to do better while with Lapel. Even though her parents and Lapel wanted to see each other, she gave up early on yesterday because she remembered Chester¡¯s face when he insisted on leaving his child behind. I¡¯m sure if Lapel and I were going home together, he would have objected, saying, ¡°How can I let him go when he might not come back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious even if I don¡¯t see it,¡± Werazel¡¯s expression crumbled badly. As if she doesn¡¯t want to think of the petty person. Besides, it was too early to wake up Lapel. The green of the dawn was gradually fading through the small window. Maybe by the time the I get to the Duke¡¯s, Lapel will wake up, I have to hurry. ¡°Haaah.¡± Lizelle yawned and leaned against the seat. She left before down dawn, so a feeling of light fatigue came. Her eyes grew heavy. The carriage was a carriage provided by the duke, so it gave herunshakeable comfort. The quietness and the fluffy sheet, without any disturbance, and the feeling of stability were just the right conditions to fall asleep. In time, her lazy eyelids were completely closed. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Lizelle opened her eyes and and sat straight. She shouted, and the wagon came to a halt without shaking. She quickly opened the door and came out of the wagon, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She entered the market. There must have been a star-shaped object somewhere in this place lined with general merchandise stores, and the market was busy as it was just time to open. 1 Werazel slowly looked around the shops and stalls, and there were a lot of pretty and cute items, all of which Lapel would like. Well, if there is it¡¯s a star-shaped thing, that would be nice. Lizelle looked at the objects with a thoughtful eye. There were many things that were made in the shape of a star than expected. From small watches to hairpins, bracelets and necklaces. Even the plate is star-shaped. Will he eat well if I put carrots in this bowl? When she pictured Lapel eating carrots deliciously in her head, a cute rabbit came to mind. Werazel smiled, bought the plate, and then stepped over to the shopkeeper¡¯s display. In an instant, her eyes, who were scrutinizing the items to see if there was anything else to buy, were suddenly fixed in one place. A snow globe with a large, glowing, yellow star in the middle was placed on the shelf. This is it. It was just what she likes. Lizelle quickly reached out and tried to grab the snow ball. Suddenly, a hand popped out from the side. Both hands caught the snowglobe at the same time. Werazel looked at the owner of the large hand that had covered hers. Yuck. 16 ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Chester stood with dissatisfied eyes, narrowing the gap between his eyes. Chapter 14 T/N: here¡¯s anotha one hahahaha13 Chester headed to the market again today. It was because he wants to finish decorating the child¡¯s room before finding Raphelion. A child who he believes must be alive. Raphelion was the child of Iorn, the guardian and close friend he loved the most. He¡¯s never met the kid before, but Chester wanted to raise the Raphelion without lacking anything. As much as the love he received from his brother, he wanted to give him everything he had to fill and love him. For him, Iorn was a substitute for his father. The reason he visited the market today was because of his brother¡¯s saying that Raphelion likes to see stars. ¡°When I see his big red eyes looking at the stars, I feel crushed. I want to protect this little precious being.¡± With that in mind, Chester bought star-shaped objects whenever he had time. On the ceiling, stars were drawn with magical fluorescent paint, and everything- from frames, star-shaped to toys, they were all star-shaped. The Raphelion¡¯s room was already saturated with star-shaped items, but he still feels it lacking. Maybe that was another way of expressing his longing for his brother. Chester looked around the store and reached out to find a snowglobe containing a large star. Sparkling snowglobe were definitely something children would love. However, it was not a snowglobe he caught, but a white and warm hand. He quickly raised his head and looked to the side. There stood Werazel, who made such a grimace that he wondered if he could make such a grimace. He himself doesn¡¯t like the situation very much, but her attitude made him quite upset. ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± ¡°I got it first,¡± said Werazel wryly. She has an expression on her face that he did not understand. She tightened her hold in the snowball she caught and pulled it towards her, but Chester also gave strength showing he was not willing to back down.1 The arms of the two became tense.1 ¡°The two of you have a good eye. It¡¯s a magic snowball, so when you press the switch underneath it, the light comes on.¡± It was something Raphelion would like. The bright and shiny objects are enough to grab the child¡¯s attention. Lizelle gave strength in her eyes towards Chester with unspoken pressure to let go first. However, it was a threat that didn¡¯t work for him, like a solid brick. ¡°This is the last stock left. Ho-ho-ho.¡± 2 At the owner¡¯s words, the two glared at each other fiercely and became more eager to have the snowglobe. ¡°Duke, I caught it first, so let it go.¡± ¡°I caught it at the same time. You give up.¡± The two cats, with their fur standing up, growled at each other. 1 The owner was perplexed on the outside, but couldn¡¯t hide his satisfaction inside. ¡°Do you have a hobby of collecting baby stuff?¡± A big man and a noble woman are having a fight because they can¡¯t give up a small snowglobe. ¡°Mom, look at that! Adults are fighting over toys! ¡°3 The child who was passing by the market while holding hands with his mother shouted when he saw the appearances of Chester and Lizelle. ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t talk about it!¡± Please read this on Wattpad @manhwalyle thank you. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The mother noticed that she was a nobleman after seeing her, and she quickly left her place as she tried to join the child. Other people also looked at the two and laughed inwardly, but the two didn¡¯t care at all. Rather, Werazel was hoping that Chester, who valued face, could not stand the situation and let go first. ¡°I do not care.¡± But this guy, like an impenetrable fortress, does not even care about the gazes around him. Werazel thought his tenacity was great, but on the other hand she couldn¡¯t understand him, who didn¡¯t give up because of his pride, on where he was going to use this little toy. Does he really have a hobby of collecting such things? ¡°Huh? Did the butler come with you?¡± Werezel, who could never lose, said, looking behind Chester, surprise etched on her face. ¡°What?¡± It was the moment when Chester¡¯s head turned around, wondering what would happen with Lohan because he was definitely alone. Werazel pulled the snowball strongly. ¡°How much?¡± Today¡¯s winner was Werazel. 8 She paid the price to the owner with the snowball in her hand. Chester looked down at his empty hand with a shocked face. His red eyes shook lightly at the absurdity of being subjected to such shallow trick.4 Werazel, who received the wrapped snowglobe, smiled broadly at the mute Chester. There was a feeling of satisfaction that she won again today. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± The graceful and confident gait moved forward light as a feather. Chaseter grinned slightly as he saw Werazel walking away first with a smile. He didn¡¯t feel annoyed or defeated like yesterday for some reason. 3 Her soft, sunny smile was as bright as a child¡¯s. He wondered when was the last time he¡¯s seen someone smiling so sincerely lately. All around him were the only ones who concealed their emotions and pretentiously laughing. Disgusting, sickening people. However, she laughed innocently for just one toy. What a weird woman. No. No. He shook his head and straightened the smile he didn¡¯t know he expressed. What else can a scammer not do? Weren¡¯t they the ones who could always create a sincere smile? Chester followed her with long strides, thinking she was far expert than he had originally thought. Other than the snowball, he didn¡¯t have anything he liked anymore, and it was good to watch her up close. ¡°Hmmmm~.¡± Werazel exited the market, humming with a happy heart. She felt good to think that Lapel would like the snowball. Even more so because she bought it after winning against that duke. 2 She didn¡¯t want to lose to him because of what transpired yesterday. I have to go back quickly. Lapel is waiting for me. Werazel walked faster to return to the carriage. Unexpectedly, somebody shouted, with a sound of rattling back and forth, ¡°Move! Let me pass!¡± When Lizelle turned her head, a wagon with a large load was rushing towards her. Her frail body leaned aside and turned to the side, as she was worried that it would hit her. ¡°Oh hey¡­.¡± The tip of her nose that she had bumped into something was tingling. Lizelle rubbed her nose and raised her head, and saw the Chester under her. The two bodies were completely in close contact with each other. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Two pairs of eyes stared at each other. A voice that was as hard as the arms hugging her waist pierced her ears. Apparently, he had saved her from almost hitting the cart. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Werazel stood up against his stone-like chest. She moved out of his arms, trying to avoid the embarrassing situation as much as possible. Chester also stood up, brushing off his dirt-stained clothes. The warmth he felt in his arms had already disappeared. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry, Duke,¡± the owner of the wagon begged, kneeling in front of Chester. He had almost injured a nobleman, so he had nothing left to say. ¡°Be careful.¡± But contrary to expectations, Chester spoke to the owner with a blunt face and only picked up the items that had fallen from the cart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll do it!¡± The owner bent his back and apologized. Chester picked up the fallen objects and put it on the cart. Werazel, who couldn¡¯t just watch, also gave a hand. With so many helping hands, the task was over quickly. ¡°Sorry, thank you very much,¡± said the owner repeatedly, dragging the cart and disappearing. Chester fixed his hair. Black strands was scattered in his big hand. Werazel¡¯s gaze caught to his hand. A piece of skin on his fingertip was peeled off when it hit the ground as they fell while protecting her. ¡°You¡¯ve scraped your hand.¡± His expressionless red eyes checked the wound and replied, ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Never mind¡± Werazel grumbled toward the back of Chester even if she was worried. He didn¡¯t say anything else, so I won¡¯t say anything too. Lizelle, who was expressing her dissatisfaction, instantaneously smiled softly as if she was already doing it when her eyes met him the time he looked back. It was a skillful expression change. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± In any case, he saved her, so she still had to express her thanks. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Chester stared at Lizelle¡¯s smile and then turned around. Hmm. This is surprising. I know that nobles value face and prestige, but he did not rebuke or reproach the owner of the wagon unexpectedly. But that was it. The impression of him. Werazel followed in the footsteps of Chester, who was moving forward first.1 And after a while, a man wearing a black hood who was watching the two people walking away, appeared. This man¡¯s eyes flashed towards the two who left the market. Chapter 15 ¡°Well goodbye then.¡± Lizelle, who came with Chester to the market entrance, headed for the carriage she had been riding on. Chester, too, bowed his head and walked in towards his where it was parked. The two people¡¯s destination was the same, but as if it were natural, they thought of moving in their respective wagons. Unlike when she went out earlier this morning, Werazel got into the wagon with a lot of luggage in ers hands. I had to hurry because I was delayed buying things. ¡°Let us go.¡± The carriage moved with the driver¡¯s signal. However, the car stopped moving smoothly. I thought I¡¯d finally relax and get some sleep. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lizelle called the coachman. ¡°There seems to be a problem with the Duke¡¯s carriage.¡± ¡°Duke¡¯s carriage?¡± In an unexpected situation, Werazel rolled up the thin curtain and looked over the window. ¡°There really is.¡± Outside the window, there was Duke Chester standing in front of the carriage, having a conversation with a coachman with a serious expression. The situation was very unsatisfactory, and he was frowning. Whatever happened to his carriage, the wheel was broken. ¡°Lady Prosier, why don¡¯t we go back with the Duke?¡± When asked by the coachman, the expression of dislike appeared on the face of Werazel. However, both this carriage and the coachman were all owned by the Duke, so she could not ignore him. Ugh no. ¡°Haaah.¡± Sighing, Lizelle stood up. ¡°Duke, are you going home?¡± Chester¡¯s eyebrows wriggled subtly as Werazel opened the wagon door and shouted. ¡°If you are going to the mansion, go with us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, go first,¡± said the nobleman, turning his face away from Werazel. Werazel¡¯s vein on her temple throbbed when she saw his actions, but soon she smiled lightly pretending nothing happened. ¡°Just come with us.¡± The person who laughs when at this difficult time is first-rate. Thinking so, Werazel called again. ¡°Duke, the wheel is completely broken, so it will take a lot of time to replace it.¡± The coachman shook his head towards him. As it seemed that it would be delayed longer than expected, Chester got worried. There was an meeting with the Senate over the development of the mine. It was obvious that if I was late, they would talk about my properties again. ¡°Come on. It will take a matter of time really.¡± It was a waste of one minute and a second, but the reason he kept ignoring it despite that was that woman smiling with her arms folded. Because of that woman who infruriates him while talking politely. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Yes Sir, I¡¯ll fix it up and follow you. ¡° Chester has been blocked by them numerous times. If the Senate caught this matter now, it was obvious that they would bite on it. He will not let that happen. It would be better to go back in a carriage with this woman. ¡°It¡¯s good if you get on it right away.¡± Werazel whispered, watching Chester sitting in front of her. I¡¯m worried Lapel would wake up while I wasn¡¯t there. I wonder if he would be looking for me anxiously. Chester disregarded Lizelle¡¯s words, pulling the rope connected to the coachman. The wheel that stopped moved smoothly again. The two were looking out the window on each side. Chester sits cross-legged and opens the left window, while Werazel puts her neat hands on the right. They hoped to get to the mansion soon. It¡¯s been a very unpleasant time for each other. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± When the two didn¡¯t talk at all, a suffocating silence settled in the carriage. Even if the carriage is comfortable enough to hear only the sound of rolling wheels, it rattled and swayed when caught by a large rock. Each time, the legs of the two people sitting facing each other lightly rubbed. Obviously, despite the wide spacing of the seats facing each other, unintentional contact occurred thanks to the length of Chester¡¯s legs. However, no one moved to the side saying it was uncomfortable. The reason was simple, because no one wants to lose. Whoever moves first, but I was trying to move first. I¡¯ve recognized it from the very beginning, but he¡¯s a very tough guy. Werazel gave strength to the leg that touched Chester, not willing to be pushed. Chester also gave strength to his leg. So strong that Lizelle¡¯s knee, was knocked to the side. This kid? Lizelle stared at Chester. Chester looked at ease with his arms folded as if nothing had happened. Reluctant to get caught up in this childish fights, Lizelle relaxed her legs and leaned against the seat. I don¡¯t even want to chat with him anyway, so I better sleep until we arrive at the mansion. And the thought came true within minutes. Because of her diligent work so early from that morning, she quickly fell asleep. In the carriage, where silence descended, one could hear the sound of the peaceful breath of Werazel, who was still sleeping. It was this moment when Chester, who only looked at window without a word, turned his tight neck to the other side. ¡°¡­¡± He could see Werazel¡¯s face with her eyes closed. His gaze naturally rested on her. She was sleeping with her face completely defenseless, whether it was fake or not. Even if she is 20 years old this year, she has a very childlike face that does not suit her age. It was an innocent face that did not appear to be a person full of thoughts on luxury and vanity. People should not judge by their appearance, especially those they who do not appear to cheat for the reward. Chester once again chewed on the truth he had always kept in mind. His father, who had a reputation for being more loving than anyone else in the world. His father, who always smiled nicely to others, would slap the faces of his very own children. Chester turned his head at an unpleasant old memory. I feel like things I don¡¯t want to remember will come back again. Thud! Huh? His gaze was forced to turn to Lizelle again. Lizelle¡¯s head was bent on one side against the wall of the carriage. She hit it hard enough to make a pretty loud noise, but she just frowned a little and was still asleep. Once again, Werazel¡¯s head was moving towards the wall. However, no more loud sound was heard. Because he got up and held Werazel¡¯s head with his hand. The viewer was frowning when he saw her head hit the wall so hard that he couldn¡¯t sit still. Even in the midst of this, Werazel mumbled and buried her face deeper in his palm. She must have mistaken it for a wall. Chester frowned at the feeling tickling his palm, making her lean her head against the side of the carriage. Then he pulled out his hand and quickly sat back to the seat, but his effort was useless, and Werazel nodded again and pounded her head against the wall. ¡°Huh,¡± Chester burst out laughing. Is she dull or something? The person who watched it was more in pain than the person who hit her head. He crossed his legs again and leaned his back. This time he didn¡¯t support her head. Because he realized it was useless. Let her wake up on her own. Watching her sleeping with narrow eyes, he turned to the box next to Lizelle. The box wrapped in wrapping paper was the snowglobe that she won from their tense war a while ago. Did you buy it for that child? ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± he straightened his mind away. It could have been a show to show that it was bought for a child, or it was her own. It is still considered extravagance and waste. Chester didn¡¯t want to, but he closed his eyes because seeing the vain woman that was nodding in front of his eyes was quite annoying. Many dozens of words ¡°Mom¡± have passed. Chester opened his eyes to a small voice that broke his silence and pierced his ears. ¡°Mom.¡± The same voice again flowed out of her mouth. Werazel mumbled and cried for her mother. She was having a nightmare, with her brows furrowed. Chester stared at her silently. She was a really strange woman. She acts like a friendly mother in the world while inflicting mental abuse on her child, building a boundary wall at him, staring at him like a lynx and drawing a hearty, sunny smile saying that she won. And now she calls for her mother and crying sorrowfully, she is truly a woman who can not be underestimated. ¡°Oh, mom.¡± Once again Lizelle sadly called her mother, and he moved his hand. His elongated fingers pressed Lizelle¡¯s frowned brow as if it had a magnet. Tak. Then, her gaze, which had been distorted, was loosened. Her crying face was gently loosened. No more nightmares, the red lips just exhales a breath. Are you sad because you think you will not see your parents for a while? When the inside of the wagon was quiet again, Chester stared out the window silently. + There was no particular reason for his behavior. It¡¯s just because the sound of her searching for her mother is annoying. Chapter 16 ¡°Ah, we have arrived.¡± Arriving at the mansion, Werazel woke up and caressed her sore head. Why is my head so throbbing and painful? Could it be that Chester squeezed my head while I am sleeping? It is quite possible. Lizelle opened her eyes and glared at him. ¡°Get off.¡± Chester, who was not aware that he was cursed even after helping, first got out of the carriage and held the door. Werazel snorted at him and got out of the carriage. When the two got off the carriage and were about to walk into the mansion, the door opened wide and Lapel cried and ran out. ¡°Lizelle!¡± ¡°Young master please be careful!¡± The butler and other servants hurried after Lapel. Werazel, seeing the sight in front of her, walked towards Lapel who was running to her. ¡°Lapel, if you run, you might fall.¡± ¡°Lizelle!! Waaah!¡± Lapel cried out with a tear-filled face, and then hugged Lizelle¡¯s legs tightly. ¡°Waaah!¡± She held the boy crying sadly and patted his little back and swept her. ¡°Lapel, what¡¯s wrong huh? Please don¡¯t cry. ¡° The end of Lizelle¡¯s voice trembled as if her heart hurt. ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t.. Lapel¡­. don¡¯t leave Lapel..Waah.¡± Lapel poured a bucket of tears on her shoulder. He hugged Lizelle¡¯s neck tightly. She hugged him tighter because she now understood what he is feeling. ¡°No way. I will never leave Lapel, don¡¯t cry, huh?¡± Waaah¡­ I don¡¯t want¡­. to go back there.. waahh¡± Something concerning has happened. I wanted to arrive before you woke up, but it seemed that I was too late. ¡°As soon as he woke up, the young master saw that Werazel wasn¡¯t there, and he cried, even though we said that you¡¯ll be back soon, he didn¡¯t stop crying.¡± The servants bowed their heads with apologies written on their faces. ¡°No it¡¯s okay. Duke, I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Lizelle bid goodbye to Chester, saying it was alright. As Chester nodded, Werazel hurried into the mansion with a crying Lapel. ¡°Sorry for the disturbance, Duke.¡± ¡°Has the child been crying for a long time?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s been 5 minutes since he woke up and cried since then.¡± ¡°If something like this happens, report it right away.¡± ¡°Yes. ¡° She was running to her crying child like an image of a caregiver, but I couldn¡¯t believe it easily. Chester ordered his servants to move their feet that had been attached to the ground. *** ¡°Lapel, look at this,¡± Lizelle sat down on her bed and took out a snow ball from the market, after returning to the room. ¡°Huh, huh huh¡­¡± ¡°Look at this. Guess what I bought for you?¡± The boy stopped crying gradually and saw the wrapping package on Lizelle¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lapel. I was a little late because I wanted to give you this. I didn¡¯t leave Lapel on purpose.¡± Lizelle wiped Lapel¡¯s cheeks filled with tear marks and put the wrapped box in his little hand. ¡°Shall you open it?¡± ¡°Hick..hick¡± Lapel responded with a crying voice and began to open the wrapper with Lizelle. When he opened the thin wrapper, there was a star in front of Lapel that he wanted so much. Lapel completely stopped crying and looked at the stars in the snow ball with a twinkle on his eyes. Werazel smiled proudly at Lapel¡¯s response. ¡°Tadah! Look, there¡¯s a light?¡± When she pressed the switch under the snowglobe, a yellow light was lit inside the star. The star that covered the night sky was in Lapel¡¯s hand. Lizelle gave me a star! ¡°A star! Lizelle caught a star!¡± Lapel, who held the star dearly in his arms, skipped on his feet. There was excitement buried in his footwork indicating that he was really happy. ¡°Now this is the star of Lapel from today.¡± Lizelle patted the excited Lapel¡¯s head. She laughed heavily along Lapel, but there was anxiety in her. I am already worried about how to say good-bye to him in a month. After the cold days of being alone in the dumpster, he met her and was covered with warmth. Now, Lapel firmly misunderstood. If Lizelle leaves, I might go back to that terrible place. ¡°Lapel. You don¡¯t have to go to the dumpyard anymore. Your home is here.¡± Lapel who was staring at his snowglobe slowly looked up. Lizelle¡¯s expression was resolute as if it wasn¡¯t a lie. *** A few minutes ago. When Lapel woke up from the bed, he couldn¡¯t feel the familiar warmth and began to look around the room, crying for Lizelle¡¯s name, but there was no answer anywhere. Lapel was very scared at the moment. I¡¯m alone again, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll go back to that scary, narrow, and nasty place. After a major accident, Lapel had no problems with communication, but lost all his memories before that. So he had to recognize and remember everything anew, and the first thing he encountered was the scenery of a stinky garbage dump. He wanted to get out of there, but he couldn¡¯t. Because that was everything in his world. Then one day, he met Werazel, and he was given the name ¡®Raphelion¡¯. Lapel found stability with the help of Werazel, but that didn¡¯t mean that his unstable condition had completely improved. There were only two memories of Lapel. The loneliness of being alone in the garbage dump and the warmth of being together is the arms of Werazel. So, when Lapel was alone, he naturally thought of a garbage dump. There were many people in the spacious and magnificent mansion, but Lapel didn¡¯t have Lizelle, so he was deeply afraid to go back to the trash at any time. ¡°In the future, you will never be alone like before. I promise you.¡± To him, Lizelle¡¯s promise was like a blessing from God. ¡°I swear I will never leave you alone.¡± A vow to never leave him alone. It meant that there was no longer a terrifying night where there was only a sharp wind and cries of a ferocious beast. Hm! Lapel laughed happily, only Werazel in his eyes. A warm light, like the glowing star in his arms, was passing through his body. Werazel hugged Lapel silently. She certainly realized by today. That she has to prepare for their parting little by little. Otherwise, Lapel would not be parted from her. *** ¡°It seems that the Duke is living with a woman who brought a child to him.¡± ¡°The child is?¡± ¡°I heard them saying he had black hair and red eyes.¡± The man who knew his fault quietly took a hint. He failed to do what he was told to deal with. In the wagon accident, the Duke and Duchess were killed but he missed that loach. I should have gotten rid of that child completely. He even confirmed that the child fell into the water, but he couldn¡¯t find any drowning bodies. He searched all over the place and searched the riverside when his employer asked him to retrieve the dead body. In the end, he couldn¡¯t find it, but it seems that the baron¡¯s daughter suddenly found the child and took him to the Duke. Tuk, Tuk, Tuk. Long fingers hit the table. Tuk, Tuk, Tuk. It was a constant and slow movement, as if counting seconds in his mind. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rather, it was more scary. If he got angry ferociously like fire, he had to lie down and beg for forgiveness, but now he was nervous as if he was walking on thin ice that he didn¡¯t know when it would break. Even if he didn¡¯t say a word, he felt breathless because of the pressure from his employer. ¡°The woman.¡± ¡°Oh, yes! She is Werazel Prosier, Baron¡¯s Lady Prosier.¡± Wasn¡¯t she a woman full of vanity in that luxury? As if thinking deeply about something, the employer raised his chin with the tip of his hand and looked at the man under his feet. ¡°What should I do?¡± Flinch. At that sound, the man trembled like a bamboo tree. ¡°Don¡¯t be so mean. Am I a bad person?¡± The employer laughed as if this situation was funny. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± The man reflected on his actions and raised his head even further. The employer took off the mask that was covering half of his face. The mask with sapphire fell to the floor. The man was surprised and opened his eyes wide. Because the employer has never revealed his face. He was always under a veil of secrecy, but now, there was a sense of threat and fear when he could not understand why he suddenly revealed his appearance. ¡°You¡¯re making things worse by not being able to do it right in the first place.¡± As the employer got up, the old chair made an unpleasant sound. The employer took a step and walked past the man. ¡°Hazen.¡± ¡°Yes, by your order.¡± A black man who suddenly appeared at the employer¡¯s call was on one knee. ¡°Get rid of it,¡± words of mercy came from his mouth. He spoke in an indifferent way, without feeling any emotion or pity. ¡°Yes,¡± the black man pulled out the sword he was wearing in his waist and approached the man. ¡°Have mercy on me please! Please!¡± Even the voice of the man was close to screaming, the man walked out without blinking an eye. ¡°Yes, you should have succeeded.¡± The employer climbed the stairs, yawning slightly as if bored. It didn¡¯t matter to him if he revealed his existence now, so he threw off the stuffy mask. He, too, knew that the Duke was investigating the incident. The reason he didn¡¯t use his hand so far was because he thought he had done the job perfectly. One cannot find the culprit without a physical proof. The child I thought was dead is alive. If I couldn¡¯t handle it neatly this time, I could get caught at any time. ¡°Haah.¡± I used a new guild that can be destroyed at any time on purpose, but that was the wrong choice. I can¡¯t work like this. The sharp eyes of the man flashed. The employer, coming from underground and up to the ground, looked at the most spectacular mansion in this empire after the Imperial Palace. The place where he could only watch from a distance looked so distant and hazy. He couldn¡¯t hold it with both hands. Not mine. ¡°Master. I took care of it.¡± Hazen, who followed after the treatment, stood next to the man. ¡°I need a magic sphere.¡± I just could not let it go of this. Some measures are needed. ¡°Yes, I will prepare.¡± The employer frowned and bit his lip. The eyes that looked at the distance were stained with anger and jealousy. Chapter 17 Chester was sitting in his office and looking through the documents Lohan handed him over. ¡°I think it would be difficult to rule this out as a simple incident, too.¡± In the document, the details and circumstances of the wagon accident his brother suffered were written. Chester, who has been investigating for a long time since the day he knew of his brother¡¯s death, was able to find out that the incident was not just an accident. As Lohan said, there were one or two dubious points that couldn¡¯t be dismissed as bad luck. ¡°I¡¯m afraid someone is determined to do it.¡± Who and why the hell would kill my brother and his family? A growl emitted out of Chester¡¯s lips. His fists tightened so hard it trembled. ¡°Who dares¡­¡± He was furious and wanted to throw and break the things on his table. ¡°Maybe the memory of the real Master Raphelion may be an important clue.¡± Two of the three people in the accident died, and the only survivor was Raphelion. So it was clear that the memory of his nephew and only survivor, Raphelion, would play an important role in catching the killer. ¡°Okay, go out.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the sound of roughly covering the papers rang in the room. Lohan left the office by killing footsteps to avoid touching the owner¡¯s planting as much as possible. Chester covered his face with his hands and bit his lips until he tasted blood and yet the anger in his heart did not fade. Not one bit. Somebody targeted my brother. It must have been for the Halos title. Bang! As he stood up from his seat, the chair toppled over. Even if it was cold, he thought he¡¯d calm down by getting some air. He opened the door with force. As Chester came out of the hallway, the servants who had been wandering were startled, scuttered over and immediately gave way. ¡°I¡¯m sick of this,¡± he walked down the hall, with a subtly dark look. Chester knew what rumors were circulating in and out. ¡°He¡¯s an unscrupulous killer who killed his own older brother in order to become the duke.¡± ¡°The eldest son of the Duke family succeeded the Duke, and the second son, who always followed him aimed for the title.¡± ¡°How can he stomach standing there pretending to be okay?¡± ¡°He did whatever it takes to be the duke.¡± People spread rumors fast and as they did, Chester became a hypocrite blind to power. Because of these, the heart of Chester, who cherished and loved his older brother more than anyone else, was trampled recklessly. These people are full of jealousy and envy. And so Chester did not react to these, it¡¯s useless to explain to them. However, it only helped inflate the rumors. ¡°Haaah.¡± Chester sighed, fed up. There were all sorts of negative frames around him. People who pretended to think of him sincerely were only after the Duke Halos and not Chester. Chester got used to dealing with people by wearing different masks, because everyone around him also wore masks and dealt with him, so even if someone showed his sincerity, he will always doubt them. Because he couldn¡¯t know which dagger was hidden or who hid it. That¡¯s the world he¡¯s been living in. ¡°Shane.¡± He sailed straight to the Knights and called the division commander. ¡°Duke.¡± ¡°I want the elite knight members right now and organize a search party.¡± ¡°You mean the search team?¡± ¡°Yes, we have to start a full-fledged investigation from tomorrow.¡± Chester handed over the documents he was holding to Captain Shane. Shane¡¯s face hardened as he checked the documents. ¡°Is this true?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you have to find out.¡± The enemy showed his dagger and faded away. Shane¡¯ eyes were fierce and dangerous, as if he would not leave a stone unturned. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll recruit the team and report it.¡± Chester¡¯s steps out of the Knights after receiving a bow from Shane and heads to the garden. Because he wanted to cool his head in a quiet place. The uninhabited mansion was quiet everywhere, but the garden was especially his favorite place. He passed through the blooming flowers and sat on the bench, leaned on his back and looked at the sky. It was a clear sky without a single cloud. The day I heard of the accident, the sky was clear like this. ¡°Haaah.¡± He raised his arms and covered his eyes with a sigh remembering the anguish he felt at that time. It was like his heart was covered and shaded from the sunlight. A world without a single light, a desolate and dark world. ¡°You haven¡¯t treated it yet?¡± Chester lowered his arm to a sudden voice. Werazel stood holding a ball in front of him. Chester frowned, looking at her as she disturb his world. *** ¡°Lizelle.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lapel, who was playing with a ball in the garden, ran forward in front of Lizelle. Currently, Werazel and Lapel are spending time in the garden. ¡°We are not going to see grandmother?¡± Lapel asked, saying that he had endured not seeing her parents. Lapel loves staying in this mansion. The room was spacious, there were lots of things to play with and Lizelle was also there, but suddenly, when he remembered the baron and the baroness who gave him friendly smiles and warm hugs, Lapel became sullen. I miss my grandmother and grandfather very much. ¡°You want to see your grandparents?¡± Lapel nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go see them later. You know this is Lapel¡¯s house now, right?¡± Lizelle patted Lapel¡¯s cheek, erasing his bitter feelings. This child is still too young to experience breaking up. So it is my job to explain it so that he could understand it later. ¡°Eat well, play well and stay healthy, and you can see them when you¡¯re done.¡± She soothed the disappointed Lapel and gave him a small smile. ¡°Shall we play ball?¡± ¡°Yeah? Yes!¡± Lapel smiled and nodded at Lizelle¡¯s efforts to change the atmosphere. He was sad but it would be fine as long as she¡¯s with him. The two ran around the garden playing a ball. His tiny body was so swift that Lizelle, who was running casually, quickly ran out of breath and panted. ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh, Tia.¡± Tia, who was next to her and gave a bottle of water to Lizelle, was just 18 years old, with red hair with impressive freckles and striking red hair. She is a little girl, and she was in charge of the two while they are staying with the Duke. She was friendly and bright, so she got along well with her and Lapel. Earlier on, Lizelle got worried about the naivety of revealing everything to her, but she turned out to be a harmless child. She was the only acquaintance of Lizelle after Lapel, plus the duke whom she knew nothing about. Even though she was a guest, Tia served her with utmost care under Chester¡¯s instructions. Perhaps since Lapel is the duke¡¯s nephew, and Lapel cared for her so Tia took care of Lizelle like this. What¡¯s more, she just tells Tia what she wants, and she was provided quickly, and so she was spending more comfortable days here in the mansion than when she was in the baron¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ll take a break, so can you play with Lapel?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Eventually, Lizelle, waved a white flag, defeated by Lapel¡¯s stamina and slumped on a chair while looking at the back of Tia running to Lapel. I only played ball twice with Lapel and now I am so tired that I could lie down. Lizelle took a deep breath and watched the two people playing ball in the distance. Tia was playing with Lapel much easier than her, showing she had good physical strength. ¡°I have to exercise,¡± she said, realizing that she had less physical strength than others. I have to build up my stamina. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay.¡± Kay, the knight who was guarding her, carefully asked. Lizelle shrugged with a smile as if it was nothing. Kay was one of the knights who came to escort her and Lapel. Kay looked about her age and has black eyes and dark blue hair. Tia said that he was a popular person in the ducal house as he is tall and satisfactory in appearance. There was no need for a special escort at the mansion, but the knights took turns guarding the side of Lizelle and Lapel because of the Duke¡¯s words that there may be an unknown threat. For some reason, both Tia and the Knights made her feel like they were watching her, but it does not matter. They played and interacted well with Lapel on behalf of her, who is sometimes struggling too. ¡°Ah!¡± Lapel shouted in surprise because the ball flew away past the place where she was resting. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll bring it.¡± Werazel stood up, stopping Tia who was about to run. The place where the ball fell was relatively closer to her than they were. Lizelle quickly headed in the direction the ball went over. She had to walk a long way through the garden on the other side because Lapel threw so far. ¡°He¡¯ll become a soccer player. He has a good foot strength.¡± What can Lapel really not do? He seemed like a genius who¡¯s good at everything. Of course, the face was the most genius among them. She smiled happily with a proud heart, picked up the ball from the ground. ¡­ When she looked up and found Chester sitting on a nearby bench. The corners of her mouth that were raised up went down in no time. What an unlucky day. Facing a human who she does not want to meet, she quickly turned around and tried to go back the way she had been walking. Because this was the opportunity that Chester didn¡¯t see her. Oh really. But she couldn¡¯t go back because she saw the wound on his hand. The wound he got while he was trying to protect her when she was almost hit by a cart yesterday. Lizelle sighed deeply and stood in front of Chester. He was injured because of me. I couldn¡¯t pretend I didn¡¯t know it and just get over it. Chester lowered his arm and looked at her. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The wound. This.¡± Lizelle pointed to his hand. ¡°It was hurt yesterday, didn¡¯t you take any medicine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t mind it,¡± said Chester, looking at his wounds indifferently. He forgot that he was hurt. It wasn¡¯t a big wound, so if he leaves it as it is, it will naturally heal. ¡°You¡¯ll have tetanus,¡± said Lizelle with a straight face. Chapter 18 Werazel was serious. Chester seemed to be unaware of how dangerous tetanus was. If you are infected, you may have to amputate your hand. ¡°Te-tanus? What is that?¡± asked Chester after hearing the term for the first time. ¡°Ah, anyway. If you want to use your hands properly in the future, you have to treat your wound.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it on my own, just go.¡± Chaster, who was bothered by Lizelle, leaned back again against his chair. It seemed that this time she decided to pretend she was worried about me, not Lapel. He maintained a stiff expression as if that technique didn¡¯t work. ¡°Tia!¡± Whether Chester wants it or not, Werazel called Tia over. ¡°Yes! Miss Werazel. Oh my! I see the Duke.¡± ¡°Tia, how about Lapel?¡± asked Werazel, who was playing with Lapel earlier. ¡°The knight is playing with him.¡± ¡°Then, can you bring me a disinfectant and a bandage? Please.¡± ¡°Yes? Ah yes!¡± Tia rushed to bring the disinfectant. Werazel put herself on the bench as far as possible to where Chester was sitting. I need to stay here because of Tia and I just need to hand the medicine kit to him. However, from his attitude right now, it was clear that he would not be treated by her even if he brought a medicine kit. I don¡¯t want to be blamed for any scar left because of me, so I had to see the treatment with my two eyes. I think this guy has a problem, but what can I do? He got hurt to help me. ¡°Ha,¡± said Chester, sighing at the sight of her sitting down. The bench isn¡¯t the only one here, but she just had to take a seat close to him. Chester straightened up and was about to leave. ¡°Duke, is it that you¡¯re uncomfortable and want to run away? Hm?¡± Right away, Werazel¡¯s voice flew into his ear. He frowned. ¡°No way.¡± He put his back on the bench again. He knew well that she had stimulated him on purpose, but he didn¡¯t want to be baited by her for some reason. ¡°Right? I thought so.¡± Lizelle, who had already grasped his personality, easily put him back in place. He, who hates losing, reacts immediately after a slight scratch. ¡°Miss! Here is the medicine kit you requested me.¡± Soon Tia ran out with the kit. When Werazel, who had been handed over the medicine kit, stretched it towards him, Chester reached out his wounded hand to her, as if he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to treat you myself, did you?¡± asked puzzled Werazel, looking at his raised hand. ¡°¡­¡± She put the medicine kit next to him, as she would like him to treat his wound on his own. Chester¡¯s ears reddened. He hurriedly took back his awkward hand. The other person didn¡¯t even think about it, but his ears became more and more ripe due to the embarrassment. ¡°Huh? Really?¡± asked Werazel, amazed, seeing his ears. He really thought I would treat him. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to treat you, Duke?¡± ¡°I never wanted it.¡± Although his ears were bright red, he pretended like nothing happened and grumbled. ¡°Yes, yes, I understand. You need to heal it quickly.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do it. Just go.¡± Chester said, exhaling deeply in embarrassment. His heated ears were still burning. ¡°Really? Alright, I brought you the medicine, so make sure you do it.¡± Lizelle stood up from the seat. At first, she planned to go away after seeing him treat it, but he is quite embarrassed now, so she decided it was better to get out of the way. She grinned smugly at the reaction she had seen for the first time, grabbed the ball Lapel threw, and left. ¡°Ha.¡± Finally alone, Chester bowed his head, embarrassed, and the back of his neck was hot. He was accustomed to receiving, of course, he thought she would treat him. But when he found out that he misunderstood her, his face heated up for some reason.. In shame, he pushed the box of medicine away from him and then dragged it back to treat the wound. *** A few days later. Lizelle came out of the carriage followed by a small boy with black hair and red eyes. The mansion has everything for sure, but she wanted to breathe in the lively air. Also, she wanted to give Lapel a lot of experience since he is still young. Once he is recognized as the Duke¡¯s nephew, Lapel will not be able to roam freely like he can do now. You will surely have a busy day with etiquette, swordsmanship, and successor management classes. Until then, I want to let you play like a child. Beforehand, it seemed that Chester would not allow it, but he surprisingly agreed. Instead, there was a condition that they should be accompanied. And so the knights are now escorting them from a distance at the request of Lizelle. ¡°Woah.¡± Lapel was busy watching, his pupils enlarging. Lizelle smiled as she saw Lapel exclaiming. The reaction of an innocent child is cute anytime. ¡°Look at this Lapel. It¡¯s candy.¡± Werazel picked up the cane-shaped candy on display and showed it to Lapel. The colorful color was pretty to look at. ¡°Candy!¡± Lapel stretched out his arms and wriggled his hands. In response to a strong request for candy, Lizelle handed the sweet to Lapel¡¯s hand. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°100 shillings.¡± Lizelle opened a wallet made of pale pink leather and handed the owner the 100 shillings she barely found. Oh my God, I don¡¯t have any money. The remaining money was 1,000 shillings. Money to buy 10 candies. Suddenly, a drop of cold sweat flowed down on her back. The Duke did not have to spend money on her, but on occasions like this, it would certainly cost money. Lizelle replied with an awkward laughter towards Lapel who was holding the candy with a bright smile saying ¡°Candy!¡± A calculator was running all over her head. Even if it wasn¡¯t big money, I had to have some as an emergency money. I can¡¯t even open my hands to parents who are already struggling with the debts of Werazel. Lizelle fiddled with the emerald necklace on her neck. ¡°Should I sell this?¡± Although it is a small egg as small as a baby¡¯s fingernail, I would be able to get some money if I sell it. The ring worn on my finger was a family ring and could not be sold. By the way, the necklace¡­ It was one of Werazel¡¯s eye-catching possessions. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t offer it to sell it even when they resold other things to pay off the debts. But now the situation is unfavorable, she couldn¡¯t help it. Werazel, determined, looked around to see if there are any jewelers that she can sell it to for a good price. Even before I came here, I was already very worried about money, but in the end, in this place, it¡¯s the same. Really, I¡¯m so lucky. Bang! There was a moment¡¯s commotion with a resounding voice. ¡°Thief!¡± Lizelle instinctively hid Lapel behind her. The knights, who had been far away at the request of Werazel, were weaving through a crowd of people. A loud voice with several footsteps once again echoed the market. ¡°Catch the thief!¡± Everyone was surprised to find the source of the sound. At that time, a large man from afar was running away, pushing people. The thief, running like a bulldozer, gave a very fierce expression, as if he wouldn¡¯t let anyone stand in his way. Lizelle wants to avoid hitting the other person as much as possible in order to not injure Lapel. I wanted to help out with all my heart, but I couldn¡¯t hold onto that wild boar man alone. Lapel might get hurt if she took care of the thief. Lapel was eating candy and was distracted, so he followed Lizelle gently. Thud! Thud! The sound got closer and closer. People around him just watched him run. It¡¯s because they don¡¯t know what kind of swindle they¡¯ll face after going out. Lizelle tried to keep themselves as far away from the thief as possible to protect Lapel. So why do the footsteps seem to get closer and closer to me? ¡°What, what?¡± Suprised, Lizelle¡¯s eyes widened. Why is this lunatic coming to me? At best, she avoided him and turned to a corner, and the man who was supposed to be the culprit was still running towards her. ¡°Lady Werazel!¡± The knight Kay was also surprised and ran towards the two. Werazel wanted to escape, but both her sides were blocked by stalls. She hugged Lapel to protect him. The sound of feet pounding in her ears was getting stronger. She slightly opened her eyes and peeked at the situation. The man who was running fast had no obstacles to be tripped on, but he suddenly stumbled and stepped on his feet. Bang! The man struggled and fell in front of Lizelle. A cloud of dust rose. Werazel was staring at the man who fell down with a pretty painful noise. He just fell on his own. It is also in front of her. In a situation that seemed like was intentionally planned, Lizelle just blinked. ¡°Tsk.¡± The thief, who had fallen to the ground, was nervous and crumpled. He fell so drastically that blood was flowing through his torn pants. The thief did not give up and glanced at the man who was chasing him. He stood up from a place where he fell. Then just ran away. ¡°No, hey!¡± Lizelle yelled at the criminal as he was moving farther away. You should take your handbag lying on the ground.¡¤Why did you leave it when you fell and hurt yourself from stealing this??? What a strange thief. ¡°Lady Werazel are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m okay, can you help me to clean up here?¡± Werazel helped clear up the messy stalls, asking the vendors if they were okay with a worried face. Then she looked down at the dusty ground. On the dirty ground, there sat a luxurious handbag. Beyond that, the owner of the handbag, who was shouting desperately earlier, was running towards her. Chapter 19 Lizelle tried to cough and pretended not to know what happened. I am not involved in this, so I didn¡¯t even pick up his handbag. ¡°Oh!¡± However, it was in no time, Lapel, who had slipped out of her arms, picked up the handbag. The jewelry on the handbag was reflected in the sunlight and was shining, catching the attention of the small boy. Lapel smiled innocently and came back running with the handbag. ¡°Lapel put that down!¡± Lizelle caressed her forehead because she felt like she had a headache coming. She hurriedly took the handbag from his hand and tried to put it back on the ground, but the owner of the bag suddenly approached the two and bent down to catch the bag. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°Ah. No, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you Miss, my handbag would have been stolen!¡± said the woman, interrupting her. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything. The criminal just fell on his own.¡± The woman ignored Lizelle¡¯s words and grabbed her hand. The woman suddenly burst into tears as she thanked her. ¡°Really, how would you like me to repay this favor?¡± No, why is this person like this? What¡¯s wrong with her? Lizelle pulled out her hand and waved in refusal. ¡°No! You don¡¯t have to repay me. I didn¡¯t do you any favor.¡± As if she did not hear Lizelle, the woman who took the handbag opened it and began to search inside. ¡°I have to give my thanks,¡± the woman said with a solemn expression. ¡°Humph.¡± Lapel was saddened to see the bag taken away from him in an instant. ¡°No, please wait-¡° Lizelle pulled and hugged Lapel towards her and stared at the woman with a ridiculous expression. The owner of the handbag with long elegant red hair seemed to be ten years older than her. The dress she was wearing was a plain light green color, but looking at the material, it was luxurious enough to recognize that it¡¯s owner is a member of a noble family. Now, if one person is a noble, shouldn¡¯t they introduce themselves first then ask for my name? (Why does Lizelle know this as a modern person? Did she get Werazel¡¯s memories? I don¡¯t remember QAQ) But the woman was only rummaging through her handbag without asking for Lizelle¡¯s name and family. She was a nobleman, but Lizelle couldn¡¯t see a noble courtesy from her. ¡°Please take this!¡± The woman, who had been searching through her handbag for a long time, pulled something out. On the woman¡¯s hand was a pretty bracelet with colored gemstones. It looked expensive. ¡°Yes?¡± Why are you giving this to me? As Lizelle lifted up her face full of questions, the woman smiled and pulled her hand. ¡°Please accept it. Please. It is because I want to repay your kindness even if it¡¯s like this.¡± ¡°No, I have no reason to get this I-¡± ¡°Thank you so much! You¡¯re accepting this, right? I will never forget your kindness! ¡°The woman cut off her words again. Lizelle¡¯s impatient eyebrows rose. ¡°No, look-¡± ¡°Thank you. Really!¡± When she was about to say something else, the woman forced the bracelet on her hand and quickly went away. She walked so fast she immediately disappeared among the crowd. ¡°What? Really¡­¡± Lizelle muttered while looking at the bracelet on her hand. What is this unpleasant feeling after receiving a thank you and a gift? Probably because of the attitude of the woman who left immediately as if she had completed a mission. Although it looked expensive and was comfortable to wear, the design was not really good so she did not want to wear it. Most of all, the attitude of the woman who left like that was very annoying. ¡°Lizelle! Star! Star!¡± Lapel, who had been silent the whole time, pulled the hem of Lizelle¡¯s skirt. Lapel¡¯s gaze was fixed on a star shaped music box. Lizelle took Lapel and approached the store. The owner smiled and spoke as if he had been waiting. ¡°It¡¯s the last one, so I¡¯ll give you a discount.¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Only 1,000 shillings.¡± Lizelle immediately shut her mouth. For 1,000 shillings, it was all she had. Spending this money would make her wallet empty. Without anything left in case of emergency. I don¡¯t think this is going to work. Let¡¯s try to persuade Lapel to leave. But¡­ ¡°Wow! It¡¯s singing!¡± When he opened the music box, Lapel clapped his hands, liking it immediately. A beautiful melody was flowing from the music box. I liked the music very much. It was the first time I heard it, but it was a melody that somehow warmed my heart. ¡°Lizelle¡­¡± Lapel looked up at Lizelle with watery eyes. Red and clear eyes were begging her to buy. His sparkling eyes, both rabbit-like and cat-like, bombarded Lizelle¡¯s heart. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± Lizelle said. She opened her wallet without hesitation. I don¡¯t have the skills to resist this look. Even if I don¡¯t have 1,000 shillings, I¡¯ll try to find a way to buy it. ¡°Wow!¡± When she saw Lapel delighted with the music box after their purchase, she felt like she had done a good job Lizelle suddenly looked at the bracelet on her arm then at Lapel with a warm mother¡¯s smile. ¡°How much will this sell for?¡± Lizelle¡¯s eyes sparkled. It looks like it¡¯ll cost quite a bit if I sell it. It was not to her liking anyway and her wallet was empty. At this, Lizelle raised her head. She saw a jeweler in the distance. Like a sign from heavens to sell it. Lizelle took Lapel and headed to the jeweler without hesitation. A few minutes later, Werazel, who came out of the jeweler¡¯s, said in a trembling voice. ¡°Huh, fake?¡± Her face had a look of displeasure. She was dumbfounded. I thought it would cost a lot, but the jewels on the bracelet on my wrist are fake. In addition to the feeling of being fooled, the jewelry was fake and the design was not good. Even the owner had an unpleasant attitude. She couldn¡¯t bear it so Lizelle sold the bracelet immediately. The fake bracelet¡¯s price was not very much, but she still received 200,000 shillings. This was enough for emergency money. ¡°Lapel, I¡¯ll buy you everything you want. Let¡¯s go!¡± (Did she just-) ¡°Wow! Lizelle is the best!¡± The two ate a bunch of sweet things as they wandered around the shops like kids. *** ¡°Yes. Did you deliver the good well?¡± ¡°The thing is,¡± when the cold voice asked for an answer, the man bowed his head meekly. ¡°What. You did not handle it properly?¡± ¡°No! I delivered it.¡± ¡°But why is your answer like that?!¡± Crash. The glass thrown by the employer was smashed on the floor with a loud noise. The man trembled in fear. The mission was carried out properly, but the problem was after that. It is obvious that he¡¯s gonna get angry again, but I have to report it. The man swallowed and opened his lips, trembling with fear. ¡°She sold the bracelet¡­¡± The man murmured. The employer shouted angrily. ¡°Speak loudly!¡± ¡°She sold the bracelet she got to the jeweler!¡± There was a momentary of silence. The employer¡¯s mouth was wide open, as if he could not believe what he just heard. ¡°As soon as we handed over the bracelet, she sold it to the jeweler.¡± It was amazing. When he was ordered to deliver the bracelet made by a popular designer to a woman who enjoys luxury and vanity, he thought that was it. What was in the bracelet again? It was a bracelet made with a magic sphere. It had a monitoring function that his employer can activate and allow him to see the surroundings of the person wearing the bracelet. And she just¡­ sold it? ¡°It¡¯s really unexpected¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± The man kneeled on the floor as much as he could to not offend his employer. ¡°Hahaha!¡± A laugh burst out from the employer¡¯s mouth. This crazy woman foiled my plans even if I gave her a nice bracelet. You traded nicely gifted bracelets for money. I knew you were greedy, but I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d hit the back of my head like this. The clenched fist of the employer trembled. ¡°Get it back now!¡± He shouted. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± the man trembled in fear and escaped. There was a feeling of his blood rising to the employer¡¯s neck. The sapphire embedded in the mask was shaking in anger. ¡°Hazen. You have to go.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Oddeye¡¯s eyes, filled with determination, shone brightly as if he would surely carry out the order of his employer. Meanwhile, Lizelle, who knew nothing, was ringing a golden bell in the store with Lapel. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 A week and a few days have passed since the two started staying in the Duke¡¯s mansion. Chester, who had ordered Lohan to observe Werazel on a daily basis, was receiving an interim report today. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything particularly strange. Rather than forcing or being violent against the child, I can say they play very well. She treats him kindly. There are people even circulating amongst themselves that she is a perfect guardian,¡± Lohan told Chester sitting in front of him. Chester was looking out the window with an expressionless face. In his gaze, Lizelle and Lapel were playing happily in the garden. What was so funny to the point that laughter does not leave their mouths? It seemed like they were really a family, and they were very friendly. ¡°And as far as I¡¯ve found out, it is said that the young miss refunded or re-sold all the luxury items she had bought.¡± Lohan added, who confirmed that Lizelle¡¯s luxury items were poured out to second-hand stores. He did not know if it was due to a change of heart, but Lohan thought that Lizelle was a different person from the rumors. ¡°It¡¯s really different from the rumors,¡± Chester, muttered to himself, looking at Lizelle and Lapel outside the window. ¡°People don¡¯t change so easily.¡± But even at Lohan¡¯s words, Chester was skeptical. ¡°Maybe she grew up?¡± ¡°¡­Or maybe the rumors have been inflated. Because rumors are all lies, but people talk as if they were true.¡± Lohan glanced stealthily at Chester, but he was just watching out the window silently. Lizelle, who was having fun in the garden, joined hands with Lapel and entered the mansion. Her smile while looking at Lapel was transparent. Certainly, the Lizelle that Chester lived with was different from the rumors. She was said to be vain, but I hardly saw her greedy for material things, especially what was in my home. At our first meeting, I suspected that she was inflicting mental abuse on her child, but there was no sign of it since that day. Rather, as Lohan said, she is taking care of the child very carefully. Even on the day they went out, the knight told me that she took the lead to protect the child. Chester was someone who knew better than anyone else what rumors can do. Because he was a person who experienced it firsthand. Even lies can become true if they repeat themselves. Because he was one of the victims too. ¡°Still. Keep an eye on them.¡± When there is smoke, there is fire. I do not completely trust her yet. ¡°Yes. I will follow up the antidote so we could administer it as soon as possible.¡± Lohan didn¡¯t say anything else because he understood the circumstances of his master who could not easily trust another person. *** ¡°I¡¯m going to look for Lapel now!¡± Werazel shouted out loud. The two who entered the mansion earlier were now playing hide and seek. The ¡°hidden¡± Lapel crouched as low as he could. He poked out his head and looked at Lizelle in the distance. Werazel was walking around the hallway looking for him. ¡°Huck!¡± Lapel leaned against the wall, held his breath, and covered his mouth with his two small hands. His bright red eyes were serious, hoping to never be caught. ¡°Lapel~ Where are you? Are you here?¡± Lapel¡¯s heart pounded as he heard her voice getting closer and closer. In his anxiousness, he poked his head out again. ¡°Where are you~?¡± said Werazel, smirking, pretending not to know where he is although she saw a mass of black hair protruding from the back of the pillar. ¡®I don¡¯t want to spoil it yet. As Lizelle got near, Lapel soon realized that he could be easily spotted in his hiding place. This place is dangerous, I have to hide myself elsewhere. As much as he possibly could, Lapel crawled through the hall on all fours, touching the ground with both hands to make himself as quiet as possible. As of today, it was already the fifth time they played hide-and-seek and Lapel was so easily captured by Lizelle. Although Lizelle tried her best not to spot him immediately, she could not keep on pretending because he was just so easy to be found. ¡°I want to win.¡± Lapel, with his short limbs, went out of the hall. He stood up and looked back. It seemed to him that Lizelle had not turned towards the corner yet. Lapel smiled at the premonition that he was going to win this time and ran. I have to quickly find a place to hide. ¡°Um..¡± But I don¡¯t know where to go. He cannot reach the doorknobs of the rooms and he knew that Lizelle can quickly find him if he hides behind pillars. ¡°Then please rest, Master.¡± Lohan, the butler, who just came out from a room was seen by him. Lapel ran towards Lohan without hesitation. ¡°Hide me!¡± ¡°Yes, Raphelion?¡± What happened to Raphelion? Lohan, who found Lapel, bent his knees and met the boy at eye level. He could not call him a young master yet, so Lohan always called the boy by his name. ¡°Hide me!¡± Lapel continued to check behind him, placing his arms around Lohan¡¯s neck. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re playing hide-and-seek.¡± Lohan, who knew at once that the child was playing hide-and-seek with Lizelle, raised Lapel with one hand. ¡°Where do you want to hide?¡± ¡°Quick!!¡± Lapel was worried about the appearance of Lizelle and clenched the collar of Lohan¡¯s shirt and urged him. ¡°Yes, then we will leave first.¡± Lohan walked out of the hallway as Lapel had wanted, and went down to the first floor from the stairs closest to the office. Lapel was held in Lohan¡¯s arms and was swung around. (Can you imagine this? HAHAHA) ¡°There! There!¡± His short finger pointed to the arched door. ¡°Shall I take you to the dining area?¡± ¡°Yes! Quick, quick! Hyup!¡± Lapel who shouted excitedly, stopped himself in case Lizelle might hear his voice. His big, clear eyes looked at Lohan again. It was so cute that Lohan smiled happily and stepped into the dining area. ¡°Get me down! Get me down!¡± Lapel struggled in Lohan¡¯s arms as they entered. Lohan steadily lowered him to the floor with Lapel¡¯s urging, and Lapel quickly jumped and ran inside. ¡°Master Raphelion, if you run like that, you will fall!¡± Lohan chased the boy worriedly. Lapel, who ran into the dining room, entered the kitchen. ¡°Huh? Master Raphelion, this place is dangerous.¡± Molly, a kitchen assistant who just finished cleaning up, found Lapel and rushed towards him. Lohan also chased into the kitchen. ¡°Hehehehehe!¡± Lapel ran around the kitchen, laughing as if they were now playing tag. ¡°Master Raphelion!¡± ¡°Do not run, you will fall!¡± Whether he knew that the hearts of adults are fragile or not, Lapel ran harder so that he would not get caught. Since I just finished cleaning, the ground might still be slippery. ¡°If you fall, you will cry!¡± Lohan tried to catch Lapel, but the boy was so quick that his small body escaped and slipped away from the butler easily. Bang! ¡°Ugh!¡± Molly fell on the slippery floor with a loud noise. ¡°Oh oh oh!¡± Lohan, who was running with her, also stumbled over Molly and bumped his head on the kitchen counter. ¡°Ahh! Move!¡± Molly, analyzing the situation, shouted hastily, but the bag of flour that was placed on the countertop fell down right on top of Lohan¡¯s head. Patter. ¡°Cough cough!¡± Every time Lohan coughed, with his face covered with flour, the cloudy powder scattered in the air. Before they knew it, flour was piled up like white mountains on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s snow! Snow!¡± Lapel, who was running around cheerfully, found the flour covering Lohan and came back to him. Like snow, a pure, white world laid before Lapel. *** Meanwhile, Lizelle was standing in front of a pillar where she saw Lapel¡¯s head. Can I find him now? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯m pretending to look around here and there. I think it¡¯s fine now, Lizelle finally turned her head behind the pillar, thinking that it was now okay to ¡®see¡¯ him. ¡°Here¡¯s Lapel! Huh?¡± There was no Lapel that should have been hidden behind the pillar. I did not see him walk out, that¡¯s amazing. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Lapel couldn¡¯t hide well, but today it was different. Lizelle started looking for Lapel in earnest. She turned around the corner and scoured the columns of the hallway, and just in case, she also opened each room and went inside to find him. ¡°Lapel, where are you?¡± I should hear a loud laugh, but there isn¡¯t any, it means he¡¯s not around here. She opened the rest of the doors in the hallway. ¡°Lapel!¡± When she opened the last door, all she saw was a large desk and tall bookshelves. It was a small library, and the bookshelves were full of books. It was a perfect place for Lapel to hide between the bookshelves. Lizelle¡¯s hunch was activated. It seems like Lapel is hiding here. She quickly looked around every nook and cranny to find the kid. ¡°Lapel~ I know you¡¯re in there~.¡± She could not see any signs where he might have hid so Lizelle carefully looked between the bookshelves, peeking through the gaps. Suddenly, she noticed the books filled the shelves. There were many different types of books in large quantities. From the history and culture of the empire to books on alchemy and magic. These were quite interesting topics. ¡°What is this?¡± Chapter 21 There was one book that caught Werazel¡¯s attention among the books on the high shelf. [Make 10 billion shillings with 10,000 shillings] A book like this can be found in the bookshelf of Duke Halos, the richest man in the Empire? Maybe this book helped the duke¡¯s wealth to build up, right? She forgot she was playing hide-and-seek for a moment and dragged the ladder at the end of the bookshelf. She climbed the ladder. When she reached the place it was located, she pulled out the book and a cloud of dust fluttered. It had been a while since anyone read it so it accumulated a lot of dust. She looked at the book in her hand. [You can get rich too!] It was a powerful one-liner phrase describing the book. Let¡¯s take a look inside. Once I pay off the debt by receiving the reward money, I will have 20 million shillings left, so if I could increase that money, I might be able to play and eat forever. It was at that moment when Lizelle laughed greedily and opened the book. She did not notice the old ladder she was standing on was shaking and was leaning back. Creak. ¡°Huh? Huh?!¡± Surprised, Werazel hurriedly tried to keep her balance, but her body was going backwards with the ladder. She closed her eyes in fright. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The moment she was about to fall, she felt a hard arm wrapped around her back and knees. An ¡®arm¡¯? She opened her eyes dazedly. ¡°Wait! What?!¡± When she came to, she saw Chester holding her. Their faces close enough to feel each other¡¯s breath. The moment she was conscious of it, the embarrassed Lizelle struggled to stay away. ¡°Get me down! Get me down!¡± Chester dropped Lizelle on the floor without a frown, even though she might be heavy and was struggling earlier. Standing on both feet, Lizelle straightened her crumpled dress with her hands several times. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to come in, but I was wondering if Lapel was hiding here.¡± In any case, she was the one who came in without permission, so Lizelle quickly assessed the situation and apologized to him. ¡°The child has never entered.¡± Chester was looking at Lizelle with an unsettled expression. He was looking for a book at the far end of the bookshelf. Then, he suddenly heard some movement, and when he saw her standing on the ladder, she was already falling backwards. He cannot leave her alone because she could have been seriously hurt, so he immediately caught her from behind.. ¡°Oh, I see¡­ Thanks anyway. Thanks to you, I didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go out.¡± Lizelle hurriedly turned to get out of this terribly awkward position. She did not intend that to happen and it was pretty embarrassing to be held in his arms. It was even a princess carry! Once again, the scene came to her mind, and she trembled. There were goose bumps on her arms. Lizelle, who was almost running away to get out of the library, suddenly turned around as if she had remembered something. ¡°Is your wound healed now?¡± She looked at Chester¡¯s hands and smiled. Oh, looks like the wound on his hand had healed before I knew it. I guess it was helpful that I brought him the medicine kit. At that moment, the expression on Chester¡¯s face became unreadable. Because Werazel remembered the wound that he dressed for about a few times and forgot. ¡°The next time you got hurt, better disinfect it right away. You might really get tetanus next time if you don¡¯t,¡± said Werazel as she was leaving the library. Chester looked at his hand. His hands, treated as she had instructed him, were unblemished and without a scratch. He did not even know what a tetanus is, but he didn¡¯t hate her attention to it. I don¡¯t know why, but maybe because she cared. Chester, finally left alone, picked up the book that had fallen to the floor. [Make 10 billion shillings with 10,000 shillings] It was a book with a fairly captivating title. It was a book he was unfamiliar with and made him wonder how such book was on the shelf. Did she climb the ladder to see this book? You¡¯re not into luxury anymore but interested in investment? He chuckled because he felt bewildered and amazed by her choice among many books. *** ¡°Lapel!¡± Lizelle came down to the first floor to find Lapel again. I had forgotten that I was playing hide-and-seek because of that book. Lapel must be eagerly waiting for her to find him¡­ ¡°Hihihihi!¡± Lizelle, who was looking around desperately, turned to the sound of Lapel¡¯s laughter. It seemed to be coming from the dining area. He went to the dining area alone to hide? His skill in hiding is getting better day by day. Lizelle stepped into the dining room while complimenting Lapel in her mind. ¡°It¡¯s snowing!¡± She heard gleeful shouts from the kitchen side. ¡°Lapel, are you here?¡± When Lizelle went into the kitchen looking for Lapel, there was a little boy smiling happily while covered in flour. ¡°Lizelle!¡± His fine black hair was covered with flour turning it white and only clear, big, red eyes were floating and seen on his powdery white face. ¡°What is this¡­¡± The kitchen was a mess. The floor was scattered with flour, and there were two people in front of Lapel while he was playing around with flour. They were also covered with flour just like him. ¡±Mister butler? ¡°Lizelle recognized Lohan and opened her eyes wide. ¡°Ah, young miss¡± Lohan quickly stood up, embarrassed. Molly, who was next to him, also stood up in a hurry. ¡°Lizelle! It¡¯s snow, it¡¯s snow!¡± Only Lapel was left sitting on the floor, holding a handful of flour and sprinkling it in the air. She only then understood why the kitchen had become this way. It seemed that Lapel mistook the pure white flour as snow from the snowglobe she had given him. You¡¯ve had a hard time. I¡¯m sorry¡­ Looking at the two people with pitiful eyes, Lizelle approached Lapel. ¡°Lapel, I found you,¡± Lizelle said, poking the boy¡¯s cute cheek with her finger. ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s go!¡± Lapel, who already played as much as he wanted, stretched out his arms towards Lizelle. Lizelle carried him, shook off the flour off his clothes, and hugged his little body. After that, as soon as he was hugged by Lizelle, Lapel yawned with his mouth wide open. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems like you have to clean up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will clean up here, miss.¡± Lizelle thanked them and left the kitchen with Lapel. The ¡°naughty¡± Lapel blinked his heavy eyelids while in Lizelle¡¯s cozy arms. ¡°Did Lapel have fun?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.. Let¡¯s do it again tomorrow¡­¡± his little lips mumbled. It sounded like whisper. Lizelle gently smiled and stroked his hair. It was a very pleasant day today, Lapel thought before he fell asleep. And the child soon slept in the arms of the soft Lizelle. *** That night. Something moved leisurely in the dark night. The creature arrived in front of the ducal residence and with a quick movement, jumped high. The creature that stood on top of the wall looked around and then jumped back down to the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The knights who were closely guarding the gates of the Duke to make sure there were no intruders knew nothing. It had a small body that cannot be caught by strict security, and its soft hair fluttered when it leapt with its four feet. After running for a long time, the creature finally reached in front of the mansion, and looked around thoroughly. Even if he had run for a long time, he did not feel tired, let alone look like one. As the creature was wandering around, it found a window that was slightly open, and his long pupils expanded. The gap was very small, but it was okay. The creature poked its face through the window. Its front paws and button nose went in first, followed by both its ears. Then, the very flexible body came in smoothly even when it was pressed tightly into the narrow gap like a boneless octopus. When the body and the hind feet passed through, his long swishing tail followed. The creature gently came down from the window with its long tail. It quickly entered the mansion and slowly approached the person walking from far away. ¡°I¡¯m going to be late.¡± Kay, who had stopped by his home, was walking quickly to return to work. ¡°Meow.¡± Kay lowered the magic lantern when he heard a sudden cry. A cat was standing in the hallway, its eyes reflecting the glow from the lantern ¡°A cat?¡± ¡°Meow.¡± ¡°How did you get in here?¡± The cat slowly approached Kay and rubbed his face on his leg. ¡°Meow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have to go.¡± With its cute act, Kay was helpless. He gently held the cat with both hands. Upon close inspection, he discerned that it was a white cat with odd eyes. It seemed to have an owner because it wore a collar around its neck. The collar was studded with a ruby-like jewel. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll let you out so you can find your master.¡± ¡°Meow.¡± Kay was about to step toward the window in the hallway however¡­ ¡°Nya!¡± The jewel on the collar and the cat¡¯s odd eyes flashed together. In an instant, Kay was sucked into the jewel. Tak. The magic lantern that Kay was holding fell to the floor. When the knight disappeared, the cat gently landed on the ground. It touched the jewel on the collar with his paw. Like magic, the cat turned into a person in the blink of an eye. ¡°Whew.¡± The cat who is now Kay exhaled. His odd eyes flashed in the dark. Suddenly, his eyes turned black, unlike the usual. Soon, he picked up the magic lantern that fell on the floor and walked leisurely down the hall as if nothing had happened. Chapter 22 A few days later. ¡°Master, the search team is about to return.¡± As soon as he received Lohan¡¯s report, Chester turned his seat and stood up. Not long ago, the crew, who had been sent to investigate the road connecting Bernie and the capital, was returning from their mission. They went out of the mansion to find any clues about his brother¡¯s death. As he stepped forward in the scorching sun, he found the search team heading to the mansion to report and hastened his pace. ¡°Duke.¡± The search team belatedly approached him. ¡°Duke, how did you come out here?¡± Chester skipped the greetings and asked from the main point. ¡°My apologies.¡± The leader of the knights, Shane, bowed his head. The searchers returned empty-handed without finding evidence. They bowed to Chester. No one could speak because of guilt. After days of scouring the scene and its surroundings, there was little to no progress. There were more than one or two doubtful details regarding the incident but unfortunately there were no clues that could be used for physical evidence. If it is enough to escape Halos Family¡¯s investigative power and intelligence network, it is clear that it has been carefully planned for a long time. ¡°You all worked hard.¡± Chester said nothing else to the knights. Because scolding would only reduce morale but Shane couldn¡¯t help but feel more ashamed. ¡°I¡¯m going to expand the scope a little bit. Shall we send out the unit right away? ¡°No. Let the crew take a break until they recovered. ¡° He ordered them to take a rest first then reorganize afterwards. They say the more you¡¯re in a hurry, the more chances you¡¯ll overlook something. I knew it would take a long time to solve this case. But if I keep looking for clues without giving up, I can find out something, no matter how small it is. He will never back down. He was intent on catching the culprit. I will kill that bastard slowly until he begs for death. Chester, who had his fists curled up to the point where his veins were throbbing, took the leash from Shane. ¡°Warden.¡± When it saw Chester, Warden shook his tail as if he had been waiting for a long time. ¡°Have you been well?¡± ¡°Arf! Arf!¡± Warden expressed his happiness, rubbing his fluffy face against Chester¡¯s leg. He was so happy he even laid down to show his belly. ¡°Warden, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Chester petted Warden with a sweet smile. It was a happy smile that he never made to people. Warden was a bloodhound he had raised with his older brother six years ago. He had a good sense of smell and could be helpful in the search, so he went with the search team. Chester petted Warden endlessly until he was satisfied. Warden¡¯s aegyo that is asking for constant touch did not seem to wane and made him naturally burst into laughter. ¡°Tell the chef to prepare Warden¡¯s special meal.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± Shane started walking to the mansion. Chester straightened his bent knee to reward Warden for his hard work. ¡°Warden, wait here.¡± Chester walked to the mansion, leaving the bloodhound under a cool, shady tree. It did not matter if he took Warden to the mansion with him, but he considered Lapel who might be surprised to see a big dog, so he left it outside. As soon as he entered the mansion, Chester headed to the dining area and stopped when he found Lizelle and Lapel sitting in front of the table. It had been a long time since someone sat there because only he could use that but never did. ¡°You¡¯re getting better, Lapel. You¡¯re eating carrots now!¡± His expression, that was darkening as he remembered the past, returned to its original appearance after hearing the voice of Werazel in his ear. Werazel smiled cheerfully and stroked Lapel¡¯s head. He somehow couldn¡¯t get in between them. Because it seemed like he was disturbing a loving family. Chester turned to leave. If Lapel showed any signs of being uncomfortable with the woman, of course, he would have separated the two, but the child¡¯s face had a brighter smile than the sunshine. It was a lovely smile that stemmed from trust and love towards the other person no matter what happens. ¡°Duke.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t get out or get in, and he had no choice but to stop walking awkwardly. He paused his movements because Werazel unexpectedly called him. ¡°Would you like to eat?¡± Werazel found Chester standing at the door of the dining room and asked as a courtesy. Their room felt stuffy, so she deliberately came down to the dining room to have a meal with Lapel. ¡°No.¡± At the same time, the chef found Chester and jumped slightly in shock. ¡°Duke, the raw chicken you ordered is ready. Shall I bring it out right away?¡± ¡°¡­¡± And in an instant, total silence fell in the dining room. Werazel looked at Chester with her mouth agape. Wow, raw chicken. He has unique tastes¡­ She clasped the fork she almost dropped, then stood up from her seat. ¡°Um¡­ we¡¯re done eating.¡± I don¡¯t want to see what other things he eats, I don¡¯t think I can take it. I better leave now. She only had two mouthfuls then took care of Lapel first, so she decided to just eat a snack later to fill her stomach. Chester, without knowing that he was mistaken as a raw food eater, saw their plates on the table. Werazel¡¯s plate was full with barely touched food. When he entered the dining room, she was serving Lapel his food. If so, did she not eat properly because she was busy taking care of the child? Chester was bothered because he felt like he was kicking out Werazel. ¡°No, please finish your meal¡± That was the reason why Chester stopped Werazel. He did not want to be an unscrupulous landlord. ¡± I am already full.¡± However, Werazel refused again and lowered Lapel from the chair. ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± Lapel ran out of the room, laughing like he had been looking forward to it. ¡°Lapel! Don¡¯t run!¡± Lizelle hurriedly curtsied to Chester and followed Lapel. The chef¡¯s voice came in his ears as he stared at their backs. ¡°Duke? Shall I bring out the special meal? ¡°Yes,¡± the chef went to get the raw chicken, and Chester Halos was again left in the dining room. Only then a quiet and familiar landscape unfolded before his eyes. He was accustomed to eating alone, and most of the time, he had meals in his office. His hands alone would be enough to count how many times he ate here. It was the same even when his brother was alive. When he had a meal here, he ran into his father sometimes, and he was always verbally abused and beaten for no reason. That is why he was used to eating in his own space from a very young age. For him, eating was done only by himself. The sight of someone eating at the mansion, like what happened just now, was quite a foreign scene for him. The dining room should be quiet and no one should eat here. This was originally my world. ¡°Well¡­ by the way Duke.¡± Once again, a voice that broke his stillness was heard. Chester slowly turned and looked at the owner of the voice. Werazel poked out her head, peeking from the door. ¡°What is it?¡± Chester asked with a confused expression. Werazel looked at him completely with her clear, green eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to eat food raw. You may get food poisoning.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chester asked back at her unexpected words, but Werazel looked at him as if she was sincerely worried. ¡°You should take care of yourself more. You have Lapel to raise.¡± ¡°No, wait, what is that now?¡± ¡°So cook your food first before eating it.¡± When she was done speaking her mind, Lizelle turned around and left out of his sight. Chester gazed at her back with a bewildered face. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Then he realized something and laughed out loud. I was so confused by what she was saying but she actually thinks I eat raw chicken! This is a special dish for Warden! This is absurd. However, worrying about me was funny and cute. ¡°Duke?¡± The head chief who came out with a bowl of raw chicken saw Chester laughing out loud and thought it was a weird sight. It was a heartfelt laughter that he had never seen before. There was a huge ripple in Chester¡¯s calm and lonely world caused by pebbles. T/N: You might have wondered what Warden looks like (I did). So this is what a bloodhound dog looks like: Chapter 23 ¡°Wow, raw chicken. I never even imagined it.¡± Werazel murmured, chasing after Lapel who had gone ahead first. I wonder if this is just a normal thing and I am just ignorant. ¡°Maybe the people in this world think it¡¯s okay to eat raw food. However¡­ it¡¯s not beef but raw chicken*.¡± (*Maybe she¡¯s referring to rare/medium rare steak?) When I glanced at the plate the chef was holding, I saw that the chicken was not even boneless. Surprised again at Chester¡¯s peculiar diet, she ran towards the green grass. Werazel glanced at the child and saw that he did not seem tired from all that running. There was one thing she realized while staying with Lapel recently. The physical strength of a five year old boy is endless. Lapel¡¯s energy was not something that can easily be depleted and even though he would be exhausted for a while, he will still get up afterwards and run again. His curiosity was also so much that when he found something interesting, he would immediately go near it and ask for it. According to her friend who was a daycare teacher, parents with boys as offsprings always go to war every morning. At that time, I didn¡¯t fully understand her words, but now I know better than anyone else why it was called a war. ¡°Lizelle! Hehehehe.¡± ¡°Lapel, you¡®re hurt! ¡° The said boy was lying and rolling in the grass. I just took my eyes off for a second and now there¡¯s a new accident. She hurried towards Lapel. There were stones placed around the lawn and it would be big deal if he get scratched. ¡°Hehehe! It¡¯s fun!¡± Suddenly, Lapel, who had rolled towards Lizelle, jumped to his feet. ¡°Do you have any scratches?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± Not knowing that her heart was in distress, Lapel smiled brightly. Lizelle inwardly sighed and scanned his body. Fortunately, there were no injuries. However, this morning¡¯s new clothes were now messed up. She made him wear a white shirt and wide, black pants to make it easy for him to play, but now he was fully covered by grass thus making him look like a straw doll. Even the white clothes had turned green. ¡°Was it fun?¡± ¡°Yes, it is! ¡° Lizelle meticulously removed all the grass from Lapel¡¯s clothes as she was worried that they might go through the fabric. ¡°As long as you had fun it¡¯s okay, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As always, the two looked at each other and laughed. Lapel did not get hurt and just wanted to have fun. She was worried, but that was okay. She just needs to change his dirtied clothes and let Lapel grow healthy. That was the only thing she wanted. Lapel wiggled his little legs, wanting to move, unable to endure the short period of time of inactivity. When Lizelle saw Lapel moving his body, aching to resume playing again, she smiled helplessly and released his arm. ¡°It¡¯s done now. It¡¯s nice to play, but don¡¯t get hurt. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not going to get hurt!¡± With that, Lapel shot off again. Lizelle followed Lapel with a happy mother¡¯s smile. Then unexpectedly, the boy who was ahead of her screamed. ¡°Ah! Lizelle!¡± ¡°Lapel, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lizelle, startled by the scream, rushed to Lapel. ¡°Li¡­zelle¡­¡± As soon as she reached the place where Lapel was, she halted. A tiger-sized dog was slowly approaching Lapel with its teeth bared, and Lizelle, who was surprised and froze, quickly regained her senses, bent down and slowly approached Lapel. ¡°Don¡¯t move Lapel. You can¡¯t move. Stay still. ¡± ¡°Huhu, Lizelle ..¡­.¡± Lapel was so surprised that he fell down on the grass on his butt. ¡°Grrr.¡± The dog growled fiercely and showed his sharp canines. He was constantly approaching Lapel using his four feet that was supporting his massive body. It was moving like a beast aiming for the neck of its prey. The dog¡¯s posture was threatening as if it would jump at any moment. ¡°Lapel. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go. Stay still.¡± Lizelle approached Lapel while crouching, her hands almost touching the ground. She wanted to quickly wrap her arms around Lapel but could not because he and the dog were so close. Lapel could be greatly injured if the dog got provoked. Werazel¡¯s back was getting wet with cold sweat at the situation. ¡°Huhuhu!¡± Raphel finally burst into tears when a dog bigger than him approached him while drooling. ¡°Grr! Rawr!!!¡± ¡°Lapel!¡± As Lapel raised his hands to wipe away his tears, the dog leapt towards the boy with its frightening teeth ready to bite. Werazel was stunned and immediately covered Lapel with her body. Nobody knew where such superhuman power came from, but it was the fastest run she ever made in her life. She embraced Lapel and rolled over the grass. While rolling, her slender arms tightly held Lapel¡¯s head and body and protected him. ¡°Lizelle! ¡° ¡°Warden!¡± The dog, that was barking fiercely and rushing to bite Lizelle¡¯s back, stopped moving at the voice he heard. From far away, Chester was running with Warden¡¯s food. It was a dizzying moment. If I were a little late, Warden might have bitten Lizelle¡¯s back. Chester pulled Warden¡¯s leash straight away. ¡°Back off. ¡± ¡°Nggg¡­¡± ¡°Get back!¡± Warden, who was happy to see his owner¡¯s appearance, lowered his tail to Chester¡¯s fearsome voice and whimpered. Warden¡¯s eyes, who were asking for attention, were pitiful but Chester was adamant. He quickly tied Warden¡¯s leash around the base of the tree firmly so that it would not reach Lizelle and Lapel then quickly went straight to the pair. ¡°Are you okay, where are you hurt?¡± A voice filled with urgency and worry reached the two. ¡°Lizelle, huhuhu!¡± Lapel cried again in Lizelle¡¯s arms. It was a very sad and frightened cry. Lizelle, who was hugging Lapel with her body curled as much as possible, opened her tightly closed eyes. A small and precious child was watching her and was crying big fat tears. ¡°Lapel, are you okay? ¡° ¡°Huhu! Lizelle, Lizelle!¡± Lapel dug into her arms and cried more loudly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re safe now.¡± As Lizelle patted Lapel¡¯s back, the crying gradually stopped and at the same time, a sense of relief spread throughout her body, a sense of relief that Lapel was safe. At that moment, the string that tightened her whole body loosened. Werazel let out a moan. The effects of the adrenaline had worn off. Her muscles ached here and there. Chester, who was watching the two, immediately took Lapel out of Lizelle¡¯s arms and held him. ¡°I¡¯m going to Lizelle! Lecheel!¡± Lapel struggled to get out of Chester¡¯s arms to get to Lizelle, but he could not escape his uncle¡¯s hard-as-a-brick arm. ¡°What happened?¡± Just in time, the butler, Lohan, who came from the garden, approached them with a loud voice. ¡°Call the physician right away. ¡° ¡°The physician? Where did you get hurt¡­ Oh! ¡° Lohan was surprised to see Lizelle lying down on the grass and Lapel crying in Chester¡¯s arms. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°Oh, yes! ¡° At the order of his master, Lohan urged the employee next to him to call the doctor as soon as possible. Chester ordered Lohan to hold Lapel after confirming that the boy was in good shape without any injuries. ¡°I¡¯m going! Let me go! I¡¯m going to Lizelle! ¡° Lapel struggled to get to Lizelle from Lohan¡¯s arms too. ¡°Hold him firmly so that he would not come near to the young miss.¡± Chester instructed Lohan and kneeled down in front of Lizelle. ¡°Are you all right?¡± He observed Lizelle¡¯s complexion. The reason why he separated the two was because Lizelle made a painful sound. Maybe her bones are broken¡­ And with Lapel holding her tightly, the pain and her condition could get worse. ¡°Of course, Lapel is fine,¡± Lizelle said, staring at Chester looking down at her with his back against the sun. She was very embarrassed that she was lying down and looking up to him. She tried to get up, but her legs were weak and unresponsive. There were no injuries, but she felt so weak that she could not even lift a finger. Like her strength was drained from her due to the tension earlier. ¡°¡­¡­I am. ¡° Chester opened his mouth, frowning at her words. ¡°What?¡± Lizelle, who couldn¡¯t understand properly, stared at Chester. Then, before long, his lips moved once again. ¡°I am asking if you are okay.¡± T/N: Please don¡¯t hate on Warden. That¡¯s just how a dog normally reacts to strangers. It just showed how Warden is loyal and protective of Chester. Dogs are really great pets. Chapter 24 Chester was getting annoyed. The child was obviously fine without any injuries no matter how anyone looked at him. It was only natural since Werazel threw her whole body to protect him. She does not even think about herself and only cares about the child. I don¡¯t know why I am so angry. ¡°Me? I¡¯m okay, of course,¡± Lizelle blinked her round eyes at him. Why is this man suddenly annoyed? He looks so pissed. Someone would think you¡¯re the one who rolled with Lapel. ¡°Then, can you get up?¡± Chester said with a deep sigh, easing his anger as much as possible. Right now, the patient in front of me is more important than my feelings. ¡°Um¡­ no.¡± Lizelle directed her strength to her legs to stand up but gave up soon afterwards. Her muscles felt too weak like they were sprained. ¡°Liz¡­huck..elle.¡± On the other hand, Lapel was still trying to reach Lizelle. ¡°Lapel, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Lizelle smiled gently at Lapel while lying down. It hurt her heart seeing him crying sadly. ¡°Did you hurt your legs?¡± Chester still did not get up and scanned Lizelle lying on the grass carefully to see if there was any wound or swelling. ¡°No, I just feel weak at the moment.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡± At those words, Chester carried Lizelle without hesitation. Lizelle¡¯s view of the ground suddenly raised in an instant and she felt like she was floating. ¡°Hey? No, wait, it¡¯s okay! I can get up soon!¡± After the library incident, she was princess-carried again.1 Embarrassed, Lizelle wanted to get out of Chester¡¯s arms but unfortunately, could not move her limbs. ¡°Lohan, bring the physician to Lady Werazel¡¯s room.¡± Chester glanced at the distressed Lizelle in his arms and started walking towards the mansion in big strides. Every time he moved, he could smell the scent of grass and Werazel. It was because Lizelle¡¯s dress was wet with dirt. It stained Chester¡¯s clothes but he did not care a bit. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± While Lizelle was being carried by the Duke who was unfazed by the situation, she felt every set of eyes on her. Everyone that was passing by at the moment had confused expressions on their faces like that they could not understand the situation. What happened? ¡°¡­¡± More flood of embarrassment rushed through her. She wanted to raise her arms to cover her face but it was impossible to do so because she was just too weak. Lizelle closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°Ugh, they might think I¡¯m shameless,¡± she muttered. I need to get to the room quickly. *** ¡°Does this hurt?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± The physician who arrived earlier was applying pressure to Lizelle¡¯s body here and there while questioning if it hurt. Fortunately, her legs seemed fine because she did not feel any pain at all. ¡°Oh there, it hurts so much there!¡± However, as soon as the doctor touched her left ankle, Lizelle shouted with her eyes wide open. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes from the unexpected pain. ¡°You mean here?¡± ¡°Oh, it hurts.¡± The doctor carefully turned her ankle and Lizelle gripped the bedsheets in pain. It felt like dozens of needles were simultaneously prickling her ankle together. The physician examined Lizelle¡¯s ankle for a while and tried pressing it with his hand. Each time he did, she screamed in pain. ¡°Does it hurt a lot?¡± Chester, who was watching on the side, came forward. Seeing her in pain, he unconsciously frowned. ¡°There are no broken bones. However, when she fell earlier, she probably had twisted her ankle,¡± the doctor made his diagnosis. Once the diagnosis was over, the physician let go of her foot. Lizelle exhaled the breath she was holding. Every time the doctor was holding that area, she wanted to push his hand away so badly. Werazel arrived in the room with Chester¡¯s help and was lying in bed. At Chester¡¯s order, Lapel was temporarily in his office with Lohan. ¡°You better not move it as much as possible. ¡° The physician placed a cold pack prepared in advance on Lizelle¡¯s ankle. A cold feeling had spread over her ankle and the pain subsided to some extent. ¡°Other than that, is she hurt elsewhere?¡± ¡°No, she is fine except for the left ankle. Both her pulse and blood pressure are normal.¡± Lizelle glanced at Chester as he kept asking the doctor if she was in good shape and found out that he was looking intently at her ankle. ¡°¡­¡± His eyes, looking at her ankle with a very serious face, were so hot* that her ankle felt like it was burning even though there was an ice pack on it. ¡°Duke, I¡¯m alright now. You do not need to worry about me.¡± She was quite uncomfortable in this situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Chester said, apologizing while staring at her. ¡°What did you say?¡± A question mark appeared on Lizelle¡¯s face from his unexpected words. ¡°On behalf of Warden, I apologize.¡± I would have tied his leash properly if I knew this would happen. It was really my fault. It was in the bloodhound¡¯s character to have a high sense of duty to protect his owner and house and attack upon seeing unfamiliar people like Lapel and Lizelle. ¡°Oh! So the dog¡¯s name is Warden. It¡¯s okay. Lapel is safe.¡± I wondered why a strange dog was in the mansion. Turns out it was Chester¡¯s. It could have been a disaster. If she was bitten by the dog¡¯s sharp teeth, it would be a serious injury. Maybe I could have gone back to the other world without even living here for a long time. When Warden rushed to Lapel, she felt like her heart was about to stop. All in my head was to protect Lapel, so I ran towards him without realizing that my body would get hurt. It was a moment where her body reacted first without thinking. But fortunately, Chester came just in time so everyone is okay. Lizelle did not want to blame his dog because that innocent animal was only doing what he was supposed to do.1 Franky, it could be said that it was Chester¡¯s fault that the dog managed to get away from his leash. ¡°I will compensate you.¡± Chester, who could not erase his feelings of guilt, said. She was a lifesaver and protected the child who might be his nephew. Besides, he was really angry at himself for being complacent. Seeing Lizelle lying in bed with an ice pack on her left ankle, he could not get past it. Because in a corner of his heart, he felt uncomfortable. ¡°¡­Compensation?¡± ¡°If you want anything, just tell me. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± This was the best apology Chester could come up with. He grew up seeing his father solve everything with money from a very young age so this is the only way he knew even today. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lizelle was stunned by his surprise offer. Anything I want? Can he truly¡­? ¡°If I ask for a mansion, will you buy it?¡± Lizelle smiled and joked. It was obviously a joke, so the physician, who was putting a splint on her ankle, did not make any expression. But one person did not get it. ¡°Where do you want it to be built?¡± Chester asked seriously and he was already thinking in his mind what to do. Shocked, Lizelle could not help but be serious too. ¡°What? You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°How big do you want your mansion to be?¡± ¡°No! It was a joke, a joke!¡± (T/N: Sis no! -_- you should¡¯ve just taken it.)2 Lizelle hurriedly held up a hand. The man took the joke seriously. She was not hurt very much, but he wanted to reward her with a mansion as compensation. He was the king of wealth, no matter how much he used his money. Even though I like money, I do not want to receive excessive favor or compensation. It¡¯s bad to be too greedy. ¡°¡­¡± Chester¡¯s eyebrows arched subtly in confusion. Lizelle and the doctor could not hide their bewilderment. ¡°Just let me meet with Warden later,¡± said Lizelle, sighing. She looked at him with an incomprehensible expression. ¡°¡­Warden?¡± ¡°Yes, I have to get a proper apology.¡± When she came into the mansion carried by him, she remembered Warden, who was tied to a tree and was unable to move. He kept whining because he wanted to go to his master. ¡°Is that alright with you?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s all I need.¡± Lizelle¡¯s eyes were clear as if she was not lying. Chester¡¯s pupils shook briefly as if they were confused. I thought she would want a big reward if she was a person who liked luxury. Opportunities like this are rare. So when she asked for a mansion, it was already expected, so I accepted it. The more he interacted with her, the more he could see that she was not the person he thought she was when they met. She even threw her whole body for fear that the child would get hurt. Is it really a false rumor as Lohan said? Is everything my misunderstanding? I don¡¯t know. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± ¡°If the owner takes good care of it, then there is no problem.¡± Lizelle smiled happily like it was nothing. What I¡¯m saying is, it¡¯s all the owner¡¯s fault.1 However, he could not hear a word of what she said because he was distracted by other things. If I¡¯m really misunderstanding something, I want to know a little more about you. Chester thought, looking at her bright smile with his eyes. Chapter 25 ¡°I¡¯m going to Lizelle!¡± When Chester was on his way out of Lizelle¡¯s room, he found Lapel struggling in the Lohan¡¯s arms in the hallway. Lohan, who somehow tried to appease Lapel, saw Chester and hurried to him like the man had met his saviour. The servants also tried to help calm Lapel, but it was not enough. He was so stubborn that even bulls cannot be compared to him. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lohan shouted at Chester with a face asking for help. ¡°Liz¡­elle!¡± Meanwhile, Lapel flapped his short legs and arms and struck Lohan. It was not strong, but it was painful because the boy kept hitting him. Looking at Lohan who was in tears, Chester sighed and took Lapel from the butler¡¯s hands. He carried him and met his eyes. Lapel¡¯s cheeks were puffed up and full of grumpiness. ¡°Raphelion,¡± said Chester to Lapel in a grim voice. The persistently stubborn Lapel froze at his chilling voice. ¡°Lady Werazel must be very uncomfortable with her leg injury right now.¡± ¡°¡­ Is Lizelle hurt? ¡° ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it because of me?¡± In an instant, tears gathered in the clear eyes of Lapel. His hands were shaking so hard as he was about to cry. Chester soothed Lapel before he burst into tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It was not because of you ¡° ¡°No?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not your fault. She just needs some rest and she¡¯ll get better soon so don¡¯t worry. ¡° Lapel¡¯s tears stopped at his uncle¡¯s comforting words. Somehow, there was power in Chester¡¯s words. That power that seemed to work like a spell. That is why Lapel, who did not listen to anyone other than Lizelle, nodded softly. ¡°Okay! I will protect Lizelle! ¡° Lapel pumped his fists in front of Chester. The child¡¯s red eyes shone resolutely. At that moment, Chester looked as if he had been punched in the head. Could I say that a child who trusted her and treated her with sincerity had been abused? Absolutely not. He knew then that something was wrong. ¡°Yes. You have to help her by her side.¡± ¡°Yes, I will!¡± Chester put down Lapel he was holding in his arms with a blank face. ¡°Lizelle!!!¡± Then, as if he had waited for a long time, Lapel ran into the room. ¡°Master?¡± Lohan called the dazed Chester. Seeing my master holding Lapel was like a sight of an uncle and his nephew. Black hair and red eyes. It was so similar that I think it is not mere transformation magic. ¡°Lohan.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Chester¡¯s eyes flashed while he thinking hard. ¡°Get the antidote as soon as possible.¡± If I really am misunderstanding something, I have to correct it quickly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You said she threw herself to save the child?¡± ¡°Wow, is that really because that child is the young master?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. She may have been deliberately acting when she saw the Duke. You saw it. She was carried like a princess!¡± The servants gathered today were talking about what happened in the mansion. They seemed very dissatisfied with the Duke living with the guests Werazel and Raphelion. ¡°Will she be no different from the others? Isn¡¯t she aiming for the reward like other people, or is she trying to seduce the Duke by using his nephew?¡± Suddenly, all the attention was focused on one woman. ¡°Right? It does not make sense at all that a young miss, a nobleman mind you, suddenly went to the trash to pick up a child there, does it?¡± The woman spoke out and folded her arms. The woman¡¯s name was Regina. She was a servant who had been working for the Duke for almost three years. Among the servants, Regina was among the prettiest. She was a woman with plain orange hair and brown eyes. She had just reached her early twenties, and she was close to the head maid so she had a strong standing among the servants. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it? Maybe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s impossible for a noblewoman to go to the garbage dump.¡± The servants looked at each other and immediately agreed. They could be in charge of cleaning the sewer that everyone avoided if they were hated by Regina. ¡°Is that so? That woman must have approached for the Duke¡¯s money as well.¡± After hearing agreements from them, Regina felt as if her argument was correct and giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she went off to and picked up that skinny kid.¡± Regina mumbled, twisting her hair. Her voice was full of envy and jealousy. The servants gathered around her rolled their eyes secretly. There were a lot of things everyone wanted to say, but they held it in If they say something wrong, they would be forced to work all day long. ¡°That¡¯s right. Is he really an aristocrat?¡± ¡°When the antidote comes, all the lies will be revealed.¡± All they could do was respond to Regina¡¯s words. ¡°You there! What are you gathering for? Aren¡¯t you all paid to work?¡± The servants scattered to their respective seats except for Regina. She stood alone in place where everyone had disappeared, remembering what happened earlier. The image of Werazel entering the room while being carried by Chester. The scene stuck in Regina¡¯s mind and she could not forget it. ¡°You think you can get the Duke by trying to be feeble and weak? You think I don¡¯t know your intentions?¡± Regina clenched her fists tightly and muttered. ¡°The Duke is mine. I won¡¯t lose him to anyone.¡± ¡°Lizelle, but you are sick now,¡± Lapel was imprisoned in the warm arms of Lizelle. Lizelle hugged the soft child and laughed slightly. ¡°Yes.¡± The fluffy baby scent I smell every time I hold Lapel has the power to make my heart comfortable. After the incident with Warden, Lizelle was forced to rest, trapped in her room. ¡°I think a light walk would be fine. We could go to the garde-¡° ¡°Lizelle is sick, stay still.¡± Lapel spoke very sternly, with his arms on her side. It¡¯s so cute that this small child makes a serious and stern expression, I badly want to capture it with a photo. Lapel had changed after being told by the doctor that she should take maximum amount of rest and do minimal movement until her ankle heals. ¡°I will protect you! I will take care of you!!¡± When she failed to reach a glass of water earlier, Lapel moved quickly after saying he would do it. ¡°I will give you water!¡¯ Drinking water was not a problem for her because her hand was not injured, but Lapel even put the cup to her lips with his small hand and made her drink. Touched, Lizelle smiled and accepted his efforts. If Lapel was happy, she was happy too. So, after three days of intensive care by Raphelion, Lizelle was able to recover quickly. ¡°Thanks to Lapel, I was able to heal quickly. Thank you.¡± She rubbed her cheek against Lapel¡¯s soft cheek. ¡°Hehehe! That¡¯s a relief.¡± Lapel smiled happily and put his arms around her neck. The boy was smiling but on the other hand, she could not hide the bitterness in her heart. Day by day, time moves so fast. That meant that there was not much time left to break up with Lapel. I wanted to make a lot of memories and make the most of the month I have with Lapel but I lost three days of it because of an ankle injury. I regret it a lot. ¡°Lizelle?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Lapel¡¯s call broke Lizelle¡¯s thoughts. Lapel tapped Lizelle¡¯s eyebrows with his short fingers. ¡°Wrinkles!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Werazel groaned, realizing she was showing what she was thinking. I forgot I was in front of him. ¡°Not now, right?¡± she smiled quickly at Lapel. ¡°Yes!¡± Seeing her smile, which is his most favorite thing in the world, Lapel smiled too. Kay stood in front of the basement in the ducal mansion where no one comes and goes. Inside his shirt, something vibrated and was flashing red light. Kay grabbed the doorknob and turned it but as he expected, the door was locked. He stretched out his hand and a sharp claw sprang from his index finger. It was a claw of an animal. He inserted his claw in the keyhole and tugged it a few times. Soon after, the lock was released with a chilling sound. Walking straight to the basement, Kay pulled out the necklace he had hidden under his shirt. It was a necklace studded with a red ruby. When he tapped the vibrating ruby twice with his fingers, a tiny black object popped out and floated in the air. [Hazen.] A low voice echoed from the black object. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Hazen, who had turned into Kay, saluted at the object. It was a voice communication tool that could only give and receive voices, so they could not see each other¡¯s appearances, but he still gave a polite greeting to his owner. It was a behavior stemmed from strong loyalty. [How is it going?] ¡°They are waiting for the antidote now. Looking at the boy¡¯s appearance, he does look like from the Halos family, but I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± Hazen reported what he saw while living as Kay the Knight for several days. Like the ¡®Raphelion¡¯ they were looking for, the child who was staying with the Duke now had red eyes and dark hair, but he could not move yet because there was still no antidote. ¡°Yes.¡± Hazen knelt on one knee in an unshakable voice, and the magic tool, floating in the air, whizzed like a sound of a bee flying and was sucked into his necklace again. Kay returned the necklace in his shirt and was now hidden from view. Then, as if nothing had happened, he left the basement and returned to work. Chapter 26 A little past noon. Lapel and Lizelle were out in the garden after partaking their meals. It was the first time after a long time while because Lizelle could not go anywhere due to her sprain. Although the air occasionally wafted in through the large windows of the mansion, the freshness of the wind that hit her body was different. Werazel spent her time in the garden or walking with Lapel almost every day since they started living with the duke. That was all she could do here as a guest. It was because Chester forbade them from doing anything else, saying it was dangerous if they go out. So after having been walking or spending time in the garden for more than two weeks, suddenly being stuck in her room for the last few days made her feel like she was dying. ¡°Now, I feel alive.¡± ¡°Did you feel stuffy in the mansion?¡± ¡°Really, I thought I was in a prison,¡± she sat down comfortably in a chair and chatted with Tia. Lapel was sitting next to her, nibbling cookies. ¡°I¡¯m glad you recovered quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, good thing I only twisted it a little. I must be athletic.¡± Lizelle laughed, admiring herself. Thanks to her agile movement, she felt very proud it was her only injury. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± At this, Tia chuckled. When playing ball with Lapel, she remembered seeing Lizelle panting heavily but she pretended not to notice. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold,¡± Lizelle rubbed her arms with her hands. Perhaps it was a little chilly because the wind kept blowing and the dress she was wearing was thin. ¡°Shall I bring a fichu?¡± Tia asked. Lizelle shook her head and looked at Lapel. ¡°Lapel, isn¡¯t it cold? Would you like to go back to our room?¡± ¡°Um..no!¡± Like Lizelle, Lapel came to the garden after a long time and so he was enjoying the moment. Besides, they had just been to the garden. He had no intention of going back to his room now. ¡°Tia, please look after Lapel. I¡¯m going inside.¡± Lizelle stood up from her seat. A coat was needed to stay a little longer in the garden. ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be right back. I was not allowed to move much during the past few days. I want to do it.¡± Lizelle stroked Lapel¡¯s head while blocking Tia who was trying to leave. ¡°Raphelion, I¡¯ll be right back. Play with Tia.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lizelle headed to the room, happy with the fact that Lapel could now interact with Tia and not just her. After entering the room, she came out with her shawl and Lapel¡¯s coat. And now that she was so used to it, she went down the hallways and stairs like she was in her own house.The mansion, which seemed like it had no end in sight, was big enough to make her want to remove her shoes when she walked, but now she felt kind of used to it. It was now friendly and familiar to her and showed how much she had adapted to the place. When Lizelle exited the mansion and headed for the garden, a voice came from behind. ¡°I heard you recovered already.¡± She turned around and saw Chester standing from a distance. He was holding a thick leash. As she looked down the leash, she saw Warden was sitting next to him. ¡°Yes. You must have taken him out for a walk?¡± Unlike the last time, Lizelle was amazed to see him sitting still and stared at him. Currently, Warden stayed still like a doll because he was beside his owner. ¡°Warden has something for you.¡± ¡°For me?¡± The two talked at a distance. No one approached each other first. It was to prepare for an unexpected situation. ¡°Warden.¡± ¡°Arf!.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Warden walked over to the space between the two, his ears drooping, biting a flower Chester had given him. Tuk. At Chester¡¯s instructions, Warden put down the flower he was holding a little away from Lizelle. It was the apology she asked for. ¡°You¡¯re smart.¡± Lizelle, who was watching his movements and the flower he brought with interest, smiled. It looked like a gentle sheep. Not long ago, he was like a wild beast in the garden. She picked up the flower Warden gave her. The yellow flower she could not identify was pretty. ¡°Will it be okay if I pet him?¡± Lizelle glanced at Chester, unwilling to let this moment pass. I want to pet him once, but I¡¯m scared that it might suddenly rush towards me. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to hold him.¡± In particular, I want to touch that fur and the full wrinkles. Wouldn¡¯t it feel like holding a soft carpet in your hand? Chester loosened the leash he was holding tightly at Werazel¡¯s request. Warden sniffed and began to approach Lizelle¡¯s side little by little. She said it was okay with excitement in her heart, but as Warden approached, Lizelle¡¯s expression gradually stiffened. The memory of Warden running fiercely at her remained in her mind. ¡°Reach out your hand.¡± ¡°Is it okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking.¡± She did not know why, but Lizelle felt reassured upon hearing his words. Lizelle gulped and slowly extended her palm toward Warden. Warden circled Lizelle¡¯s scent for a while, sniffing and tickling her palm. ¡°You can touch him now,¡± Chester said. Lizelle slowly squatted and touched Warden¡¯s chin. Fortunately, Warden did not bite nor growl. ¡°Wow. You have a lot of wrinkles.¡± A lot of Warden¡¯s folds were caught in her hand. The wrinkles on his face and his drooping eyes were cute. ¡°What is his breed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bloodhound.¡± Warden rolled and showed off his stomach after seeing that Lizelle¡¯s touch was good. ¡°At that time, you ran viciously at me. Now, are you trying to be friends with me?¡± Lizelle laughed at the big dog¡¯s aegyo and touched his belly. Warden panted, lying on the floor, wagging his tail. Chester was staring at Lizelle and Warden silently. ¡°Thank you for the flower.¡± Lizelle, who had petted Warden for a long time, stood up. She held the yellow flower that the dog gave her in her hand. If you think about it, it means that Warden has been trained repeatedly, right? Lizelle could not imagine Chester training Warden with flowers. It is surprising to know that he is not always blunt and cold. That he prepared something like this and listened to her words. ¡°Thank you. Then please, finish your walk.¡± Lizelle nodded to Chester and returned to Lapel. It was fascinating to see a new side of him. ¡°Arf! Arf!¡± Warden barked, feeling sad at Lizelle leaving him. ¡°Warden.¡± Chester comforted him as he stroked Warden¡¯s head. He looked at her back that was getting farther and farther away from him and handed Warden¡¯s leash to the knight near him. ¡°I want you to take the rest of the walk.¡± Then he followed Lizelle. ¡°Hah,¡± Lizelle, who was spending time with Lapel while eating Madeleines, sighed. There was only one reason for that and it was Chester. I don¡¯t know why, but he is constantly circling around me. At first I thought it was because there was something to discuss, but he did not even talk to me. ¡°Does the duke have something to say?¡± Tia also whispered in a quiet voice. lyletranslates.wordpress.com ¡°Then he can just say it, why is he snooping around the young miss?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because of me. Should I go?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll go ask him, miss.¡± As Tia and Lizelle exchanged conversations, Chester was watching the two under a tree a little further away from them. ¡°Master,¡± Lohan approached Chester. Lohan lamented deeply when he found Lizelle looking at their way. His master seemed to try hiding himself, but the young miss already noticed him. ¡°Do you want to be with the young miss?¡± ¡°What?¡± said Chester, frowning at the butler. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you were watching her secretly?¡± ¡°What do you mean secretly?¡± He replied bluntly, pretending to be indifferent but in truth, he was embarrassed inside. It was because Lohan hit the nail on the head. In fact, he had followed suit to watch Lizelle and Lapel close by. He seems to have misunderstood Werazel, so he wanted to see for himself how she treated Lapel, but unexpectedly, Werazel quickly noticed that Chester was hiding, and he was forced to stand there. As if nothing happened, putting a natural expression on his face¡­ ¡°I thought you were hiding secretly again. Duke, who would hide in such a way?¡± Lohan immediately noticed that his master was lying, but he pretended not to know it and advised him to hide better. ¡°¡­¡± I was hiding under the shade of a tree, but maybe it was obvious. Chester was seriously contemplating if he had to climb up the tree when-. ¡°Would you like to play?¡± Lizelle stood in front of Chester. When did you come near? Alright, Warden¡¯s name is cleared now. I¡¯mma go! Bye~~