The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

91 – Adolescence

Various conversations were going on in the corridors of the palace.

Cardi Ruminel, the true owner of the grand mansion, was frozen in place, eavesdropping on a secret conversation in his home.

“What? Who’s whose son?”

It was about Glen’s family background.

From the beginning, it was clear that Glen was the son of Letitia Baskhill. In Cardi’s eyes, there was no way a royal family member of Glen’s age could be born without being Letitia’s child.

But… as he tried to take care of his granddaughter, he overheard an unbelievable conversation that caught his extraordinary hearing.

[And Letitia Baskhill’s partner, your father, is… the Demon King, ‘Stark Rassel’.]

?

???

……??????

My thoughts came to a halt. I replayed the words I heard several times to make sure.

It was undoubtedly Elphia’s voice. His daughter, who never joked about serious matters, was saying something ridiculous. Even if she was drunk and lost her senses, she wouldn’t say something so absurd.

“That kid is… not only a Baskhill bloodline but also the Demon King’s direct descendant?”

What the heck?

What is going on?

What kind of fate has he gotten himself entangled in, collecting all these rare kids?

Even later, I heard that Eco was also a fragment of a miracle.

The events happening around me were making me give up on understanding.

“But, why…?”

Despite that, Cardi furrowed his brows.

“Don’t tell me anything… “

Maybe it’s because he’s at an age where his emotions are getting sensitive. A sense of disappointment and frustration surged in. But it was an awkward timing to pretend to know, so Cardi ultimately chose to turn around and leave.

His back figure looked somehow pitiful.

◇

The clock’s hands kept moving, and before I knew it, the sky had darkened.

Originally, at this hour, Yuri-an should have returned to the imperial palace, but today was different. It was as if it had been predetermined, with the evening meal setting already prepared.

It was the first full-family dinner in a year. Since Hart’s accident last year, he had been in a coma, so the scene of the family gathering was extremely unfamiliar.

When Hart and Elpecia entered the dining room with their four children, Cardi was already seated. At that moment, Hart sensed a strange atmosphere, unlike his usual self.

“Does it seem like the Duke’s mood is unpleasant? Did something not go well?”

In fact, Cardi’s face was always calm. Elpecia was the same, having inherited the trait from her mother. However, Hart was able to sense something because he was familiar with Elpecia.

“Come, everyone, take your seats.”

Cardi, sitting at the head of the table, spoke in a tone that was not particularly harsh, but still gave off a rough impression. However, aside from Hart, no one else felt uneasy.

Hart cautiously asked, “Uh, Duke? Is something wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Nothing’s wrong. Hmm…”

Cardi’s strong denial was followed by Elpecia opening her mouth.

“Hart, you’ve forgotten that it’s been a year since you woke up, but Father’s face has never been good.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Cardi retorted with a single word, but no one in the dining room refuted Elpecia’s statement.

In reality, Cardi was extremely unhappy.

Right then…

“No, Mom! Grandfather laughs so much!”

Tina, like a ray of light, defended Cardi.

“And besides, he plays with us better than Father does. Father always makes excuses on snowy days, but Grandfather calls the Knights of the Imperial Guard to have a snowball fight!”

“Granddaughter…!”

It seemed that only the granddaughter was left.

Cardi felt a sense of pride, thinking that his granddaughter was the only one who couldn’t do anything wrong.

“No, no, that’s not it.”

The problem was that the third prince, who was like an uninvited guest, was intervening.

“The Duke’s treatment of you is clearly special. If you knew how cold his gaze is when you’re not around, you’d be shocked.”

“Really, Grandfather?”

Tina, innocently asking the truth, was met with Cardi’s denial, arm crossed.

… along with an objective indicator.

“Hmph, how could that be? The support rate of the Imperial Guard has been rising daily. It’s increased by 35% this year alone. It’s all because of this grandfather’s kindness, and everyone is trying to curry favor with him.”

“That’s right, Grandfather!”

Tina, still young, didn’t know that the rising support rate of the Imperial Guard was complexly tied to various benefits and honors…

“Yuri-an, if you keep bothering our grandfather, I won’t forgive you! You’ll transform into a dragon and breathe fire, but I won’t take responsibility!”

“What are you talking about?! Instead of breathing fire, what’s with the talk of fire?!”

“I can do it! I’ll practice and have a fire festival!”

“That’s dangerous!”

“Ugh… if you keep picking a fight, I won’t do ‘that’!”

“… Uh.”

‘That’ referred to using the power of the Bloody Dragon to reduce Yuri-an’s fatigue. For Yuri-an, who had been exhausted lately, it was like having absolute power.

On the other hand, Cardi was delighted that Tina, who was bold enough to defy the imperial family, was willing to give him the territory of the Duke’s domain.

“Ah…”

The sight of a tiny thing making a loud noise and shutting the mouth of a rude boy was truly astonishing.

Cardi closed his eyes tightly and curled up the corners of his mouth.

“This isn’t life, is it?”

◇

The next morning.

Cardi, as usual, stamped his attendance at the imperial palace.

Just a year ago, Cardi was stuck in the ducal mansion, but after the hunting festival, his daily routine had changed.

In fact, during the hunting festival hosted by Cardi in his territory, the Emperor was assassinated. It was an unavoidable circumstance, but he was in a position to be held responsible.

Fortunately, Harlte, the son-in-law of the Luminel Duke’s family, took care of the situation, or else it would have been a severe blow.

The next emperor, Yuri, used this as an excuse to order Cardi to serve in the imperial palace.

It wasn’t a punishment, but…

In reality, Yuri was doing him a favor.

“Hmm… hmm…”

As Cardi entered the imperial palace, he kept hovering around the office of Lord Lloyd Chandler, the Minister of Finance.

“Hmm, hmm…”

“…”

“Hmm, hmm.”

“…”

“Hmm…”

“Your Excellency, please don’t bother me and leave. Do you have any business with me?”

“Hehe… Minister, you’re really narrow-minded. Your patience is truly remarkable.”

“What’s…”

“Well, people of my age without grandchildren are all like that. Hehe…”

Thud!

The sound of a chair falling over was heard. The owner of the chair had stood up too quickly.

Cardi’s provocation had easily gotten to Lloyd.

“Haha! Our kid is still young, and soon we’ll hear some good news!”

“Hmm, maybe… it could happen. Who knows if it’s a grandson or granddaughter?”

“What’s the point of that? In this day and age, are you still discriminating by gender? You’re a closed-minded person! And who would think that your granddaughter is really your own?”

“This is ridiculous. I’m a closed-minded person who only sees my granddaughter as my granddaughter, without any gender bias. You’re the one who’s being overly concerned about it. You’re a consistent and upright person, haha…”

“… Tsk.”

Cardi stopped hovering around and sat down on the reception sofa. Lloyd Chandler, who had been provoked since morning, was not pleased, but he decided to let it go for now.

If he issued a decree like this, he would feel like he was being defeated, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“This is yesterday’s story, but I really don’t have a granddaughter like that. My daughter is busy plotting against me, while my granddaughter is defending me with all her might. The love and affection she has for this old man is truly heartwarming. Ah, of course, she’s also very cute in reality.”

“Are you completely obsessed with her? After the Duchess passed away, you’ve been pouring all your energy into your facial muscles.”

“Hehe… I wish I could boast about my granddaughter’s identity, but I’ll keep it a secret for now.”

“… Hmm?”

I want to ask.

I’m extremely curious about my granddaughter’s identity.

If it wasn’t a big deal, I’d want to mock Cardi mercilessly, to the extent that I’m curious.

However, it’s hard to ask questions. For some reason, I feel like I’ll get slapped if I ask directly.

As I hesitated, I missed the timing to ask.

“… Huh. Whatever. You, who have lived in seclusion from the world, don’t even know reality.”

“What does that mean?”

For the first time, Cardi asked a question. The initiative of the conversation had shifted from Lloyd to Cardi.

Lloyd’s face lit up with a sly grin, as if he had finally seized the opportunity.

“You, who have been crazy since childhood, probably didn’t know, but there’s something called the law of nature. Let’s see, how old is your granddaughter this year? Eleven?”

“Twelve.”

“Ah, closer than I thought.”

Lloyd nodded his head, accompanied by a subtle chuckle. Thanks to that, Cardi’s curiosity was piqued, and he narrowed his eyes.

“What’s the problem? By the way, even if it’s a private tutor, it’s still far off. If it’s not a man who catches the eye, I won’t even send him.”

“No, what, you’re unhappy because you’re an old man without common sense. You’re just sulking about that.”

“I’m sorry, but back when I was in academy, my grades were just as good as yours.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve worked hard as the Minister of Finance, so if I take the test now, I’ll definitely win. This childish argument hasn’t changed a bit, whether it’s then or now.”

“… So, what do you want to say?”

From noble mtl dot com

Cardi’s face became extremely serious, to the point where it was almost intimidating.

In response, Lloyd Chandler didn’t back down at all and taught him an unchanging truth.

“There’s something called adolescence in this world.”

“That’s… I know that in theory, but my daughter didn’t go through that, so I forgot.”

“Hmm… Elpisia was indeed an extraordinary and unique child, so it’s understandable. However, generally speaking, that’s how it is.”

“Anyway, what’s the conclusion?”

Under Cardi’s pressure, Lloyd let out a hearty laugh.

“As you know, my connections are quite extensive. Unlike you, who didn’t have any friends, I have many acquaintances. So, how many people around me have grandchildren?”

“Well…”

There are probably many.

However, if there’s a grandchild as old as Tina, it’s likely that the old folks are at least ten years older than us.

“That’s the thing.”

“Go ahead and say it.”

“In the past, grandchildren who used to be so fond of their grandparents… would avoid them like the plague once adolescence hit. They’d even cry and say they didn’t want to see them!”

“What…!”

For a while, Cardi was frozen stiff, and Lloyd finally issued a decisive verdict.

Cardi was forced out of the Minister of Finance’s office, still dazed and unsure of what was happening.

As Cardi stumbled out, Lloyd bid him a final farewell.

“Please take good care of yourself during the remaining time. Ah! Of course, don’t cry too much, okay?”

Hehe.

The triumphant voice echoed in Cardi’s ears.

Cardi managed to steady his trembling legs.

‘Adolescence…’

The word kept occupying space in his mind. That damn unchanging truth.

“What is this adolescence…!!!”

Why does it take away the only thing that’s mine in this household?

Adolescence is an existence that cannot be tolerated.