Chapter 104. A Saint who was Adopted by the Grand Duke
Updated: Apr 1
Flustered by her trivial gift, Esther quickly brought the plate in front of Darwin and returned to her seat.
Darwin’s eyebrows wriggled in bewilderment as he observed the cherry-studded cassata.
“If I heard right… Do you mean you bought this for me? Did Esther choose this herself?”
His green eyes dilated more than ever before. He was enveloped in feelings that were difficult to explain.
“Father, you like sweets. I thought you'd like this, too.”
On the day Esther first arrived at the mansion, Darwin had a bowl filled with cookies inside his study.
Esther, still unaware the cookies were prepared for her until this very day, remained fooled with the idea that Darwin favored sweet things.
“Yes. I like them.”
Darwin’s face hardened. He immediately nodded in agreement.
What about it. If Esther bought him the cassata for that reason, he would change his taste buds starting today.
“…?”
Delbert, aware of Darwin’s dislike of sweet foods, stood behind while blinking like a fool.
“The bakery is really good. Hurry up and try it.”
As soon as Esther got home, she pulled out the desserts and filled herself with them. Everything was just immaculate.
Esther blinked her expectant eyes and waited for Darwin’s reaction.
“…Thank you. It is just a shame for me to eat it. It would be a waste.”
Darwin was immersed in emotion as he looked at the cassata in front of him.
His twin sons were blunt since they resembled Darwin, and in retrospect, they never thought to bring anything for him.
Perhaps that was why only one cassata managed to warm his heart like this.
“Khm.”
Irene seemed to have filled his mind more than usual. He really wanted to show Irene this moment.
Irene, and Catherine.
Perhaps if nothing happened… His heart ached at the thought that maybe everyone could have been together right now.
The tip of his nose wrinkled as he had been too immersed in his sadness. Darwin quickly titled his head backward.
‘No way, right now… Tears?’
TN: Yep, you are human too <3
He was a person who lived his whole life without knowing what it was to experience tears. He had only cried three times in his life. The time his father passed away and his mother followed, including the day Irene died.
But his reddened eyes and the tear that fell down his cheek surprised him.
“Father, what's wrong?”
“Something must have caught my eye.”
“Let me look.”
As Judy and Dennis approached him, Darwin quickly shook his head and returned to his original expression.
“No, it's gone now.”
Having regained his composure, Darwin looked at the cassata Esther brought for him.
By the way,
“Father, you're going to eat that, right? Can’t I just have one bite?”
Judy sent him a skeptical gaze and soon went for it.
“…This?”
“Yes. I was really curious about the taste, but Esther wouldn’t let me try it because it was father’s.”
At that moment, Darwin’s forehead narrowed, and a very light groan flowed from his mouth unconsciously.
To be completely honest, he wanted to preserve the cassata since he received it from Esther.
“Ah… Alright. Let us share it.”
However, as a father, he couldn’t say no to Judy.
“Thank you for the food!”
As soon as he received permission, Judy dove in with a spoon. In his hurry, a small piece fell to the floor.
“Uh? Cheese! No!”
At the same time, Cheese appeared from under the table and meticulously caught the piece that fell before it could even touch the ground.
“You should've been careful.”
Even Dennis, who didn't seem to be interested in the cassata, dug his spoon inside.
Darwin’s face darkened as he observed the cake with two very clear spoon marks embedded onto it.
‘The amount is decreasing quickly.’
Had he known this sacrifice was going to be this regretful, Darwin would have been childish enough to reject their request to have a bite.
“Aren't you going to have some?”
However, as soon as he heard Esther's voice, the thought melted away.
It didn’t take a moment's hesitation to put a spoonful of cassata in his mouth when he saw Esther looking forward with glimmering eyes.
“What do you think?”
“It's delicious. This is the best dessert I've ever had.”
Darwin didn't taste much of the flavor, but he sincerely thought so. Since Esther bought it. For him.
“That's a relief.”
Only then did Esther, free from her nervousness, bring a spoonful of cassata into her mouth.
“Father, the bakery will bring us dessert every week.”
“Really? You did a great job.”
Darwin smiled and wiped Esther's lips with a napkin.
“Esther, water.”
Dennis pushed a glass of water while reminding her that she shouldn’t become thirsty.
Esther naturally accepted Dennis's glass and gulped it down. She, who could not overcome the temptation of ‘one more bite’, soon swallowed a large portion of cassata.
“Ugh, it's so delicious.”
“I hope next week comes soon so I can try other desserts.”
“Judy, why do you always want to steal Esther’s food?”
“You're eating too. Put down your spoon then speak.”
Darwin looked at the children gathering around him while chattering and sharing the cassata.
The amount of cassata was not enough for the four to share, but his heart was more full than ever.
“Delbert.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Darwin pulled back and motioned for Delbert. As he came closer, Darwin leaned towards his ear and recited quietly.
“After you finish eating, wash the remaining plates and store them.”
“Do you mean the board? That is a normal board brought from the bakery. What are you going to use it for… There are many new ones in the kitchen if your Grace needs them.”
“Are you saying that the plates Esther bought are the same as the ones in the kitchen?”
As Darwin’s eyes flashed fiercely, Delbert hurriedly shook his head.
“No! That would be a completely different matter. I was short-minded. I will tell them to clean and store them.”
“The shelf in the living room would be nice.”
“Yes? Yes. I also thought the same. Haha.”
“Right?”
Only after hearing the answer he liked did Darwin turn back to his children.
***
The southern outskirts of Tersia.
Lucifer was lying on a vacant bench at the very slum Esther visited for donation activities during the day.
He took the golden coins from his pocket while vigilant of his surroundings. The amount was not suitable for such a place.
“How much is all this?”
It was the same money Judy claimed to have been in his pocket at the bakery.
He looked at the twinkling gold coins and bit them with his teeth in delight.
“Why do children who do not know the world come to the slums? This is a place even the Temple abandoned.”
Lucifer, a wanderer of the slums through various territories, knew the reality better than anyone else.
The Temple and owners of property merely passed their responsibilities to each other, back and forth. No one gave a damn about the hopeless slums.
The children who randomly appeared in such places and distributed food without any previous plan were just ridiculous.
His stomach churned at the notion that the kids thought they would be able to solve something even the adults neglected.
“It ended with them being robbed by me. Had it been any other territory, they would have been stripped to the tips of their feet. Huh.”
Lucifer clicked his tongue while packing his luggage, unaware that the children from earlier were in fact being escorted.
The slums of Tersia were particularly milder than other territories. It was a peculiar neighborhood with no existing factions.
This was also the reason why he had settled here and hid himself.
“My trip is over here.”
Lucifer was lucky enough to prepare for the trip, and therefore planned to leave Tersia soon. He double checked his belongings and tried to stand up from the bench before slumping back.
“That girl earlier… You look a lot alike.”
It was because Esther's face resurfaced in his mind. He felt uncomfortable at the face that appeared all of a sudden.
He tried to freshen his mind while claiming it wasn’t strange for one or two people to look similar in this world.
At that moment, a sharp blade pressed against Lucifer's neck. Even the slightest movement would result in his death.
“Wh, wh, who are you?”
Lucifer's voice trembled.
“You're Lucifer?”
“What? I am not. I don't know who you’re looking for, but it's wrong… Ugh!”
He realized they were chasing him and tried to deny their assumptions, but to no avail.
“It's no use lying. I brought someone to check on you.”
Darwin’s vassal brought forward a comrade Lucifer had been with during his days as a bandit.
“Is this him?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Fabre, you bastard!”
Lucifer gritted his teeth and glanced around. He was plotting to escape, but the knights had already surrounded him completely.
‘What kind of lightning bolt is this random?!’
He raised his hands in yield and glanced at the people who came to fetch him.
He had so many grudges here and there that he couldn't figure out which reason this sudden attack was for.
“You'd better follow along. If you resist, I'll break your arms slowly.”
Lucifer became very docile as he felt the sincerity in the person’s words. The people surrounding him were trained knights who he wouldn’t be able to deal with.
“Wh-where are you taking me? Just tell me that.”
Lucifer complained that it was unjust, but no response came back.
The knights put a black eye patch on Lucifer's eyes, threw him in the wagon, and left for the Grand Duke’s residence.
***
Darwin was sound asleep in his chamber. His eyes flashed open as he sensed someone approaching from outside the room.
He glanced at the clock. It was one in the morning. His vigilance raised in wonder of who the culprit approaching him was.
As he lingered while holding his breath, a light knock sounded from the door.
“Your Grace, I'm Ben.”
“Come on in.”
Darwin relaxed his guard and stood up as he heard Ben’s voice.
He veiled his bare chest with a black gown and leisurely strode towards the window.
“I apologize for interrupting your rest, but your Grace ordered me to rush to you as soon as I received the news.”
A spark ignited in Darwin’s indifferent eyes. He rubbed his chin, his eyes flickering destructively.
Recently, there had been only one order where Ben would rush to report to him regardless of time.
“Did you catch Lucifer?”
“That's right. I have just received a call informing us that they have locked him in the dungeons.”
“Let's go.”
Darwin picked up his sword and left the room without hesitation.
His eyes shone hostilely as he made his way to Lucifer.
His current expression was one that had gone extinct ever since Esther appeared.
Even Ben, who followed behind, was anxious. This energy was almost the same as the one his master possessed before going to war.
“Your Grace… If you don't mind, I will take the sword.”
“Why?”
Darwin turned his head and stared at Ben. Ben felt overwhelming suffocation from his unsympathetic gaze. He swallowed his saliva.
“We cannot have your anger get the better of you. It wouldn’t be good if you killed him.”
“…That's true.”
Darwin reasoned the same outcome. He handed his sword to Ben.
