I Became The Stepmother Of An Irrevocable Dark Family - Chapter 49

I didn’t even look forward to what he was going to say. Because it is highly likely that it would just be a repeat of his words last time.

So when I looked at the Duke with a sour look, he opened his mouth as if he had finished his long agony.

“I have business here…?”

“What?”

“I’m here because I have work I must do here.”

“Oh, I see. If daddy has work he must do, then get out.” Rere was stubborn. The child began to pull the duke who was sitting on the sofa.

“Rere?”

“A man who can’t be honest is unattractive.”

“…”

“If you keep blanking out like a fool, should I change my daddy? Huh?”

“…Can I be honest?”

“Yes! Be honest.” Pressured by Rere, the duke’s eyes finally reached me.

How burdensome.

“Hmm.”

“Gosh. Luca, tell me. What do you think of Big Bunny?”

“She looks the same.”

“What? Luca’s just like daddy?”

“Don’t you think so, too? Ms. Leona is always beautiful, so it doesn’t matter what she wears.”

At that moment, Rere lifted her thumb in agreement.

“That’s how you do it! Luca, where did you learn such things?”

“I’m just expressing how I truly feel.”

I was surprised by Luca’s words. He’s totally a player.

But how could they seem so similar and different at the same time?

“Luca.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t open your mouth for the time being.”

Childish bastard.

The duke looked at him with a serious look on his face.

“Yes, sir.”

Luca just smiled and nodded as if he found it amusing.

“Don’t answer either.”

“Daddy, you’re so childish. You act like you’re younger than me.”

“Your daddy is always childish.”

“Huh…?”

“And I know enough to say that. I just don’t feel the need to do so.”

“…Yes. Don’t regret it if Big Bunny runs away later.” Rere, who puffed out her cheeks, led me to the sofa while stomping her feet.

“Sit here, Big Bunny.”

“Where will Rere sit?”

“Big Bunny’s lap!” Naturally, Rere sat on my lap.

“Aren’t you going to sit here?”

“No thanks.”

The duke, who was occupying a spacious sofa enough for 4 people, crumpled his face like a sulky child and looked at the door.

The closed door opened, and a woman with a flashy hairdo, enough to call it an artwork, and a woman with poop-colored hair, entered the room.

“I greet the sword of the Empire, Your Grace Duke of Petri. I’m Madame Cecilia from Salon Adazelle.”

“I greet Your Grace Duke of Petri. I’m Madame Rozzele of Rachel Salon.”

The woman with flashy hair was Cecillia, and the woman whose hair resembled Astra was Rozzele.

“This way, both of you. Get my mom clothes befitting her.”

“Oh my god. It’s an honor to meet Princess Astra here… Ah, you’re not Princess Astra. I’m sorry.” Cecillia, who murmured to herself loudly, quickly bowed her head.

“Damn it….how can you call that Astra woman my mom? She wasn’t my mom!”

“Forgive me, princess. I’m must’ve gone senile. I heard you are preparing for a party at the moment. So, I brought you the newest dress designed by our salon.”

On the other hand, Rozzele greeted us and brought in her designed dresses. Cecillia’s dresses looked extremely luxurious. Those were the kind of clothing Astra fancied.

The clothes Rozzele brought were probably of the same kind to those Luca had prepared.

“The Duchess is so beautiful and fair-skinned that you’ll look splendid in anything.” But perhaps because of Cecillia’s slip of tongue earlier, Rere reacted to her curtly.

On the other hand, Rozzele’s clothes that Rere wouldn’t even spare a glance at leaned more toward the comfort of the user compared to its luxuriousness. As opposed to Rere, I was rather interested in them.

“The clothes look comfortable.”

“For your information, Her Grace is also wearing a dress from Rachel Salon. If you don’t mind, may I bring other clothes I made that are of the same kind next time? You don’t seem to fancy corsets or too many adornments.”

At that time, the duke, who was watching us, shook his head.

“I couldn’t care less if you brought several hundred clothes for my wife. Bring them all.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. That being the case, I’ll remove some of the clothes I brought and bring new ones that match Her Grace’s taste.”

When the duke nodded, she smiled happily at me.

“I don’t need that much.”

“Until when will you wear other people’s clothes?”

“Then, madam. Can you stand up for a moment so I could measure your size?”

“Oh, alright.”

She took me towards the partition on one side of the room. The measurement ended quickly, perhaps because she was an expert.

Rozzele, who was quiet and only spoke when necessary, chose a couple of the clothes she had brought and handed them over to the maids.

The problem was on Cecillia’s side.

“Pr-princess. These are the clothes that I treasure the most in my salon.”

“But why does each of them look bad?”

“What do you mean? That can’t be!”

“Everything is bad. It’s so mediocre and dull. Your clothes, I mean.” Rere, who had been rummaging through the design catalog, crossed her arms and pouted her mouth.

“Big Bunny, you don’t like it, do you? We’re supposed to wear matching clothes, but these clothes look like something that poopy head would wear.”

“If my daughter hates it so much, we should look for someone else. Many nobles line up to wear the dresses you design, so I was looking forward to it. But you’re nothing much.”

The duke’s face became colder than before.

“You can’t even satisfy my five-year-old daughter. Everything about your excellence seems to be a lie. Don’t tell me you’re not actually skilled at designing dresses?”

“Ho-how could you say that…”

“It’s true! They’re all designs that I’ve seen before!”

Cecillia, who tried to sell her clothes to the little princess just a while ago, shook her head.

Perhaps because she thought her reputation was at stake, she took a piece of paper out of her arms.

“This is… This dress I made was particularly sought-after… Even this…”

But I shook my head at her words.

“I don’t want a dress that is particularly sought after. I want a dress made just for us.”

Her eyes changed as if I provoked her desire to win.

“…I understand. Then, give me exactly three days. I’ll design a dress just for the two of you.”

She even clenched her fist as if to recover her confidence.

“That’s great! But if you don’t do it right this time, I won’t let you go easily.”

“I’ll prepare clothes that will surprise you.” Somehow, the fire in her eyes seemed to be burning.

Eventually, she left with only a few sales, and after that, shoe-makers and jewellers came one after another.

I knew that it was necessary to observe everything, but for me, who didn’t really mind jewels and shoes that much, it was exhausting.

It wasn’t until dinner time that they all left, so I ended up falling asleep with Rere early in the evening.

Of course, in a few hours, I woke up. No matter how tired I was, I could relive my fatigue because I slept right away. I feel refreshed even though I didn’t sleep much.

I thought of sleeping for a few more hours next to my child, but I couldn’t sleep, so I headed to the terrace.

Was it because I was overwhelmed by the clothes or was it because I was reminded of what the future holds?

But at that time,

“You can’t sleep?”

I almost faltered due to an unexpected voice.

“Wh-why is Luca here…”

“There’s nowhere I can’t go here.”

“Ah…”

“I came here because I have something to ask. Ms. Leona, do you still hate the duke? Do you hate him?”

“My heart remains the same.”

“Is that so?” Our eyes headed to the moon at the same time. The moonlight was warm and soft tonight.

“Don’t hate him too much.”

“Why do you side with him so much?”

“Well, maybe because I feel sorry for him. Truthfully, that person… His time stopped after that day.”

“After that day…?”

“He returned to his childhood days when he wasn’t afraid of anything. That’s why he did such things that were difficult for others to understand. Spouting nonsense and getting jealous without any reason. Sometimes, he’s even more childish than Rere.”

I was speechless for a moment because his words matched with what the maid said earlier.

“…You always talk about that person. Who the hell are you? Why are you telling me this?”

“I’m someone who likes you.”

His hand touched my cheek slightly. I even felt a tingle at the moment. An unknown feeling soared.

Someone who likes me….

“I-I…I really can’t understand you. I don’t know why you’re saying this right now…”

“I think I’ll be able to answer that one day. That day is surely near.”

His ever-so affectionate face looked especially lonely today. But as always, my view of him started to get hazy once he had finished saying what he had to say. Because of that, I grabbed his clothes in a hurry.

“Just one. Just answer one question. Why do people sometimes forget you? Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Well, maybe the reason for my existence is unclear.”

“The reason…for your existence?”

Who the hell are you? Who are you to say such a thing? Why are you talking as though you’re about to disappear?

My anxiety peaked. I instinctively put my hand on his chest.

It was so weird.

He shouldn’t be alive based on his strange actions and words previously… That was surely the case, but I felt a palpitation in his chest.

Thump, thump.

I certainly didn’t feel it last time, but it was different this time.

Luca is a living person.

“I’m embarrassed. For the first time, a woman’s hand touched me.”

I was more embarrassed, so I tried to pull my hand off his chest, but Luca held my hand.

‘My hand is hot.’

Back then, he didn’t feel like a human being, but he was very human now.

A living, breathing man.