Turning away from Miracle and choosing Lucia.
It was a choice made because he was concerned about Lucia, but seeing his daughter so afraid filled him with guilt.
If he could turn back time and go back to that moment, he would make the same choice, but...
It was difficult to disappoint Miracle again.
"Okay, I understand."
In the end, he surrendered.
"Let's just sleep together tonight."
"Yay! Daddy is the best!!"
As soon as she heard the answer she wanted, Miracle cheered and hugged him tightly.
The duke smiled at her lovely appearance like a baby rabbit.
At the same time, he unconsciously thought.
'Would she be this happy if I gave her what she wanted too?'
Maybe he could hear 'that word' that he hadn't heard since Estio's welcome banquet...
"Daddy? What are you doing?"
Miracle, who had already climbed onto the bed and finished getting ready, called out to the duke.
"Yes."
The duke approached Miracle, thinking, 'What would make Lucia happy?'
As soon as the duke lay down next to her, Miracle snuggled into his arms.
Then, she smiled brightly and whispered.
"Hehe, Daddy's arms are wide and warm. I bet the brothers don't know how good Daddy's arms are, right?"
"I guess not."
Probably.
He had never hugged any of his children affectionately except for Miracle.
Then, Miracle buried her face in his arms and whispered.
"I hope no one ever finds out. I hope Daddy's arms will always be Miracle's."
She muttered it like a magic spell.
"......"
"Because..."
Miracle raised her head.
Her moonlit purple eyes sparkled more purely than anything else.
"Because Daddy loves me the most in the world. Right?"
Is this what God's most beloved creation looks like?
The duke thought as he looked into his daughter's eyes, filled only with pure affection.
'It's the same.'
Ten years ago, on the day Miracle was born.
On the day Miracle was born.
Bansis and Miracle's mother, 'Dahlia Luder,' was the niece of the Senate Speaker, Gaspal Ather, and the legitimate daughter of a Marquis family, making her a difficult person for the duke to deal with.
Moreover, she was very healthy.
The duke, who had failed in his first marriage, had to fill the vacant position of duchess.
Naturally, his second wife, 'Dahlia Luder,' was a relationship formed with the active support of the Senate.
In the process, affection could not sprout kindly, and furthermore, the duke always kept his distance from her.
Dahlia Luder was the biggest obstacle in the Rodbel he was going to create.
Unfortunately, he had several misfortunes at that time.
The first misfortune was that the son of his first wife, whom he had carefully chosen, was not his biological child.
The second misfortune was that Dahlia gave birth to his son.
And the third misfortune.
'Wah-!'
The moment he first saw his daughter, who was born next, he fell in love at first sight.
As if she was sad to have fallen into the world, the child cried fiercely with her small body, but stopped the moment she found the duke.
She seemed to stare blankly at him, and then, as if recognizing who he was, she smiled miraculously.
At that moment, the duke's frozen world collapsed.
It was like a miraculous moment.
'Miracle.'
Miracle.
'This child's name is Miracle.'
It was the moment the child's name was decided.
At the same time, it was the moment he first had a 'family'.
Whether it was a son or a daughter, it was right to exclude Dahlia Luder's children in order to suppress the power of the Senate.
He reminded himself of that fact several times in his head, but when he faced Miracle, his decision crumbled helplessly.
'Aba-ah!'
Her appearance as she ran towards him, calling 'Daddy' with clumsy pronunciation, was so lovely.
All of Miracle's appearance was so dazzling.
It was strange.
Why did she feel so different from Bansis, even though they came from the same womb?
The affection he felt for the first time in his life was not something he could easily control.
He could not stop, even knowing that the Senate, who had noticed his special affection for Miracle, was trying to use that feeling as a hostage.
'What was so special about you?'
The duke stared intently at Miracle's face, who had already fallen fast asleep.
If it weren't for her snow-white hair and brilliant amethyst-colored eyes, he wouldn't believe she was his biological daughter, as she exuded a different atmosphere.
"Hmm..."
As if reading his thoughts, Miracle wriggled and snuggled into his arms.
Was she dreaming of eating something?
She wriggled her cute lips and then smiled brightly.
And then.
"Daddy... I love you..."
"......"
The duke carefully stroked Miracle's head as she mumbled in her sleep.
Her hair was soft and thin.
It seemed like only yesterday that her hair was below her shoulders, but now it had grown to her waist.
It wasn't just her hair.
It felt like only yesterday that she was walking clumsily, but she had already grown up and was about to enter the Academy.
National Maier Academy.
Children of central nobles usually take the Academy entrance exam at the age of 11.
Originally, Bansis was also supposed to take the exam this year, but he postponed his admission for a year after accepting his desire to take the qualifying exam and enter.
He will take the exam with Miracle next year.
And if there are no unexpected events, the two children will safely enter the Academy, take elite courses, and grow into talents who will lead the Empire.
"The Academy..."
His gaze darkened menacingly.
The reason why children of central nobles enter the National Maier Academy is not only to receive education from the best professors in academia.
There was also a big reason for social activities to build close relationships with talents who will inherit their families and spread out into politics and various occupations in the future.
In other words, the Academy was a place of learning and socializing that the Empire prepared for young leaders who will lead the future of the Empire and their families.
Naturally, the hierarchy between the children is also divided according to the power between the families.
Including the Imperial Family, Rodbel boasts an unrivaled presence among them.
Ego Rodbel was like that, Estio was like that, and Miracle and Bansis will be like that too.
"......"
With a long history of tradition, a dense curriculum, and the highest level of education on the continent, all the former Rodbels are from National Maier.
Then here's the question.
Can a bastard who has the qualifications of a Rodbel direct descendant but cannot erase the stain of birth belong to the Rodbel domain?
'That child is......'
The answer came quickly.
The Academy is a place for children who will lead the future.
And Lucia Rodbel, a bastard who will be sacrificed for Rodbel, has no future.
It was a clear answer with no value to reconsider.
But…….
'Why is my chest so stuffy?'
The duke frowned at the stuffiness as if something was stuck in his throat.
So he erased his thoughts altogether and closed his eyes.
At the same time, he vaguely thought.
Does Lucia want to go to the Academy?
Then…….
For some reason, he felt like he knew what to give Lucia to make her happy.
Thinking so made his head a little clearer.
He went to sleep.
However, the duke did not know.
"......"
That his daughter, who he thought was fast asleep, was watching him with her eyes open.
With a cold face that he had never seen before.
Two days have passed since I met the duke.
I used some tricks, but I was worried that I might be deprived of my qualifications due to unexpected variables...
"They said all the external carriages have left."
This morning, I breathed a sigh of relief at the news Marin brought.
The remaining external carriages belonged to the Senate, and the fact that all of those carriages had left the Duke's residence meant that things had been completed without any problems.
I don't know exactly whether the reason they stayed was really to deprive me of my qualifications, or how the process went.
"Something must have gone wrong. The atmosphere was very bad."
With the information Marin brought, I could roughly gauge the atmosphere.
"Thank you, Marin."
"What are you talking about? It's only natural! If you need anything else, please tell me anytime."
"Okay, I will."
Marin smiled contentedly as I smiled and answered.
Marin was much more competent than I had expected.
She was able to infiltrate deep into the mansion where I couldn't go, or even outside, and she was also good at collecting rumors, gauging the atmosphere, and stealing things.
Above all, the fact that she was completely on my side and would never betray me was the most reassuring and trustworthy.
Anyway, I've overcome one hurdle.
'Now I really need to move.'
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