As they walked through the garden, Damian continuously stole glances at Lucia.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"It's kind of...amazing. You aren't afraid of his Grace..."
"Is there any wife that's afraid of her husband? Damian, when you grow up and get married, would you like for your wife to be afraid of you?"
Damian shook his head. However, the young Damian was yet to fully grasp her meaning.
It was a huge shock to Damian that Lucia could treat the Duke whom he saw as someone on the peak of a distant mountain, very comfortably.
In Damian's eyes, Lucia was a small, gentle herbivore. On the other hand, the Duke was a large, ferocious carnivore.
The boy was confused at the fact that the two beings, who in normal circumstances could not match each other, were seemingly a perfect fit.
"And here. Repeat after me. Father." (Lucia)
"...Father."
"Good job."
Lucia subconsciously reached out to stroke the boy's head. Damian was surprised and reflexively moved away and Lucia was also surprised and withdrew her hand.
They stopped walking and awkwardness filled the air.
"...Sorry, my body moved on its own...did I upset you?"
"Ah...no. I was just a little surprised."
Damian had never had such close contact with anyone else before.
"I'm not upset or anything..." (Damian)
"When a child does something praiseworthy, one can compliment and also pet them. I won't do it if you don't like it."
Damian hesitated a bit then spoke in a tiny voice.
"I don't...hate it."
"Really? Then, is it okay if I pet you right now?"
Damian nodded. Lucia slowly stretched her hand towards the boy as though saying, 'I'm not your enemy' and stroked the top of his black hair. Maybe because he was very young, his hair was much softer than she'd imagined.
She stroked his head a few times before withdrawing her hand. She felt excitement as though she was given a present because she had finally accomplished what she'd been wanting to do ever since she laid eyes on the boy.
'When will I get to pinch his cheeks?'
Lucia began to walk with a joyful heart and Damian quickly followed, walking beside her.
"Lucia."
"Hm?"
"Earlier, in the dining, why did you get angry?"
"Huh? That...I wasn't angry...that was...umm that is to say..."
Lucia didn't want to explain it nor did she know how to explain it so she began to rack her brain on how to naturally shift the topic. Just at the moment, she finally recalled something she'd been forgetting.
"Ah! Damian, you don't have a tail-coat to wear to the party. I didn't think of that. Do you happen to have anything?"
"I do not."
"Right. There's no way you would, you were at school all the time."
"Lucia, I don't have to attend..."
Damian wanted to use this chance to one way or the other, remove himself from this occasion. He'd already had his fill of the women's gazes in the horse-riding field.
He didn't care how they saw him but he was unhappy when Lucia became the target of those strange gazes. He didn't want Lucia to sent those gazes because of him.
"No, you have to attend. Mmm...who can I ask about this?"
Lucia did not want to go against Damian's intentions as much as possible but this time, she wanted to make sure Damian attended the garden party. She'd taken him to the horse-riding field and had them greet him but that was not an official occasion.
The garden party would be a formal social gathering. The scale of the party this time was big and all the renowned noble women in the northern social circle were invited.
If she were to formally introduce Damian in that gathering, Damian's position would change.
Of course, Damian was still young and as it was a women-only garden party, it could not be his official social debut.
However, oftentimes children would appear in social circles in advance as it would be helpful to them later if they were put in people's memories beforehand.
There was a reason noble ladies threw parties even though it was a hassle and cost a lot.
"You can purchase ready-made tail-coats for children."
Lucia and Damian stopped walking at the sound of this voice and looked backwards. It seemed like at some time, Hugo had begun walking behind them. Seeing them stop, Hugo closed the distance between them.
For the first time since he came to Roam, Damian stood beside his father so he was stunned and stared at his strong father. He couldn't remember how long it was since he'd seen his father so close.
"Since it's a garden party, there's not need to think of it so complicatedly." (Hugo)
"What a relief, thanks for letting me know. If it's ready-made garments then... for Damian, we have to get garments for children around twelve years old."
"He's eight."
"Damian is much bigger than usual eight year olds. Compared to his peers, he's a giant."
Hugo's gaze moved and fell on Damian. 'This little guy?' was what his gaze was saying.
"You never know, someday he could be bigger that you."
"Hmm..."
His tone of his mumble was somewhat odd however, Lucia didn't catch it, rather it was Damian that noticed it.
'There's no way I'm growing bigger than father.'
While thinking this, Damian began to worry whether Lucia might have annoyed his father.
"I think you were much bigger that he is when you were his age, right?"
"...I don't know."
Hugo wasn't fated with a good life where he compared heights with his peers. When he was around Damian's age, most of the slave children around him did not know his age and for him, he also didn't know his exact age until he was kidnapped and brought to Roam by the now dead Duke.
"Didn't you have a lot of work? I thought you would return to the office right away." (Lucia)
"Am I interrupting?"
Hugo replied sullenly.
"Usually when you leave for a while and return, you get busier. Actually, you came at the right time. I don't think Damian has greeted you officially. Damian, go ahead."
Damian hesitantly looked at Lucia then bowed his head.
"I extend my greetings, it has been a long time, have you been well...?"
He lifted his lowered head and stealthily glanced at Lucia only to see her mouthing the words, 'father'.
Damian squeezed out his courage.
"...Father."
Hugo's eyebrows jumped. The title didn't exactly make him uncomfortable or displeased but he wasn't used to it.
Perhaps because of Hugo's hatred and disgust towards the existence of a father, it was a word that had never come out of his mouth. Even when he lived under the previous Duke, he had never officially called the man father.
As his silence grew longer, Lucia secretly pulled his sleeve. He met her eyes and she was smiling so excessively that it gave some kind of unspoken pressure.Although he was indifferent, he wasn't dense. He opened his mouth and gave a soft reply.
"...Yes."
The boy's neck flushed red and seeing that, Lucia felt pleased.
'I wish he'd quickly learn how cute Damian is.'
But for today, it was fine. There was still a lot more time so she would take it slowly.
"So you're taking a walk? Aren't you busy?"
"I'm out for a walk."
Hugo replied sourly, feeling as though she was trying to get rid of him again. On the other hand, Lucia was thinking that maybe he was tired since he was having meetings all day long so she gave in and put it off her mind.
"Then the three of us can walk together. This would be the first time for the three of us."
"...Together?"
Hugo glanced down at Damian. When his father's eyes landed on him, the boy flinched. Damian didn't know why but he felt as though it wouldn't be good to keep staying there.
The rare species of herbivore, Lucia didn't sense anything wrong however, the carnivore cub, Damian was able to sense the subtle snarl of the great lion.
"I'll be going back inside. There's a book I have to read so..." (Damian)
"Damian, if you go to your desk right after eating, it's not good for you. Your food needs to digest." (Lucia)
"I'm done digesting. I must read this book today."
Damian bowed his head then quickly disappeared like he was running away. Lucia wistfully watched Damian's departing back meanwhile Hugo had an expression full of satisfaction.
'This boy, he's not useless at all.'
The recognition the boy wanted to receive from his father was very easily obtained
Hugo opened his mouth after Damian left.
"Your relationship with the boy is pretty good."
"I thought you wanted me to get along with Damian."
Hugo had figured they should at least know each other's faces so he had called Damian back. But he didn't have any intention in particular, regarding their relationship.
His wife was still young and he had considered that it would be a bit difficult for her to tolerate an eight year old child. In addition, Damian was a stiff child so if the two of them weren't put together on purpose, they wouldn't ever get involved with each other.
"Why are you taking him to the garden party?" (Hugo)
"Because they aren't many chances to introduce him to other people. He's your son and now, he's my son too, so it's troublesome if people don't even know his face." (Lucia)
"...easy."
"What?"
"It's very easy for you to call him your son."
Lucia did not know the exact intention behind his words so she stopped walking and looked at him. When she stopped walking, Hugo also paused his footsteps.
"Do you dislike my interest in Damian? Do you perhaps think I have some other intention behind this–"
"No, Vivian. It's not like that."
He sighed softly.
"Honestly, I didn't think both of you would get along so well."
Hugo recalled the scene from earlier where she had stroked Damian's head. The way Damian looked as he offered up his head like an innocent puppy, was an familiar yet unfamiliar scene, causing Hugo stop and look at it.
A piece of memory from his past surfaced in his mind without warning.
[Hey! I said don't touch my head!]
Hue frantically screamed at Hugo, who had carelessly touched his head.
The head was the most important weakness of a human being. The moment it was exposed to the enemy, it was a direct gateway to death. Mercenaries never touched each other's heads unless they wanted to lose their hands.
[It's a sign that we're friends.]
Even though Hue was screaming frantically, Hugo just laughed and replied in his usual manner.
[Inconsiderate jerk. What's so funny you're snickering everyday?]
[Smile. If you smile, you'll get good fortune, Hue.]
[Ha...weakling.]
Hugo suddenly pushed his head in front of Hue.
[You can touch mine too.]
[Move that thing away.]
[Just try it. I heard this is what parents usually do for their children but since we don't have anyone, we have to do it for each other.]
[I'm fine without that crap.]
[But I want someone to do it for me. Come on.]
Hue stretched out his hands, his expression telling how much of a nuisance it was and stroked Hugo's head.
Watching Hugo laughing in delight, Hue couldn't help but think it felt nice as he stroked Hugo's head.
"I mean...what I'm trying to say is, just tell me if he's ever rude to you." (Hugo)
"That won't happen!" (Lucia)
Hugo fiercely pulled her arms, drawing her into his embrace. He hugged her small figure tightly in his arms.
Although she was a bit taken aback, she returned the hug, placing her hands on his back. Feeling her small hands holding onto his back, Hugo couldn't help but smile.
From time to time, when memories of his brother surfaced, he felt both sweet happiness and heart-aching torture.
The pain of it was the same as usual but when he felt her body temperature, the heart-wrenching pain in his heart was relieved to some extent.
[There's a woman I want to marry. I'll introduce her to you one day.]
One day, his brother had told him this while laughing happily.
If his brother was still alive, then Hugo would have replied thus:
[I have someone like that too. We're already married though.]
* * *
That evening, Hugo sorted out information from the meeting he had been having all day, then he looked at the report from Fabian.
Fabian's reports were usually about the capital. They contained information about movements of major powers, the arrival of foreign key figures, who they came in contact with and so on and so forth. At times, the visible status of the trading giants were also included.
And although Fabian knew his master wasn't very interested in this kind of thing, he still looked into the rumors floating around the social circles and included it since it was still a sort of formal report.
When it came to his work, Fabian was really thorough. Even when gathering information of rumors, there were no gaps and even if it was a rumor that would displease the Duke, he did not exclude it.
If Fabian had too much work to do for the Duke and repeatedly worked overnight, he would gather rumors even more diligently for the Duke. That kind of work was more like stress reliever to him.
And so, Hugo was mostly up-to-date on the rumors concerning him.
Hugo casually flipped through the contents of the rumors as usual then suddenly, he knit his brows. The contents of the document read that rumors concerning his dowry had spread throughout the capital.
"Tsk."
Hugo unhappily clicked his tongue. The King's lips were too light.
[If that old man acts in a dignified manner then something will definitely go wrong.]
Kwiz had once given such a review about the King. Then said,
[I mean, it would be nice if it didn't just go wrong but he breaks his ankle in the process.]
After saying so, Kwiz proceeded to laugh like a devilish underground boss.
Hugo's expression as he read the following rumors became increasingly strange. The contents read that duchess was such a celestial beauty that the Duke had dragged her off to his manor before anyone else could see her.
"Hmm..."
Although Hugo felt a slight sense of discomfort with the rumor that portrayed her as a colossal beauty...
'Well, they're not entirely baseless...'
Was what he was thinking. According to the rumors, they married in secret so that no one else would see her.
'It doesn't exactly match the facts but they're pretty close.'
His actions, such a building a horse-riding field or restricting boating so that no other man would see her was an ongoing process.
The part of the rumor that said he dragged the Duchess to his manor was also not completely wrong either because right after they got married, she came to his estate.
'It's not a rumor that matters.'
He judged and closed the document.