Chapter 47

I know that this money actually came from the Grand Duke but rather than buying something for myself with it, I wanted to buy something for him.

‘If Dad likes it, I’ll like it more.’

No one seems to have noticed because of his cold face, but the Grand Duke actually likes sweets like me.

Seeing that I was eating ice cream puffs by myself, I’m sure he’ll love candy as well.

“Fine, even if you can’t go to the market today, we’ll go out again next time so don’t run.”

“Really? But….”

I know how busy the Grand Duke is.

Originally, I thought that there wouldn’t be a day like this for me to go out with him again.

I shook my head, pressing my heart that felt bad.

‘No, this is a reward that I fairly won.’

Looking up at the Grand Duke’s face, I saw a faint shadow under his eyes.

How tiring was it, reading for me every night and then going back to do his work afterwards.

“Shushu, I am a more robust knight than you seem to think. This degree of fatigue is not a problem.”

When he noticed me looking at the dark circles under his eyes, he whispered to me as if comforting me.

Then he led me to the candy store.

“Please come… in….”

The voice of the clerk, who was actively greeting at the counter, gradually became quieter. I noticed his fear as he looked at the Grand Duke.

‘I’m upset.’

What the hell is wrong with looking at the Grand Duke!

I know it’s the Grand Duke’s curse, but it’s not a problem at all!

He’s not a villain! He’s a kind person!

I wanted to fight him in so many ways to defend the kindness of the Grand Duke.

However, when I saw the clerk swaying like a rabbit who met a predator, I had nothing to say.

He’s really afraid, so he can’t change how his body reacts.

“That, that….”

The clerk didn’t even know that he was trembling so hard and he didn’t know what to say.

Seeing that, I felt a little down.

‘It’s my first time coming here and you’re this scared! I can’t stand this, I’ll only buy some candies and go away quickly!’

The Grand Duke seems like he’s already familiar with that reaction, but I didn’t like his insensitivity.

I felt really bad and pouted my lips, walking towards the shelves while the Grand Duke followed behind me.

Displayed in the cupboard were colorful candies, waiting inside sliding drawers.

Perhaps this shop was directed towards nobles, because the drawers didn’t have a picture but instead, strange names were pasted on the sliding containers such as ‘tender love’ and ‘tingling sensation’.

Underneath it, I saw the price written on it.

‘What kind of name is this….’

Even if I know how to read, I’m not that well versed in the naming sense here. Compared to the pocket money I received, the candy in the box was a lot cheaper than I expected.

I eventually put it near my nose and sniffed the candy.

“Dad, how about this?”

I asked him, showing the box of mint candy to the Grand Duke, and he just shrugged.

A sharp mint scent came up from the candy box. With sprinkles of sugar, it looked sweet.

“Would you like to taste o-one?”

The clerk that was trembling, calmed down a little and approached us, cutting the candy into bite sized pieces.

Just as I imagined it would taste, the marshmallow-like sticky candy rolled around in my mouth.

Not too sweet and not too overwhelming in taste, it would surely be a good gift to give the hardworking Grand Duke.

“It’s okay.”

The Grand Duke frowned. Okay, I think he liked it!

“Please pack it. All of this.”

When I asked the clerk to wrap the candy, the clerk paused as he was taking out the candy with a spatula.

“You mean… everything?”

The clerk’s face, who was talking to me informally, hardened.

When I glanced up, the Grand Duke was looking at him with a hardening expression.

“Yes, all of the mint flavor.”

Lucy said, ‘This should be enough to buy the whole store.’

The clerk smiled awkwardly, put down the candy spatula and picked up the whole box.

“I’ll have some of them separately. Please wrap the others.”

The clerk faithfully packed it according to my instructions.

The round candy box was cute because of its vibrant color. Like it was made of metal, I could hear the sounds of the candy bumping into each other as the clerk put them inside.

When I handed over the box wrapped in a cloth, it made a rattling sound.

“Please send the rest of the boxes to the Grand Duke’s Mansion.”

It was only then that the clerk’s face turned red and blue in an instant, realizing that he had met the Grand Duke.

I laughed, counted the money, and then left the store with the candy.

“This is the first time I’ve ever bought something!”

The first thing I bought with my first amount of pocket money.

Lucy said this was natural. However, Shuelina had never done this while living in the orphanage.

‘I felt a little happy.’

Somehow, I felt subtly moved.

I am very grateful to the Grand Duke and Wyndert who pulled me out of the mud I was stuck in.

“I, I’m very grateful….”

I handed a bag of candy to the Grand Duke.

It was also the first time I bought something with my money and gave it to someone.

“I’ll give it to Dad. Eat it when you work. It’ll help you wake up.”

But in this thrilling moment.

Someone’s arm snapped towards me.

“Kyaaah!”

I reflexively dropped the candies. The round candy that had been carefully packed rolled towards the feet of that person.

“……!”

I was a little surprised when I made eye contact with that person.

He was a very handsome man, with drooping eyes like a puppy that made him look sad.

He was an adult and seemed to be around the same age as the Grand Duke, but unlike the Grand Duke, I felt unsafe around him.

‘It’s a shiny blonde.’

It wasn’t a dull and shabby blonde, but a glistening blonde like mine.

It felt like I’d seen him somewhere before, but I couldn’t remember.

I was just surprised at how handsome he was. The man also looked at me, but for some reason, he gaped his mouth open and stiffened.

‘Uhm, something’s not right… .’

As soon as I saw the man, somehow, my body shriveled back and I felt rejected.

The man stuck his hand out at me and made me drop the candies, but it seemed that he had no intention of picking them up.

He was only staring at me, however, his gaze was unpleasant.

‘I’ve never seen him before, why is he like this?’

Was it someone Shuelina had met? There may be some bad memories left in this body of this person….

I was going to go and pick them up myself, but every time I took a step forward, my body stiffened as if telling me to run away.

In the end, I ran away from the man.

The Grand Duke must have been puzzled, but somehow his body moved naturally.

“Wait a minute, Shushu. Dad will pick them up.”

It was then that the Grand Duke moved.

He looked at me and walked directly in front of the man.

‘For some reason, I don’t like him.’

He bowed in front of the man’s body and picked up the candy box. When I watched the Grand Duke bow down in front of the man, I felt somewhat agitated.

I tilted my head as I watched the Grand Duke quietly say something to the man.

The man was staring in my direction with burning eyes. The Grand Duke was also looking at me while talking to the man.

‘Do we have some sort of ill-fated relationship? But what do I know?’

I nodded and buried my head in the arms of the Grand Duke.

Upon hearing that the Grand Duke had captured the empress’ spy, the emperor secretly sent an agent to investigate why the empress had spied on the Grand Duke.

The earliest report stated that the spy had first visited an orphanage.

An only girl’s orphanage.

‘I should’ve noticed it then.’

The child, the son of Shuelb he had always imagined, may not actually have been a son.

His faithful servants tracked down the Empress’ spies, and found out all the stories related to the conspiracy solved by the Grand Princess.

A very cute six-year-old girl from an orphanage that had recently been adopted by the Grand Duke.

Moreover, it was said that the little girl greatly resembles the deceased empress and him, the emperor.

‘It’s such a strong spirit power….’

The emperor couldn’t stand it anymore.

Heading directly toward the Grand Duchy, he clearly felt the strong spiritual power that was manifested in that direction.

Following the trail, he ran to the Grand Duchy, and then raced desperately to meet the child even a little faster.

Finally, the moment he laid his eyes on that child and made eye contact.

He clearly noticed.

‘If I find you, what should I do first?’

Calling your name?

Hug you?

‘If not that, then should I tell you I’m your father?’

The emperor had so many things he wanted to do when he found his youngest child.

He had always imagined what their first meeting would be like.

Inside that piece of his imagination, the child ran towards him.

He would whisper why he only came now, and refused to stay away from his side.

He realized that it was only a figment of his imagination when he finally found that child.

“Kyaah!”

The moment he bumped into the child, he felt like his body was electrocuted and he shuddered.

‘This child….’

It was definitely a girl. It wasn’t the ‘boy’ he had been looking for all these years but a girl, and he could see it clearly.

‘That’s my child.’

There’s no way that kid isn’t mine.

With a face that greatly resembles my dead wife, there’s no way she’s not her child.

However, unlike him who recognized her at a glance, the child seemed to not recognize him at all.

Wearing a delicate blue-grey dress, the child reached for a candy box.

A honey-like blonde who resembles him.

Unlike her happily swollen cheeks, her limbs were thin.

It was the most striking child he had ever seen. It wasn’t just because of her cute, beautiful face.

‘This….’

It was as if his blood was being drawn to her.

As if piercing through her soul, his gaze stayed at her, just like a magnet that made him inexplicably drawn to her.

‘…… Daughter, my daughter.’

He had always thought he was searching for a boy, but it was a girl this whole time.

Therefore, no matter how many orphanages he searched, he couldn’t find her.

‘Unfortunately, you were adopted by the Grand Duke and that’s why I couldn’t find you….’

After the birth of the child, he investigated noble houses that could have perhaps adopted and raised a secret child.

There was no way he wouldn’t be caught in his investigation net.

Because the manpower of the Emperor’s own intelligence agency was all, if not almost entirely dedicated to finding the child.

A blond boy at her age.

Since everyone firmly testified that he was a boy, he looked for him relying heavily on the condition that he was a boy.

However, there was not a single child with spirit power.

That’s why he constantly searched the orphanages.

‘Yes, that’s my daughter.’

(T/N: A moment of silence… Finally, the emperor met Shuelina. Truth to be told, I cried while translating this chapter. I don’t know what to feel towards Shuelina’s father who was constantly looking for her, and the fact that her father recognized her at one glance. It’s just too moving. What do you think of this chapter?)
(E/N: I’m still 100% on team Grand Duke. The emperor met the real Shushu in their last life but because she didn’t have power, he rejected her. Power or no power, he should have accepted her last time because clearly there was some other evidence she was his child or she wouldn’t have been brought into the imperial palace.)