CH 14

“It’s an octopus sausage.”

“Did you make it with an octopus?”

Elodie’s voice rose by itself. I chuckled and laughed out loud.

“It’s not like that. Look. It’s shaped like an octopus right?”

“……!”

Elodie’s eyes widened.

It seemed very interesting for her to put a few cuts into a small sausage and make it into an octopus shape.

“Amazing. Can I touch it?”

“Sure.”

It was not yet baked, so I generously allowed it.

Elodie stroked the sausage gently.

“It’s so cute I think it’s hard to eat.”

“It’s okay because Elodie is cuter.”

Elodie’s face turned red.

“Am I cute?”

“The cutest kids I’ve ever seen.”

There was a moment of silence. I panicked and looked back at Elodie’s complexion. Her wounds were so deep that I could have unwittingly ripped through her scars without even realizing it.

“……Then, Aria is also the prettiest I have ever seen.”

Fortunately, my worries seemed to have been dispelled.

I wanted to stroke Elodie’s hair, who worked hard to come up with cute words, but I just smiled because I had to keep my hands clean for hygiene.

While blanching the octopus, I scrambled hard-boiled eggs.

By mixing scrambled eggs with mayonnaise and adding pepper, the egg mayonnaise, which will be the ingredient for the sandwich, was completed in an instant.

Elodie looked up at the glass bowl of egg mayonnaise with round eyes. She was very curious as she had never seen egg mayonnaise before.

‘Is she going to ask to try it?’

But Elodie swallowed only saliva, and said nothing. I couldn’t see it anymore, so I opened my mouth.

“Would you like to try some?”

“Is that okay?” (Elodie)

Elodie tried not to show, but she looked very desperate.

“You have to put this in the lunch box later.” (Elodie)

“It’s okay to eat a little.”

I took out a teaspoon, scooped out plenty of egg mayonnaise, and gave Elodie a bite.

“……!”

Her eyes widened.

Her small mouth was chewing, and the sound of swallowing only saliva without swallowing the food to save it showed how delicious it was.

Seeing such an Elodie, I chuckled.

When I was making food by myself to eat alone, it was just repetitive labor, but now I didn’t know why I was so happy doing it while watching Elodie’s reaction.

“I’ll give you an octopus sausage, too.”

As I packed the lunch box while giving Elodie a test taste of the dishes one by one, the promised time was approaching.

I walked towards Elodie with the warm children’s coat the Duke had bought me. It wasn’t winter yet, but the weather was chilly. There were even talks of making a bonfire.

“You need to get dressed, Elodie.”

“…….”

Elodie shut her mouth and shook her head.

I tilted my head.

She usually wears the overcoat without complaints, but I didn’t understand why she suddenly didn’t want to wear it.

Elodie didn’t stop at simply rejecting the coat. I was wondering why Elodie was bringing me the coat that I bought her when we first met.

“I want to wear this. Can’t I wear this?”

I blinked my eyes. It was the first time Elodie had such a whim.

“Isn’t this one warmer? That one is an autumn coat, and autumn is almost over. This one is a lot warmer and nicer, let’s wear it.”

“…….”

Elodie’s face darkened.

“……but still.”

I bent down to hear the child’s tiny lips clatter.

“It’s the first outfit Aria bought me……I want to wear this.”

She wasn’t just saying it out loud for nothing. Elodie had a very serious face and it seemed like she really wanted to go on a picnic wearing the coat I bought her.

Suddenly, my eyes got hot. I turned my head so that Elodie didn’t notice my reddened eyes.

“……Well, okay.”

I no longer forced Elodie to wear the coat the Duke had bought me. Instead, I put down my neatly packed lunch and started to finish preparing for a picnic.

After a while, I left the house with Elodie, the packed lunch, a blanket, and a mat in hand.

I think we walked about a block or so.

“……?”

My eyes narrowed on their own. For some reason, I seem to see someone who shouldn’t be seen….I hope I’m mistaken, but the man staring at us was definitely Duke Theodore Vanice.

I reflexively flinched because I was still not used to meeting the Duke in a place other than my Cafe.

I swallowed dry saliva.

Besides, today, the Duke looks like….

‘It feels like that day.’

The appearance of the Duke on the day he tried to kill me overlapped with the Duke in front of me. His complexion was as pale as that day, and a ghastly glare flashed in his eyes.

My body reflexively hardened.

‘It’s dangerous.’

I instinctively stepped forward in front of Elodie and protected the child.

“……What’s the matter?”

“I came to the Cafe but it was closed. Fortunately, everything looks fine.”

Contrary to my worries, the Duke’s voice did not contain the same madness he had back then.

It was a relief.

Because if he did, I would have to throw down the picnic lunch box and everything else and run away holding Elodie’s hand.

“I would have written it down. The last Saturday of every month is an off day.”

“I thought there might be other reasons.”

The Duke calmly stared at me.

“By the way, where are you going after preparing like that?”

“I don’t think it’s something your Grace would care about.”

The Duke’s voice became harsh.

“Elodie is my daughter. I need to know where my daughter is going while looking like she’s running in secret at night.”

Running away in the middle of the night, what kind of words…….besides, what’s wrong with Elodie’s looks?

Of course, the coat I bought on the first day was shabby and thin compared to the clothes the Duke had bought, but I couldn’t help it.

The clothing stores I could go to were extremely limited. Still, Elodie chose them instead of the expensive coats the Duke had bought us.

I grumbled inside, but I didn’t show it on the outside.

“I’m going on a picnic with Elodie in the Ginkgo forest. The autumn leaves will be gone soon.”

“Only the two of you?”

“No.”

I answered sourly. Whether it’s two or ten, what does that matter?

“Parents with children of Elodie’s age have decided to get together. Of course, all the kids are coming and Elodie needs a friend her age.”

The Duke was lost in thought for a moment.

“……You said, parents.”

“Of course, I am also a guardian.”

I quickly snatched the Duke’s words. I didn’t want to give him anything to find fault with. At this time, Elodie raised her head and looked straight at the Duke.

“Only Aria and I were invited. So you can’t come.”

She clenched her fists tightly, as if scared, but her voice was clear.

“……Elodie.”

The Duke barely uttered Elodie’s name in a small voice, as if he could not give a proper answer.

“You’re a bad person because you hurt Aria. Don’t follow me.”

Elodie folded her arms.

The Duke was momentarily speechless, unable to answer anything.

Naturally, he lowered his head with a gloomy look, pitiful looking only at the floor, which seemed to be not to Elodie’s liking.

I glanced at the Duke and Elodie alternately, clicking my tongue.

They looked exactly alike, but seeing one with a taut blade and the other shriveled like dead grass, I was not in a good mood.

‘……And not everyone has biological parents.’

It’s another matter if you don’t have biological parents at all. But it felt a little strange not to take the Duke who was very much alive and even loved Elodie so much.

“Do you want to go together?”

“Aria!”

Elodie looked up at me and protested.

Either way, I looked straight at the Duke. No matter how much Elodie hated it, I had no intention of driving the Duke out of Elodie’s life. Because that was something Elodie couldn’t do either.

“Come, then.”

The Duke’s face, which had only been dark, turned bright.

“Really… are you sure you don’t mind? As Elodie said, I wasn’t invited.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

It’s not a ball that only people invited can attend, it’s just a social gathering and picnic where children and parents participate, and above all, Elodie’s parent was the Duke of Vanice.

Not me

“You are Elodie’s father. Who would say anything?”

The Duke looked at me with a slightly shocked face, and a little after, an unexpected word flowed from between his slightly opened lips.

“……Thanks.”