Chapter 57

“How… how do you know that?”  

“Did you have another woman while you were seeing me? No, did you already have a child?”  

“Well, that’s…”  

Jemarc’s eyes darted around as he searched for a way out of the situation.  

[Does she know everything? D*mn it, what do I do? Should I just deny it? This is driving me crazy. If she finds out I was playing her, my family is doomed. D*mn it! Why did that woman insist on having the baby and cause all this mess?!]  

What a despicable man.  

“Hey.”  

Rivera felt anger boiling up inside her. Jemarc, seemingly annoyed by Rivera’s casual tone, tried to cling to his pride and pointed out her improper behavior.  

“Ah… no matter how much of a Duchess you are, isn’t it rude to speak so informally?”  

“Oh, really? Does it bother you? So, what are you going to do about it?”  

“Well, I…”  

“I’m not going to waste time talking. What is the mother of your child doing now?”  

“That’s my personal business.”  

Jemarc answered calmly on the surface, but his thoughts betrayed him.  

[Why is she asking about that woman who keeps showing up to demand child support?]  

Rivera tilted her head slightly.  

“Make sure you provide that woman with a proper house and monthly child support to raise the child.”  

“What?”  

“If you don’t, I’ll destroy you and your family entirely.”  

Jemarc was furious.  

“Why are you interfering in my personal matters?! That woman only used me to get something out of me, so why should I care about her…!”  

Though he didn’t dare lash out at Rivera, who was now the Duchess, Jemarc’s thoughts were filled with curses.  

[Child support? Is she insane?! What kind of nobleman pays child support to a woman they’ve discarded?!]  

Rivera glared at him and issued her warning.  

“Do as you please if you want. But don’t blame me for what happens next.”  

Rivera despised irresponsible people more than anything. She especially loathed those who abandoned their children after failing to take precautions. 

Men like Jemarc, who tried to brush off responsibility for a woman who had borne their child, were trash she wanted erased from the world.  

“If you’re trying to save a few coins, you’ll end up losing half your wealth instead.”  

“What are you talking about…?”  

“Are you unaware that by law, half of a parent’s assets are entitled to their children?”  

Jemarc visibly trembled in fear.  

“Paternity tests are cheap. While inheritance disputes might arise, with the Bartman family’s power, winning such a case would be as easy as pie.”  

“…Why… why are you doing this?”  

“Choose. If you want to live, pay child support. If you want to die, clutch your money and take it to your grave.”  

How much could child support possibly cost? The clothes and shoes Rivera was wearing today could be sold for enough to cover a commoner family’s living expenses for a year—and still leave enough for child support.  

* * *  

From a distance, Adrian had been watching everything unfold. He spoke softly, almost affectionately.  

“So, you’ve finally learned the truth, Rivera.”  

Secrets he hadn’t wanted to reveal were slowly surfacing. In the end, there had never been a perfect secret to begin with. At first, he had worried she might get hurt, but Rivera, who had grown stronger, neither felt pain nor was shaken.  

Instead, she faced the injustice head-on, setting aside the deceit she had endured.  

Clap, clap—  

Adrian clapped his hands, and Rivera, who had gone to the lounge after dealing with her ex-boyfriend, turned to him with a satisfied expression. She looked at him with a bright smile, and Adrian couldn’t help but smile back.  

Meeting her was the greatest fortune of his life.  

When Adrian first met Rivera as a child, she was a bold girl.  

[He’s so handsome. If I marry a man like him, I could probably serve food fit for a king.]  

She was so intelligent that there was hardly anything she didn’t know, but phrases like “food fit for a king” were beyond Adrian’s understanding.  

– Do you have someone you like?

Rivera had planned to ask him if he would marry her if he didn’t like anyone else. Adrian, prepared to reject her outright, saw her quickly change her mind. She realized that asking someone to marry her upon their first meeting would make her seem crazy.  

As she observed him silently, Rivera smacked her lips in regret.  

[What a shame. I was going to stake my claim early, knowing he’d grow up to be a heartbreaker.]  

She turned to leave, but instead of answering her questions, Adrian continued to ignore her. Rivera, however, extended her hand first.  

Most children their age found Adrian intimidating. They thought he was cold, and even if they approached him, they would become frightened and back away.  

– Do you want to be friends with me? If not, we could date…  

– Friends.  

– Tch. I should have asked sooner. You caught on so quickly.  

Even when she later learned that Adrian was the heir to the Bartman family, Rivera didn’t change.  

– Wow, a golden spoon. I’m jealous. My family doesn’t have any money.  

Adrian thought she would ask him for something. After all, the younger the child, the less hesitant they were.  

– Can I ask you for a favor, then?  

He had expected this. Though it annoyed him, he decided to hear her out and met her gaze—only to think he must have misunderstood.  

– Steal some cookies for me. If I take them, everyone complains.  

– …  

Was that all?  

– You’re cute, so you’ll probably get in less trouble. Right?  

Though it was hard to believe, she was sincere. When Adrian brought her the cookies, she devoured them enthusiastically before hesitating over the last one.  

– I’ll give this to you as a special treat. 

She placed the cookie in his mouth. Her fingertips brushed against his lips as she did so.  

– It’s good, right?  

Her wide grin made her look adorable, Adrian thought. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he chewed the cookie diligently while noticing how the sunlight made her pale cheeks blush.  

– You look really cute from this angle! 

Cute? A man being called cute?  

Satisfied and full, Rivera sat on a bench, swinging her legs as she sang. Despite her off-key tune, Adrian found her voice the most pleasant sound in the world.  

She was the first person he ever felt reluctant to part with.  

When it was time to return home, Rivera smiled brightly and waved, saying they should meet again.  

That day, Adrian rode a carriage with his parents.  

His mother asked if he had met any pretty girls or made any good friends. Like any doting parent, she gushed about how he might fall in love and want to marry someone when he grew up.  

‘At the time, I thought the world would have to end before that could ever happen.’  

Before meeting Rivera, Adrian had been cynical about marriage. The children his age were either loud, saw him as a monster, or cried incessantly in fear of him.  

Marrying one of those brats and living with them forever? He hated the idea.  

He remembered every single child who had approached him under pressure from their parents, only to avoid them entirely afterward.  

But after that day, Adrian’s perspective changed.  

– I met someone I wouldn’t mind marrying.  

– Really?! Who is it?!  

– I’m not telling.  

He wanted to keep her to himself.  

Watching his parents’ disappointment, Adrian thought about how nice it would be to see Rivera again. After all, the cookies she gave him were delicious.  

When Adrian realized he liked Rivera, it was a foreign feeling he wanted to deny. However, on the day his parents passed away, he reflected on it again.  

After losing his parents and becoming an orphan, the only people who approached him were predators looking to steal the Bartman family’s wealth. Adrian couldn’t even mourn his parents properly. He felt he couldn’t afford to crumble, lest he be devoured by those vultures.  

So he didn’t cry and instead hardened his expression, which made people say he was eerie and kept their distance.  

– Ah-ha! How dare you call a child eerie! Instead of offering comfort, you adults should be ashamed of yourselves!  

The only person who didn’t try to exploit him was the Earl of Iaron. As an adult, the Earl scolded the vultures, telling them to stop their disgraceful behavior and leave if they wouldn’t behave.  

When asked what right he had to do so, the Earl dismissed them with sheer audacity.  

– Why? Can’t I kick out people who don’t know shame or decency?

Despite being outranked by many of the nobles present, the Earl of Iaron stood firm. He even called out each noble by name, leaving them stunned.  

No one had expected the Earl to remember everyone’s names. He warned the nobles that while Adrian might not be able to protect what was his now, when he grew up and became the head of the Bartman family, they would have to face the consequences.  

The sight of a young Adrian glaring coldly at them made the nobles swallow nervously and leave in haste.  

‘After that day, the Iaron family’s fortunes declined.’

Although the Iaron Earldom wasn’t powerless, it suffered significant losses. Despite their struggles, they never blamed Adrian.  

When Adrian later visited the Earl, he asked why the Earl hadn’t used that event as leverage to seek help for his family.  

– Do I look like such a shameless man to you?!  

The Earl of Iaron said it was only natural to do what he did as an adult and that his family’s misfortune was due to his own shortcomings. He explained that once someone starts relying on others, they’ll always seek the easier path, and Adrian should never suggest such a thing again.  

“What are you thinking about?”  

Rivera approached Adrian, who had been lost in thought.  

“Are you okay?”  

Thinking he might be upset about seeing Jemarc earlier, Rivera rushed to check his expression.  

But Adrian, wearing a peaceful smile, pulled her into his arms.  

“Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind if our child didn’t take after you… but instead resembled the Earl of Iaron.”  

“What?!”  

Rivera gasped, asking if he had gone mad.  

“Did you eat something bad? Did something happen? Did you do something wrong? Even if you did, how could you wish for our child to look like my father? What if it’s a girl? How would she live her life then?”  

“She’d be adorable.”  

“You’re insane.”  

Rivera tried to escape his embrace, saying it was ridiculous even from her perspective as the Earl’s daughter.  

“Take off the holy relic. Now.”  

“No.”  

The more she struggled, the tighter he held her.  

He would never tell her.  

“Let me go. I need to know what you’re thinking.”  

“I won’t tell you.”  

He wanted to drive her crazy with curiosity.  

Because even the sight of her desperately trying to read his thoughts was utterly lovable.