#Side Story 9

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Finding his stare embarrassingly intense, Ellin looked behind her wondering if someone else was there.

Seeing no one, she confirmed he was indeed looking at her.

Uncomfortable with his intense gaze, Ellin could only manage an awkward smile.

“If you wouldn’t mind joining us for tea……”

“Ah, that’s……”

Charlotte’s response came faster than Ellin’s.

“Of course we wouldn’t mind. Anyone in the capital would gladly welcome you. How could we not offer a cup of tea to officers returning from the battlefield?”

Charlotte’s words were somewhat forced, but her logic wasn’t entirely wrong.

Officers, regardless of rank, received respect and hospitality at any gathering or party.

That’s why parties were often held to welcome units returning to the capital.

The officers seemed to know this, appearing quite confident and relaxed.

“We were just discussing the current affairs outside the country. How long do you think this war will continue?”

Since when had the conversation about Royce and Janice turned into one about foreign wars?

Ellin found Charlotte’s words so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but laugh.

Though her laughter quickly disappeared when Charlotte yanked her dress under the table.

Charlotte, now enjoying afternoon tea with handsome officers, seemed in such a good mood that she didn’t want to ruin the moment.

Perhaps she could secretly find a fine lover behind her boring husband’s back?

That seemed to be the fashion these days.

Charlotte was having such impudent thoughts.

Though she knew best that it would remain just imagination, she thought, what’s wrong with enjoying the eye candy and a cup of tea on a sunny afternoon?

Just as Charlotte smiled sweetly and was about to call a café employee, her face cracked as if struck by lightning from a clear sky.

“Oh, ah, D-Duke?”

At those words, everyone turned their heads.

The world seemed to stop momentarily when they saw the man standing behind them.

The large man, backlit by the sun, looked even larger.

Perfectly dressed without a single hair out of place, the Duke of Linderto’s face showed not even a trace of a dry smile, and his long, deep eyes looked particularly cold.

Seeing him, Charlotte’s face turned ashen as if she’d seen a ghost.

‘D-Duke?’

The officers had clearly heard the high-pitched sound she just uttered.

They all froze upon hearing that the man standing above them with a frightening face was a duke.

They were bewildered by the situation.

The young nobleman incongruously held a child in one arm.

The cute child with pale skin and red curly hair clung tightly to his arm, creating a somewhat ironic image.

The officers glanced at each other, wondering why this incredibly handsome nobleman stood behind them with such a frightening face.

“Honey?”

When the woman sitting at the table called to him, the officers immediately understood the situation.

They had joined a table where the Duchess was sitting.

“I thought you were visiting the royal palace, but you’re back already?”

Ellin asked as if nothing had happened, extending both arms toward the child.

“Ian. Did you play nicely with the Princess today too?”

The child, preferring his mother’s arms to his father’s, reached out both hands to her and kicked his legs.

“Yes, my baby, come to Mommy.”

The scene of her standing up and holding the baby looked both like a loving mother and a holy saint, causing the officers to stare momentarily as if entranced.

“I told you not to ride a horse while holding the baby. What if you fall off the horse?”

Ellin went a step further and added a reproach to her husband.

When she spoke while looking at the magnificent black horse standing behind her husband, the horse swished its tail.

“I don’t understand why His Highness always asks you to bring Ian whenever he wants to see you.”

As she said, the Duke always took Ian with him when visiting the royal palace.

Jonathan, now King, and Dominic had been closer than real brothers since childhood.

Perhaps because of this, the two men seemed to share a belief that their children should also be closer than siblings.

Ellin always felt anxious whenever young Ian went to the royal palace with her husband.

“Ah! How rude of me.”

When Ellin finally remembered the officers and turned to them with apologetic eyes, they quickly waved their hands.

“No, no, my lady. We have matters to attend to.”

“Please excuse us, Your Grace.”

The officers, who had been waiting for an opportunity, quickly bowed to the Duke.

“It’s an honor that you spared us your precious time.”

Not forgetting to bid farewell to the noble ladies as well, they hastily left.

The confident and relaxed demeanor they had shown when approaching the table was now completely gone.

“Then I’ll be going too.”

Charlotte also left awkwardly with a smile.

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, as if she had been caught by the Duke doing something wrong with Ellin.

Now only the ducal family remained at the table.

Ellin gave Ian’s cheeks kisses as if they were covered in sweet cotton candy.

Dominic watched her with a look of ridicule as she held the child as if she couldn’t get enough of loving him.

“You have a husband and child, yet you happily mingle with strange men.”

He spoke coldly with a face that could be either anger or jealousy as he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

The scene he had just witnessed wouldn’t leave his mind.

The way one of the young officers had been obviously coming on to Ellin. It caught his eye even from a great distance.

That look, that smile, that gesture.

Any man would know.

The fact that the bastard was throwing himself at his wife with his whole body.

Whether she didn’t notice or was pretending not to, seeing Ellin naturally dealing with him made Dominic even more upset.

Noticing why her husband was consumed with jealousy, Ellin smiled enigmatically and spoke with feigned innocence.

“They’re not strange men. They’re officers.”

“What?”

Dominic slowly folded his arms.

He was already exasperated, wondering what absurd excuse Ellin would make.

“You said it yourself. That soldiers need respect regardless of rank. That they should be welcomed everywhere. Who was it that even held a grand victory party for them last time?”

Dominic was left speechless by Ellin’s plausible argument.

“Ha.”

When he laughed dejectedly as if dumbfounded, Ellin slightly furrowed her fine brow and soothed her husband.

“You stood there looking so scary, as if you might eat them alive, that the officers couldn’t even enjoy their tea in peace before leaving. We were discussing the situation outside the country. Even ladies need to cultivate that level of knowledge.”

She glanced at him and smiled sweetly.

While repeatedly lifting Ian high and bringing him down, she continued speaking.

“Right? Our Ian saw it too, right? How scary Daddy’s expression was earlier. If Daddy tries to put you on a horse again, just bite his hand hard. Understood?”

Ian laughed until he was almost out of breath, as if he understood his mother’s words.

“And please stop making that scary face in front of people. It feels like they might have a heart attack. The rumors about you being a cold-blooded person without blood or tears didn’t come from nowhere.”

One corner of Dominic’s lips twitched awkwardly as he watched Ellin criticize him.

Somehow the situation had reversed, with the person who should be angry and the person who should be apologizing switched.

It was always like this. Whenever he talked with Ellin, he ended up feeling like he should be the one apologizing.

“What if our cute Ian sees you and takes after you?”

He snorted at her words.

“If he takes after me, the women of the kingdom will line up for him.”

When Ellin looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it, Dominic leisurely crossed one leg and continued.

“There was even a woman who secretly painted me because she was so in love, and pretended to appear by coincidence. If he takes after his mother, perhaps no one in the kingdom could match him in scheming.”

Ellin could only stare with her mouth slightly open, unable to retort to his counterattack.

After a moment, both of them laughed meaninglessly, as if agreeing to stop.

Unaware of the circumstances, people passing by in the capital looked at them with envious and warm eyes, thinking,

How heartwarming it is to see the ducal family spending an afternoon at a café.

* * *

That evening, Ellin, who was in her atelier, felt something strange.

Normally, the nanny should have brought Ian to the atelier by this time.

It was part of the routine for Ian, after bathing and having dinner, to stick to his mother like glue and play mischief for a few hours before bedtime.

‘Strange. Why is it so quiet today?’

Her hand, sketching on the canvas, gradually slowed down until Ellin finally stood up.

She couldn’t concentrate and felt she needed to go check for herself.

When playing and painting with the child, she had to give up having time entirely to herself.

But now that he wasn’t in sight, she couldn’t concentrate and kept worrying.

Just as she was about to leave the atelier, she ran into Jeffrey.

“My lady. I’ve brought tea.”

“I don’t see Ian today, so I was about to go inside.”

Hearing her words, he smiled gently and replied.

“The young master is having a wonderful time with the master in the study.”

“What? The Duke?”

He simply nodded lightly in response.

“The young master always looks for you in the evening, so the master must be being considerate. So that you can have time to yourself and concentrate on your work.”

Hearing this, Ellin stopped her attempt to leave.

She felt somewhat perplexed.