Chapter 8

Lia had just left when Johann headed to his office and handed the official registration documents to his aide.  

Samuel took the documents Johann had given him and went to the temple.  

Since the procedure for adding a name to the noble registry required the temple’s approval, this was necessary.  

Johann leaned against his office desk, staring blankly at the contract he had written with Lia.  

At the very bottom of the contract was her signature, written neatly: ‘Lia.’  

‘…So her name is Lia.’  

He raised his gaze and examined the contract’s clauses.  

The document was filled with various responsibilities a parent should fulfill for their child.  

There were so many clauses that Johann grew irritated as he read them.  

‘…And I’m supposed to do all this? I don’t even have time to spare; how am I supposed to manage all this?’  

As the head of the Blumhart Ducal Family, one of the five great families of the Valerius Empire, and the Empire’s Minister of Military Affairs, Johann was already overwhelmed with his daily schedule.  

Especially during the winter months, when monsters descended from the Black Mountain Range, his workload only increased.  

‘…And now I have to suddenly play the role of father to a young daughter?’  

Even his late father, the previous Duke, hadn’t fulfilled even a fraction of the duties listed in the contract, yet he had raised his children just fine.  

In noble families, the actual upbringing of children was left to hired nannies and tutors, with parents providing only the bare minimum of care.  

This was the norm, and anyone who deviated from it by doting excessively on their children was considered eccentric.  

‘If some lunatic actually followed all this to the letter, they’d be ridiculed as unworthy of being a noble.’  

Lia was going to leave in a year and a half anyway. He planned to handle her bothersome requests superficially and move on.  

If he claimed he was too busy to comply, she would likely give up eventually.  

Even if he only did as much as the average noble parent, he would have fulfilled his duties as a father.  

There was no need to feel unnecessary discomfort or guilt toward her.  

‘…Who goes to such lengths to care for their child anyway?’  

With a careless attitude, Johann placed the contract in a drawer of his office desk and ascended to the fourth floor.  

The fourth floor was originally reserved for the Duke and Duchess, but currently, it was occupied by his mother, the Blumhart Duchess Dowager, and his sister, Penelope.  

Johann arrived at Penelope’s room.  

“…You have a daughter?”  

When he finished explaining about Lia and Rafaella, Penelope, who had been lying in bed, sat halfway up in shock.  

“So that’s where you were during the time you lost your memory….”  

“No wonder Father couldn’t find you no matter how hard he tried, being in such a remote mountain village.”  

“…….”  

Johann’s expression darkened for a moment.  

A brief flash of guilt regarding his father crossed his mind.  

“By the way, what’s the child’s name?”  

“…Rafaella, apparently.”  

“Rafaella? That’s a lovely name.”  

Penelope’s voice rose slightly as she chattered excitedly about her newfound niece.  

“What does she look like? Who does she take after?”  

The Duchess Dowager, curious about the same question, also looked at Johann.  

“…Her hair is black, and her eyes are emerald green.”  

“Oh my, she must be adorable!”  

“And?”  

The Duchess Dowager prompted him, sensing he had more to say but was reluctant to continue.  

“…She seems to resemble me.”  

“Wow, except for the eyes, she looks like you! I’m so curious!”  

“A child who resembles you—how fascinating.”  

“Cough, cough.”  

Perhaps from the excitement of raising her voice, Penelope began to cough lightly.  

“Penelope, it might be better for you to meet her once you’re feeling a bit healthier.”  

The Duchess Dowager gently patted Penelope, who was still excited, and helped her lie back down.  

Hearing this, Penelope, who had been brimming with excitement to meet her niece, suddenly became sullen.  

Sometimes, even knowing something doesn’t make it easier to endure.  

Frustrated by her inability to meet her niece freely, Penelope turned her head away and lay down.  

Johann felt pity for his sister and sighed inwardly.  

“Johann, what kind of person does the child’s mother seem to be?”  

The Duchess Dowager asked while stroking Penelope’s shoulder as she lay turned away.  

“…She seemed ordinary in many ways.”  

“Is that so? I should meet her when I have the time.”  

“There’s no need to go out of your way to do that.”  

Johann didn’t want his mother to concern herself with his problems.  

She was already busy nursing Penelope and searching for renowned healing mages across the continent.  

“She’s the biological mother of my granddaughter; it wouldn’t be right not to meet her. Don’t worry.”  

The Duchess Dowager spoke firmly.

***

In the late afternoon, Lia took Rafaella to the bathroom.  

She turned on the golden faucet and filled the bathtub with warm water.  

Once the tub was full, she checked the water temperature with her hand and stepped in with Rafaella.  

“Ahhh….”  

Having not had a proper bath for a long time, they both let out groans of relief and burst into giggles.  

The Duke’s residence was truly a wonderful place. Absolutely.  

Thinking about how her daughter would be able to enjoy all of this as a matter of course made her incredibly happy.  

Of course, it all depended on whether she would be loved.  

‘…Let’s not overthink this.’  

She didn’t know exactly when or how something might happen, and worrying too much would only give her a headache.  

It was better to prepare to some extent and deal with problems as they arose for Rafaella’s sake.  

The bathwater was so warm that they stayed in longer than expected. When Lia finally got out, she realized it was about time for dinner.  

The problem was figuring out where they could eat dinner.  

Would the butler bring it to us like last time?  

‘Rafaella must be hungry.’  

Knock, knock, knock.  

Just as Lia finished pondering and was about to leave the room with Rafaella, someone knocked on the door.  

“It’s Paula.”  

It was Paula, the maid who had brought Lia her clothes earlier.  

“Miss Lia, His Grace the Duke has requested your presence in the dining room.”  

Feeling much more at ease after signing the contract, Lia followed Paula to the dining room with a lighter step than before.  

Inside the dining room, a long rectangular table was set, and Johann was seated at the head.  

“Take a seat.”  

He spoke without even looking at them properly.  

Lia and Rafaella sat side by side at the places prepared for them, and as soon as they did, the attendants standing by began to serve the food.  

Unlike the light meal they had eaten in the guest room, the atmosphere here was formal and dignified.  

Feeling out of place, both Lia and Rafaella picked up their forks with slightly stiff movements.  

The meal began with a salad garnished with fruit, followed by a soft and sweet custard cream dessert, lightly torched to perfection.  

Once they had finished eating, Johann, who had remained silent throughout the meal, finally spoke.  

“…From now on, meals will be served in Rafaella’s room.”  

His tone was cold and businesslike.  

“Yes.”  

Lia replied just as formally.  

“You can use the bell pull or call for a maid to have meals brought to the room.”  

“Yes.”  

“If the child needs anything, inform the butler, the head maid, or even one of the maids.”  

Johann continued speaking in a dry tone, as if he were listing instructions.  

“And as for the child’s education….”  

“Education is fine!”  

Startled by the mention of education, Lia instinctively interrupted Johann mid-sentence.  

Before her regression, the tutor responsible for Rafaella’s education had been an abusive piece of trash.  

That tutor had primarily inflicted psychological ab*se, so no one had realized Rafaella was being mistreated.  

Not that they would have cared to notice.  

‘Absolutely not! Unless I leave her with a verified, good tutor when I leave, no way.’  

A strange and cruel tutor would be dangerous for a child who hadn’t yet adjusted to the Duke’s residence.  

Dealing with the aunt and her son was already enough of a headache.  

“…At that age, it’s common to hire a tutor to teach the basics.”  

“Then I’ll—I’ll teach her myself!”  

Johann raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback, and looked at her.  

“I can handle teaching the basics.”  

“Didn’t you say you lived in the mountains?”  

“What does that have to do with anything?”  

“It’s unlikely there were any schools or educational institutions in such a remote area.”  

His voice was dripping with condescension.  

“You don’t need to worry about that. My grandmother taught me most of what I needed to know.”  

Lia replied confidently.  

“Your grandmother?”  

“Yes, my parents passed away when I was young, so my grandmother raised me.”  

Though she had passed away, her grandmother had been a woman who knew everything.  

Right up until her death, she had imparted all kinds of knowledge to Lia.  

“You’re quite bright. Teaching you has been a joy.”  

As a clever student, Lia had absorbed everything her grandmother taught her.  

Having received a higher education from her grandmother, teaching basic education was no challenge for her.  

“…If you’re that confident, give it a try.”  

Though a bit doubtful, Johann allowed Lia to take charge of Rafaella’s education for now.  

‘Etiquette lessons are necessary, but since I don’t plan on letting her leave the Duke’s residence for the time being….’  

He was reluctant, but he didn’t want to waste energy arguing over it.  

‘She’s going to leave in a year and a half anyway.’  

He could implement his own methods for basic and etiquette education after that.  

“But if it turns out you’re not capable, I’ll hire a tutor. Keep that in mind.”  

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”  

Lia glared at him as she responded.  

***

Ten days had passed since then.  

Lia was now extremely tense because of the person sitting before her.  

The person in front of her was the Duke’s mother, Isabella von Blumhart, the Duchess Dowager.  

‘According to Paula, she hardly ever comes down from the fourth floor.’  

Regardless, unlike Johann’s aunt, the Duchess Dowager exuded an air of nobility so refined that it was almost overwhelming. Her stern demeanor was enough to create a palpable sense of intimidation. Lia nervously swallowed as she observed her.  

How did she end up sitting face-to-face with the Duchess Dowager in the drawing room?  

All she had intended for today was to let Rafaella spend at least a little time with her husband.