Chapter 26. Do You Love My Daughter?

“!!!”

At Aster’s ‘Father-in-law’ remark, both Father and I widened our eyes. His sudden, unannounced approach was no different from when he was with me.

We weren’t even married yet, and he called him Father-in-law! And Father was extremely angry right now!

I looked back and forth between Aster and Father in a panic. Aster met my eyes and shamelessly gave a killer smile.

‘Is being handsome everything? It is.’

I quickly lost my fighting spirit at his smile and looked at Father. Fortunately or unfortunately, Aster’s smile attack didn’t seem to affect Father.

It seemed that face was only powerful against me.

Father’s eyes looked like they would tear Aster apart. He spoke as if he didn’t want to hear any more.

“Who’s your father-in-law? You haven’t even had the ceremony yet.”

“If you give your permission, I’d like to have the ceremony immediately.”

“Hmph! Don’t you know that men and women can’t be certain until they’re at the altar?”

“Does that mean you will give your permission?”

“No…! Who said I would give permission?”

“Then should I call you prospective father-in-law until you do?”

“Hah! …Just call me Duke!”

Father clicked his tongue, unable to find his footing. The more he spoke, the more he seemed to be getting tangled up with Aster.

Aster was indeed a cunning Blanche. His skill at leading the conversation to his advantage was extraordinary.

Father, who was more agitated than usual due to his daughter’s escapade, seemed to be no match for him.

Surprisingly, Aster won the initial battle of wills.

But Father wasn’t the only obstacle Aster had to overcome.

When we reached the dining room, Catherine and Edith glared at Aster with set faces. They seemed very displeased with Aster’s sudden invitation.

Their fierce glares were as intense as Father’s. Once everyone, including the Duke, was seated, Catherine spoke.

“Dad! Isn’t it inappropriate to invite guests on a peaceful weekend? It’s a rare time for our family to spend together!”

Judging by her clear and firm voice, she must have practiced in advance. Emphasizing ‘peaceful weekend’ and ‘our family’ indicated she was very unhappy with Aster’s presence and wanted to make it known.

At that moment, Edith poked Catherine in the side and whispered. It was a very cute gesture, unaware that everyone could hear.

“Cathy, you should say ‘uninvited guest’ instead of ‘guest’!”

“Oh, right! Uninvited guest! Dad, why did you invite that Blanche guy, I mean, scoundrel, I mean, uninvited guest on a peaceful weekend? To our family gathering!”

Stumbling over her words, Catherine huffed and puffed but managed to get her prepared speech out. Then she glared at Edith, clearly blaming him for the mess-up.

Father spoke.

“Anyway, since he’s your sister’s fiancé, we should meet him at least once.”

“It’s the second time!”

“Yes! We met him before!”

“Really? Cathy, Eddie, when did you meet Aster?”

Catherine and Edith flinched belatedly at my surprised question. Their exchange of glances was very suspicious.

Just as I was about to interrogate them further, Aster spoke.

“We met when I visited Francis Castle before.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“We greeted him!”

Catherine and Edith chimed in awkwardly. It didn’t seem convincing, so I asked again.

“Really? Our girls weren’t rude, were they?”

“Not at all. They actually welcomed me warmly.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They greeted me so brightly and energetically that I was honestly surprised. I thought I should prepare something for the next time.”

Aster looked at Catherine and Edith with a warm gaze. It was hard to imagine our girls greeting him warmly.

They were more likely to have troubled him.

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, it was enjoyable.”

It felt awkward to tell someone who said he enjoyed meeting them that it couldn’t be true, so I nodded lightly.

“Alright. That’s good to hear.”

“Phew.”

Catherine let out a sigh of relief, and Edith quickly covered her mouth. When I looked at them, they just smiled brightly. After that, the twins, who had been glaring fiercely, surprisingly became very quiet.

I didn’t know what kind of magic Aster had worked, but one thing was clear: he seemed to handle the twins quite well.

They usually flipped the table if they didn’t like someone, so the fact that the table was still intact was proof.

‘I was the only one who could control those kids until now.’

They were so mischievous and troublesome that even the best servants couldn’t handle them. But Aster seemed to manage them without batting an eye.

‘What on earth is he?’

I thought being handsome was all there was to him, but he’s good with kids too. At this rate, he’s the perfect all-purpose son-in-law.

As the main course was served, Father called for the butler to bring Arendt Vodka and said,

“Do you drink?”

It was a high-proof distilled liquor, even at a glance. Arendt Northern Vodka was especially notorious for its potency. It was a drink favored in cold regions.

Recalling Aster, who got drunk mixing cocktails and wine last night, I tried to stop them.

“Uh, Father, no alcohol. He drank a lot last night too…”

“I’m fine.”

But Aster stopped me. I was trying to help, so his refusal was a bit baffling.

Does he know how strong that is?

I whispered softly so Father wouldn’t hear.

“That’s really strong.”

“You know where I studied abroad, don’t you?”

“Oh.”

Come to think of it, the academy Aster attended was also in Northern Arendt. So, he knew it was strong and still agreed.

Judging by last night, I doubted he could handle even one glass. As I glared at him, Aster grinned and said,

“I handle that better than wine.”

Before I could say more, he took the glass Father offered and drank it.

“Oh no!”

You can’t just down that in one go!

It was a drink I wouldn’t touch because it felt like it would burn my esophagus. Only perverts enjoy such high-proof alcohol without diluting it.

Drinking something like that straight was beyond my imagination.

What if he passes out immediately? Should we let him sleep here? Is this some kind of male bravado? If so, it’s just unsightly. Various thoughts ran through my mind.

Father handed him another glass.

“Father!”

Before I could stop him, Aster downed three more glasses in a row.

‘He’s, he’s, he’s crazy!’

The surprising thing was that unlike last night, Aster’s face remained calm. Not even his face turned red, making me feel betrayed, wondering if last night was an act.

‘What, why is he drinking so well?’

Father also seemed surprised by Aster’s drinking capacity. He cleared his throat and said,

“Hmm. Not bad.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Aster replied clearly, with a clean face, while pouring Father another drink. He even floated ice in the undiluted strong liquor Father had given him, smiling kindly. He wasn’t an ordinary man.

Father glanced at the glass and picked a fight.

“Why did you put ice in it? Do you think I can’t handle it?”

“I heard you have a foreign affairs meeting early tomorrow morning. I thought it would be better to enjoy it lightly as an accompaniment.”

Wow.

I wanted to applaud his neat excuse, considering Father’s official schedule.

‘What is this? Wasn’t he invited on short notice today? Did he practice in advance?’

I looked at him with a different expression than earlier when I doubted him. I felt a bit more trust in him. Aster responded leisurely with a light wink.

“Hmm!”

Father reluctantly took a sip of the vodka diluted with ice and grimaced. Seeing his throat turn red from just one sip, I let out a deep sigh.

‘Why do you try to win with a drink you can’t handle?’

Father wasn’t good with alcohol. He only drank one or two glasses to keep Mother company, who was a heavy drinker.

That vodka was probably one of the bottles he bought whenever he thought of Mother. No one else drank it, so it piled up, and I sometimes used it as a personal gift.

Bringing such a drink boldly and challenging Aster to a match. He probably thought Aster would get drunk quickly and make a mistake.

But it seemed like Father, not Aster, would make a mistake. Father, drunk after just one glass, shouted at Aster with a slurred voice.

“Hey, you!”

“Yes, Father-in-law, …Duke.”

When Aster deliberately called him Father-in-law, pretending it was a mistake, Father’s eyes bulged again. He slammed the table and stood up abruptly.

And then he said something so embarrassing that he would kick the blanket over it the next day.

“Do you love my daughter?”

His face looked as if he would kill if the answer was no, making me bow my head in embarrassment.

Dad, please. Just shut up.