The golden sunlight streaming through the window made the Duke’s blond hair gleam even more brilliantly, like molten gold.
Crowned by radiant light, he stood by the window like a divine statue carved in a temple, gazing outward with an impassive expression—like a god observing the mortal realm.
‘What is he looking for?’
From her hiding place, Beatty tilted her head in curiosity.
The Duke, having opened the window himself, simply stood there, silently watching the outside world.
"Your Grace?"
Only when his subordinate called out did the Duke finally turn his gaze away.
As he stepped back from the window, more of the office beca visible.
The massive desk closest to the window was covered with stacks of docunts, and the walls were lined with towering bookshelves filled to the brim.
But as Beatty shifted her gaze slightly, she noticed sothing out of place in the ticulously arranged room.
One bookshelf stood apart from the others.
In front of it, a small side table was cluttered with scattered sheets of paper, filled with scribbles and notes.
Several thick books were stacked beside them, their worn spines revealing signs of frequent use.
Step. Step.
The Duke walked over to the side table and picked up one of the disorganized papers.
His gaze lingered on it for a mont before he spoke.
“Beatty.”
‘Huh?’
Hearing her na suddenly spill from her father’s lips, Beatty instinctively perked up.
While the little squirrel struggled outside to get a better look inside—
The Duke’s gaze shifted to the section of the office that had long been dedicated to a single purpose.
A bookshelf filled with books on the etymology of nas from various countries.
A side table piled with naming books that had been flipped through countless tis.
And the paper in his hand—on which "Beatty" had been written in neat handwriting.
Beneath it, traces of erased and rewritten nas could still be seen.
"Rikita"
"Del"
"Dolcia"
"Leticia"
"Leti"
"Titia"
"Amonita"
"Suabi"
"l"
"Fortuna"
The list went on and on, covering the side table like a mountain of possibilities.
Every single one carried anings of joy and blessing.
Nas carefully chosen for the most precious child in the world.
“The aning of ‘Beatty’…”
A na ant to bestow the greatest fortune upon the one dearest to him.
"Blessing of Happiness."
A visible trace of years of contemplation.
As the Duke gazed at the papers, his longti aide observed him carefully before speaking.
"Isn't it fascinating?"
“……”
"Out of all the nas, Your Grace pondered over this one the longest. Though you were unable to na the young lady yourself…"
The Duke’s impassive lips tightened slightly.
Having served him for years, the aide did not miss the subtle reaction.
As a seasoned retainer, he quickly adjusted his approach.
"Still, since the na has now found its rightful owner, doesn’t that an ‘Beatty’ was always ant to be hers?"
“Mm.”
A na ant to fit one's destiny.
For the people of the North, there was no higher complint, nor a greater blessing.
‘Yes.’
Satisfied with the praise for his daughter, the Duke nodded and placed the paper back on the table.
"Clear this away."
Though he regretted never being able to call her by the na he had chosen,
‘At least she likes it.’
That was enough.
With that thought, he ordered the space to be tidied up.
"Such a sha," the aide murmured, looking wistfully at the table filled with years of effort.
"Whenever Your Grace had a free mont, you would deliberate over her na."
Rather than lant, the aide tried to lighten the mood.
"But to think that after all these years of deliberation, this is the na that ended up with the young lady… Ah, Your Grace, did you know?"
As he carefully sorted through the mountain of na lists, the aide chuckled.
"You spent over eight years choosing this na! I doubt we’ll ever see such a record again. Surely, no other child in the North has been as cherished as the young lady!"
“Hmph.”
The Duke responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Wasn’t it only natural for the most cherished child to be his daughter?
She was that lovable, after all.
Lost in his own objective thoughts about Beatty’s overwhelming adorableness, the Duke suddenly—
Whoosh.
Turned sharply toward the window.
“……”
“Your Grace? Is there sothing outside?”
The Duke muttered, eyes lingering on the now-still branches.
"She’s gone."
He had left the window open just in case.
The Duke glanced at the spot where the leaves had rustled monts before, watching in disappointnt before turning away.
***
“Squee….”
Thump-thump!
Beatty pressed a tiny paw to her rapidly beating heart.
‘Father… spent years thinking about my na?’
That was sothing she never expected.
She had thought he had simply scribbled sothing down and sent it without much thought.
‘To think he put so much effort into choosing my na… for years.’
If she accounted for the tiline before her regression, that ant he had spent ten years thinking about it.
“……”
A strange warmth blood in her chest.
Beatty unconsciously covered her face with her small hands.
The white fur on her cheeks seed to have taken on a faint pink hue.
But it wasn’t from her racing heart.
‘Could it be that he…?’
It was because of the feeling swelling inside her.
‘Maybe… he doesn’t hate
as much as I thought?’
A tiny spark of hope, thought long extinguished, peeked out.
Thump-thump!
The sudden surge of anticipation made Beatty panic.
Shaking her head furiously, she let out a flustered squeak.
“Squeak-squeak!”
‘No, no, no!’
She needed to be rational.
Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to think logically.
‘Maybe he was just being thorough. As a mber of the ducal family, my na would be officially recorded, so he had to make sure it was proper.’
She tried to douse the warmth in her chest with cold logic.
‘…But still, it doesn’t change the fact that Father spent years picking my na.’
No matter how hard she tried to deny it, the walls she had built around her heart began to crumble.
“Squeeeee—!”
No, no, no!
This wasn’t logical at all!
Grabbing onto a nearby curtain, she shook her head furiously, as if trying to fling away the ticklish feeling inside her.
But the emotion was stubborn.
‘Think of sothing else. Sothing logical…!’
Huff-huff.
Trying to calm herself, she searched for a distraction.
“Squeak!”
‘That’s right!’
She had originally climbed the tree for a reason.
To plan her long-term stay at the estate!
‘Yes, I need to focus on sothing productive and rational.’
Nodding firmly to herself, she quickly ca up with a plan.
‘I have a new recipe!’
Aside from her main sche, she had continued working on Tuberosum recipes.
The more diverse the recipes, the easier it would be to popularize the ingredient.
‘Last ti, I only brought the basics.’
Determined, she scurried down the curtain.
‘Besides, tasting sothing is more convincing than just reading about it.’
Squeak!
Nodding to herself, she rushed toward the kitchen.
She would pick only the most popular future Tuberosum recipes.
‘Tuberosum soup is a must. It’s a classic. And fried Tuberosum, of course! Oh, and Tuberosum cookies…!’
She planned to prepare plenty to bring to her father.
‘Seeing the results firsthand will make the value of this deal even clearer! Yes, this is just business!’
Yes. Completely logical.
That’s what she told herself.
anwhile, her fluffy tail swayed excitedly behind her.
‘I need to finish quickly and bring it to him!’
At that mont, Beatty wasn’t fully aware of what she was doing.
‘Food tastes best when it’s warm… I an, um… the trade value is higher that way!’
But in reality, what she was doing was sothing instinctual.
Sothing deeply ingrained in human nature.
Bringing food to soone.
An ancient sign of affection.
Reviews
All reviews (0)