"Eve, these people are Ferdinand's vassals. You will et them often in the future."
Haha...I see...so they are the vassals...
As I felt their gazes pinned on , I glanced away with an awkward laughter.
'Whoa, this is so burdenso.'
I wasn't sure what kind of occupation it was, but Ex was there to enlighten .
[They are the people who will nag at every single thing you say or do once you beco the head of the Ferdinand family.]
'Aren't they a bad people?'
[Most of them aren't good people.]
I kind of get what Ex ant when I looked at those 'vassals'.
So they are like in-laws who will nag at you for every single thing?
[Where did you hear sothing like that, brat?]
'Mrs. Nelson told .'
I was just sitting quietly on my grandfather's lap since I didn't know what to say to those in-laws...I an, vassals.
Thankfully, I didn't have to say a word.
"I will teach her our family's swordsmanship starting tomorrow. This child is my only granddaughter and my direct descendant, so I hope there won't be any opposition from all of you."
Because my grandfather opened his mouth first. But none of them answered him.
Regardless of the cold response, my grandfather continued.
"I intend to put an article in the newspaper imdiately, and hold a banquet to announce her as my daughter as soon as she is ready. Eve is my one and only true successor."
My grandfather scoured the entire table as if to dare anyone to refute that. The atmosphere was really suffocating.
'I think I'll get an upset stomach from this.'
Especially after I heard about being his only successor and was required to learn swordsmanship.
That I was Ferdinand's direct descendant, and that I would soon beco the star of the newspaper and banquet.
I wasn't interested at all in being a successor or whatnot. All I cared about was how to get out of this suffocating situation.
'I think I heard that there is another child who has been appointed as his successor already. What is he thinking by appointing who's only been here for a few days over another child who's set to have that position even before my arrival? What's going to happen to that child?'
[He'll be cast out, I guess.]
Because of ?
It made feel bad. I didn't want to be the successor in the first place. It hadn't been long since I t my grandfather, so it never crossed my mind that I'd be his successor.
But the vassals didn't refute what my grandfather said. My grandfather must've taken their silence as their agreent, so he smiled in satisfaction, but when he was about to end the eting, soone interjected.
"Speaking of which, Your Grace. I have a question."
A brave old man tried to tempt fate by raising a question in this already tense atmosphere.
"We, the vassals, are eting Miss Eve for the first ti today. But we have never heard of her."
Didn't you say you heard about earlier?
[That was just a formality, you fool!]
What do you an?
[Forget it.]
Ex gave up trying to explain to on his own. Then I focused on what the old man would say next.
"Hence, I think we should go through the process of confirming that Miss Eve Royce is indeed Mrs. Astrid's real daughter."
What's up with this old man? Isn't he too audacious?
As soon as this old man brought up his suspicion about the legitimacy of my blood, I could see veins popping out on my grandfather's hands.
However, this tactless old man kept blabbering as if he didn't notice my grandfather's sour mood...
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but we are-"
"Then you better not say it, Hubert."
At last, he let out anger in such a knife-like voice. His grim and deep voice sounded like a beast's growl.
'Goodbye, brave old man....'
Looking alternately between the veins on my grandfather's hand and the old man, I said my goodbye in advance.
Of course, I didn't feel sad about it since he was just a stranger.
'But this kind of question is bound to co out in this eting.'
It was very obvious.
Even I had a hard ti believing that my mom was the Young Duke of House Ferdinand, what do you expect people who saw for the first ti to react?
From their point of view, it must have felt like an eight-year-old who suddenly fell from the sky claid that she was Duke Ferdinand's successor.
The problem was the timing was bad.
My grandfather was very sensitive to such remarks because of the incident with the maids and the obnoxious man a while ago.
He wouldn't be gentle to those who doubted my legitimacy.
My grandfather had been trying to distance from anything related to that. But just now, that brave old man deliberately brought up that 'topic' here.
Moreover, my grandfather was putting on his lap as if wanting to brag about . There couldn't be a worse timing than this.
'Auh, I should've taken my digestive dicine earlier.'
A cold wind blew in the eting hall. I could feel my grandfather tighten his grip around .
"Have you ever seen a child with blue eyes and blonde hair that isn't a Ferdinand?"
"...Blue eyes and blonde hair are clearly Ferdinand's distinct traits, however, Your Grace! But they are rare among noble children!"
"Then let ask you again. Do you rember how Astrid looked when she was young?"
At his question, the vassals began to nod one by one.
So my grandfather sprang up from his seat while holding in his arms.
Uhh? Suddenly?
"Eve looks exactly like Astrid when she was young. Her age also matches with the tiline. Besides..."
My grandfather paused for a mont. I was dangling on his arms like a baby otter while waiting for him to continue.
"This child got the Dragon's recognition just a day after she arrived at this mansion."
What?
Who recognized who?
What are you talking about?
I looked back at my grandfather in bewildernt, but he didn't bother to elaborate on what he ant about 'the Dragon's recognition' to .
"Eve entered Ferdinand's secret chamber. There's no one here who doesn't know what that ans."
He looked straight at the vassals as he emphasized that.
"Eve is my granddaughter. His father has been writing letters to since Eve was born, hence informing of her existence."
"Your Grace, then why don't you-"
"Are you asking why I didn't bring her here sooner? I will answer. I couldn't just bring her here since I've committed so many sins to Astrid."
My grandfather didn't even give the vassals ti to talk.
"All of you are sobody's father, mother, and grandparents. There are no parents in the world who don't recognize their children. If animals can recognize their own offspring, why can't a man?"
"......"
"So I don't want to hear you question our relationship. Eve is my granddaughter. Nobody can deny that fact, even more so after I publicly announce that Eve is my successor."
After my grandfather said that, nobody dared to say a word.
That old man, Hubert, suggested checking my legitimacy only for him to get berated multiple tis.
Would anybody dare to stand up for him?
[Even I won't do that.]
'Nobody will.'
In the end, the vassals expressed their will to follow my grandfather's decision.
That was the conclusion of today's eting.
In fact, it was more like an announcent than a eting, but my grandfather didn't seem to care about that.
"Then we are done for today. I only called you here to introduce Eve."
At my grandfather's curt remark, the vassals turned their gazes on in an instant.
Because of that, I was barely able to hold back my hiccups.
"Hehe."
And laughed awkwardly.
Reviews
All reviews (0)