Chapter 21
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Shocked to see the Duke’s face in person, a visage he had only seen in portraits, the guard remained frozen, his foot still on lody’s back. The Duke, unable to stand this, personally grabbed the guard’s nape and yanked him away. The guard, after being thrown to the ground, quickly prostrated himself in front of the Duke in fear.
“Your Grace…!”
His fear was evident; he had just been trying to make a deal with a criminal and expected punishnt.
“My poor child!”
Mrs. Higgins, who had followed the Duke, limped toward the scene. She had been injured from being pushed by the elder but had refused treatnt to co here. She imdiately helped lody up and began pointing accusatorily at the elder.
“Do you think you can do such things to soone’s precious child and get away with it?!”
“Precious?”
However, the elder was undeterred and mocked Mrs. Higgins’ words.
“Do you see that filthy criminal in the cell?”
Following his gesture, everyone’s gaze turned to lody’s mother, in her wretched state.
“She’s a slave trader, the mother of this girl.”
He lifted his head slightly, as if expecting everyone to be shocked and feel betrayed since the Duke hadn’t revealed lody’s origin. Perhaps, he thought, this could even be used as leverage against the Duke.
“Uh…”
Mrs. Higgins appeared lost for words, partially closing her mouth.
The elder smirked.
“Can you believe it? The Duke brought such a person and claid her as a guest…”
“No, criminal sir. What exactly did you eat to give birth to such a cute daughter? I would really like to know.”
Mrs. Higgins, looking back and forth between lody’s face and her mother’s in the cell, expressed her amazent at how dissimilar they were, remarking on the remarkable lack of resemblance.
“Mrs. Higgins.”
The Duke called her calmly, signaling her to not cause more disturbance. She bowed her head and embraced lody’s shoulder, indicating she would take her back to the mansion.
“Let the child be.”
But the Duke did not allow Mrs. Higgins to take lody.
“Your Grace!”
Despite her imdiate objection, the Duke was unyielding. As a servant, Mrs. Higgins had no choice but to leave lody there and withdraw.
The Duke carefully examined lody’s condition. Scratches were visible on her knees and arms, and so swollen areas would likely turn into blue bruises by the next day.
“I’m sorry.”
He first apologized as an ‘interim guardian’. This was not sothing a child should endure. lody shook her head, implying that it was alright.
“And I’ve brought sothing you left behind.”
He placed a pretty hat with lace on lody’s head and handed her a purse full of money.
“This is a pot of gold.”
“Yes, a real pot of gold.”
He knelt on one knee before lody. Her face was hidden by the wide brim of the hat.
“lody. If you wish, you can leave this place with your mother. This money can help you.”
“If I… wish?”
“Yes, if only you wish.”
lody almost said ‘but that’s illegal,’ but stopped herself. He seed willing to turn a blind eye to everything for her sake. He was a generous man.
…What should I do?
As lody pondered, biting her lip, the Duke continued, hinting at another offer.
“But, if you don’t wish for that.”
The Duke reached out to her. He didn’t say anything specific, but lody understood imdiately.
He was offering to be her guardian.
The choice was simple.
A stern but kind Duke, or a mother who never recognized lody.
Anyone would choose the Duke. But lody was scared.
“Duke.”
“Yes.”
“I might ruin everything.”
“I see.”
“Really. There’s a huge happiness waiting for you and Loretta in the distant future. That’s…”
“I’m not much interested in the distant future. Without you, my daughter will start crying from this evening. If it rains, she won’t stop at all.”
He sighed softly.
“Without you, you will start crying from this evening too. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“The Higgins couple will be sad too.”
“…”
“I don’t think I would be in a good mood either. So, it doesn’t seem like an atmosphere where great happiness is about to co.”
Having put it that way, lody found herself without a response.
“Duke, I…”
Just as lody was about to speak, a desperate voice ca from the darkness of the cell.
“lody! You’re not thinking of leaving
behind, are you? Right?”
Her mother had approached the bars again. However, she seed afraid and didn’t step out despite the open door.
“With that money, we can live very happily. We can stop selling slaves! Do you think I wanted to do this? I did it because we had no money, and I had to feed and clothe and raise you.”
As her mother moved closer to lody, the Duke raised his arm, signaling the knights to stop her.
“It’s okay, Duke.”
lody, stopping the Duke, imdiately turned towards her mother, ignoring the hand extended by the Duke. A smile of joy appeared on her mother’s face.
“My daughter! My treasure! I knew you would co to save .”
“Mother.”
“Yes, how much is in that purse? Did you count it?”
As lody shook her head, her mother’s expression soured.
“Always like this since you were young… no, never mind. That’s my job. Give
that purse. With it, we will live happily ever after.”
Her mother confidently extended a hand, and lody just gazed at her.
‘Her beloved daughter.’ Her gaze was solely fixated on the purse.
“Okay.”
lody replied and slightly lifted the purse.
“Live happily with your beloved daughter.”
Then, closing her eyes tightly, she threw the heavy purse violently.
The slightly open purse burst open, spilling golden coins everywhere.
The sound of coins scattering echoed throughout the cell.
“My money!” her mother cried out desperately, reaching out. But instead of catching the purse, a coin painfully hit her on the nose.
“Ouch!”
She clutched her pained nose but quickly grabbed the coin that had fallen on her.
Instinctively clutching the coin tightly, she then started berating lody.
“Have you gone mad?! What, huh?!”
Fortunately, the scolding didn’t last long as she beca engrossed in collecting the scattered coins.
“Crazy girl, do you know how much this is worth? Look at these shiny ones. Aren’t these gold coins?”
Her face, sared with a continuous flow of nosebleed, lit up with a happy smile as she gathered the coins.
lody, having watched her mother who no longer spoke to her, turned back to the Duke.
“Looks like my mother also found her real daughter today. Just like you, Duke.”
“Since personal property isn’t allowed in prison, the guard will soon confiscate her loot.”
No sooner had the Duke finished speaking than the guard snatched the money and securely locked the prison door.
Her mother, having lost the money in an instant, looked around bewilderedly and then began screaming at lody.
Stupid. Pathetic. Worthless.
Her mother’s words were just vulgar insults, causing lody’s cheeks to redden in embarrassnt.
Soon, the guard shouted, stopping her mother’s tirade.
“That’s harsh.”
The Duke frowned. Although he wasn’t the kindest father to his children, he had never said such things.
The thought of lody growing up hearing such words made him feel uneasy.
But lody, instead, just shook her head with a smile.
“I know I’m not stupid, Duke.”
“I know that too.”
“I’m not foolish enough to make a pathetic decision in this situation.”
“I know that as well.”
lody hesitated, thinking about the original story.
The fact that a different ending from the original story might unfold still scared lody. But the thought of Loretta searching for her from tonight onward brought a similar fear. lody would surely miss Loretta too. And she would miss the others she had t in the Duke’s household.
As lody hesitated, the Duke reached out his hand again and asked a familiar question.
“What do you think? Will you co to the Duke’s house, or not?”
The sa question he had asked when they first t. Perhaps him asking in the sa way was a signal that he hoped for the sa answer as before.
‘Although that’s unlikely…’
But she chose to believe so. Otherwise, out of sheer embarrassnt, she wouldn’t be able to say anything and would just stand there foolishly.
“I’ll… go.”
lody recalled the answer she gave on that day.
“I want to go.”
She didn’t miss a single breath between her words, rembering everything.
“If the Duke permits.”
As she finished, the Duke smiled a little. It was a smile she hadn’t seen before, a kind gesture, as if patting her on the head for doing well.
“It’s decided then. Let’s return.”
He replied with the sa answer as before and firmly held lody’s small hand. The Duke’s hand was large and warm, soothing lody’s anxious heart.
A few steps later, lody asked again, slightly fearful.
“Duke, are you really okay with this?”
“I heard you were smart.”
Goodness. The Duke was crafty, using their previous conversation as a response again.
lody pouted slightly and then walked a bit more to match his pace.
“Of course, I’m smart!”
She replied cheerfully, and he nodded as if to say ‘that’s what I thought’.
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