TGDLBF 20

Chapter 20

The Child is Extraordinary

What should I do to help the Duke escape the sorrow and depression from missing the Duchess?

I had to stop him from drinking somehow…

“But why did you come all the way here?”

Snapped out of my thoughts, I quickly pulled myself together.

“I came because I wanted to see you, Duke.”

“…”

The Duke’s expression grew even more stern than before. Did he not like hearing that I missed him?

I didn’t know if my sincerity would reach him, but I was grateful that he didn’t turn me away—and that made me feel even more sorry for him.

I had come here with great determination, so I had to say everything I wanted to say before I left.

“I don’t get to see you often, so I missed you… and I was worried too…”

“Worried?”

“Yes. You don’t eat, but you drink a lot…”

I glanced at him cautiously, unsure if I had upset him, but fortunately, his expression wasn’t angry.

Between his unkempt long hair, his violet eyes shimmered faintly.

“A child like you is worrying about me?”

“Yes. I just… want the Duke to live a long, long time. But they say drinking too much makes you sick and… you die faster.”

“Who told you that?”

“Doctors in Korea…”

They did. But of course, he wouldn’t know what Korea is.

I felt sad I couldn’t explain the world I had come from.

“Korea? I don’t know where that is, but it sounds like nonsense from a bunch of incompetent quacks.”

“But Korean doctors study a lot and are really smart…”

“Alright. In any case, don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself. And don’t do anything dangerous again.”

His stern but gentle voice reached me clearly.

The more we talked, the more my excited heart calmed down. By now, I had a feeling he might tell me to go back.

I blinked slowly and looked him in the eyes. Hoping one more plea might reach him, I opened my mouth again.

“If Ludia’s okay… and the Duke is okay too…”

“Ludia?”

He gently cut me off, calling my name softly. His low voice, even without tears, sounded full of sadness.

“I’m fine. So don’t worry. You should go now.”

When adults say ‘I’m fine,’ it’s sometimes just a wish, and sometimes a way to avoid facing the truth.

My mom used to say that all the time, even when she wasn’t. I knew it.

Which one was the Duke?

I still hoped he hadn’t let go of hope. For now, I was satisfied just knowing he agreed to meet me and listen to me for this long.

If I became too greedy from the start, I might just come off as an annoying child—so I decided to leave for today.

***

The Grand Duke had come to Kaizen’s quarters for some business when he heard from the knights that Ludia had visited and felt a sudden wave of displeasure.

‘I was the one who gave her candy, and she goes to see Kaizen because she misses him?’

‘Did he give her something to eat too?’

The Grand Duke glared sideways at his son, who was slouched lazily on the sofa.

“What is it now? If you’re going to nag again, please leave.”

“It’s about Ludia, that girl.”

Hearing her name, Kaizen sat up slightly and made eye contact with his father. His gaze sharpened.

“If you’re about to say you won’t accept her as my future daughter-in-law, just go. As long as I’m breathing, I won’t send Ludia away.”

“That’s not it…”

“…”

“She’s no ordinary child.”

The Grand Duke continued in a low, serious voice.

A brave child who had already learned to read was clearly gifted, perhaps even extraordinary.

“Even so, she hasn’t been taught anything. I hear she doesn’t even have a tutor…”

“She’s only five. She can start learning later.”

Kaizen thought his father was making a fuss. Children just needed to eat well and play freely.

“I said she’s not ordinary. She’s more than capable of early education.”

“She’s going to be my daughter-in-law someday. I’ll decide how she’s raised.”

“And it’s okay to let her see you drinking?”

Snapped the Grand Duke, his tone suddenly irritable.

Kaizen let out a deep sigh. He was irritated, as his weakness had been exposed, but his father wasn’t wrong.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Ahem. I’d like to take her with Rikael to the North.”

“No.”

Kaizen flatly rejected the idea. Taking the child to the North was absolutely out of the question. He couldn’t understand why his father was suddenly so interested in Ludia.

“I told you she’s not an ordinary child!”

The Grand Duke eventually raised his voice. Realizing it, he cleared his throat repeatedly to cover the awkwardness.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two men.

They both knew what the North meant, which made it hard to speak easily.

Finally, the Grand Duke calmed his tone and said sincerely,

“There’s something extraordinary about Ludia.”

Kaizen let out a laugh, one that clearly lacked any sincerity. This side of his father felt unfamiliar. It was easier when the man was shouting.

When was the last time they had a conversation like this? It felt so distant, so foreign.

“She’s just an ordinary child.”

“An ordinary child wouldn’t have remained still when caught by a snake.”

“That’s exactly it. She didn’t know how dangerous the snake was. She’s just a child, too young to understand things like that.”

He hadn’t seen it happen, but even imagining the moment made his vision spin.

He hated the thought of people calling that bravery or genius. She was simply too young to understand the danger—that’s all.

“No, that’s not it. My eyes are sharp.”

Kaizen’s gaze wavered for a moment. He couldn’t deny Ludia was exceptionally bright. Even her ability to sense and respond to danger was clearly beyond her years, something he had experienced firsthand.

But when it came to the North, Kaizen was immovable.

“No matter what you say, she’s not going to the North. She’s a poor child who just lost her mother. I’m not sending her to such a harsh place.”

Kaizen himself had lost his wife in the North. She had been healthy, but couldn’t adapt to the environment there, and slowly wasted away.

That’s why he hated the North. There was no way he could send Ludia, who’d just lost her mother, to such a place.

“I’m there—how is the North harsh?!”

The Grand Duke exploded. He didn’t believe the North was harsh. To the strong, it was a place of training, a necessary tool for forging will and strength. Those who couldn’t endure were weak, and the cries of the weak were mere whining.

That was the Grand Duke’s philosophy—one Kaizen had once agreed with.

But now? Kaizen deeply regretted ever thinking that way.

“Either way, absolutely not.”

“You really are impossible to talk to.”

“You know that already, so why push it? If you’ve got nothing else to say, you can leave.”

“I’m leaving even if you tell me not to. Hmph.”

The Grand Duke rose from his seat. Warren had said Kaizen didn’t even show much interest in Ludia. So he had assumed Kaizen wouldn’t care if she were taken to the North, but apparently, he did.

‘Then pull yourself together, will you?’

‘Drinking all day… what are you even thinking?’

As he turned to leave with visible displeasure, his steps suddenly halted. Then, out of nowhere, he tossed an odd question over his shoulder.

“Were you happy?”

“…What?”

“Were you happy when the girl came to see you, saying she missed you?”

Kaizen’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he stared at the door.

What a ridiculous question—and amusing, too.

Maybe that’s why he felt like answering with a little fire.

“Yes. Of all the visits I’ve had in my life, that was the happiest. Unlike someone else’s, anyway.”

“Ghh.”

The Grand Duke’s groan almost sounded like a melody. Kaizen couldn’t say why, but for the first time in a while, he felt like he had won.

*Bang!!!

A loud noise echoed as the door slammed shut behind him.

But even that didn’t ruin his mood. Whatever this joy was, it felt good to win.

Ludia, extraordinary? So someone else sees what I saw.

She was articulate, smart, and didn’t fear the snake.

Kaizen’s gloomy eyes turned toward the curtain blocking the sunlight. Even in broad daylight, he kept the curtains drawn and the lamp on.

For the first time in a while, he drew the curtains and opened the window.

The fresh air cooled his lungs. That cool clarity didn’t feel bad.

It had been a long time since he felt this way.

He whistled through his fingers. Then a large bird flew in from somewhere, rustling the air, and perched on his shoulder.

As if greeting an old friend, it nudged his cheek with its beak. When Kaizen stroked the bird’s head, it snuggled in even more.

There was no sign of gloom on the face of the man who was gently smiling.