TPOVF 11

Chapter 11

“Your Grace, please calm down!”

Yurenia called out firmly, stopping Duke Chester. Chester’s face contorted at the tutor’s intrusion.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

How dare a mere servant block a duke.

But Chester soon fell silent. Yurenia had gestured for him to lower his gaze.

Following her hand, Chester’s face turned pale and froze.

“……Kail.”

“Ugh…… Hic……!”

Kailus was crying.

Sobbing silently.

Discovering his nephew crying in the tutor’s arms, Chester clenched his jaw and asked.

“…….”

Kailus timidly raised his head as the surroundings grew quiet. Then, meeting his uncle’s eyes, he flinched and burrowed back into the tutor’s embrace.

The child, having seen his uncle’s frightening expression, trembled pitifully and wailed.

“Hiccup! Huh! Waaah…….”

Even hiccupping.

“I’m thawwy, hic! I’m thawwy…….”

Kailus couldn’t even look properly at Chester and kept pleading while crying. The child’s chin trembled so much his pronunciation was garbled.

Seeing that, Chester became angry with himself.

Failing to control a single emotion and making his young nephew cry.

“…….”

“Shh. It’s alright, young master.”

Yurenia patted the child’s back and soothed him gently. Her calm voice, like a lullaby, wove between the child’s sobs.

“…….”

Chester stood frozen in place until Kailus’s tears subsided. Watching his nephew quietly, he suddenly noticed the child’s clothing.

‘Why is he wearing something like that?’

Chester’s brow furrowed deeply.

Kailus’s clothes were, to put it bluntly, like rags.

He had certainly provided the nanny with ample funds for the child’s clothing.

‘……I see.’

Chester clenched his fist. It wasn’t difficult to grasp the situation.

Chester had told the nanny not to skimp on anything for Kailus.

Yet the child looked like that. The nanny must have been pocketing the money.

Kailus was clinging to the new tutor. Though the child was usually shy with strangers, he seemed to have opened his heart to her.

Enough to make the nanny feel threatened.

‘Now I understand why the nanny was so frantic to have the tutor fired.’

The child had found someone to lean on. She wanted to eliminate that.

‘I need to dismiss the nanny immediately.’

Chester narrowed his eyes.

Now that he thought about it, he could also guess the source of what Kailus had said. The nanny must have been filling the child’s head with nonsense.

Blaming everything on Kailus.

Chester, having calmly considered things, let out a quiet sigh.

‘How pathetic.’

It was obvious if one took the time to think.

Hearing his nephew say such absurd things and blame himself, he’d lost his temper and frightened the child.

‘At this rate, I’ll have no face to show my sister-in-law either.’

Chester looked at his nephew with a heavy heart. The child seemed to have calmed down somewhat, now only sniffling intermittently. Chester spoke with a somber expression.

“I’m sorry.”

“……!”

Surprised by his uncle’s apology, Kailus looked up. The boy, his eyes red and swollen from crying, raised his gaze upward.

Chester leaned down to meet his nephew at eye level.

“I got so angry earlier because of those nonsensical words. I wasn’t angry at you.”

Kailus’s large light-green eyes brimmed with tears. The child sniffled and asked.

“Th-then…?”

“I was angry at whoever said those things to you. I don’t know who told you what, but Lily’s illness has nothing to do with you.”

“Really……?”

“Yes.”

Chester spoke with emphasis. The conversation with his nephew, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, felt awkward.

Chester was awkward with children. His aide Enzo played skillfully with the servants’ children, but Chester was always stiff.

It was the same with his blood relative, his nephew.

Worried he might do something wrong again, he looked at Yurenia. She smiled gently and stroked the child’s back.

“See, young master Kail? I told you it wasn’t like that, didn’t I?”

“Yes…….”

The child mumbled hesitantly from the tutor’s arms. Chester patiently waited for his nephew to speak again.

“Uncle doesn’t hate me?”

“Hate you? Why would you think that? Who told you such— Hmm.”

Chester cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. As he searched for appropriate expressions instead of harsh ones, Kailus spoke softly.

“You didn’t come to see me.”

“That’s—!”

“You left me here. Uncle never came to see me. Not even once…….”

Kailus seemed to grow sad again, trailing off. Then he rubbed his reddened eyes roughly with his tiny hands.

Chester, at a loss for words, froze. Just as the atmosphere was about to grow awkward, Yurenia quickly interjected.

“But you know, Duke Chester cares for young master Kail very much. He even asked me to take good care of his nephew.”

She took out a handkerchief and held it to the child’s nose. Then she prompted him with a “Hmph.”

Kailus closed his eyes tightly and blew his nose, and she carefully wiped the tip of his nose. Then she winked at Chester.

“Right, Your Grace?”

“Of course.”

Chester answered hastily.

“I don’t hate you. You’re my precious nephew.”

“Then will you come to see me often from now on?”

Chester’s eyes darted quickly to Yurenia at the child’s question. Catching her cue, he nodded firmly.

“I’ll make time as much as I can.”

“Will you eat with me too?”

“Well—”

“He will.”

As Chester hesitated awkwardly, Yurenia said hurriedly.

As the head of the household, Chester had many external commitments. Meetings over meals and dinner invitations were frequent.

But what mattered now wasn’t the adult’s circumstances.

Explaining the situation could come later. Kailus wasn’t the type of child to throw a tantrum.

The child simply wanted an adult to hold his hand and listen to what he had to say.

For now, it was important to convey that his uncle loved Kailus. Yurenia mouthed silently toward the duke.

‘Tell him you’ll eat together.’

Reading Yurenia’s lips, Chester quickly composed his expression. He smiled and said to his nephew.

“Alright. As it happens, I have no prior engagements today, so let’s have dinner together later. I’ll try to make time for you whenever possible. Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

Kailus answered loudly and nodded at his uncle’s response.

Only then did Chester feel relieved. He hadn’t realized it, but his clenched fist was damp with sweat.

A conversation with a child who didn’t even reach his waist had been this nerve-wracking. Hardly befitting of Duke Valerio, who spoke without hesitation even before the Emperor.

“Then I’ll see you at dinner later, Kail.”

Chester spoke awkwardly and raised his hand. After hesitating in midair, he awkwardly placed his hand on the child’s head.

“Hehe.”

Kailus tilted his head and rubbed against his uncle’s stroking hand. Then he closed his eyes in relief.

Soon, the child was breathing evenly, softly snoring. The tension had melted away, and he had fallen asleep.

Chester silently watched his nephew.

The child, clutching the tutor’s collar with one hand, letting out small breaths.

Seeing his nephew asleep in clothes that didn’t even fit his small frame, Chester’s heart ached.

He had thought he was raising Kailus without lacking anything all this time.

It had all been a delusion.

“……Tutor.”

As Chester watched Kailus, his gaze fell upon Yurenia, who was holding the child preciously.

When Chester called out quietly, lowering his voice, she turned her gaze to look at him.

“What is it?”

“There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

At Chester’s words, Yurenia nodded.

She carefully lifted Kailus in her arms. When Chester tried to help, she said quietly.

‘Please carry him to his bed.’

Chester answered with a look and took his nephew. His expression hardened as he held Kailus in his arms.

The child was…… far too light.

Lighter than he looked.

“I’m going to dismiss the nanny.”

Chester stood by Kailus’s bed and spoke.

Instead of going outside, the two decided to talk quietly in the child’s room.

At Yurenia’s request.

She couldn’t leave the child, who had cried and struggled so much, alone in the room.

Fortunately, since Kailus was fast asleep, they could talk as long as they didn’t raise their voices.

“So I’d like you to take full charge of Kail from now on. Children are often separated from their nannies from age eight, so it’s not too early. Instead, I’ll double your salary. How does that sound?”

“Pardon……?”

Yurenia’s eyes widened at Chester’s words.

She had expected the nanny’s dismissal to some extent.

But entrusting Kailus entirely to her?

“I thought Your Grace would be angry with me.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because I recklessly stopped Your Grace earlier. It was behavior unbecoming of a mere servant. I apologize.”

As Yurenia apologized, Chester shrugged. He spoke as if it were nothing.

“I want you to keep doing that in the future. Intervene anytime for Kailus’s sake.”

“Pardon? But……”

“You’re allowed to. I give you permission.”

The duke himself was saying she could even argue with him.

An enormous privilege.

At the unexpected words, Yurenia’s mouth fell slightly open. Then she lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

“If that’s the case, may I ask one favor?”

At Yurenia’s request, Chester raised an eyebrow. He looked at her with curious eyes.