BXBX NOVEL Chapter 57: Duke’s Job
“Buuuu, Buu!”
“Wait a minute. Let me do this for a second.” Then, like magic, Adrian stopped struggling and became quiet.
“It seems like you understand everything in times like this.”
Adrian was hugged more tightly by Evelyn. It was amazing how his heart was pounding, and his hands and feet were wobbling in this little body. She wanted to hug him deeper, and just feeling the breath made her heart warm.
“Adrián, my Adrian.”
Adrian’s black hair, reminiscent of Fabian, softly tickled the tip of her nose. Evelyn loved him, who had once been her husband, but she didn’t want this child to grow up to be a man like him. It wasn’t because Fabian was a bad guy, but it was because his loneliness was sad.
“You’re going to grow up here … Running, falling, scolding, crying, but still a strong child.” Evelyn remembered her childhood when she was stronger and more energetic than she was now.
“But if you say you want to be a fairy, what am I supposed to do?”
She grew up to be an adult and became a mother, and the world was still full of difficulties. Even now, she felt so foolish to borrow Adrian’s warmth because she couldn’t settle her sad heart.
“Not a fairy, what if you say that you want to be an Emperor?”
Adrian grew day by day. One day, as he grew up, he should have known the secret.
Even if Evelyn didn’t regret it, what would she have done if Adrian had hated her? What would she have to say if Adrian had blamed her? Who was supposed to be the Emperor, but she raised him as the prince of this little kingdom?
“Maybe … because I’m weak, I’m ruining your future.”
The others had endured it. That’s how the Empress Dowager raised Fabian. But Evelyn was the only one who couldn’t do that. She was weak, and she couldn’t help. No matter how hard she tried, Evelyn couldn’t protect her child in the cold Imperial family. That was the limit of her.
“Still……I don’t know.”
Evelyn hugged Adrian, making eye contact with her precious child. His dark blue eyes were filled with images of herself.
“Hug!” shouted Adrian, his little mouth open.
“I’m hugging you.”
“Yes, hug! me, hug!” he said, but his gesture was a little different from usual. Adrian shook his arms, seemed to want something more, not to grumble or play.
“Hug!”
His little hand wrapped around Evelyn’s head. At the moment, Evelyn understood what Adrian was trying to do.
“Adrian”
“Hug!”
In an instant, Evelyn’s eyes turned red. She could tell for sure because he was the child she gave birth to. This little boy tried to reach out and hugged her.
“Hug! Hug!”
“Are you … -hugging me?”
“Hug!”
Evelyn’s tears fell. More than that, A deeper comfort and happiness spread through her heart.
“I said, I was a fool, wasn’t I?” Evelyn was no stronger than this child. It was all right, though. Even if she thought she was lacking, as long as she had Adrian’s warmth, Evelyn wouldn’t go off the road.
“I’m with my family … I can’t be unhappy. Even though I blame myself, I wouldn’t regret it.” No matter how the world changed, no matter how adult Adrian grew up, she couldn’t regret her choice. It was Evelyn’s destiny, the same as Adrian’s existence.
“Adrian, I can’t be a mother to you, but I’m going to be a family that will be by your side until the end of this world.” For Evelyn, it wasn’t a problem of not being able to act as a mother as long as she could see that Adrian grew up with a smile.
“I should be stronger like you to do that, right?”
Evelyn wiped her tears away and smiled brightly. Like magic, the child’s laughter seemed to carry on to Evelyn, too.
“Buuu, Buuu!”
“Yes, all right.”
Her stupid worries melted away at once and faded. Evelyn filled her eyes with her lovely child.
“You’ve grown a lot.”
Someday, Adrian would be bigger than Evelyn. It was still a long story, but she was looking forward to such a day.
“You were so small at first, you couldn’t open your eyes, and you didn’t even know your name?”
Adrian blew his cheeks as if he had heard what Evelyn had said. It was like he knew everything now.
“You’re my happiness.” Evelyn put Adrian down on his bed and laid down her tired body beside him for a while. Adrian twisted his body, and he pushed his face right in front of Evelyn’s nose before she knew it.
“Ah! Ah!”
” I will hug you again later.”
“Ah!” Adrian opened his eyes stubbornly. It seemed like the nap was wrong. “Ah … Buuuu.”
Evelyn looked at Adrian humming something, then she rose and sat down.
“Eve….”
“Huh? You want to say something else?”
Evelyn gazed at Adrian with a thoughtful heart. ‘Hug’ and ‘No,’ Adrian couldn’t say anything except those two words.
“Abu … -Lynn.”
“Huh?”
” I…Like..yu”
“Aburi! Abulyn!” he said. Evelyn opened her eyes wide, and it seemed that time had come to an end. Adrian looked straight at Evelyn and spoke.
“Ah, Evelyn, like, um …”
It was the happiest confession in her life. Evelyn thought she would never forget this moment. She even believed that she was born and lived for this moment. Happiness was pervaded at this moment.
“I, Ev…Lynn, like….”
“I like you.”
This time, she was overflowing with tears of joy. The fact that tears came out when she was too happy because she gave birth to Adrian didn’t know that until then.
“Adrian, I …….I love you.”
Unable to bear it, Evelyn hugged Adrian tightly, whispering again and again.
“More than anything else in the world, I love you.”
Evelyn’s life was meaningful enough to have that happiness right now. The vows of marriage to Fabian, the grief of breaking her vow and turning back, and the sorrow of pushing him away, were faintly dim and gone.
The King seemed to be able to arrive by tomorrow. Evelyn didn’t want to face Fabian again, and Liam just happened to take on a difficult role.
“It’s an honor to serve you, Your Majesty.”
Liam, who was kind enough to kneel on one knee, had no grain of sincerity. Looking at him, even in Fabian’s cold eyes, the feeling of reluctance was unchanged.
“I don’t expect it, because it’s not the Duke’s job in the first place.”
“However, it is a duty given by the Princess, so I will do my best.”
The motives of each of them were clearly revealed. The two men didn’t seem intent on hiding their intentions from the beginning.
“The duty is only the duty, and it can’t be up to you. How could a Duke in the periphery serve on the Emperor’s side?”
There was a sharp thorn in Fabian’s words. It sounded like Liam had no right to serve him or stand beside him, but Liam knew that it was clearly a warning that he shouldn’t approach Evelyn.
“There’s no man in Felice Kingdom who deserves to be on Your Majesty’s side. Since you are the ruler of the Empire.”
“What?” Fabian’s eyes shone ferociously.
“I said, Your Majesty’s glory is not worthy of a small kingdom like us.” Liam bowed his head gently, but his example was far from loyalty or obedience.
“Oh, so you think my glory is like Duke’s bowl.”
“…… Yes?”
“The Emperor is a being who embraces the whole continent. My glory will shine anywhere without exception. Forever … wherever my heart stays.”
Suddenly, Liam’s green eyes stopped for a moment, and Fabian looked at him. “Yes, and it doesn’t change forever.”
The warning was enough. Fabian, who thought so, looked down at Liam with an arrogant smile and walked away. Liam stood in place for a while and stared at his back.
“Duke? We must go and serve Your Majesty.” Serus said. He walked in front of Liam, who didn’t budge.
“It’s not my job,” Liam said.
“You said it was your duty.” Serus looked at Liam a little sullenly. But what was ridiculous was that Liam did the same thing.
“More than that… .. Sir Serus. Don’t talk to me so casually.”
“I have to accompany Your Majesty by your side.” Serus looked confident. “And the Duke said that he would serve His Majesty.”
At Serus’s word, Liam frowned unconsciously. “That’s right, no way…Don’t say that you’re going to follow me too.”
“Yes? If I, His Majesty’s close friend don’t go, who will go?”
Before Fabian’s warning had gone, another shock had arrived. Liam, who had a plain and straightforward personality, suddenly felt a rare migraine strike his brain.
“Sir Serus, don’t you know about my sister?”
“There’s no way that I don’t know Lady Rebecca from Akshire.”
“Hah …… well, let me ask you a different question. Who’s your brother?”
“The Duke of Perth.”
Liam’s patience was quite great.
“And?” Liam’s green eyes glared at Serus as if they were driving away.
“Ah.” Serus seemed to have noticed something now, and he knew it immediately. “The divorce of the two, I see.” Serus nodded calmly. “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in the past.”
Only
“Really?” Liam never had a moment when he wanted to side with her sister like now. Thought he wanted to hit Serus right now, Liam decided to give up that opportunity to Rebecca.
“Yes. Perth is basically like that.”
“You don’t care about the past at all? That’s a relief.”
“I think Lady Rebecca knows that part very well.”
Liam had recalled her sister. When she drank, Rebecca would curse the Perth’s men. It wasn’t wrong in a way, because she knew them well.
“I see,” said Liam, believing in Rebecca. “Let’s go to my house together, then.”
And Liam was curious. If Serus was beaten by a woman in the past, would he really not care at all. Once again, Liam sincerely cheered for her sister as he brought the Imperial man to Akshire today. It was time for Rebecca to have some fun.