Who’s your dad?

Chapter 8 

“Even though I haven’t done anything?”

“I know best that the Viscountess is not the culprit, and you were down here with me long before the Marquis of Swabia was murdered, so don’t worry. Even if you were taken away, I’ll testify as a witness that you are innocent, by the way.”

“By the way?”

As Hannah spoke, her gaze shifted to Valerie.

“…Miss Valerie, is she not your father’s daughter?”

“Who?”

“His Grace.”

“What…?”

“Actually, I can’t tell you how surprised I was to see Miss Valerie at Your Grace’s feet earlier, the two look exactly alike.”

“Is that so?”

It wasn’t just my imagination.

“…….”

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Are you sure you don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

“No, because the mother doesn’t remember the biological father.”

“……I wish I could remember, I really do.”

A memory before I became Celeste. If only I could remember that, this would all make sense.

“Hold still, Viscountess.”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask your father if your mother doesn’t know?”

“……Huh?”

“Haven’t you noticed, Viscountess? The Duke’s gaze toward you and Miss Valerie wasn’t quite normal.”

“What…”

“I’ve learned something while marrying off my little sister at the age of five. It’s like a sixth sense, feeling the sinister aura from those who come to take away my precious treasures.”

“…Huh?”

“As I speak, I become more suspicious. Why did His Grace personally come all the way here? Even if it’s under the Emperor’s orders to find the murderer of Marquis Schwaben, there’s no way the next in line to the throne would travel this far out into the countryside, when he could have had his knights or investigators under him do the job.”

Hannah was evolving her thoughts alone.

“It’s clear, Marquis. If His Grace comes again tomorrow, I’ll find out about the past between you and him.”

Her pupils seemed a bit off.

Based on past experience, when Hannah had this look in her eyes, nothing anyone said would get through to her.

This is serious.

* * *

Predictions inevitably become reality.

I alternated my gaze between the woman next to me and the man opposite. The tense standoff had been going on for an hour.

“Sigh…”

Karl and I, along with our spokespersons, sat facing each other again at the same table as yesterday. Our side had, at most, just Hannah and me, while their side seemed to have at least a dozen.

One, two, three, four… silently counting the knights, I hastily averted my gaze when Karl and I made eye contact. I couldn’t understand why my heart felt so uneasy every time our eyes met.

As soon as the day broke, Duke Albrecht, accompanied by his knights, stormed back into the house. With a single gesture, he nullified all the defenses and arguments that Hannah and I had prepared. How could he do such a thing?

“I’ll say it again, this is a warrant stamped with the Emperor’s seal.”

Yes, that warrant! That was the reason. That warrant, stamped with the Emperor’s seal, was enough to shut down any argument, turning Hannah, the brilliant lawyer, into a powerless spectator.

There was nothing left but testimonies from those around me to prove my presence in Urentum during the time of Marquis Schwaben’s murder. Therefore, even the claim of having the right to refuse compulsory summons lost its weight.

But Hannah was still holding her ground.

“If you do not willingly comply with the investigation by the investigative team, we also have the authority to carry out compulsory execution.”

A large man, standing next to Karl with an expression as cold as stone, extended the warrant towards us. What was his name again?

“The investigation must proceed as quickly as possible, given the seriousness of the matter. That’s why the warrant, stamped with the Emperor’s seal, was issued, isn’t it?”

“We’re not refusing to cooperate with the investigation. We simply wish to negotiate the date and location…”

“Given the nature of the case, it is necessary to proceed with the investigation as soon as possible. Hence, the warrant was stamped with the Emperor’s seal.”

“So you shouldn’t rush things. You should conduct the investigation with caution and thoroughness, considering the gravity of the matter.”

Well done, Hannah.

In the midst of the heated debate between the two representatives of each faction, Karl remained silent, observing the situation. What was he thinking? His brow furrowed deeply.

“……When did you get married?”

The question, barely audible, seemed out of place.

“Pardon?”

It was a small voice, but it was enough to stop both Hannah and the man in their tracks. Everyone’s attention shifted towards us, following the unexpected question about marriage.

“I don’t think there has ever been news of a marriage from Viscountess Louisette.”

The question, aimed at Valérie, was intended to be about her. 

It was an unkind question, cutting to the chase without any preamble. The real intent behind it was clear to me.

No, wait. Our perceptive Hannah… She also started sending me signals, indicating she had caught on to Karl’s intentions.

Discussing personal matters like marriage at a gathering to debate the Emperor’s decree seemed odd, especially considering the private nature of the topic. It would be seen by the knights, who knew nothing of the child, as a personal agenda creeping into their public duty.

Regardless of the intent, Karl’s attention was solely focused on my lips, waiting eagerly for my response, as if the answer lay solely in my words.

“Ababua.”

The attention of the knights, who had gathered around me, was suddenly diverted.

“Abababa.”

Hannah quickly got up from her seat, and behind her, the eyes of a curious child, barely able to reach an adult’s knees, clung to the door frame with pudgy hands, looking puzzled.

It seemed that Valérie, awakened from her sleep, had ventured out of the guest room on the ground floor, where she had been laid to rest on a cot.

I left the door to her room slightly ajar to avoid startling her, but she got up without looking for her mother and walked toward the sound with wobbly steps.

As the door swung open with a creak, Valérie’s full figure was revealed. At that moment, someone gasped audibly, inhaling sharply. It was probably one of Karl’s knights.

“Ah, when did you wake up? You didn’t even cry. Oh, you’re so sweet.”

Hannah rushed to the guest room and swiftly scooped up the child in her arms. The sight of Valerie’s face against Hannah’s sturdy bicep was reassuring.

“I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave Valerie alone.”

Holding the child, Hannah returned to the table and sat down. The knights maintained their silence, but the atmosphere around them had changed. Their eyes, tinged with slight confusion, darted back and forth between Valerie and me.

Oh, yes. Mother and daughter, obviously.

They wouldn’t entertain any other possibilities, especially with our matching purple hair. Purple was the symbol of the Viscountess Louisette.

As the knights processed these thoughts, their confusion and bewilderment deepened, spreading slowly through the air.

“Baba, papa, daddy.”

Valerie began reaching out and babbling. Her hand pointed diagonally across the table, toward where Karl was seated.

From a group assembled to arrest a suspect, suddenly appeared the child of an unmarried suspect. It was truly unexpected.

Moreover, the baby was calling someone unexpected “daddy.” It was addressing someone who looked just like them—their superior. The knights exchanged perplexed glances.

During this awkward and confusing silence, there was a sudden knock.

“Are you there, madam?”

Someone had arrived.

“Madam!”

It was the detective, of all people, at this moment.

With the sound of knocking on the door, Karl’s movements momentarily froze. Amidst the dilemma of whether to go and open the door or to sit quietly and ignore it, a grim shadow fell over Karl’s face.

Of course, I couldn’t fathom the reason for his anger, so I simply assumed that Karl’s furious expression was merely instinctual caution towards a stranger.

“Madam! It’s me!”

As I glanced at Karl, pondering my next move, the detective continued knocking persistently. Pretending not to be home seemed futile. It would be better to open the door and send him away for now.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Hannah nodded and rose from her seat. I reached out and handed Valerie over to her.

“The child… Is she calling you ‘dad’?”

“Pardon?”

Karl muttered something, but I couldn’t quite catch it. Nonetheless, he remained silent, keeping his mouth shut.