Chapter 43
Angel walked with lifeless, dragging steps. Then he stepped into a puddle on the ground. Dirty water splashed onto his pant leg, but Angel didn’t bother to clean it.
He didn’t even think of maintaining his usual principle that an imperial knight must uphold dignity at all times and places. Angel just kept walking with vacant eyes.
Because Laura’s words wouldn’t leave his mind.
“His Highness already knows.”
“Which means, Sir Angel, it’s not something you need to interfere in.”
Asher had drafted a separate contract with Laura. Even Angel didn’t know the details. No matter how close he was as Asher’s right hand, he had no right to pry into their personal matters.
So, while Asher and Laura discussed the child, it was possible they never bothered to inform Angel. Who was he to expect they’d tell him every little thing anyway?
What Angel cared about was something else.
‘That blonde hair was unmistakably the imperial color.’
In the empire, gold was considered sacred – a sign of being loved by God. Only a few hundred years ago, imperial family members without gold hair couldn’t even become Emperor.
Yet Asher neither announced that he had a child nor offered Laura any financial support.
‘Does that mean he intends to let Lady Laura raise the child alone?’
They made the child together, but he had no intention of taking responsibility.
In other words—
‘His Highness is…’
Trash?
“Are you finally here?”
Startled, Angel lifted his head. The scenery had changed from what he thought was outdoors.
He realized he had absentmindedly walked into Asher’s office out of habit.
“Ah? Ah, yes, Your Highness.”
‘I almost said something I shouldn’t have.’
He quickly fixed his expression. Fortunately, Asher didn’t seem to notice anything strange.
“How did it go?”
“Nothing special happened… Lady Laura said she will need to discuss the specific details separately with the administrative officers.”
Angel explained the situation, leaving out that he had seen the child.
“I see.”
Even though the empire was a centralized state, no law could be created overnight.
It was only natural that they would review and discuss whether the proposed law was feasible or had loopholes. Laura’s words were logically flawless.
Asher lowered his gaze back to his desk. Angel watched him carefully and cautiously asked:
“Forgive my impertinence, but… is everything alright between you and Lady Rewaiz?”
To make his question sound natural, Angel added that Laura seemed unusually late today.
“Well…”
Normally, Asher would have ignored such a question, but lately he was deep in thought.
‘He couldn’t confidently say that he didn’t love Laura.’
Because there was too much evidence suggesting otherwise.
‘But he couldn’t be certain that he did love her, either…’
“I’m not sure.”
That was all Asher could say.
Angel frowned as soon as he heard Asher’s answer.
“You’re… not sure?”
How could he have no interest in the woman who bore his child?
‘He really is trash, isn’t he?’
As Angel’s thoughts spiraled into extremes, Asher was thinking of something else.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t her father Audrey bring over a necklace before?’
A pink diamond necklace with a birthday card for someone’s twentieth birthday – there was only one person it could have been for: Laura.
“I plan to deliver that necklace I had prepared earlier.”
This wasn’t out of personal desire. It was simply returning an item to its rightful owner.
“Do you think just handing over a gift will resolve everything?”
Of course, that was only what Asher thought.
In Angel’s mind, Asher’s evaluation plummeted straight down.
‘Trash that can’t even be burned…’
“More importantly, would you care to explain why you keep looking at me with that face? It’s quite unpleasant.”
Even as Asher finally put down his pen in annoyance, Angel remained trapped in his endless mental loop of ‘trash, trash, and more trash.’
Three hours later. After learning the whole truth, Angel left the palace with steps no different from when he had entered.
‘A settlement… sure, they must have reached some agreement. But…’
There were parts he still couldn’t accept, even after Asher’s explanation.
Asher had said that he didn’t know whether the child was his or not.
But he also added that it wasn’t impossible.
In other words—
‘That child could be a princess.’
Would it be acceptable for a princess to grow up in such a place?
In a household that was the origin of so many hidden crimes?
Moreover, when he quietly approached the child to test things out—
“I don’t have a daddy!”
The child didn’t even know who her father was.
And she didn’t seem to find that strange.
Apparently, Laura had told her nothing.
‘If they’re not planning to register her as a princess, perhaps it’s better that way. Knowing she carries noble blood wouldn’t change anything…’
Still, Angel couldn’t stop thinking about it. He began watching the Rewaiz mansion from afar.
As a result, he discovered that the child went out for a walk at the same time every day.
It was only a short walk between the main building and the annex, but during that time, she was alone.
Of course, he couldn’t just approach her empty-handed, so—
“Could you please prepare some food suitable for a child? I will compensate you.”
He even called in the chef from his regular restaurant to ask for help.
However, once he held the snack in his hand, his thoughts changed.
The child might find him burdensome.
From her perspective, Angel was nothing more than a strange man whose name or identity she didn’t know.
So Angel kept his distance and only left the gifts for her.
Seraphina figured out this new routine within four days.
‘Whenever I go for a walk, cookies appear!’
Recently, Laura had limited the number of cookies Seraphina could eat. Even Gepetto was wary of Laura and didn’t give her many. Seraphina was deeply dissatisfied.
But then, cookies she desperately craved were placed openly on a rock in the middle of the walkway!
‘And there’s more each time!’
Seraphina, afraid someone would see, hurriedly gobbled up the cookies. Seeing that, Angel thought he wasn’t leaving enough, so he increased the number.
Seraphina didn’t find any of this strange.
She simply rejoiced at this miracle and stuffed the cookies into her mouth as quickly as she could.
Within a week, her walk time became her favorite part of the day.
‘I bet the cookie fairy came today too!’
Afraid of being caught, Seraphina tiptoed along the path.
And sure enough, there was a gift waiting on the rock again.
However, this time, instead of cookies—
“Waaah—.”
A stuffed bunny with a ribbon on one ear was sitting there.
‘So soft and fluffy.’
Her toy room had dolls far more expensive and pretty than this one. Compared to them, this bunny was simply made of cotton with a plain shape. But its rough simplicity felt warm.
Seraphina hugged the doll tightly and rubbed her cheek against it.
Meanwhile, Angel watched Seraphina from outside the wall.
Thinking how much she resembled his lord made her small figure look even more pitiful and dear.
‘Still, I should get going.’
If he stayed any longer, he might be caught.
Just as he straightened his knees—
“Hey, mind having a little chat?”
Gepetto was standing behind him.
Gepetto was furious.
Seraphina completely ignored the snacks he gave her and was chewing on some unidentified treats instead.
‘What bastard gave her those snacks that she won’t even eat mine?’
He felt so upset that he could finally understand Laura’s anger when Seraphina refused to eat her meals.
And upon finding out that the giver was one of Asher’s close aides, Gepetto’s irritation reached its peak.
“Why do you keep hanging around? Gifts? Do you think she’s some beggar or something?”
“I only…”
“Do you think that kid needs a father? She’s perfect without one! She’s growing up just fine as she is!”
“Who in this world is born without a father?”
“Oh, look right there! She just fell straight from the sky!”
“Please don’t joke about something so ridiculous…”
“Anyway, what’s the point of trying to care for her now, huh? She’s just like me – she’ll grow up to be a total delinquent. Got it?”
“Wa-wait.”
Already annoyed, Gepetto turned his head irritably when Angel interrupted him.
And at that moment, he saw Seraphina.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”
Gepetto’s shoulders slumped instantly.
The reigning delinquent felt utterly small before the budding little delinquent.
Faced with a desperate crisis, Gepetto searched for a lifeline.
Finally making eye contact with Angel, Gepetto mouthed silently:
‘You explain.’
“Yes, it’s a gift for the Princess.”
“Get lost, you bastard.”
Angel tried to fulfill his duty until the end, but was kicked by Gepetto for his troubles.
