CHAPTER 81……………………………
Am I missing something from the original story?
I mean, I’m only human—I can’t remember every single detail perfectly.
Especially since, in the original, Lloyd and Leona’s relationship was so cold and businesslike that it was hard to even understand how they could be called father and adopted daughter.
Completely different from how Lloyd now treasures Ayla, his current adopted daughter.
Now that I think about it, it kind of makes me mad. Why didn’t he ever show Leona affection? He adopted her himself—was he just discriminating against her?
Maybe my accusing gaze was too obvious, because Lloyd called out to me carefully.
“Madam?”
I didn’t know why he was giving me that look, but his innocent expression—as if to say he’d apologize more if necessary—somehow pricked at my conscience.
He’s not exactly clueless.
If anything, thanks to Priscilla, he’s probably an expert at reading people’s moods.
He must have sensed the wall I started putting up after realizing who he truly was—the Grand Duke.
Unable to meet his eyes for some reason, I quickly turned my head away.
“Th-That reminds me, now that the deal can’t be undone, it’s my turn to give you your part of the bargain.”
“Ah, right.”
Lloyd relaxed slightly, his stiff shoulders easing as he replied.
In truth, the Cat’s Eye mine was in a place Lloyd could have easily found if he’d only thought to look.
It was just that the location was considered too sacred to be disturbed.
“I’ve heard a little about the Millennium Tree Forest. They say it’s called that because the trees there live for a thousand years, right?”
The Millennium Tree Forest, deep within the Eckhardt Grand Duchy, was treated almost like a cultural treasure.
So no one dared touch it.
When the forest suddenly came up in a conversation that should’ve been about the mine’s location, Lloyd looked puzzled.
But only for a moment—his blue eyes soon filled with shock.
“Don’t tell me… it’s inside that forest?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Cat’s Eye mine is in there.”
Did he think my answer made no sense?
Lloyd’s previously gentle eyes turned sharp.
“How can you be so sure? As far as I know, Your Highness has never once set foot in the Grand Duchy.”
“If you’re the Grand Duke, I assume you’ve already investigated every nearby mine, right? And yet you haven’t found a single vein. Where was the first Cat’s Eye discovered?”
“It was… near the Millennium Tree Forest.”
See? There’s only one possible answer.
But perhaps because of the deeply ingrained belief that a thousand-year-old forest must never be disturbed, Lloyd still looked hesitant.
Separate from any guilt he might have felt toward me, it was clear he simply didn’t trust my claim.
His eyes said as much.
“I know I seem suspicious. I understand if you can’t believe me. But if you don’t trust me, you’ll be the one losing out.”
If he went through with this unwanted marriage and still didn’t get the Cat’s Eye, that would be a terrible deal.
“You said you wanted to free yourself from Lady Priscilla, didn’t you? At least for now, aren’t I more reliable than she is? Or are you planning to stay chained to her forever?”
Even Lloyd, who rarely lost his temper, couldn’t help but glare sharply at that provocation.
“The Millennium Tree Forest is vast. Tell me the exact location.”
Oh, so he can look like that too.
I’d wondered for a while if he might be a different person from the Grand Duke in the original story—but no, he was definitely the same man.
I swallowed a wry smile and nodded.
On the way back to the annex, I called the children out as well.
I needed to tell them that I’d married Lloyd.
“Mom!”
“Madam.”
But something about their eager faces was… off. Their eyes sparkled brightly, as if they already knew what I was about to say and were excited about it.
Lloyd murmured quietly, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Those two overheard our conversation. They already know we’re getting married.”
Without thinking, I slapped my forehead.
Oh, right. Aslan knew about the Grand Duke’s identity too.
So of course Ayla would have known as well.
Given her suspicious behavior ever since we came to the Grand Duchy, it made sense.
I took Aslan’s cheeks between my hands and squished them.
“Aslan, you little rascal. You knew Sir Menthe was the Grand Duke, didn’t you?”
As his soft cheeks stretched, Aslan inhaled sharply through his nose.
“Gasp—Uncle Id told you?!”
“I—I knew too!”
Ayla, looking flustered, quickly jumped in, unwilling to let Aslan take all the blame.
Clearly, Lloyd had told her to keep quiet.
Knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to scold her.
Not that I’d really planned to scold Aslan anyway.
I let go of his cheeks and sighed softly.
Then I placed my hands on both children’s shoulders.
“Alright. Just like you heard, I’m going to marry the Grand Duke. That means from now on, we’ll all be a family.”
At the word family, Ayla’s already-bright eyes sparkled like soap bubbles floating in the sunlight.
Come to think of it, back when I didn’t know Lloyd was Id, I’d once thought that if something happened to him, I might adopt Ayla myself.
I’d only thought about it—yet somehow I’d ended up becoming the mother of both the heroine and the villainess.
“Aslan, from now on you’ll call the Grand Duke ‘Dad,’ not ‘Uncle,’ okay? And Ayla, you’ll call me ‘Mom,’ not ‘Madam.’”
“Okay!”
“Wh-What?”
Aslan answered cheerfully, but Ayla looked quite flustered.
Right, she wasn’t used to calling anyone by those kinds of names.
I turned to Lloyd.
“Now that I think about it, isn’t it weird if only Ayla calls you ‘Father’ while I’m ‘Mom’? Shouldn’t it be the same?”
“That’s true.”
“Then, Ayla—you’ll call him ‘Dad’ from now on.”
“D-Dad?”
Ayla seemed even more startled than I’d expected.
Maybe Mom and Dad just sounded too childish for her?
She was still a kid, but she always wanted to act more grown-up.
Worried she might be uncomfortable, I quickly added,
“Ah, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to—”
“N-No, I’ll try…!”
But Ayla shook her head quickly, as if afraid I might take something precious away from her, and clenched her little fists with determination.
Her flushed cheeks made it clear she wasn’t unhappy—thank goodness.
After that, I explained our “family setup” to the kids.
“I was confined while pregnant with Aslan, and the Grand Duke didn’t know about it. Later, he adopted Ayla. That’s the story we’ll go with. Still, Ayla—you’re my daughter now. If anyone dares to treat you differently because you’re adopted, you come straight to me, got it?”
“Yes, Madam—oh, I mean, Mom.”
“Good.”
Her face turned red every time she said Mom, but it was only the first day—it’d get easier.
For some reason, I felt nostalgic, like when I used to take care of Ayla back at the Fran mansion.
Now that everything was more or less settled, it was time to talk seriously about the Cat’s Eye.
How could we possibly find an undeveloped mine in such a vast area?
Actually, it was simpler than it sounded.
In the Millennium Tree Forest, except for the lake-like wetlands, trees grew densely everywhere.
Except for one spot—one place where no trees grew at all.
That was the entrance to the mine.
Thankfully, Lloyd seemed to have an idea where that might be.
“There is one such place. But are you certain a mine lies beneath it?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd still looked doubtful.
But at the mention of “gems,” the children’s eyes lit up, and they began chirping excitedly.
“Gems? Are you and Uncle—uh, Mom and Dad—going to find gems?”
“What kind of gems, Mom? I’m curious!”
Thank goodness for the kids.
Their innocent chatter helped dispel the chilly tension that had been filling the room.
Though after all that lecturing about proper titles, they were still slipping up—so I gave a pointed little cough, and they quickly corrected themselves.
“Are Mom and Dad going to find gems?”
“M-Me too, I’m curious, Mom…”
“That’s better. Good job.”
I wasn’t exactly thrilled about marrying Lloyd, but at least the kids seemed happy about it.
As a small treat, I took off my earrings and showed them up close.
“See this? Remember, the Grand Duke gave this to me before?”
“I remember.”
Aslan played with the jewel for a bit before asking,
“Is it good to have a lot of these?”
“Hmm, I’d say yes. They’ll protect your Dad, and they’ll bring good things to our family too.”
The more gems, the better.
Hearing that, Aslan clenched the jewel tightly, whispered something to Ayla, and they exchanged a knowing glance.
Then, with perfectly synchronized timing, they both turned pleading eyes toward Lloyd.
“D—Dad. Can’t we at least try what Mom said? She said having lots of these gems would be good for you too!”
“F-Father—I mean, Dad… I’m curious about the mine too…”
Even the kids could tell Lloyd still didn’t quite trust me.
And their “puppy-eye” attack was devastatingly effective.
Lloyd had always been weak against those looks.
In the end, he dropped his head in defeat, as if declaring himself completely KO’d.
“…Very well. Call Pablo at once.”
“Yay!”
The kids cheered, and I offered them triumphant high-fives.
Smack!
Our palms met with a satisfying clap.
It really was true—sunshine beats a storm any day.
And just like that, the development of the Cat’s Eye mine began.
