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IBP 49
He tightened his grip as he hugged Coco and spoke.
“I will adopt her again.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean by....”
“I can simply list her as the child of my former wife and me.”
His words stirred a violent commotion.
“Your Grace!”
“What is the matter, my lady?”
As Duke Ardos responded nonchalantly, Lucrezia bit the inside of her cheek.
She was speechless.
If he did that, Lucrezia's opposition would lose its power.
The child would not be her offspring, but the offspring of the former wife.
Furthermore, even the Senate could not interfere.
It would be a matter of recognizing her purely as a member of Duke Ardos's family.
This meant she wasn't being adopted as a ‘blessed child,’ right?
It was a brilliant justification that left no room for opposition.
Lucrezia gripped her fan tightly.
What was even more irritating was...
‘If this happens, I won't even be able to interfere with how the child is treated.’
She had been completely blindsided.
Having barely regained her composure, Lucrezia narrowed her eyes and asked one last thing.
“...Have you checked the family laws? It is quite troublesome for the family to have too many adopted children...”
“I am the head of this family.”
“....”
“There is absolutely no issue with the family laws.”
Everyone had predicted Coco's removal from the family.
However, as if the child had led fate itself to her side, she was registered in the family.
And in the most tumultuous way possible!
‘Is God truly protecting that child?’
But that couldn't be.
She was just a half-measure, with only a scar-mark appearing, wasn't she?
Lucrezia bit her lip.
* * *
“Anyway, what a clever little thing you are!”
“...Muuuung. Eupeu-eu. (It hurts.)”
Ever since my adoption was decided in the Grand Hall, Duke Ardos had become strange.
Duke Ardos spoke while stretching my cheek.
“Hahaha, to give a hint in such a way. Oh? This little one is as clever as Chloe was in her childhood.”
Uncle Berlan chimed in.
“So, in your words, there was no breakthrough in a situation where the Senate's opposition and the Duchess's opposition overlapped, right?”
“Yes.”
“And yet, this baby said, ‘I don't have to be Lady Lucrezia's daughter.’”
“Yes, and upon hearing that, it hit me. Ah, she doesn't necessarily have to be adopted as Lucrezia's daughter!”
Berlan frowned as if he were jealous.
“Goodness. How did you end up with such a cute, clever, and resourceful daughter?”
“That is a joy you wouldn't understand, Duke Berlan.”
“What?”
“Ahem. A joy that you, with three sons and no grandchildren, can never experience.”
“Hey! Fine, I guess you're just so happy to have a daughter, you brat.”
“Yes. I'm happy to have a youngest daughter.”
“Hup.”
The moment I heard those words, I faced a tremendous dilemma.
...Come to think of it, I had been so preoccupied with the idea of having an older sister and younger siblings that I hadn't thought of anything else.
‘Do I have to call Duke Ardos ‘Daddy’ now?’
I was originally a stray dog with no father or mother.
My only family was Big Sister Chloe.
‘I don't think the words will come out!’
While I was pondering this, Duke Ardos glanced at me.
Did he notice my troubled expression?
Duke Ardos cleared his throat and spoke.
“You do not have to call me ‘Duke.’”
“Yes?”
“Ahem, you can comfortably call me... well, whatever you like.”
“A-whatever?”
“Da... Daddy, or whatever you like.”
“Hup....”
Did he see my expression freeze in awkwardness?
“...Well, if it's awkward, you don't have to call me Daddy right away. Ahem. You can call me that when you want...”
“Yes! It's awkward, so I won't call you that!”
I let out a sigh of relief and wiped my chest with my hand.
“....”
“Pff, pfft, hahahaha! Oh, my goodness, my stomach hurts. You've found a truly amusing adversary in your old age!”
Duke Berlan clutched his stomach and rolled on the floor.
‘Why is he laughing?’
Duke Ardos ground his teeth and spoke to Berlan.
“Get out.”
“I refuse.”
“Get out. I need to talk to my youngest... ahem, daughter. Didn't she say something before about wanting to make a sweet potato cake for me?”
“Yes! That's right!”
“Then let's go make that.”
“...Good grief, it's a tragedy to be a father without a daughter.”
“Grandpa! You still have to live!”
At my spirited reply, the expressions of the two men distorted as if they were bursting into laughter.
Regardless, I was completely fixated on the words ‘sweet potato cake.’
Big Sister had told me before.
“My baby, you can't eat sweet potato cake, can you? This is even tastier than just plain sweet potatoes.”
So I had been curious all this time!
Duke Ardos said he would make a sweet potato cake with me to celebrate the adoption.
So I quickly spoke up.
“I want to make sweet potato cake with Big Sister too!”
“...With Chloe?”
“Yes!”
Actually, I had a very, very dark motive.
‘That way, Big Sister, Ruth, and Duke Ardos can get closer!’
Right now, everyone likes only me.
I know they like me because I'm a wonderful puppy who is very good at acting cute.
But they shouldn't only like me.
My goal is to make my Big Sister happy.
I quickly ran toward her.
* * *
In front of my grave.
A few days later, I lingered around the annex to meet Big Sister.
I waved my hand vigorously toward the window of her bedroom, where the curtains were drawn.
“Over here! Me! Please look at me!”
As I did a butt-dance as if wagging my tail, Big Sister came outside, pretending not to notice.
“What is it, you.”
She didn't seem to notice that the shawl she had hurriedly wrapped around her neck was dragging on the floor.
“It's cold, why are you standing outside?”
“I... I came to see Big Sister!”
“...Big Sister?”
I chattered away while following closely behind her.
“Yes! You promised! That you'd let me call you Big Sister!”
...Did she forget? She shouldn't have.
Feeling a bit anxious, I twitched my nose, and Big Sister murmured a beat late.
“I didn't forget. Then, you...”
“That's right! Now we're really sisters!”
At that moment, a faint glimmer of joy appeared on Big Sister's face.
“...Fine, then, whatever.”
“Hehe! Now you won't say anything even if I call you Big Sister every single day!”
“...Fine, I won't say anything.”
“Big Sister, Big Sister, Big Sisterrrr.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Big Sisterrrr.”
“I've heard ‘Big Sister’ a hundred times, and I've asked why a hundred times.”
Though she spoke primly, I couldn't help but giggle.
‘I'm reaaaally happy!’
I clung tightly to Big Sister's arm.
Then, I rubbed my face against her and smiled.
“Why are you so happy over a title?”
“Just because, I'm just so so so happy!”
Because it feels like I've been recognized as her real sister.
Because I feel like I'll be able to let her know that I'm Coco, I'm incredibly happy!
I couldn't say it like that, but I still beamed.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Me, me! I want to make sweet potato cake with Big Sister!”
Big Sister stared at my tummy and commented.
“I think you've already eaten a lot of cake.”
“Hut.”
“...It's bulging.”
I looked down at my stomach.
Just as Big Sister said, my tummy was bulging out...
‘Hing, I guess I ate too much.’
I flexed my round, protruding belly.
“Now it's not bulging even one bit!”
But Big Sister used to love touching my belly fat.
To be honest, I didn't feel great about it at the time, but I endured it because Big Sister was happy.
‘My belly fat that Big Sister likes!’
...Thinking up to this point, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Since I'm not a puppy anymore, Big Sister might not like my belly fat...!
I took a deep breath and tightened my stomach, then exhaled and let it pop back out.
Then, I heard Big Sister's voice in my ear.
“You said let's go make cake. Aren't you coming?”
...Hut, Big Sister had already walked far ahead.
I followed close behind her, chatting softly.
“I was worried about whether to match a chubby tummy or a skinny tummy, so my steps kept getting slower...”
“Good grief, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Big Sister let out a small laugh and gripped my hand tightly, pulling me along.
Was it because she often held a sword?
Her rough hand gripped me firmly.
“I get it, so hurry up.”
“Yes, Big Sister!”
And so, holding Big Sister's hand tightly, I entered the kitchen.
Inside, Duke Ardos, Ruth, the head chef, and the servants were already gathered in a crowd.
“I mean, really. Isn't this too many people just to make one cake, Father?”
“Naturally, since we don't know how to make a cake, we must learn.”
“Hut, they're already making the cake!”
I looked at Duke Ardos, who was enthusiastically piping whipped cream with overflowing passion.
Then, Ruth lifted me up with a hollow expression.
“It's truly like magic. How on earth did she turn even my father into that?”
I smiled brightly while munching on a soft piece of sweet potato pudding.
“Tastyyy!”
Duke Ardos gave me various things with a satisfied smile.
“I heard you like sweets, so I had some fruit desserts prepared specially. Try some.”
Fruit desserts?
As I tilted my head and looked at a tart topped with plenty of grapes, it happened.
“Hey, you know what? Dogs die if they eat grapes.”
“Eh, really? No way.”
“It's true. Want to experiment together? There's a puppy right there. Hey, try eating a grape.”
...Whose voice is this?
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