Chapter 248: Chapter 248
The flutter of our stomach felt maddening...
So nicely maddening I chuckled nervously at it. Reading again that memorable name at the end.
[ Zeleskiaz. ]
’... Zeleskiaz... Haha... So there are still some details I ignore about this morning...’
It made me feel happy to know that even though I didn’t notice when he left, he did leave a note for us. And... It’s not even a goodbye note... but one saying he will come back.
"~~!"
A delightful tremble flickered our chest and to it, I forced ourselves to stay calm and turn to look at the Duke so we could resume what we should be doing.
’Mm~ Not now! Let’s not go mad now, sweetheart.’
Trying to settle down the funny feeling of the other maiden inside this body, I felt our cheeks blushing. Steadily gaining warmth and colour as we kept recalling how his handwriting looked on the page we had turned to write ours... Picturing in our head the attempt of a little face accompanying his name... just like the one we had shown him before... With weird blush.
’Gosh... He’s... He’s not good at drawing...’ — I thought. Trying to restrain a grin although it probably wouldn’t even make it on the outside.
"... I wonder what it is that you plan to write..."
Then, I heard the Duke’s voice...
"Since it’s softening my lovely daughter’s visage... I wonder what it is."
... Proving my beliefs wrong with his loving tone.
’Oh..... So it has changed.....! Oh gosh!’
What kind of... Why by this!? Was it that simple a thing to achieve??
"Hmm? What’s wrong, sweetie? Haha... Does it make you shy that I notice?"
’Uhm.. Not really...’ — Avoiding his gaze, lying about not feeling shy, he then made it so I couldn’t help but face him.
Smiling sweetly as he tilted his head with now playful expression, Marianne’s Father came to take our face carefully in his hands. Lifting it slowly to make me meet his eyes. Those beautiful ones... that beamed while appreciating our face.
"Nonetheless, my beauteous bird... Don’t hide such lovely feathers. For it is a gift for these eyes to witness the colourful shade they are embracing in their growth... Just like that... Let the fair blush invade the cheeks of my kind daughter."
’ugh~... But, Mister!... this is...!’
"?... Perhaps now the lovely bird is upset? That cannot be... Can it, sweetie?"
’W–we are not~... Hehe... Goodness, we can’t even be upset now, haha.’
He looks so fascinated while teasing us after all~
Even when I know our face went back to being stiff.
’Alright! This gives me more hope! But! We have other issues to talk about, Mister! Don’t try to distract me~!’
Unintentionally, kinky had helped me get a nice expression out of this adorable Duke Marianne has as Father.
And feeling as playful as him... I took his hands! Pressing them to force the squish of my cheeks and make him laugh with Anne’s innate cuteness!
’Dooo~n’t teesh ush!’
"!!?! Hahaha! Oh goodness! Hahaha... Sweetie, now your cheeks truly are red... Oh my~ hahaha"
Still coming to caress my burning skin as I took the post-it notes in my hands again, the Duke continued to speak as I wrote the first few things I wanted to say.
"Although I love those cute cheeks, I don’t want them to redden like this~ hmm~? Sigh... so lovely... my dear baby..."
"–.."
Hearing him say that... I flinched for a fleeting second. Feeling more red as I tried to concentrate again on what I was trying to write.
’T–that took me off guard...’
I felt excited to be called a baby with a voice as tender as his. So adorably I felt shy too... Somehow also wondering if this would be the sensation I would have experienced if I had met my father in my past life.
’I–... I’m not a baby... but it even feels kind of nice to be upset about it... So odd...’
... This gives me a good idea to start this conversation.
[ It is because Father acted silly when I did not attend my chamber’s door! ]
Adding a puffing cheek simple drawing of a face, as cute and as lovely as us, I shoved the message close for him to see, blinking quickly in manifestation of my playful revenge.
"Oh?! I am silly, my dear?!? But... How come??"
"Excuse my intrusion, My Lord... I have brought the Lady’s breakfast..."
"? Ah, yes... Thank you, Paige. e–?!"
’Nope! I won’t fall for more distractions!!.... Kgh! D*mm it! ... the tea smells so nice!’
Lifting my index finger to stop his attempt to feed me that delicious food Paige had brought, I forced myself to finish writing what I really needed to say about this room... Swallowing the hunger for a bit longer even though I could feel the swirls of my empty stomach about to go on a rampage.
[ I could not hear any sound of yours until I took the Treasured Tear, Father.
Truthfully, after a few seconds of holding it, the sound gradually became noticeable and then, you entered the room. I had no time to attend your knock. ]
"... The Tear you say?... Are you certain, sweetie? Were you in complete silence before you took your treasure?"
’Yeah! I am certain, Mister~ Like... We even looked at the door before going for the tear and NOTHING. Compleeeete silence!’
... So silent it gave me the creeps too.
"..."
The ponder of the Duke made him change his fond expression into a serious one, which I felt was a pity. But deciding to wait, bringing my hand to my stomach in a gesture to ensure it wouldn’t start growling out of nowhere like the other day, I glanced at him with caution until he came to look at me to speak.
"Alright. If this is the case, that would explain yesterday’s issue too... But... Dear... Can I come to you and.. ask a few more things about this matter later? Is that alright with you?"
’?? Of course it’s fine! I’ll say what I think I can!... Although there isn’t much I can say besides what I already told you...’
But... Later? Not now???
"I don’t want to make you talk about this now... I simply want you to relish in this nice mood you woke up in."
Thoughtful as always, the Duke’s loving eyes watched us as he told us why we would speak about it at a later time even when it was kind of important. And then again, he didn’t forget to lean and share a little whisper with a sweet chuckle after conveying so.
"And... I know why your hand came to protect your front. I am also hungry. So let’s have breakfast, pure bird."
"...~~!"
’Busted, huh?... This man knows us too well... As expected of Marianne’s fan club President.’
Maybe I am not as illegible in our gestures as I thought we are... I tend to do things on purpose to communicate. But I was trying to be careful this time so he wouldn’t notice.
"Are you good to stand, sweetie?" — Standing from my side, Marianne’s Father held my hand, waiting for my answer. Probably to decide whether our breakfast would be served at the table or in bed.
Thankfully, I was well enough to stand and walk just fine. So I stood. And he walked me to my chair and helped me seat on it like always.
A gentlemanly Duke will always do as gentlemen do after all. And once he took his seat... Not in front of me but this time right beside me, he gave some instructions to the pair of doctors watching us, clearly feeling extra in our nice father-daughter scene.
"Deslys, Talmhach, I know I called for you to take a look at Marianne but..."
"Do not mind us, your Grace. We will come at a later hour... The Lady’s demeanour appears well today. So we can leave for a few minutes with ease." — Doctor Deslys answered the implied request of the Duke, bowing as he went off with the Royal physician.
Watching them leave with a grateful gaze the Duke kept silent after returning their bow. To then turn to me.
"Ah... That’s right, you are still on your night gowns, dear... Hmm, should we make an exception today and let you seat to the table as it is?"
’Yes!’
Immediately, I nodded. Since changing would take an annoying while and we shouldn’t make my stomach go through such torment right now.
He took care of me as if I was a sick child and I let it be since (he’s kind of right about that) and, thinking of how he must have felt to call so desperately on my door today... The worry must have taken quite a toll on this poor man.
Besides. It’s nice.
He’s very kind and gives very good suggestions when it comes to mix some flavours, hehe.
But... In the end, I honestly just wanted to pamper him by letting myself be pampered. It was so obvious how happy it made him to see us receive what he served. And as the good daughter we are, we should just let him enjoy it.
His caresses at times came to pinch our cheeks dearly and he even made it impossible for us to retrieve that one hand of us laying on the table since he always came back to grab it as he practically fed us.
’... Psht... This is really a bit too much, Mister.’ — I thought many times when I caught glance of our hands.
But either way, I was going to let it slide.
Because the expression I saw in him when he came to hug us this morning... Broke my heart.
And made me want to make it so that smile he had all through our breakfast to stay the most it could.