The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

Chapter 23: Grand...father?

The morning at the Luminel mansion bustled with activity.

From the crack of dawn, maids rose to inspect the estate's cleanliness. In the kitchen, they sweated over an elaborate feast. Numerous executive assistants waited to hand over documents.

On such an early morning, Tina opened her sky-blue eyes wide.

"Yaaawn..."

She stretched, yawning. Though not usually an early riser, she woke up earlier than usual, perhaps due to the unfamiliar surroundings.

The drowsiness had faded, and finding it boring to wait for full daybreak, Tina ventured outside.

The first thing she noticed were the bustling maids. At the same time, the maids spotted Tina rubbing her eyes and made a fuss.

"Oh my, young miss! How are you up so early..."

"My mom's not here right now, you know?"

"I'm not referring to the Duchess, but to you, miss. Was something not to your liking?"

"No...? I just woke up early and came out because I was bored."

"Oh... I see. That's a relief."

The mansion's maids were exceedingly polite to Tina. This wasn't limited to her alone.

Elphisia and Duke Cardi had given strict orders not to show the slightest disrespect. While most maids in a ducal household would instinctively be kind, this was a precaution against those who might forget their place and speak out of turn.

Unaware of these circumstances, Tina innocently asked:

"By the way, where are mom and dad? I want to sleep with them too."

Head maid Rotella, with over 20 years of service at the capital's ducal residence, found herself facing the greatest challenge of her life.

"That, that is... absolutely out of the question."

"Why? I'm mom and dad's daughter... Really..."

Tina assumed they were against it because she wasn't Elphisia's biological daughter. As Tina's face fell slightly, Rotella panicked, gesticulating wildly.

"Oh my, we wouldn't dare doubt such an important truth. It's just that... today, during the day. Yes! It's not convenient until daytime."

"Why?"

"Your parents are a loving couple, aren't they?"

"Yes, that's right. Mom and dad even kissed in the carriage!"

"Ki...!"

Rotella couldn't finish her word, her eyes glazing over with emotion.

"So our Duchess has finally found her destiny... I'm truly delighted. What does social status matter? As long as one is happy, that's all that counts."

Muttering tenderly to herself, Rotella placed her hands on Tina's shoulders with an intense gaze.

"But miss, that's precisely why I can't let you go."

"What's the reason?"

"You see, for a happy marriage, couples need time to share their love. But if that time is interrupted, they might grow distant."

"Oh no, really? Then dad and mom should sleep in the same room every day, right?"

"Well..."

Ideally, that would be the case for a perfect couple. But the reality of aristocratic society was different. It was common to share a bed only on designated days, and separate bedrooms were the norm.

However, Rotella's loyalty to the ducal family was too deep to teach such harsh realities.

"Of course...! As their daughter, you must scold them severely if they try to use separate rooms."

"Ooh, I got it. I'll get really angry and make sure they share their love in the same room every day!"

"That's the right attitude. As head maid, I feel truly reassured."

Despite her words, Rotella couldn't easily understand her master's decision.

With Elphisia being the only direct descendant of the Luminel ducal family, she couldn't fathom why they'd deliberately leave the blemish of a commoner husband.

Though it was enough that Elphisia was happy... still, she felt sorry for her, given that her partner already had a child.

'At least she's an adopted daughter...'

Moreover, being a former holy knight, he should be pure of body. It was a small mercy that he wasn't some vulgar man, at the very least.

Above all, with such an adorable daughter, adopting one wouldn't be much trouble. In fact, it was common for noble houses to adopt commoner children for the sake of their image.

Rotella made up her mind and smiled kindly.

"Miss, since you're no longer sleepy, shall we explore the mansion?"

"Really? How far can we go?"

"If there's anywhere you'd like to see, I'll guide you there."

"Wow, how exciting! So... what should I call you?"

Having chattered away, she now felt awkward asking. Finding the child-like behavior endearing, warmth naturally seeped into Rotella's voice.

"I am Head Maid Rotella."

"Okay! Head Maid Rotella."

And so, Tina's grand adventure of tiptoeing around the mansion began.

---

---

However, adventure was one thing, and Tina paid the price for adventure preparation in full.

She had to endure not only wearing a dress for the first time in her life, but also the attentions of three maids for an extended period. Tina was especially surprised by the meticulous bathing service.

Until now, her baths had been mere formalities, just splashing around a bit.

She found it amazing that her outing preparations were perfectly completed without her doing anything.

"The dress feels really uncomfortable."

"All the young ladies in the capital dress up like this. Look in the mirror, isn't it pretty?"

"Yes. It's very... very, very pretty..."

Embarrassed to praise herself, Tina lowered her head, clutching the hem of her skirt. The maids who had helped with her grooming all blushed, finding her demeanor heart-meltingly cute.

"I've seen many young ladies your age, but you're the cutest I've ever met!"

"Especially your eyes, aren't they beautiful? The color is so clear, it's like you could get lost in them."

"When you grow up, won't the men around you go crazy? It's almost a shame..."

At the last comment, Tina confidently raised the corners of her mouth and declared proudly:

"It's okay! Because I'm going to marry dad and mom!"

It was a statement that struck a chord with the commoner maids. Especially in the conservative aristocratic society, such a pure resolve was rarely heard, resonating well with the maids' sensibilities.

"If I had a son or daughter like this, I'd want for nothing in the world..."

"Right? Who cares about money? Nothing's better than raising good children."

"The Duchess's husband will have a lot to worry about in the future..."

The maids' well-meaning chatter went on. As Tina listened intently to their conversation without understanding, Head Maid Rotella cut in at an opportune moment.

"Miss, shall we go now? We should tour the mansion."

"Okay!"

"That's mean, Head Maid."

"We could guide her well too..."

Faced with their complaints, Rotella smiled victoriously.

"How long have I been in this mansion? You think I can't guide better than you?"

The weight of 20 years easily dismissed the maids' objections.

Above all, there was a reason why no one could look down on Tina as long as Rotella accompanied her.

Although the head maid was also a commoner, her long years of devotion to the ducal family had elevated her status far beyond that of an ordinary commoner.

Tina looked around as if observing an unfamiliar landscape, then suddenly fixed her gaze on the numerous frames.

"Head Maid! What are these paintings?"

"They're portraits of the past Dukes."

"But why doesn't this one look like a person?"

"Ahem...! M-Miss...! You must be careful with your words...!"

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

The portrait Tina pointed to clearly had a different style from the others. To the eyes of an ordinary child of this era, it would seem crudely painted.

"This... was a popular style 70 years ago. That's why the Duke's portrait from that time was made like this."

"Ah, so the ones on the right are closer to now, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Tina moved to the right, then suddenly stopped at the last portrait.

"Then is this mom's dad?"

"That's the current Duke. His name is Cardi Luminel."

"Wow, no wonder mom is pretty. This seems like the most handsome of all the Duke portraits I've seen!"

"Hehe, though the Duchess takes after her mother, she surely has a good portion of the Duke's genes too."

Tina had to tilt her head at the unfamiliar word.

"What's 'genes'?"

"It means she resembles her late mother more."

"Oh..."

Tina had no idea that Elphisia's mother had passed away. Hearing it from Rotella's lips somehow made her sad.

She had felt heartbroken when rejected by her birth mother, but couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for her to pass away.

"Poor mom... And poor mom's dad..."

"Indeed. The Duchess was very young, but the Duke truly loved his wife. That's why he hasn't even taken a mistress until now... Oh, I've misspoken."

Rotella's guard dropped for a moment, charmed by the kind-hearted child before her. Her iron-clad rule of never speaking carelessly about her masters was easily broken.

Tina's sad face had the power to crumble even habits ingrained over many years.

"...Shall we go, miss?"

"Yes..."

Rotella continued with vivid descriptions to cheer Tina up. Tina seemed to gradually recover from the shock as she toured the splendid mansion.

At the corridor that branched into two, a massive door commanded attention. Rotella kindly explained this as well.

"This is the banquet hall. You'll be using this place from now on, miss. And... the Duke rises earlier than others, so he's having his formal meal now."

"What's a banquet and a formal meal?"

"...They're both meals."

"Ah. Sometimes the words seem too difficult. I wish I was as smart as Yulian."

'Yulian... that's the alias the Third Prince is currently using.'

It's unfair to compare the knowledge of a commoner with that of royalty. Rotella wanted to convey this but felt Tina, who had been interacting with him as an equal until now, would find it hard to accept.

So she was thinking how to encourage her when...

Creeak...

The banquet hall door, which no one had touched, opened by itself. Immediately, the fragrant smell of the formal meal wafted out.

Rotella, spotting the man seated across, hastily bowed.

"We greet the Duke."

"Uh, um, I greet you too...?"

Tina instinctively followed her clumsily. From inside, Duke Cardi gestured, beckoning Tina.

"I didn't have a chance to see your face yesterday... So you're the child called Tina."

"That's right..."

"Come here."

"Uh... uh..."

Tina slightly turned her head, glancing at Rotella. Rotella immediately nodded, giving her the go-ahead.

Thus, Tina passed between the two doorkeepers and entered the banquet hall.

Cardi gestured once more to Tina, who stood there blankly.

"Come sit here."

Tina pulled out a chair far away. But Cardi shook his head and spoke.

"Closer."

"Here...?"

"Come closer."

"This far...?"

"Hmm, you're being timid, inching forward bit by bit. I mean the seat right next to me."

"Oh, okay..."

Tina carefully approached and wriggled into the chair. Cardi casually asked the visibly tense Tina.

"Since we've met like this, let's have breakfast together. Do you have any favorite foods?"

"Um... well, I eat everything well."

"Hmm, then let's have the same menu as mine."

The Duke called out loudly.

"Bring the same as mine, but sized for a child to eat!"

"Yes, understood, Your Grace."

As the waiting attendant began to move swiftly, Cardi cut a small piece of meat. He then moved it to an empty plate and pushed it towards Tina's space.

"Try this."

"Huh?"

"We should see if it suits your taste, shouldn't we?"

"O-Okay."

Tina pierced the meat with the fork she was given and brought it to her lips. Even before eating, the smell was intoxicatingly good.

When the meat fully touched her tongue, Tina's blue eyes sparkled.

"It'sh sho good...!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

Cardi left a brief comment and began cutting the meat again. Tina stared intently at Cardi's actions.

Tina, who had been hunching her shoulders and hesitating, finally gathered the courage to ask a question.

"Should I... call you grandfather?"

"Call me whatever you like."

"Then I'll call you grandpadr."

"What?"

"Ah..."

Tina bit her inner cheek out of nervousness. As a result, she ended up saying "grandpadr" like a baby instead of "grandfather" as she had intended.

Cardi, who had paused for a moment, chuckled.

"Grandpadr is... fine too."

"It's grandfather...! Because you're grandfather!"

"What a pity."

"Ugh..."

It was only natural for Tina to be nervous.

Though still young, she's not oblivious. Not being Elphisia's biological daughter, she had already given up expecting unconditional welcome. But meeting her grandfather in person, his impression wasn't as bad as she'd feared, which left her confused.

And that's not all.

"You're even more handsome than in the painting..."

"That's quite an honor."

"Eek!"

Tina let out a shrill cry.

"Did I just say that out loud...?"

"You did. It was quite pleasant to hear. I see you passed by the corridor with the portraits of past heads of the family."

"That's right..."

"And one of them must have looked quite ridiculous."

"That's right! ... I mean, no, it was an excellent style... probably..."

"No need to sugarcoat it. My thoughts aren't much different."

"Ah...!"

Tina's face finally brightened. Discovering that someone shared her honest sentiments inexplicably lifted her spirits.

Meanwhile, Cardi, silently observing Tina, was inwardly concealing his surprise.

'This child is mixed. Something not human, but immensely powerful...'

Having received no such report, it felt like an unexpected gift.

Surely, the power this child could effortlessly display would require an ordinary person to twist their body to unleash. The tiny life before him was born with talent that transcended biological norms.

'Not bad at all. Even if not a blood relative, such a granddaughter leaves nothing to be desired.'

In terms of appearance, she was certainly at a level to anticipate a promising future, and in terms of power, she could probably subdue a royal knight or two even now. A clear future of growing into a human of various uses was evident.

He had only wanted Harte, but this was like a windfall.

However.

"You're small."

"Pardon?"

"I'm referring to your height."

"That's... I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. This must be due to a lack of proper nutrition."

The chair was too low and the table too high for Tina to eat comfortably. So Cardi stood up, lifted Tina, and sat her on his lap.

"Grandfather?"

Ignoring Tina's call, Cardi continued his speech.

"First, you need to gain weight. Fat gained in childhood tends to turn into height."

"Um... well. I only eat a little..."

"Nonsense, you won't leave until I deem you've eaten enough."

"Okay..."

Tina finally acquiesced. She had no choice but to welcome the meat and vegetables pouring into her mouth.

It was a morning when Cardi's formal meal became unprecedentedly long.