Lucy’s innocent laughter accompanied them.

The children who had been following Derek from behind whispered to their mothers and rolled their eyes.

Being children, they couldn’t control their volume, so all the gathered ladies heard their conversation.

“Mom. Miss Lucy says the Duchess is an angel and teaches her all her studies. Is it true? Is the Duchess an angel?”

One child who said that glanced at Eriel and quietly continued.

“But the Duchess really does look like an angel.”

While Jessica was biting her lower lip, Lucy took a step forward towards her.

“As his cousin, couldn’t I be of help to Brother Derek? Although I’m a year younger, I think I could teach Brother Derek history.”

Looking only at the child’s sweet intentions, it wasn’t a bad thing to say. After all, she meant to help.

However, it was quite insulting for Lucy, who was a year younger, to say she would teach Derek.

Eriel anxiously glanced at Jessica, but fortunately, due to the large crowd gathered, Jessica crouched down to meet Lucy’s eyes with a smiling face.

“Miss Lucy. Brother Derek is just nervous because it’s been a long time since he’s visited the imperial palace. There’s no problem at all, so it’s fine. More importantly, Miss Lucy…”

Just as Jessica’s lecture was about to continue, Lucy’s head turned around.

Damian, who had just finished his audience, was standing in the center of the hall.

“Dad!!”

Lucy shouted loudly, looking at Damian.

Eriel was startled by the voice that shook the banquet hall.

Thinking that her daughter, who displays perfect etiquette, couldn’t make such a mistake, she opened her mouth in shock, especially since the person Lucy called out to was none other than Damian.

Before she could stop her, Lucy’s feet were already moving.

Lucy ran towards Damian with her arms wide open.

Damian, holding a champagne glass in one hand, looked at his daughter Lucy without much reaction, just tilting his head slightly.

Then he smirked, put down his champagne glass, and lifted Lucy up.

The scene was such a tender image of a loving father that Eriel covered her mouth.

“Dad!”

Lucy, held in her father’s arms, hugged Damian’s neck and smiled brightly.

Damian gazed at Lucy with an inexplicable smirk.

Everyone seemed surprised by Lucy’s loud voice at first, but then smiled warmly at the affectionate father-daughter scene.

And among them, Eriel was undoubtedly the most delighted.

Eriel was on the verge of tears from emotion.

She had worried a lot because Lucy seemed to feel hostility towards her father at home, but it looked like she was acting spoiled since her parents were the only ones she could rely on outside.

Of course, she would have to teach her that it’s impolite to shout in crowded places or interrupt adults when they’re speaking, but still.

“Eriel.”

Damian, holding Lucy, approached Eriel.

As Lucy, who had been hugging Damian’s neck, stretched out her arms towards Eriel, Damian pulled Lucy’s arms back.

“Lucy.”

As Damian said that, Lucy whispered something in Damian’s ear with a bright smile.

While Eriel was curious about what father and daughter were whispering about, she wanted to preserve this small and precious moment.

Next time, it might be good to invite a painter to the house and have a painting made including Damian.

A pose like today’s would be for personal collection! The image of Lucy whispering to Damian would be so beautiful.

And it would be good to have a neat pose painted to hang in the center of the duke’s residence.

Come to think of it, we still don’t have a family portrait.

“My lady.”

Damian gently called out to Eriel, who was completely lost in thoughts of preserving this moment.

“It seemed like Lucy was hearing something from Lady Jessica. Did Lucy do something wrong?”

Damian’s gaze shifted from Eriel to Jessica. As Eriel opened her mouth with a slightly flustered expression, Jessica bowed her head first.

“…No, Your Grace. Derek was just a bit startled from being nervous about visiting the imperial palace. I apologize, but would it be alright if I take Derek and leave first?”

“Children can be like that in unfamiliar situations. Go ahead, my lady.”

As Damian nodded readily, Jessica left the group, taking care of Derek.

“Dad, put me down.”

At Lucy’s words, Damian carefully lowered Lucy to the ground.

Then, as if he had finished his task, he made eye contact with Eriel and the surrounding ladies before walking away.

Eriel tilted her head, watching her husband’s retreating back. He definitely wasn’t the type to add words in situations like this.

He wasn’t the type to step forward in such matters… The only thing that changed was our daughter! They say fathers are weak to their daughters. Could this be what that means?

Eriel thought of her own father and found it a bit strange, but she thought Damian might be a bit different.

And that planted a very pleasant expectation.

Perhaps even if their views on child-rearing differed slightly, they might share the same big direction of loving and respecting the child.

Among the ladies saying how nice the father-daughter relationship looked, Eriel carefully asked Lucy.

“Lucy, what did you talk about with Dad?”

“Well… It’s a secret from Mom.”

“A secret?”

As Eriel opened her eyes wide in surprise, Lucy smiled.

“Actually… I asked if Mom wasn’t really pretty. He said Mom is the prettiest in the world.”

Lucy said with a bright smile. Eriel blushed and cleared her throat unnecessarily.

“Did Dad really say that?”

“…Yes! Oh, Mom, did you pray with Dad yesterday?”

Eriel smiled gently at Lucy’s question.

“Well. That’s Mom’s secret too.”

“Huh? I told you, why is it a secret for Mom?”

Eriel poked Lucy’s puffed-up cheek with her finger and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m sure you talked about something else with Dad besides that? It seemed like a longer~ conversation.”

“Um, Mom, I’m hungry.”

Eriel burst out laughing at Lucy’s light change of subject and picked her up.

She decided to go along with the cute lie. After all, this was creating memories between Lucy and her father.

*

“Damian. I think you’re right after all. Our Lucy seems to need a tutor.”

Eriel spoke with conviction in the carriage on the way back to the mansion.

Lucy was fast asleep, lying with her head on Eriel’s lap, while Damian was watching Eriel and Lucy.

Even as she spoke to Damian, Eriel smiled while stroking Lucy’s golden hair.

“It seems our daughter is not ordinary after all.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at Eriel’s words and then nodded.

“It seems so.”

“Right? You heard it too! Our Lucy has already read the Empire’s history books!”

Eriel lifted her head with a bright expression.

“I think our daughter might be a genius! Oh, what should we do. It’s all because she takes after you.”

The affectionate Eriel always had a habit of praising others when she spoke, and this time was no exception.

Takes after me… Damian smirked. He wasn’t sure about genius, but his daughter did seem quite cunning.

It was the same at the banquet hall.

To others, it might have looked like she was excited to see her dad and ran over, but Lucy was clearly blackmailing Damian.

From the moment she ran over, she mouthed, ‘Stone, hug me. Mom’s watching.’

The fact that she mentioned Eriel was watching was a smart move. It was a sentence that accurately grasped how to blackmail her target.

“She does seem to have some traits that take after me.”

Damian readily admitted that much. They say blood will tell, and while her eyes resembled Eriel’s, what was inside was all Damian.

Moreover, when he picked her up, she proposed a deal in a whisper.

‘If you go along with getting rid of Aunt Jessica, I’ll help with your relationship with Mom.’

It was quite a plausible threat.

‘If you want a sibling, shouldn’t you use persuasion instead of threats?’

When Damian retorted, Lucy snorted.

The tiny thing made expressions and actions that only a much older adult would typically make.

She wouldn’t have learned this behavior from Eriel, and if she had learned it, she must have seen it from someone.

Perhaps she had been sneaking peeks at the maids during their break time.

‘If you don’t pray, I’ll sleep with Mom every day. I don’t need you, Dad, except for a sibling.’

‘Is that so? Then why did you offer to help?’

‘Because Mom needs Dad.’

The child’s green eyes were bright and clear. Her distinctions of affection were clear.

She said Dad was not just a stone but unnecessary, while taking great care of Mom.

Finding it funny, Damian chuckled and went along with Lucy’s words.

If Lucy asked to sleep together every day, Eriel would certainly do so without hesitation.

Of course, if Damian said one word to Eriel, she would inevitably sleep in the bedroom.

Eriel was that kind of woman. But Damian didn’t want to have his wife by his side that way.

Damian liked Eriel who voluntarily worried about him and showed affection.

He didn’t want to experience her turning away with sulky eyes like yesterday.