‘Cu, cu, cut off?’

Bonita’s stiff eyes shook wildly. Through her small head flashed the ominous rumors she had heard about Duke Lisianthus.

“I heard Duke Lisianthus has gone completely mad these days. They say screams can be heard from the mansion every night.”

“That’s creepy. Could the rumors be true? You know, the one about locking up those he dislikes in the basement and using them for black magic experiments.”

“Oh come on, man. Where’s black magic in this day and age?”

“So if not black magic, just regular torture then? Haha.”

Stories that drunk people in her neighborhood would babble as they guzzled alcohol.

“But why did the Duke go mad in the first place? Born as a noble with everything, I don’t get what he’s lacking.”

“How should I know. Maybe because he has everything, he’s bored and plays with people like us who have nothing. Like kids playing with toys.”

“That’s really terrible… Tch, this is why I hate those noble lords.”

And at the same time, the somewhat foolish face of Luke fidgeting in front of Bonita came to mind.

“She resembles Elodie. Truly…”

“I really like it. May ‘Father’ open your gift now?”

“Bonita, come sit next to Father.”

“Ugh…”

Bonita let out a small groan.

Luke was the first adult man to treat her so kindly.

So surely all those rumors must be false, but she couldn’t understand why her heart was pounding so hard.

“But there’s not a single person around. Is the Duke’s garden always this quiet?”

“Sigh. Don’t you know? His Grace the Duke barely allows servants to stay in this back garden.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well obviously, this place is where that Duchess used to live when she was alive… Eek!”

The brown-haired man who had been speaking in a low voice screamed in surprise upon spotting Bonita.

“Hic.”

Bonita also hiccupped, startled by the man’s shout.

“A kid? Why is there a kid here?”

“…You idiot!”

The red-haired man beside him kicked his colleague’s shin. He whispered irritably.

“There’s only one child who could be in the Duke’s mansion! Are you stupid?”

“Oh…! You’re right!”

“Is something the matter?”

While the two were bickering, Aria came running and pushed Bonita behind her.

The brown-haired clergyman gave an awkward smile at her wary eyes.

“I’m Dominic, and this grumpy-looking fellow is Leo. We’re clerics summoned by His Grace the Duke.”

“Clerics?”

Aria’s eyes blinked.

Hearing that, she looked again and indeed, the two men were wearing plain white clerical robes. She seemed to have not noticed at first due to the lack of distinctive temple emblems.

“But why clerics…”

Aria, who had been muttering to herself, soon realized the reason on her own.

Bonita and Catherine. Clerics.

‘They’re going to do a paternity test.’

That was the only possibility she could think of.

She didn’t feel any sense of betrayal.

Judging from Luke’s attitude, his paternity test for Bonita was likely an official procedure to declare to others that the child was his daughter, not for himself.

“I see. Then this way please.”

“Thank you. Ah, if it’s not rude, may I ask for the lady’s name?”

Aria appeared to be a noble young lady in her early to mid-twenties, so Dominic asked carefully. He also used the title “lady” uniformly, unsure if she was married or not.

‘Oh, right.’

Aria hesitated awkwardly.

For nearly three years, everyone who first met “Elodie” had called her madam.

Trying not to show such awkwardness, she cleared her throat softly.

“I’m Aria Hilton. Come, Bonita. The clerics have business, so let’s return to the mansion.”

“Yes.”

Bonita held onto three of Aria’s fingers. Aria bit the inside of her cheek hard.

‘She’s too cute!’

She really didn’t know who the child took after to be this adorable.

Meanwhile, Dominic and Leo were exchanging subtle glances and whispering to each other.

“Hilton? Was there such a noble family?”

“There are so many nobles. Well, a ducal house might have noble ladies-in-waiting, not just maids. She’s probably one of those.”

“Is that so? She looks familiar somehow…”

“Hey, you’re not trying to hit on her, are you?”

“Leo, what do you take me for?”

Dominic protested with an aggrieved expression, then gazed intently at Aria’s retreating figure with narrowed eyes.

‘She really does look familiar… Am I mistaken?’

A light knock was heard.

“Your Grace, the clerics have arrived. Shall I escort you down to the reception room now?”

“They’re quite early.”

He stood up immediately. He seemed to be in a bit more of a hurry than usual. Ed followed behind him, thinking.

‘Well, he must be eager.’

To Ed, who had seen how strangely the Duke had been acting since he first saw his daughter, this current behavior was natural, if expected. Not that it didn’t give him goosebumps, though.

Anyway, with such a precious child, it’s no wonder he’s so anxious to declare to the world that she’s undeniably his daughter as soon as possible.

In the meantime, rumors had already spread among the noble families, each with their own speculations.

The stories varied widely.

From ordinary guesses that this must be another con artist, to claims that she was actually the Duchess’s illegitimate child, or even absurd rumors that a stillborn baby had been resurrected as a zombie through black magic.

‘Good grief, how can you bring a dead person back to life? Everyone’s got such wild imaginations, I swear.’

Of course, Ed himself didn’t know exactly how Bonita, who had been stillborn and even had a funeral, could have returned.

Still, rather than the story of the Duke reviving a dead baby through necromancy, the idea that someone had switched babies seemed far more realistic.

And if the Duke could only bring one person in the world back to life, wouldn’t it have been the former Duchess rather than the child?

So such speculations were truly ridiculous. There’s a limit to how little they know about the Duke.

“I’ll open it for you.”

“No need.”

By then, the two had reached the reception room. Luke refused Ed’s offer and opened the door abruptly with a stern expression.

And then…

“…Bonita?”

He stopped upon seeing Bonita sitting on the reception room sofa, swinging her short legs and nibbling on a cookie.

His gaze swept across the room. Aria sat beside Bonita, with two clerics seated across from them.

Just then, a crotchety voice was heard from behind.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for? Move if you’re not going in.”

“Mother? No, I’m going in.”

Luke made a disgruntled face upon seeing Catherine and entered. Aria gave a bright eye-smile at the sight of the two.

“You came quickly, Duke. Madam.”

“Of course.”

Luke’s cold gaze turned towards the two clerics as he replied.

“So, how exactly is this proof carried out?”

He had frantically delved into methods of reviving the dead, but had never once looked into paternity tests.

That was natural, of course.

His one and only child had already died, and after that, Elodie never had the chance to become pregnant again.

It would be more accurate to say he deliberately avoided looking into it. Since Elodie and he were each other’s one and only, there was no need for something like a paternity test.

Ordinarily, that is.

Luke’s eyes sharpened. The two clerics gulped nervously at that chilling light.

The red-haired cleric, Leo, took out a round object like a crystal ball from his bag.

The crystal orb was about the size of an adult’s head.

“The procedure is simple. We put both of your blood into this device and check the reaction.”

It was a device that required at least two high-ranking clerics to barely operate, but it didn’t take long.

Leo expected Luke to react skeptically, saying something like “Does that really work?” However, the Duke’s words were completely different from what he anticipated.

“Blood?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Both of your blood samples are essential for the paternity test.”

At the mention of a paternity test, Bonita turned her head to look at Luke. Luke didn’t notice her gaze and frowned.

“Is blood absolutely necessary?”

“Pardon? Well…”

Leo stammered in confusion. Was there some issue?

‘Could it be that his blood has turned black due to black magic side effects, as the rumors say…?’

An image of the Duke as a vicious demon flashed through his mind.

“The test is over. Now that you’ve seen my secret, you all must die.”

‘Oh no!’

He barely held back from jumping up and swallowed a scream. Tears almost welled up in his eyes.

‘If only I had drawn a better lot. Damn it.’

…Actually, coming to the Duke’s mansion was decided by drawing lots. When the other high-ranking clerics drew the blank lots, they jumped so high it was almost annoying to death.

“Um, Your Grace…?”

Dominic beside him carefully addressed Luke, who had suddenly gone quiet. However, he didn’t seem to hear Dominic’s words.

The Duke muttered softly with his thick arms folded.

“…ay.”

“Pardon?”

“Where on this tiny child do you expect to draw blood from, that you say blood is necessary?”

Flash!

Eyes like those of a predator gleaming in the darkness swept over them. He asked with a very displeased expression.

“Is there no other method?”

“W-Well…”

Dominic replied timidly.

“There isn’t, but…”

“How incompetent.”

Dominic’s jaw dropped.

‘What, I have to be called incompetent too?! In what way?!’

He felt extremely wronged.

What was he supposed to do when this was the only method available…!