Dante was the orchestra's biggest supporter, so of course he had to be treated with respect, but that friendly atmosphere would be shattered in an instant.
Dante furrowed his brow at Rio's immediate answer.
"Why is it that you welcome a new acquaintance like that, but I've been feeling uncomfortable for years?"
"...?"
There were too many reasons, so Rio couldn't answer right away this time.
'First of all, the master has a scary expression when he doesn't smile, and he never smiles unless he's alone with his wife.'
There were also ominous rumors surrounding the master, and on top of that, he glares at the members as if to say, 'If you do something stupid and tarnish my wife's honor, I'll kill you...'
Rather than answering all of that honestly, Rio decided it would be better to just keep his mouth shut, and suddenly realized that Dante was glaring at only one person. To be exact, the newly recruited cellist, Alex.
'Why are you looking at Alex like that instead of Ariana... Oh, no way.'
Rio opened his eyes wide, wondering if it was possible.
'Jealousy... Are you doing something like that?'
The possibility that suddenly occurred to him seemed quite reasonable. However, Rio tilted his head.
'Huh? But that person...'
At that moment, a loud cheer leaked out the window.
"Oh, Master Louis! Are you interested in the cello?"
"Oh, Master, you were in there too."
Rio peered out the window. He saw Louis fiddling with the large cello with curious eyes. Ariana closed her eyes and asked with a smile.
"Louis. Are you curious?"
Louis hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Alex, the owner of the cello, smiled warmly and handed the bow to Louis.
"Now, hold the bow like this, Master. Yes. You're good at it. Press that side like this..."
Alex affectionately taught Louis how to play the cello.
Kkeuk, wooooong, kkeekikk.
Everyone laughed happily as the sound came out, even if it was sloppy.
"Oh, you're the first one to make such a sound! That's great!"
"It seems like you've become a cello prodigy!"
"You did very well. You were born with it."
Alex also smiled happily and praised Louis. Louis blinked slowly at the outpouring of voices. He didn't show it much because he was a child who didn't express his emotions, but he seemed quite proud inside. At that moment, one of the servants cautiously called out to Louis.
"Master Louis? It's time for a snack."
"..."
Louis hesitated as if he was reluctant to leave, looking at the cello, Ariana, who noticed the child's feelings, smiled broadly and said.
"Let's go quickly, Louis. You have to eat delicious food every day to grow up like your Dad, right?"
"... Yes."
Louis made a determined expression at the word 'Dad' and got up. The child who left the performance room door followed the servant and turned the corner bravely. At the same time, he encountered a large shadow. Louis, blocked by the huge obstacle, tilted his head up.
"Ah..."
The next moment, the child's eyes widened as he confirmed the obstacle's identity. Dante, who was leaning against the corner, opened his mouth.
"Hey. You traitorous brat."
"..."
The eyes that had been filled with joy for a moment upon discovering his father blinked once. As if doubting his own ears. Soon, his ruby-red eyes, resembling Dante's, narrowed.
"...As expected, it seems like you don't love me."
The child who glared at Dante blurted out and turned around.
"What?"
Dante asked back in a slightly dazed voice. However, the child ran quickly to the other side without giving him time to catch up.
"Louis!"
He shouted a beat late, but the child was already far away. Dante, who was about to ask him about things like whether he liked the cello or how well Alex treated him, just laughed in vain.
"He's so fast for someone with such short legs."
"Master..."
Rio sighed and said quietly.
"It may be presumptuous of me to ask, but wouldn't you be a little nicer to Master Louis?"
"What? How can we improve here?"
Dante furrowed his brows. Louis was growing up in luxury, receiving the best treatment, no less than a prince. He wasn't simply pouring in his money. As a parent, Dante made sure to make time for his child, even in his busy schedule. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was almost entirely in charge of his child's discipline.
Rio gave Dante another piece of advice, looking at him as he looked bewildered.
"Not material things. Like-kind words, physical contact, or unconditional support."
"That can't be."
Dante laughed and said bluntly. Dante knew well how his half-brothers, who had been showered with love by the previous Duchess, had grown up. It might be okay for girls, but boys shouldn't be raised that way. Even Louis was a child who had grown up in more luxurious hospitality than anyone else. Dante was always on guard, worried that Louis might grow up to be arrogant if he made a mistake.
"If he grows up in an overly comfortable environment and becomes spoiled, it's a big problem."
"..."
Oh. Rio swallowed. Rio also guessed why Dante was so firm with the child.
'When the master was a baby, there was no such thing as a fool...'
The older Louis grew, the more Dante was anxious to hide his affection.
'Even if you treated him well when he was a newborn, the master won't remember.'
If this continues, our master will be treated coldly and treated as a puppet father by the young master who is entering puberty...
Rio, who was full of worries, soon thought of Ariana. Ariana had been worrying about this recently as well.
'Madam, it seemed like you were preparing something for the two of them recently.'
All he could do was pray that the wise madam would resolve it well. Rio sighed and shrugged.
A week later.
Dante returned home to the mansion in the early afternoon. This afternoon was full of knight training. It had been canceled for some ridiculous reason a little while ago. The restaurant where the Knights' dinner was held last night mishandled spoiled ingredients. The knights were lining up in front of the bathroom in groups, rolling around with their bellies in their hands.
Dante glared at his subordinates with cold eyes, ordered them to take a break, and was just returning. In any case, his steps as he entered the house early were a little lighter than usual. He raised one eyebrow as he passed through the main gate.
"Who are you?"
There was a guest in the hall whom he had never met before. A well-dressed, plump middle-aged man quickly bowed his head when he saw Dante.
"Good morning, Duke Heigenberg. It is an infinite honor to meet you! I am Allen Lloyd, a small-scale clothing store owner in the archipelago. I have come to collect the payment for the items that the Duchess ordered from us a while ago."
"Yes, master. I was just about to check."
Dante nodded briefly at the butler's words and looked at the paper in the merchant's hand.
"Is that a receipt?"
"Yes, yes."
"Would you like to show it to me?"
The merchant politely handed over the receipt.
"Hmm."
Dante looked at it with a serious face.
As he turned the page, Dante's expression grew darker.
'Is there anything you don't like...?'
The merchant tried to hide his impatience and waited for Dante to finish reviewing it.
'Is there a problem with the details? Maybe it's because of the teardrop-shaped sapphire earrings?'
It was an item that the Duchess had hesitated to buy. She was worried that it was too flashy for her, so he recommended it to her again, saying that it would suit her perfectly... Was that the problem?
'Maybe I was too excited to have the Duchess as a customer, so I sold her too much...'
Everything she wore went well with her, so he must have forgotten the proper way to buy it and recommended it to her. As the merchant was sinking into belated regret, Dante let out a low sigh.
"Damn it."
The merchant barely managed to suppress his jump. Dante frowned in discontent and said, "Why is my wife so frugal?"
The merchant's mind, which had been filled with a thousand worries, suddenly stopped. Dante looked back at the merchant.
"You."
"Yes? Yes?"
"You only show my wife the best, right?"
"...Yes? Yes, yes, of course, is there a difference?"
There was no way she would yawn when it was the Duchess of Heigenberg, of all people. When the merchant made his assurance with a bewildered face, Dante narrowed his brows.
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