*Edited

* * *

The meal ended safely. Sarah was a suitable conversation partner between the awkward father and son. Thanks to that, Claude was able to exchange a few words with his father.

Sarah involuntarily stroked Claude’s hair as he ate the pudding from dessert with a happy face. Until morning, Claude hated having Sarah touch him first, but now, he was quietly receiving Sarah’s hand. It was the feeling when a ferocious cat, which always used its claws to scratch her, finally let out a purr for the first time. Sarah focused all her attention on Claude’s adorable hands as he gripped a spoon and scooped out the pudding, and her cheeks twitched from mumbling hard.

‘Cute. So cute. Claude eating pudding is so cute.’

Her love for Claude was dripping from her gaze.

“……”

Ethan, who was quietly observing it while drinking tea, was engulfed with a new feeling. It was even more so because he never imagined that the day would come when he had such a peaceful breakfast with his child. She must be well aware that the power of Ambrosia was manifested in Claude but Sarah seemed to have no hesitation. So Ethan unknowingly asked her a question.

“Why do you like Claude?”

“Our Young Master Claude is so mature and cute. How could I not like him?”

Claude was rather embarrassed by her attitude of stating something so obvious. The earlobe of the child, who had turned his head away in embarrassment, was stained with a soft red color. Even if he pretended not to be, Sarah’s words made him happy.

“Ah, I praised you in front of the Duke like this. Please smile once and say that I did well. Young Master Claude.”

Saying this, Sarah poked the child’s cheek with her finger. Ethan muttered quietly, looking at Sarah, who was all distracted by Claude.

“…… Just for that reason.”

Ethan had to thank that woman just for having Sarah, the magician, next to Claude like that. Sarah seemed to like Claude more than how much one would feel for the child of a close friend.

If anyone asked if he had taken good care of his child as Claude’s guardian, Ethan couldn’t easily answer. Even if his brother and the runaway Duchess came back and slapped him on the face for neglecting their child, Ethan was willing to welcome that slap.

‘He has never made a face like that in front of me.’

He looked at Claude, who pouted his lips as Sarah annoyed him and pushed her away. He was pretending to be blunt, but he couldn’t hide the faint smile on his face. He was behaving just like his age, so Ethan closed his eyes.

‘He should know how to be wary of false affection. Is it too much?’

Soon, the time for entry was approaching. This strange breakfast was slowly coming to an end.

“I’ve put the carriage on standby, Master.”

When the butler approached and whispered to Ethan, he put down the teacup he was holding.

“I’m going to get up now, Countess Millen.”

“Are you leaving already? I don’t think you’ve finished your tea yet.”

“Thanks to you, I enjoyed the mealtime that could have been hastily filled in the carriage, so I have to hurry.”

“Oh my God, what a shame.”

Saying so, Sarah followed Ethan and stood up. Her eyes were fixed on Claude, who was staring at Ethan. Claude was disappointed because he had to part with his father early. Ethan also knew what that gaze of the child meant. He turned around, feeling his steps today strangely heavy.

“Ah, shall we go see His Grace off?”

Claude, who had a gloomy face, lifted his head at Sarah’s words.

“Really?”

“Of course. His Grace is going to work hard, but who will see him off if Young Master Claude doesn’t do it?”

Ethan looked back involuntarily at the conversation he heard behind his back. Whether he looked back or not, Claude and Sarah were busy looking at each other and talking.

“If Young Master Claude sees him off, he’ll be able to cheer up more!”

“Really?”

“Of course! Look over there! The Duke who’s going to work alone looks so lonely! Can’t you see how sad he is?”

Sarah said, pointing to the Duke with her hand. Coincidentally, the time she pointed at him was exactly the same as the time he looked back, and it looked as if he had looked back because of what Sarah had said.

“……”

When the desperate eyes containing the child’s sympathy touched him, he couldn’t say anything.

“I’ll see him off.”

“Oh my God, our Young Master Claude. How wonderful!”

Sarah opened her arms, hugged Claude, and lifted him up. Claude, who was in Sarah’s arms, looked at Ethan with tearful eyes. Ethan, seeing the child’s first sympathetic gaze, swallowed a vain smile. Sarah, who created this situation casually, winked at Ethan with Claude in her arms.

“I will take the Young Master.”

The butler, concerned that it would be difficult for Sarah, approached and said, but she flatly refused.

“No. Young Master Claude is so warm that it makes me feel good.”

Sarah buried her head in Claude’s neck and rubbed. Claude laughed at the tickling sensation and fell back. Sarah’s light brown hair, which had been neatly tucked up, became brittle.

As they walked out of the entrance of the mansion, the coachman, who had been waiting, quickly drove the carriage to their location.

“Actually, it’s my first time seeing Father off.”

Claude whispered to Sarah as if telling a great secret. Seeing his father off was not enough for the child to calm his excitement.

Claude was such a lovely child. Sarah approached Ethan, who was waiting for Claude to see him off as awkwardly as the child was.

“I heard it’s the first time Young Master Claude see you off? Is it awkward?”

“Even though it’s the first time……”

When Sarah asked, Ethan slowly looked around, blurring the end of his speech. Usually, only the butler and the head maid were next to him when he entered the Palace. Even that was to supplement, not to see him off. In fact, it was his first time having someone see him off today.

When Claude and Sarah went out to see him off, most of the servants of the Duke’s house also went out.

“I don’t need such a grand farewell.”

“Fufu. Isn’t it lively and nice? It’s a mansion where many people live after all.”

“……It’s a little cumbersome, but it’s okay.”

This scenery was very awkward for Ethan, but it wasn’t bad either. Above all, if this thing made Claude, made that child happy.

“Ah, but the necktie……”

Sarah, who found Ethan’s necktie a little crooked at that time, took a step closer. At the same time, Ethan took a step back. It was Ethan who was most surprised by the outright refusal. He opened his mouth, narrowing his eyebrows faintly, not knowing that he would back away like this.

“You better not come too close to me, Countess Millen.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous. Don’t you know?”

Ethan’s self-helpful answer was mixed with a stronger resignation than Claude’s.

“I don’t want to cause any harm.”

To be precise, he wanted to refrain from asking for more than what he wanted from Sarah. Suppressing the power of Ambrosia manifested in Claude so that Claude didn’t suffer the same as himself was all he wanted from Sarah.

‘Because there is no such thing as pure favor. There’s no need to increase my debt in the future.’

He didn’t know how much Ambrosia would pay her in the future, but he would probably have to give her a ton of money. He had been preparing for it since he invited Sarah to this mansion.

“How much do you believe in my abilities, Your Grace?”

“I trust and expect your abilities to the same extent as the usefulness of the artifact you gave me.”

“Aren’t you expecting me to be able to do more than that?”

At Sarah’s words, Ethan smiled faintly and shook his head.

“No.”

At those words, an ugly look permeated into Sarah’s eyes in an instant.