Chapter 32
Leonia didn't really have any plans of what to do with the original story now. She didn't want to spit out the nonsense that she had to take the lead and correct the original story because she had already made major changes to the original story. It was almost as if she was going to get rid of herself soon. She was living with a rich, powerful, handsome, muscular father, but the flow of the original story was not very important to Leonia.
But she was living in a fictional world, so she had to know.
The problem is, there aren't many ways to check that.
First of all, the age of the main leads were not mentioned in the novel. It's just the fact that the male lead is older than the female lead, that both of them have far superior abilities for their age, or that they don't age when they get older. As with typical ro-fan leads, age is not mentioned.
To them, age was just a number.
'Except for one person.'
A person who hates even Pelliot and Marquis Pardus, who do not match each other. It was the 1st prince. The first day of the 16th birthday banquet of the first prince was the beginning of the novel [Varia of the Black Beast].
So, Pelliot's age, that Leonia asks now, was a kind of cornerstone for asking about the Emperor. It might seem strange that an illegitimate child who had just become a duke's daughter suddenly asked about the prince and the imperial family. She was frankly curious.
'That…….'
The biggest reason that Leonia worked so hard was because of Marquis Pardus, who watched the father-daughter with curious eyes. Leonia didn't want to show any strangeness to Marquis Pardus. She was still uncomfortable with his gaze staring at her to the point of piercing her. So she slowly looked at him with an annoyed gaze.
However, that man only laughed.
'Annoying.'
From the novel, he was a charming and talented person, but in reality, the Marquis that she met was more of a very bad old man and less than a grandfather. In addition, Pelliott's open dislike was evident, and his daughter Leonia could not look at Marquis Pardus in a good way either.
'Dad's enemy is the daughter's enemy!'
The little head moved vigorously.
There was another reason why it's uncomfortable. The Marquis will soon find out that Leonia is Regina's daughter if he wants to.
However, in order not to touch the heart of the black beast, he does not investigate information related to the Voreotti family without the Master's permission. For that reason, he is staring with his own two eyes at the little girl, who suddenly appeared with the name of Leonia Voreotti. To find out everything he can find out.
"You asked very early."
Leonia, who had been having a staring contest with the marquis for a long time, turned her head. Pelliot's eyes that she met were rather like asking why she hadn't asked about it until now. On the other hand, it seemed to him that Leonia was interested in him and asked him about this. It was evidence from his lips that were raised loosely.
"So you asked now."
Leonia smirked at the sullen laugh, as Pelliot lightly patted the child on the back. One way or another, the clever daughter knew well that Pelliot was a very soft father. She smiled again, and Pelliot opened his mouth immediately.
"Twenty-seven."
Leonia, hearing his age, opened her mouth wide.
And she screamed loudly.
"What!"
Pelliot and the people around her were startled by the loud scream. In particular, Pelliot, who was close to her face, had tingling ears. He wondered if the food she had eaten so far had gone to her throat, not her height.
"Really? Really?"
Leonia clapped her hand in the fuss.
"Dad, are you lying?"
"Why are you so surprised?"
Pelliot, who spoke as if he was objectively aware that he had a handsome face, didn't make a big deal. It's like a buzzing ring in his ear, but it was quite pleasant to be recognized as handsome by his daughter.
Leonia raised her hand.
"I thought Dad was over 30!"
She then shook his face up and down.
Dry behavior and tone of voice, and a languid impression as if he had lived three or four times in his life. Pelliot Voreotti, whom Leonia had seen up close, thought to have passed his 30s easily.
"How is this a twenty-seven year old's face?"
Leonia was still in shock as she continued to move her finger cruelly over his face.
"……."
Pelliot remained silent.
And it worked very well.
He didn't even trigger the fangs of the beast, but a fierce and chilling air swept through the garden of the Kerata mansion where the two father-daughter were standing. Everyone around, except for Leonia, was terrified and bowed their heads. Pavo was sweating profusely, praying earnestly for the young Lady to keep her mouth shut, and Marquis Pardus hid his frightened, wailing grandson behind him and reassured him that it was all right. In the meantime, the Marquis was holding back his smirk with guts alone.
"Oh my, oh my……!"
He couldn't stand it and was almost sobbing.
"The old man is dying, dying……."
"UWAAHH! Don't die, Grandpa!"
The atmosphere subsided even more after the Marquis' grandson burst into tears.
"Aaahkk!"
At the same time, Pelliot's fist slammed down on Leonia's head.
It was the first time beating in Leonia's life.
* * *
Leonia, who returned to Duke Voreotti's mansion, showed Kara her bumpy forehead.
"Grandma Kara! Look at this!"
The baby beast, which stood up to her heels, whined.
"No, my God! What kind of lump is this?"
"Dad hit me."
She even said it with a sad expression on her face.
"That's right, you deserved it."
Suddenly, Pelliot, who stood behind Leonia, snorted and looked at his daughter. Leonia, offended by the first beating, clenched her fists and confessed her displeasure.
"And Dad too? How could someone twice as strong as others beat her daughter!"
"Are you walking over people more these days?"
"I'm not walking over people?"
"If you can't speak……."
Swallowing the rest of the words that he wouldn't hate her, he took Leonia and sat down on the sofa.
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes."
"It doesn't hurt."
"Dad really……."
The serious Leone grumbled that she thought that her forehead was cracking and was in so much pain.
Pelliot had a bitter taste. He was offended by the fact that he had beat his little child. A red bump on her white, round forehead. It wasn't the first time she'd been messing with him, but he couldn't stand it and raised his hand. He was disgusted with himself to the point of dying.
Pelliot gently caressed his daughter's forehead. How could he hit this little child?
"Why is it my fault that Dad's face is dry?"
Fortunately, the kind filial piety blew away his father's heart like a feather. Pelliot expressed his gratitude and pressed hard on the lump. Soon, a low-pitched scream broke out. Ignoring the complaints of his daughter, who was whining in pain, he directed Kara to bring an ointment. And he put the ointment on the child's lump by hand.
"Ugh, the smell……!"
Leonia's eyebrows merged at the scent of herbs that stung her nose. Pelliot, who found it funny, took his finger, soaked in the ointment, near his daughter's nostrils. Leonia, who smelled the herbs and felt her father's love for her to get well soon, grimaced. Her nose contorted, and eventually Pelliot shrugged and laughed a little.
"…… !"
The employees around them were quietly startled. They thought that no one in the world could see that Duke Voreotti could laugh like that.
"Why are you laughing again!"
But with Leonia's words, everyone realized that what they had just seen was real. Even Leonia was casual as she had seen Pelliot's smile many times. Rather, she swung her fist in the air, telling him not to laugh.
"Right, who wants to mess with you?"
"It's nice to be a child!"
"Don't abuse your childhood innocence."
Pelliot, who had applied the ointment, wiped his hands with the towel that came with it. Leonia's lips protruded like a duck's snout as she watched the faint light blue substance seeping into the towel. It smelled badly, and it was only then that she realized that my forehead was like that too.
Pelliot, who dismissed the servants, lay lazily on the sofa. Leonia stared at it, then moved slowly. She rested her back against Pelliot, and laid loosely on his chest, and he pulled his tight arms around her waist. It was another reserved seat for Leonia.
"By the way, I can't believe my dad is twenty-seven……."
When the peaceful time arrived, the aftermath of a shock that had been forgotten for a while poked out her head again. Pelliot's gaze was filled with dissatisfaction as he looked at the back of the child's head shaking in disbelief. In the meantime, he thought that Leonia's hair was tied up beautifully today.
"My daughter is very good at asking if she wants to make one more lump."
"No, it's because Dad is so handsome."
Leonia hastily added her excuses.
"I thought you were over 30 because you were so handsome and cool! If you already have a face like that at that age, how much better do you want to be when you get older? You'll just wipe away the monster with that face. I also look like my dad, so will I be cool later on?"
She calmed her father's heart by using tones which she would never normally use. It is an exaggerated tone with a strong intention to cover up mistakes no matter who hears it.
Fortunately, most of Leonia's excuses were true, so there was a little bit of sincerity.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Then why are you putting candy in my mouth?"
As if her charm had worked well, Leonia, who bit the candy, licked her lips.
"…… Huh?"
The moment she was about to get drunk on the rich sweetness of strawberry milk. A thought that came to mind suddenly hit Leonia's lumpy forehead.
"Dad!"
"You scared me, why?"
Pelliot asked with a face not surprised at all.
"Then who gave birth to me?"
"What?"
"Dad's cousin sister! Who is my mother? How old was she when she ran away?"
The only people in the living room right now were her and Pelliot, but in case anyone could hear it, Leonia whispered softly.
"……."
Pelliot crept up his body. A look of embarrassment crept into the dark, languid eyes. With the recoil, Leonie who titled back also stood up and stared at her Dad.
"…… sixteen years old."
Pelliot belatedly counted the years passed after mumbling Regina's last age he remembered. Regina, who set out on an escape in love with a wandering knight or something, Regina, was 16 at the time, and this was a story about ten years ago.
And Leonia, was now seven years old.
"…… crazy."
The calculation came out quickly. In front of the child, Pelliot, who had taken great care in his words and deeds, uttered harsh words for the first time. Regina became pregnant at the age of 18 and gave birth to Leonia. His cousin sister, who was full of romance, scraped his insides in this way again.
"Wow……."
Leonia, who finished her calculations at the same time, had similar thoughts to Pelliot.
Actually, he had a slightly different idea.
"Dad."
She called Pelliot.
"That person was full of dreams and hopes."
"…… She did."
"She must have been overflowing with childhood innocence."
A deep wrinkle was etched into Pelliot's forehead. Leonia, who pushed again this time, said.
"My childhood innocence……."
"Don't grow it."
Pelliot answered immediately.
"It doesn't help anything in life."
It wasn't something a person who had been reckless about raising a child's mind would say, but it wasn't important to Pelliot now. It was the same with Leonia.
"I can't see you getting pregnant when you're 18, even if I die."
Before that, he was thinking of grinding the other man finely and feeding him as monster food. Leonia nodded her head with a grim expression on her face. With her hand, hidden behind, she clenched her fist tightly, happily expressing cheers that she had finally escaped.
It was the first moment of gratitude to her mother who gave birth to her.