The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage chapter 9

9 – A Real Family is Born

The sun directly overhead at noon.

An unexpected event is about to unfold.

It all began with a slip of the tongue that will forever be remembered as Julian’s dark history.

“I’m hungry. Shall we visit a restaurant in town today, Dad?”

“Should I? Today, even I find cooking bothersome… What?”

“Hmm?”

“…”

“…”

For a while, Yuri and I locked eyes. It felt like we were silently communicating whether what we said and heard was truly clear in our hearts.

Tina and Glen, who were nearby and overheard, looked at us with astonished eyes.

It’s a bitter reality to accept. Yuri’s face, judging so, blazed up like an erupting volcano, turning a vivid shade of red.

“Pfft… Kheum… Pfhoo…”

“S-stop! Don’t say it!”

“Kkaha… Hahem……!”

“Enough…!!!”

“Puhahahahaha!!! Hey!!! Yuri says I’m his dad!!! Kkhoohehehe…!!!”

“Well, there’s no doubt you heard wrong! Isn’t that right…!!!”

Yuri hastily sought approval from Tina and Glen, but the two evaded the awkward situation with uneasy expressions.

You should tackle the problem wisely. Yuri’s behavior, putting too much on a clever topic, was ridiculously amusing.

Even though his appearance was pitiful, it was so funny that I couldn’t control my laughter.

“Ah, anyway, you definitely heard it wrong! We should quickly leave…”

“No way! Don’t you want to eat Papa’s cooking? Our lovely son???”

“Kkhuk…!”

“Will you call him Papa today? Father is fine too. It’s okay to call Dad as you first called him, right?”

“This, shut your mouth! I…!”

“Oh my! Watch your language in front of Papa.”

“aaah!”

Since sincerely recalling memories from a past life without telling a lie, there had never been a day as explosive as today.

It would have been better if Tiana or Glen had mistakenly called me dad, but no, it had to be Yurian, of all people. This is absolutely insane…!

From Noble mtl dot com

Even so, it’s not entirely incomprehensible.

“Hmm, understand it or not. It happens often. A primary school student mistakenly calling the teacher ‘mom’… hehehehe…”

But it’s amusing that Yurian made that mistake. It was beyond anticipation, like preparing for a grand celebration and ending up with pickled radishes.

“Alright, alright, Yurian. It’s fine. There are people with three dads in the world, so what’s the problem?”

Except that the son killed two out of the three dads, causing the problem.

“I get it all. So today, in celebration, Papa treats!”

“Please… I’m begging you, please close your mouth.”

Wow, how urgent must it be for Yurian to use perfect formal language?

When a person is cornered, they can do anything, as it is now.

“Sigh, hehehe… Alright. Thanks to you, I had a good laugh. Seriously. Yurian, you’re the vitality of my life.”

“I might just run away for real…”

“Oops, sorry, sorry. I won’t do it anymore, so don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying!!!”

Today, the mood was truly at its peak. It was a day when I wanted to spend money extravagantly at the upscale restaurant Yurian desired.

Above all, after teasing me like this, it’s only fair to pay the price.

“Hoo, slowly preparing to leave…”

It was when I finished tidying up and was about to get up. Someone grabbed my sleeve and made me sit down.

“… Can you really do it?”

It was Tina.

She had droopy eyes like dewdrops and a dark expression on her face, looking pitiful.

Seeing some unusual signs, I properly met her eyes and spoke.

“Tina, what would you like me to do?”

Tina tightly sealed her lips. Then, like a duck, she pouted her lips and shut her mouth.

“Tina?”

Prompted by my urgency, Tina, making stillness her friend, shook her pupils. Amidst the uncomfortable silence, she, who had made up her mind, expressed her sincerity in a crawling voice.

“Really… Can’t you be my dad…?”

…

This time, it was my turn to tightly seal my lips.

It was so sudden, and I couldn’t have imagined Tina making such a request.

After all, I had only set up the orphanage out of necessity. Moreover, I never thought of truly becoming someone’s family.

Isn’t that right?

These kids are the main characters who will lead the future of this world.

If an extra like me, who rarely gets mentioned, gets too close, wouldn’t that be a disturbance?

It was when I was lost in my thoughts due to the shock.

“…No, I can’t?”

Tina asked. Tears welled up in her blue eyes as she spoke.

“Tina… I…”

In that moment, I felt like I couldn’t say it, that it was impossible. Tina’s past suddenly came to mind, blocking my response.

The mad dragon and the innocent human child.

Swept away by sin, her lonely childhood, where she wandered without receiving proper affection, weighed heavily on my mind.

In front of those blue eyes, still haunted by the loneliness of her past, I couldn’t bring myself to speak rashly.

“Dad, I…”

It’s still a distant concept to me. Honestly, I’ve never even imagined myself as a father.

Naturally, experiencing the position of a father is impossible. So I was doubtful if I could be a good dad.

But…

…

……

I still don’t know.

But I can’t dismiss it coldly.

There’s a girl standing in front of me, holding onto my sleeve because she couldn’t bring herself to hold my hand.

And there’s a young child here, who looks at me with more warmth than ever before and shows great courage.

Moreover, the trust that makes me special is embedded in those azure eyes, like the blue sky.

“Ugh…”

Tina, on the verge of bursting into tears at any moment.

The trembling hands that approached. It was an evident fear.

And yet, the tightly held sleeves. It was pure courage.

Finally, the plea that came out of the lips. It would surely be a firm determination.

“Was I really this weak?”

It tries to break through that transparent and upright will. Nothing else, just the thick walls surrounding me…

The next thing that appears is the children climbing over the collapsed wall.

At this point, I have to admit.

Beyond simple sympathy, I too have developed affection for them.

“Tina.”

“I, I’m also g-glad…!”

“Let’s do it.”

“…Yes?”

Tina’s eyes widened.

I gently placed my hand on Tina’s head, which had become as stiff as plaster.

“It’s your dad speaking. It’s lucky to have such an adorable daughter like this.”

“…!”

“Of course, as a dad, there are many things I lack… but I’ll make an effort to improve little by little.”

“No, no… there’s no way I lack anything…”

“Then that’s fortunate.”

Without needing to say it aloud, Tina and I knew that there was one final step before we became a parent and child.

I mustered up the courage and proceeded with the procedure for Tina, who was hesitating despite her bravery.

“Tina, it’s okay. Will you call me whatever you feel like?”

Upon hearing that, Tina hesitated and shyly spoke up.

“Um, well… um…”

…

……

After much hesitation, Tina gathered her courage once again.

“… Dad.”

“Yes, my dear.”

“Dad!”

“Yes, my lovely daughter.”

“Ooh…”

And so, by calling each other by the correct titles, we formed a new bond.

Tina, overwhelmed with emotions, burst into tears and clung tightly to my chest.

“Hu… Dad… Dad…”

“Yes, that’s right… Let’s stop the tears. My daughter.”

“Hu… Hoo…”

While comforting Tina in my arms, I glanced at Julian and Glen.

“Why don’t you call me Dad too?”

“Because our father is still alive, so it would be more complicated if we called you that.”

In reality, Julian was the first to speak, wasn’t he?

“I don’t have both, but calling the headmaster ‘dad’ feels a bit too sacred… Honestly, it’s burdensome. But, what about you?”

What do you think of me that you would suddenly worship me?

However, Glen stopped there and then, opened his eyes wide, and turned his gaze to Julian.

“Julian, your father is alive, so why are you here…?”

“It’s a common story. There are those who are conceptually fathers in this world.”

“Ah… Well, sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m not someone who has any lingering unusual emotions.”

An awkward current flowed between Julian and Glen. Indeed, knowing someone’s uncomfortable family situation is a painful thing.

I wiped Tina’s tears and looked at the boys.

“If you don’t like calling me dad, you guys can just be family, right? Yeah? It’s not that bad, you know?”

Must family only consist of parents and children? If hearts connect, even without any special bond, they can become family to each other.

Julian and Glen each gave their own answers with awkward faces.

“… Well. It doesn’t really matter.”

“If that’s the case for me too…”

Then, Tina followed up.

“Then, from today, we’re all family!”

Tina, who had suddenly dried her tears, was sparkling in her eyes.

Her newfound smile was so dazzling that it shot down everyone’s objections into their throats.

It was somehow funny, so I chuckled.

“There are all sorts of things in the world.”

I am twenty-two years old.

If I am still young, it is an endlessly young age. Also, a time when the density of unripe years is light.

Yet, I feel drawn by a fateful force.

Today, a new family member has been born.

◈

The Luminal Duke’s residence boasts an extremely closed-off atmosphere.

If I were to point out an open area, it would be the long, vertical windows behind the seat of the duke. However, it was nothing more than a device that created a halo effect for visitors.

Truly, every arrangement of objects emphasized the dignity of the duke’s residence.

The usual emotion felt by ordinary visitors is generally a sense of overwhelming pressure.

“You called for me.”

“Yes, have you come?”

The Luminal Duke spoke quietly. Without even asking about my well-being or engaging in any formalities, he immediately got to the point.

“Get married.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I already know that you have a high nose… What did you say?”

“I said I will accept your command.”

“… “

The Luminal Duke’s eyes widened. Even though it was an order I had given, he was starting to doubt his own ears upon hearing the response from a woman.

“Do you know who the person I want you to marry is?”

“Is there anyone who has changed? No matter what anyone says, I am nothing more than my father’s personal fortune.”

“No father would think of his only daughter like that.”

“I’m glad. Thanks to you, I feel better.”

Indeed.

My daughter, who doesn’t even try to hide her pretense, is somewhat unfamiliar to me.

Even if her innate disposition doesn’t waver, she shouldn’t be speaking words that could offend her guardian like me.

However, at this moment, the duke’s daughter unilaterally presented her demands to him.

“I hope you will prepare according to the reputation of a duke’s daughter with a high dowry.”

Lastly, she added.

“Even if the other party is an unnamed commoner.”