“This girl’s name is Chloe,” Felide announced.

The girl who had been quietly standing beside him smiled softly and gave a polite bow.

She was supposedly thirteen, but she stood much taller than me, making our one-year age gap feel irrelevant.

“Chloe’s mother is Sally Idra. You all know her, right? Sally and I had a brief relationship back in the day.”

At the mention of Idra, Roystan sharply sucked in a breath.

Murlock jumped to his feet, stammering.

“S-So you’re saying that kid carries the blood of the Idra Duchy? H-How could that be!”

Sally Idra.

The Duke of Idra’s younger sister—who had died while still unmarried.

Felide, notorious for his womanizing, had indeed been known to have briefly dated her.

“Well, apparently the Idra Duchy raised her in secret, saying they didn’t know who the father was! I just found out recently and brought her here.”

Felide continued with an air of pride.

“A parentage test was done through the proper authorities. And Duke Idra himself wrote a letter affirming her bloodline.”

The butler quickly handed the letter Felide held out to Grandfather.

As he read the document stamped with Duke Idra’s seal, a flicker of surprise crossed Grandfather’s eyes.

It meant the letter was genuine.

“Although the Idra Duke never officially acknowledged ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ our Chloe to the public, it seems he cared deeply for her and raised her like his own daughter inside the duchy.”

Felide beamed smugly. Murlock frowned and muttered,

“But… it’s unheard of for the Idra Duchy to hide and raise a child in secret…”

“Brother.”

Monica cut in smoothly, her voice elegant.

“Are you saying you’re going to ignore the seal of Duke Idra?”

Murlock’s mouth shut at once. Felide clicked his tongue and continued.

“Father, would it be alright to grant Chloe the Noart name?”

He glanced briefly in my direction and added,

“Julian also insisted on giving Rosie the Noart name, even though he didn’t bring her himself.”

At that, Grandfather slowly nodded.

“…If she carries Noart blood, then she’s a Noart.”

A state-authorized parentage test, a personal letter from the Duke of Idra.

There was no real reason to reject the child.

“Chloe Noart! From this day forward, you are no longer of the Idra household! You are a Noart now! This father shall protect you here!”

Felide declared loudly with a self-satisfied grin.

“Let’s have dinner. I promise, the Noart estate’s meals are as good as those at the Idra Duchy.”

“Yes, Father.”

Chloe stepped lightly toward the table.

And then—

‘Huh?’

She took the seat right next to Zahid.

“Fancy seeing you here, Duke Dyfenril.”

With her posture straight and dignified, she addressed Zahid.

“I’ve heard so much about you at the Idra Duchy. My uncle has always wanted to meet you, and I’m here on behalf of the Idra family to request a visit.”

Her “uncle” clearly referred to the Duke of Idra.

Still, for a thirteen-year-old to say something like “on behalf of the Idra family”…

“Chloe and the Duke of Idra seem to be quite close,” Felide chimed in proudly, sitting beside her.

“She must’ve spent many years as part of the household.”

“…I see.”

Grandfather nodded, then said curtly,

“As soon as a room is ready, she’ll stay in Opal.”

Opal—one of the best rooms in the main estate, typically reserved for third-generation heirs.

It was on par with the rooms used by Roystan, Ethan, and Julian.

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Chloe smiled brightly, showing no signs of intimidation.

“The estate is wonderful. I’d like to look around after dinner. Would it be alright if I asked Rosie to show me?”

Eh? Me?

As I widened my eyes, Chloe smiled again and said,

“We’re about the same age. I think we’ll get along well. Please be comfortable with me, Rosie.”

I met her golden eyes and slowly nodded.

“Got it. You’re really… suspicious.”

“…What?”

“Oh, but didn’t you say to be comfortable? I always speak honestly with people I’m close to…”

And just as the appetizers were being served—

“Oh, by the way—did you all know?”

Felide boomed across the table.

“It’s Chloe’s birthday soon!”

“Really? When?” Monica asked, beaming with excitement.

Felide answered proudly.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Exactly one month from today.”

One month.

That meant… she shared the same birthday on record as me.

“How lucky we are to be able to celebrate it at the estate. What a coincidence, for it to fall on the same day!”

Just as Grandfather had said earlier—something about a “birthday celebration period”—every dish was decorated with phrases like ‘Happy Birthday to Rosie.’

“Now, now—Rosie’s birthday, sure, but it’s Chloe’s birthday too, so be mindful of that, okay? We wouldn’t want to lose face with the Idra Duchy.”

Felide added a quick instruction to the head maid.

And from the next dish onward, the decorations read: ‘Happy Birthday to Chloe and Rosie.’

“We’ll hold a grand banquet for the birthday, won’t we? We can have Chloe greet the guests then too!”

And then—

“Rosie,” Chloe said in a gentle tone mid-meal.

“Straighten your back. One must maintain posture even while eating. Small habits like these reveal one’s upbringing.”

I swallowed the food in my mouth and replied slowly,

“Ah. This is my straight posture… Wait—did you just imply I’m short and insult my appearance?”

“Ah dear… Seems like you’ve got a complex about your looks too…”

Chloe sighed deeply.

“Your seated height is lower than average. I guess it’s because you didn’t sit with proper posture from a young age.”

I was about to respond—mildly annoyed—when she suddenly said,

“Father, can I spend more time with Rosie? I have a lot I’d like to show her.”

She gently took my hand.

“At the Idra Duchy, Linna was quite fond of me. I’ll take good care of Rosie too, just like I did Linna. I’ve missed her terribly.”

Linna Idra.

Heir to the Idra Duchy. One year younger than me.

It was said that she had already become the owner of the Earth Divine Beast by the Temple’s orders.

In the Noart household, her name held undeniable weight.

“Oh my, Rosie! How fortunate you are!”

Felide gushed.

“To have a sister-like bond with Lady Linna Idra—what an honor! For the Noart family too, of course! Isn’t that right? Hahaha!”

His eyes glinted with greed.

“To have a child with the blood of a duchy… What an honor indeed. Hahaha.”

Zahid, who had been eating quietly, reached over and shelled the peas on my plate.

Back at the Academy, he’d noticed me struggling with them once and had been doing it for me ever since.

“Oh! Are those Nakite peas? Aren’t they?” Chloe chimed in.

Zahid gave a silent nod.

But while speaking to Zahid, Chloe was clearly aiming her barbs at me.

“Ah, right. Rosie probably doesn’t know what Nakite means. The Four Great Duchies teach ancient language from a young age… It means ‘boiled peas.’”

Wow. Ancient language for that?

I was about to say I already knew when—

“See? Children raised in duchies share a different kind of understanding.”

Monica commented smoothly, slicing her food with grace.

“It’s a relief we have someone of matching stature to entertain the Duke of Dyfenril.”

…Did she just imply I wasn’t a “matching” presence?

Before Zahid could say anything, Chloe replied with a smile.

“Thank you, Aunt Monica.”

Her golden eyes sparkled.

“I’ll teach Rosie well. So she can be a proper match, too.”

“Oh, how sweet.”

Hmm. I was starting to get a feeling about this.

So I decided not to waste energy playing petty games over ancient vocabulary. I needed to observe for now.

‘Monica and Felide working together? That’s odd. And they’re way too coordinated—it’s not their first time.’

Most of all, this never happened in the past timeline.

There was never talk of a hidden child raised by the Idra Duchy. Felide never suddenly showed up with a daughter.

‘What the hell is going on? I really need to stay sharp.’

As I continued eating, I narrowed my eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep