Lord Baby Runs a Romance Fantasy With Cash

Chapter 6

I found it very odd that the duke would want me to join him for breakfast when he’d never visited me once before.

Mmm, it’s so awkward. What if I get indigestion? I was reminded of how the duke glared at me during our meal the other day.

No! This is my chance! His affection for me will become deeper the more I see him. I have to make myself familiar with the duke!

“Good morning, Daddy!” I energetically greeted the duke as I walked into the dining hall.

However, the duke did not respond. Unbothered, I went straight to my seat.

“Wow, this looks delicious!” I said it blindly to chase away the awkwardness, but the table was, in fact, filled with an assortment of delicious foods.

“Thank you for the food, Daddy. I hope you enjoy it too!”

Sniff, sniff. I stood strong despite not receiving a response. A tearful effort, indeed, but this level of neglect didn’t bother me at all.

I held my fork and poked into the sausage, scrambled eggs, fresh seasonal fruits, and salad. Everything I ate was really delicious. It was a basic breakfast meal, yet the plating and flavor of the food were on another level.

It was so good that it made me think that I was finally being compensated for my skimpy meals at the Tarenka residence. But the most delicious dish was the custard pudding served for dessert.

I devoured the pudding in an instant and then kept licking my spoon, longing for the pudding that was now gone when the duke slid a dish in front of me.

“Eat it.”

It was the custard pudding I was longing for.

I raised my head and looked at the duke.

Ah... did he just offer his custard pudding to me because I looked like I really enjoyed mine?

As if he hadn’t just offered me his pudding a minute ago, the duke nonchalantly took a sip of his tea and continued reading his newspaper.

The duke’s face was cold and sharp. He would always stare at me with his piercing eyes, which made me feel awkward, but today, he was more focused on his newspaper. I thought he was ignoring me all this time.

“Hehe...”

I scooped the center of the pudding with my sundae spoon. Looking at the ripples on the plump pudding also caused a ripple inside my mind. I glanced at the duke.

Was it too much to offer him a bite...? Perhaps it was since I didn’t even know if I was his real daughter.

What are you saying? Why are you even contemplating right now? Just give it a try. You have to build affection!

A corner of my mind was urging me on, but my hands simply fidgeted in place. Eventually, I gave up trying to offer a bite to the duke and ate the pudding myself.

Maybe if I had grown up with a father in my past life, I would know what to do....

“Thank you for the pudding,” I mumbled to him instead of giving him a bite.

* * *

It was long since I finished the pudding that Duke Phaeraton had given to me, yet I was still stuck in the dining hall.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

Instead of getting up to leave after finishing his meal, the duke began to stare at my face. I felt it wouldn’t be polite to stand up and leave by myself, so I just ended up sitting there as well.

The duke slowly opened his graceful lips. “Why aren’t you clinging on to me today...?”

Excuse me? Cling on to you? Whatever do you mean...?

It sounded like it should’ve been an internal thought, but why was he saying it out loud while looking at me?

Confused, I tilted my head, but the duke knit his brows and stood up from his seat. He then walked towards me and held me up.

I was surprised.

W-what’s going on?

Held by the duke, I was taken to his office.

Did he have some kind of unfinished business with me? Was that why he wanted to eat breakfast together?

Now that I thought about it, the duke was always out by the time I woke up. Did he stay on purpose to wait for me? Just what did he want from me? I kept swallowing my saliva out of nervousness.

Once the duke arrived at his office, he sat me on his lap and... began looking over his documents. That’s right, his documents.

Wait, this isn’t right! In my mind, I was flailing my hands and legs. Regardless of how disturbed I was internally, the duke continued to sign his documents with his elegant signatures.

Mmm...

It’s not like I was completely tactless as to why he was acting this way. How could I not know when he had been keeping me by his side all day yesterday, especially when he’d never visited me once before?

It was hard to believe, but was it really because I told him that I was unfamiliar and that I wanted to stay with him so that I could familiarize myself...?

It’s true that I’d been left disappointed by backstabbers many times before. But there was really no other reason than that, right?

Also, it’s not like he was doing me any harm while taking me around (although his expressions were a bit cold). He even gave me his pudding (again, with a cold expression).

The inside of my chest turned soft like a pudding drenched in caramel syrup. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Ah, this is a little...

Feeling awkward, I began fidgeting with my hands and feet.

Uh... Hmm... No, this means my plan is working—my plan is to make him develop affection for me by spending a lot of time with him.

That’s why this was a good thing for me, and it’s even better if I kept this going, but… Ahh... why did it feel so embarrassing?

No, no. I have a lot of things I need to do today! I have to find my medium! For some reason, simply thinking about what I needed to get done for the day made me feel like I was scheming to run away.

Scheming to run away? Not even! I actually have to find the medium! Just then, a low voice fell on my head.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked up to see the duke looking down at me. He must have been bothered by all the movement I let out while thinking.

Hmm, how should I respond? Let’s think…

“I want to go look at pretty things.”

No, I told you to think! Why did you answer right away, you bad lips?!

The duke lifted a brow and then turned to Anna. Anna, who stood in the corner of the office like a piece of furniture, took a step forward and answered politely.

“The youngest lady was planning to visit the sacred war room today.”

Ah! Why did she say that to him?! What if he questions why I’m visiting a room containing all his precious heirlooms when I’ve only been here a couple of days?

“You dirty thieving wench...!” Marquess Tarenka’s voice thundered inside my head.

Hopefully, he won’t hit me like the marquess did, right? My body naturally curled up even though I was sure he wouldn’t hit me.

Without a word, the duke held me, stood up, and began walking.

Uh... It was already my third time being held by the duke. Naturally, I sort of understood what was about to happen. Duke Phaeraton was going to take me to the sacred war room.

Huh? Wait, is he really going? He’s going to show it to me just like that?

It had only been a few days since I came to this place. Was it really okay for him to just show me his family heirlooms that easily? On top of that, he still had a pile of documents that he needed to get through.

I looked over the duke’s shoulder to see a mountain of documents piled up on his desk. He’s kind of a pushov—no, I take that back. Maybe he’s a better person than I thought...

He looked frightening on the outside, but on the inside, he was pure. He was kind of like fried chicken... crispy on the outside but tender on the inside, huh?

No, what was I thinking? I leaned my head against the duke’s shoulder and glanced up at his face. It was stern and cold. Still...

Unlike Marquess Tarenka, who was a Category 1 villain, he might actually be a Category 2 villain—a villain who was actually a good person.

How naive and foolish of you!

This world, the world of romantic fantasies, is not as easy as you think it is! You’ve been disappointed and discouraged many times in the past, haven’t you? Never let your guard down! Do not forget that!

I was reminded of the words that appeared on the quest window, but regardless, I loosened my tense shoulders and let myself rely on his strong arms.

* * *

“Wow...!”

I couldn’t help but be amazed.

The room was dark, but a ray of light descended from above. The light dispersed thinly and neatly on the floor as if reflected on a crystal.

There was a dark ink-colored insignia with a beautiful embroidery of the duke’s family crest in gold and silver thread, and the room was filled with a majestic and imposing air typical of a room housing years of history.

It made me feel like I had to be careful with my breath. It felt like time had been stopped in this room. No wonder they referred to this room as the sacred war room...

Like its name, the room was dark yet felt noble and sacred. It wasn’t a room filled only with expensive items. It felt like a room that housed various myths, legends, and a vast history.

Perhaps these items were spoils of wars and not just treasures.

Instead of artworks like paintings and statues, the room was filled with swords and shields, armor, the Holy Grail, and many more treasures that looked like they had incredible legends behind them.

The overwhelming sight was enough to make me forget my purpose in coming here. I followed the walls of the circular room, looking at the displayed treasures in awe until my eyes narrowed on a particular object.

There was a gorgeous console made of ivory and gold placed all alone in the center of the room.

On top of it was a circular casket made of glass. Based on its placement in the room and how preciously it was displayed, I could tell that it was the most valuable item in the room. I wondered what was inside.

Out of curiosity, I leaned in its direction, and the duke slowly moved towards it.

Oh...! As we neared the glass, my heart started to pound faster with anticipation.

Was it a manaheart, also known as the heart of a dragon? Or perhaps the tears of a mermaid living in the Seven Seas? The fruit of salvation infused with the powers of the divine lord? No, maybe it’s a sacred stone that used to be the heart of a brave warrior’s sword?

A list of fantastical treasures popped up into my head. Whatever it was, it had to be a beautiful treasure that captivated people at first glance! Even the console that it was displayed on was super fancy.

As we arrived at the console, I—

“That’s it...?” I said in disappointment.

Inside the glass casket was an old, worn-out book that looked like it was about to fall apart with one wrong touch. The book’s condition was so bad that you couldn't tell what color it was originally.

That’s not to say that old books weren’t valuable. Indeed, even if this book was historically important when compared to the other treasures in the room, it was very underwhelming.

Now that I’m done looking, I should see if there’s a summoning medium amongst—! At that moment, a memory flashed in my head, and I gasped.

What did the pop-up call me again? It called me a reader. And what did its explanation for <Rush and Cash> say?

It said that my ability was perfect for a reader like me. That must mean...

That’s the one.

For some reason, I felt a very strong conviction that my hunch was right. It was only a single possibility out of the many treasures in the room, but I was sure.

But how do I get ahold of it?

It won’t be easy to get a touch of it, seeing that it’s preciously stored inside a glass casket… Hmm...

“Daddy, what’s that book over there?”

“A seal book.”

Ah, it was a seal book. Did that mean a demon might be sealed inside that book? Ugh, if only that little devil boy was a little more trustworthy... Suddenly, the duke tensed the hand he was holding me with. Naturally, I wrapped myself closer to his wide chest.

There was a tense silence.

I looked up, confused, and the aide who was behind us spoke to me with a friendly smile.

“It’s all right, my lady. It may be a seal book, but there’s nothing actually sealed inside at the moment. Therefore, you don’t need to be so scared.”

Ah, he must’ve misunderstood the sour look on my face. Did the duke also misunderstand...? Is that why he held me tighter? Either way, it’s a good thing that a demon wasn’t sealed inside that thing.

“If there’s nothing inside, why are you keeping it here?”

“It’s a valuable treasure of the founding duke.”

I widened my eyes and let out a sound in awe of the duke’s words.

“Wow, it must be really old then. How cool.”

I put my hands against my cheeks in order to conceal my thieving mind and acted like an innocent sheep.

“Can I touch it once?”

“That’s...” It was unlike the duke to show hesitation.

“I can’t?” Even with the attack of my widened puppy eyes, the duke’s cold eyes didn’t budge.

Tsk. I already knew it wasn’t going to work on him. I just thought I’d give it a try.

“Haha, my lady. It’s most likely because the book is being preserved due to its poor state.”

Look, Mr. Aide, you don’t have to try to cheer me up.

What should I do now? It doesn’t look like he’s going to give in easily. Maybe I’ll take a step back for now—

[A sudden quest has appeared!]

Just as I thought that I would give up for now, a pop-up appeared. And soon after, a quest window appeared.

[<The Greatest Filial Piety (1)>]

[Dear Reader, I was pleasantly surprised by your instincts! Or perhaps it’s because you are a contractor of the great <Apthanes>?]

[Congratulations on discovering the <Summoning Medium>! In order to get your hands on this object, you must overcome a big challenge. But fear not, for a mountain exists to be climbed, and the sea exists to be sailed!]

[You weren’t thinking of “taking a step back” or “coming back to it after giving it some thought,” were you?]

[A rapid development! Romance fantasy readers desire rapid developments! Be prepared to do whatever it takes to get what you want. Conquer and win!]

[A romance fantasy reader never backs down in these situations! Show the world your abilities!]

[Condition: Convince Duke Phaeraton and obtain the <Summoning Medium>.]

[Reward: A ticket to draw 5,000 cash.]

[Penalty for declining the quest: Forfeit your life.]

[Penalty for failing the quest: Forfeit your life.]

This is insane...! “Rapid development”? My life is way more important than that kind of thing! A person needs to be careful with their decisions!

Honestly, I didn’t even know how I would convince him anyway.

Just as I was about to decline the quest, the penalty caught my eye.

“Forfeit your life”? I mean, I’ve forfeited a couple of novels mid-read, but forfeiting my life...?

It can’t mean what I think it means. Surely, it can’t mean that.

As much as I wanted to deny it, it sounded exactly like what I thought it meant. That means I’ll die if I decline or fail this quest! That devil bastard!

I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him. As I cried internally, I read the words that were written below.

[Benefit to accepting the quest: A hint will be activated.]

Are you playing with me right now?!

I wanted to scream at the devil, but I was still grateful regardless. I was desperate for anything since I was completely clueless about how I would convince the duke.

It says a hint will be activated. Does that mean I’ll be presented with some kind of option? Or maybe it’ll show his favorability towards me? Either way, anything is fine.

If there’s going to be a hint, it’s better for me to obtain the book right now!

[You have accepted the quest.]

[As a benefit, a hint will appear while the quest is in progress.]

Nice! Now give me my hint! Preferably an option of some sort!

As I was looking at the duke with my beating heart...

I stopped in my tracks.

My mouth fell open in shock.

Uh, Duke Phaeraton... Your face... is a little weird. To be exact, there’s something weird stuck on your face...

Why is there a h-heart drawn on your cheek all of a sudden...?