My Stepdad Was the Mastermind, Chapter 15
The two people standing in front of me now had expressions like they were looking at enemies, not family.
Even though they were reuniting after ten years, there wasn’t a trace of affection to be found.
If they’d been holding swords, it looked like they’d have dueled right then and there.
At that moment, as if deciding to switch conversation partners, Duke Decarean looked Mother over. Being someone skilled at controlling his expressions, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I could guess well enough what he intended to say.
‘He must find Mother and me distasteful.’
Now that things had come to this, I had to make sure Mother and Klaus’s marriage went through without a hitch.
If Duke Decarean opposed it and they ended up divorcing before the inheritance procedures were completed, or if the marriage fell through entirely, there would truly be no way to stop Uncle Pascal anymore.
I also didn’t want Mother to live under scornful eyes as she settled into married life.
So I had to make a good impression on Duke Decarean. To do that, I first needed to change this icy atmosphere.
‘I have to do something…!’
Growl.
It was then. A loud sound, with no sense of timing at all, came from my stomach.
To make an excuse, it was absolutely not intentional.
Klaus, Duke Decarean, and Mother’s gazes all turned toward me at once.
I did want to stop the two of them, but this was definitely not the method I’d wanted. Really!
In an instant, my face flushed hot.
Klaus, who had worn a serious expression the whole time since meeting Duke Decarean, spoke while holding back laughter.
“Vivi, are you hungry? Come to think of it, you rushed to the imperial palace without even having lunch.”
“No, it’s just…”
He winked playfully with one eye.
“Wait. I’ll have you eat the most delicious meal in the capital soon.”
* * *
I lost my words at the sight of the huge mansion before my eyes.
“Mister, why are we here…? Weren’t we going to a restaurant?”
“Hm? Did I say I was going to a restaurant?”
Come to think of it, Klaus had said he’d let me have a delicious meal, but he’d never said anything about going to a restaurant.
‘But the Decarean ducal residence?’
I couldn’t move an inch inside the carriage, my face full of confusion. Then Klaus scooped me up and started walking toward the mansion.
Looking over Klaus’s shoulder, I saw Mother hesitate for a moment before following. Duke Decarean had already gone inside the mansion.
I whispered into Klaus’s ear as he made his way toward the mansion.
“But is it okay for Mother and me to go in?”
“Hm?”
“Mother and I are Arnos, not Decareans, you know.”
He gave a short laugh, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“You’ll be a Decarean soon enough, anyway.”
“No, I think that’s exactly the problem.”
Klaus brushed off my worry with one ear and passed through the door with unhesitating steps.
As we entered, the mansion erupted into chaos.
“Goodness. So it really was the young master. When a servant came rushing from the palace, this old man thought some fearless soul had dared to impersonate the young master.”
In particular, an elderly man with neatly combed white hair even teared up at the sight of Marcus.
“It’s been a long time, Sebastian. Have you been well?”
“What trouble could there possibly have been for this old man, living comfortably here at the mansion all this while? It was you, young master, out there suffering, that I worried about.”
“Ha, look at my face. Does this look like the face of someone who’s suffered?”
“I’m relieved it doesn’t seem that way.”
The servants, starting with the man named Sebastian, greeted Klaus one by one.
Klaus, who had let nothing but cold wind blow toward Duke Decarean, exchanged warm words with them, surprisingly.
“Then these ladies would be…”
“Ah, let’s save the formal introductions for later. The little lady here said she’s hungry.”
“We’ve already prepared everything so you could eat as soon as you arrived, just as you contacted us in advance. Allow me to guide you to the dining hall.”
“Sebastian, even after ten years away, do you really think I’d forget where the dining hall is?”
“It’s simply that I wished to personally guide you and these precious young ladies myself, young master.”
“Well, in that case, it can’t be helped. Let’s go, Vivi. Rayna, you as well.”
Klaus, readjusting me in one arm, held out his hand to Mother. Mother, her face tense, took his hand in return.
I, too, steeled myself and headed toward the dining hall where Duke Decarean would be waiting.
* * *
To cut to the conclusion, just as Klaus had confidently promised, the food at the Decarean ducal residence was delicious. It was the most delicious food I’d had in either my past life or this one.
They’d apologized for preparing something simple on such short notice, but it was so heavenly I couldn’t understand why they’d apologized at all.
“Delicious…”
As I chewed on my steak, tears welled up without my realizing it, and Klaus chuckled as he wiped the corners of my eyes.
“Is it that delicious, Vivi?”
“Yes. The meat melts in my mouth. It’s like the cow is dancing on my tongue. It’s the same steak, so why is it so delicious?”
When I gave a fittingly childlike description, his face turned satisfied.
“That good, huh? Then eat mine too.”
Without hesitation, I diligently cut up and ate even the steak Klaus placed on my plate. He watched me eat, one hand propping up his chin, as if just watching me eat filled him up too.
“Oliver would be pleased to hear this.”
“Oliver?”
“Yes. He’s the head chef of the ducal residence.”
“Then please tell him for me later. That the food was truly delicious.”
“I will.”
Absorbed as I was in my steak, I belatedly took stock of the atmosphere around me.
I’d been so focused on eating that I only now noticed how tense Mother had become.
‘Good grief, Valery Arno! How could you act like a child!’
It dawned on me belatedly that, following the young body’s instincts, I’d ended up behaving like a child without meaning to.
Still, now that my stomach was fairly full, I could make rational judgments again.
‘Duke Decarean hasn’t even touched his utensils.’
He looked as though he wanted to press Klaus for answers right away, but he was quietly waiting for me to finish eating.
It seemed like consideration shown because Klaus had come to the ducal residence on my account.
When I finally put the last piece of cake into my mouth, Duke Decarean gestured to the maid standing behind me.
“Take the child to the guest room for now.”
“Yes, understood. Miss, shall we go together? There are even more delicious desserts upstairs.”
“Yes, Vivi. Mother has some things to discuss here, so go play for a little while.”
I gauged the atmosphere for a moment, then linked arms with Mother. Not satisfied with that alone, I rubbed my cheek against her arm affectionately.
“Mommy! You know! Vivi wants! To stay here with Mommy!”
Using the third-person speech I hadn’t used once since regaining my memories of my past life made my fingers curl with embarrassment, but I endured it.
‘I have to hear what the three of them are going to talk about.’
From the looks of things, Duke Decarean didn’t seem like he’d easily approve of this marriage.
I wasn’t sure if I could come up with any clever tactic against him, but I wanted to help even a little.
‘Besides, if things go on like this, neither Mother nor Klaus seem likely to tell me what they talked about.’
As I, who rarely threw tantrums, insisted stubbornly, Mother’s face turned troubled.
“You’re scared to be apart from Mommy in an unfamiliar place, aren’t you? Mommy understands how our Vivi feels, but Mommy would like it if Vivi gave her just a little time. The grown-ups have something to talk about. Mommy will come back soon.”
The maid, who had been listening, chimed in.
“Miss, or would you like to go see the garden with me instead? There are lots of pretty flowers.”
“But Vivi wants to be with Mommy.”
It was then. Across from me, Klaus propped his chin on one hand and grinned.
“That’s right, our Vivi. You want to be with Mommy?”
His voice was full of mischief. It seemed that, unlike Mother, he had caught on to my scheme.
“Well, in that case, it can’t be helped. Vivi, let’s go together too.”
He rose from his seat and came over to me, then plucked me up like pulling a radish from the ground and held me in his arms.
“It seems the conversation will run rather long, so instead of doing this here, shall we move to the parlor, my lady? There are too many watching eyes here as well.”
“You’re one to talk about watching eyes, when you’re doing this to me…”
Klaus burst out laughing again at my words and strode out of the dining hall.
Soon, the four of us gathered in a lavishly decorated parlor.
The head butler brought tea and refreshments, but no one touched them.
No, there was exactly one person who did.
“Vivi, try this too. It’ll be delicious.”
“No, that’s…”
I jabbed my elbow into the side of Klaus, who obliviously kept piling various kinds of desserts onto my small plate.
