I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“Camilla.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Basil, sprawled across his desk like a dying man, asked in a lifeless voice,

“Developing a territory versus raising a six-year-old. Which do you think is harder?”

“That is an exceptionally difficult question.”

“Then fighting monsters versus fighting a six-year-old. Which one deals more damage?”

“The latter, without question. Mainly because there’s no real chance of winning.”

“Then……”

“……”

“Making peace with the world versus making peace with a six-year-old. Which is harder……”

“Why don’t you just apologize first?”

Camilla finally cut him off, sounding thoroughly fed up.

“You should have explained things slowly and properly. Why did you have to bring up the Temple and scare the child?”

Basil violently ruffled his hair.

“I don’t know. It seemed like the best option.”

He hadn’t been able to focus on work all day.

He had no energy.

He was certain his decision had been right.

It had been right.

And yet, for some reason, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Hadn’t there been a better way?

Camilla let out a short sigh.

“No matter how mature Haniel seems, she’s still an ordinary six-year-old. And……”

After a brief pause, she continued calmly.

“She’s also a very special six-year-old.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“It’s undeniable that the child possesses tremendous power. You need to acknowledge that she wants to use that power to prove herself, and that she wants to be loved because of it.”

“……”

“I know you want to tuck her safely into a nest and pamper her forever, but she won’t grow that way.”

“So you’re telling me to order the brat to purify the pillars?”

“At the very least, couldn’t you ask why she’s so obsessed with purifying them? Instead of simply forbidding her outright?”

Basil’s expression twisted at the blunt assessment.

“Why do you only give me advice after I screw up, old woman?”

“Did you consult me before screwing up?”

……

He had nothing to say to that.

Even the strongest man alive couldn’t beat experience.

“……So where did the brat go?”

“I told Sir Brad to calm her down properly, so let’s leave it to him.”

In fact, Brad had only come from the gate to the manor because Camilla had summoned him.

Basil rubbed his forehead again.

“She’s already been running away from home for eight hours……”

“Most people would simply call that going out.”

“Haa……”

What if she really didn’t come back?

His nerves were just about to burn to ash when—

Bang!

The door flew open.

“……?”

Patpatpatpat!

A silver-haired child came running in.

“Brat?”

Basil stood.

He had expected reconciliation to be difficult, so he was briefly confused.

Still, she had come back.

He took one step forward, intending to coax her gently—

when suddenly—

Whump!

“I’m sorry……!”

Haniel threw herself around his leg.

“I’m sorry! I did something wrong, Your Grace!”

“……What?”

“I-I was bad! I shouldn’t have talked back or yelled like that and run out!”

“……”

“I didn’t think things through. I won’t do it again! So please forgive me just this once!”

Something about the child was……

wrong.

Her entire body was trembling like a leaf.

And more than that—

she had buried her face against his leg and kept muttering apologies like someone in a trance.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Basil’s face immediately hardened.

“What happened?”

“I won’t talk back again. I won’t be mean either! If you tell me not to go near the pillars, I won’t! Really!”

“Hani.”

“So please……!”

“Why are you—”

The child suddenly raised her head.

“Why are you crying?”

“Please…… don’t throw me away.”

Drip. Drip.

Tears fell silently.

Basil froze as though someone had struck him across the back of the head.

He had never seen her cry like this before.

Haniel clutched his trousers and pleaded desperately.

“Please hide me……”

I had been arrogant.

I came to the North to hide.

I came here so I wouldn’t meet Dad.

So I could live without Dad ever finding out!

And yet I went outside the North without thinking.

Carelessness caused disasters.

I had thought I learned that lesson painfully when one tiny mistake burned down the entire grain warehouse.

Apparently not.

One small mistake.

One bad judgment.

And I had almost met Dad and ruined everything.

It was beyond shock.

It was terror.

Haniel was completely overwhelmed by fear.

Fear that because of her, Dad’s divine power had become corrupted—

and because of her carelessness, she had almost lost him again.

“Haniel.”

“Sniff.”

“Lift your face. Look at me.”

Grand Duke Basil’s calm voice reached her.

Truthfully, Haniel barely remembered how she had gotten back to the manor.

She had simply buried herself in Brad’s arms, returned to the North, and the moment she saw the manor, ran straight toward Basil.

Then she had blurted out whatever came to mind.

“You met a holy knight outside the North?”

Brad had just finished explaining what had happened.

“Seriously…… Haa. Why are you crying this much?”

Big tears kept falling from her eyes.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry again.

But apparently something in her tear ducts had broken.

“I’m sorry……”

Basil’s insides twisted painfully.

He almost wished she would simply wail.

Watching her silently shed tears like this was unbearable.

“How badly were you frightened?”

“……”

“I told you I wasn’t sending you to the Temple.”

“But…… but……”

The child spoke through trembling lips.

“If I become useless, you’ll send me away……”

“What?”

“If I become a burden, you might want to throw me outside the North……!”

Her voice finally burst out.

Basil’s brow twitched sharply.

Useless?

A burden?

Throw her away?

“What the hell…… are you thinking?”

“……”

“That would never happen.”

“……”

“Hani.”

Basil sighed.

Then a possibility suddenly occurred to him.

“You…… when you lived in the slums, did someone ever tell you that you were useless?”

Haniel’s back flinched.

“And if you got sick…… did they tell you not to show it because they might throw you away?”

“……”

……Damn it.

Basil barely swallowed the curse trying to escape.

But for the first time, he felt like he understood a little of the darkness inside the child.

Why she tried so desperately to be useful.

Why she refused to admit when she was hurting.

He pulled her tightly into his arms and gently soothed her.

Within the steady rhythm of his patting, Haniel’s tears gradually slowed.

“Brat.”

He chose his words carefully.

“I swear to you, I will never be the one to push you away or throw you out. You’ll always be a child of Vertus.”

“……”

“And that’s not because you have divine power, or because you know a lot of things.”

“……”

Haniel slowly lifted her head to look at him.

A large tear rolled down her cheek.

Basil wiped it away with one straight finger.

“It’s simply because…… you’re damn precious to me.”

“……”

“Even if all you ever do is whine and cry, you’re still wonderful and pretty and lovable. That’s why I keep you beside me. There’s no other reason.”

Silence followed his firm words.

“Baby……”

Haniel suddenly swallowed a sob and murmured,

“Like…… the baby pig and the chicks?”

……What was she talking about?

Still, Basil thought he more or less understood the context.

So he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“……”

“Babies are supposed to get praised just for pooping properly until they grow up.”

“……Hng, gross……”

“You’re the one who handed me a bucket and told me to do my best.”

Basil gently patted her back.

“So stop trying so damn hard all by yourself. Try trusting me.”

“……”

“Trust the family you chose.”

Haniel’s eyes widened slightly.

……Family……

Like Haniel and Dad.

Somewhere along the way, Haniel and Basil had also become……

What do I do?

Her heart gave its familiar little ache.

I thought I only had one family member.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t get too close to the Grand Duke.

That she wouldn’t give him too much affection……

But like clothes slowly becoming soaked in a light drizzle, she had somehow come to rely on him completely.

By the time she noticed, they had already become something resembling family.

Her feelings were complicated.

But she couldn’t deny it.

Haniel liked Basil.

She wanted to stick right beside him like a sticker and never leave.

His solid embrace felt like a fortress that would protect her forever.

Haniel roughly rubbed her eyes with the back of her tiny hand.

“……Your Grace.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was sick…… and made you worry……”

Haniel swallowed once and carefully continued.

“From now on…… I won’t hide it when I’m sick. I’ll tell you honestly.”

She cautiously watched Basil’s reaction.

He gave an immensely satisfied little smirk.

“Good. Looks like that pretty mouth finally learned how to do its job.”

Relief spread warmly through her.

So…… it’s okay to tell the truth.

The realization made warmth bloom inside her chest.

A soft, comforting warmth.

The kind that made her want to grow just one step more.

Haniel quietly watched Basil wipe her face with a handkerchief.

His speech and expression were rough, but the hand rubbing her cheeks was unbelievably gentle and careful.

……This wasn’t how I planned to make up with His Grace.

Somehow, it had turned into a reconciliation involving an embarrassing amount of tears and snot.

“……”

Haniel fell silent for a moment.

The shock of meeting Dantelion had already settled considerably.

She had been horrified by the sudden encounter with Dad—

but what she needed to do hadn’t changed.

……Okay.

Having made up her mind, Haniel spoke.

“So, Your Grace.”

“……”

“I really am fine purifying the pillars.”

She fidgeted with her fingertips and spoke calmly.

“Because I…… actually don’t have a core.”

Silence.

“Wait……”

Basil’s face froze as he processed her words.

Then suddenly—

his expression changed completely.

“What did you say?”

To Be Continued…