IN THE CARRIAGE - ON THEIR WAY BACK TO THEIR VACATION VILLA.

  Both father and son crossed their arms on their chest.

  “Ethan.”

  “Yes, Father?”

  “Study hard.”

  “Yes, Father.

  “Twice harder.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Tch, so am I! And how many YES should I tell yo.. wait, are you crying?”

  “Please call me a great Father too!”

  “What the?”

  “Tell me you’re a proud Vanders-Axevran!”

  “Ehh?”

  “Or call me Daddy! Your Daddy’s great too!”

  “Ekk!” I almost throw up!

  “Then, Dad?”

  “YOU’RE LOSING YOUR MIND!”

  “Say DAD.”

  “NO!”

  “Oh come on, son!”

  ARCHDUKE VANDERS’S VACATION VILLA IN SOUTHERN REGION – CALEB’S BEDROOM.

  I was flabbergasted.

  But then, I guess so did everyone else.

  Even Archer himself was left speechless with proudness written all over his face.

  Heh. *grin. That fuckwit. To have an offspring as intellect as her mother.. such a shame that his daughter has never gotten a chance to see Katarina. If only she didn’t leave him in the name of science, then my psycho sister-in-law wouldn’t be able to get her hands on her. *sigh.. Now that I’m reminiscing, it’s only fair to say Archer was also at fault for giving a slight chance to Elena. If only he didn’t fuck her in the past.. dammit he really shouldn’t have done that. She wasn’t just a major red-flag, she was a whole motherfucking red sea! But that dumbass had to get addicted to her pussy that he never listened to me! Looked what she had done to your wife you moron!

  Tsk, tsk.

  Then again, with things that are now, I’m actually proud of him. Even though he and I still cursed a lot (we seriously need to have some control in front of the kids), still, he’s done a good job on raising his daughter. The earlier event was a proof of how good he is as a father. Well damn.. I won’t lose too. I’m a father of three now. A husband to the only woman who could ever tame me.

  Let the today’s affair be a great life lesson..

  I shall clear up my schedules and go fishing with Ethan tomorrow. Then join the painting class with my other son when I return home, since his hobby’s rather artistic. He’s really good at it though and he’s only eight, I should probably open a gallery for him in the future. And I shall devote myself to teach my new-born daughter calling me Daddy like Archer’s daughter! Ahahaha!

  Life of a father, huh?

  This isn’t as bad as I used to imagine how it would be.

  Caleb beamed as he wipes his body off after shower, reminiscing the past when he first met his wife the Archduchess and when he first became a father..

  “Time sure flies fast.” He uttered softly.

  ETHAN’S ROOM.

  Phew.

  Father dearest has lost it.

  Completely insane and grossed me out.

  He clung on to me and begged me to call him ‘daddy’ like his life depends on it on the way back here. Sigh.. sometimes, just sometimes, I wish he wouldn’t have to have that inferiority complex toward his close friends.

  I mean his two best friends are great, rather the coolest adults I’ve ever met, but.. he shines bright in his own way too. And both his sons are always proud of him, how could he not know that?

  Then again, the event today at the meeting was something I’ve never witnessed in my life before.

  As high-noble children, we were taught to be mature early, pushed to hurry up and become adults, forced to assess significant situations faster than how our age required.. the age where we should explore curiosity as kids. I, for one, personally never mind the non-stop lessons every single day. Not to mention the morning sword training.. haaaaa. *growled. But I only managed to get through it because of my loving parents regardless of my legitimacy. They truly loved me unconditionally.

  Same to be said with Killian. We’re practically rivals along with that idiot imperial cousin of mine, although I can’t speak much of the Wolff clan to be honest. They’re shrouded in mysteries, no matter how close my family is with them. And Killian is the very meaning of a sealed library that is locked tight.

  On the other hand, Duke Debelvoir is a completely different story.

  Father and Duke Wolff could have some awkward moments at times, but with Duke Debelvoir, he’d neutralized the intensity, although the man himself is the very meaning of intense. He’s scarier than how he looked like, and he already looked rather very intimidating. At least he is in my eyes.

  So I thought that he’d be stricter to his daughter under the pretense of a loving parent, only to find out how much of a doting father he is and how wrong I was.

  Father did inform me beforehand that the duke has a soft spot toward his daughter and warned me not to pull my antics. It was a fair warning due to my past pranks toward my imperial cousins. Hence my curiosity to the only heir of the mighty Debelvoir clan.

  And for some reason my heart fluttered when I saw her stood by the hallway earlier, wearing an all red dress as the wind flapping her ponytail raven hair.. she was, very cute. I meant it when I said that I wanted her to be like a little sister to me. But when she opened her eyes and switched her gaze toward me, her piercing emerald eyes struck me before she started to burst in tears.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  I have never felt so much fear my entire life that I thought even my father wouldn’t be able to protect me if the duke decides to end me there and then.

  The way he threatened my father wasn’t some empty words. He truly meant what he said. Anyone who stood at the hallway earlier understood him perfectly clear.

  But why did his daughter cried so hard?

  The way she cried wasn’t a simple baby cries.. it was as if someone had done something wrong to her. Something that is unforgivable. And as if that someone was me..

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of her during the meeting either. It was my first important meeting with the adults and yet I solely focused on her. However on the contrary, she never glanced at me. Not even once.

  She was the epitome of cuteness with chubby cheeks that I wanted to pinch so badly. She has the same raven hair and emerald eyes just like the duke, but her face was rather soft, delicate.. like cotton ball, and yet it projected clandestine. She reminds me a lot of a porcelain doll.

  And when she cut the arguments between two powerful men of the Axevran Empire, I was dumbfounded words failed me.

  She didn’t lack any mannerism, in fact she handled it with grace like a proper lady. One that is very educated and at the age of five at that. A five-year old child took the lead in a serious meeting. *chuckle. I guess the duke wasn’t joking when he said he took her to meetings from the time when she was only a toddler, huh?

  Albeit it’s a normal thing for us aristocrat kids to learn early education, at the age of five I was playing house trees and pulled pranks around the Imperial Palace. The emperor even named me the headache of the century.. *sigh, indeed I was a mischievous one. But I’ve changed though, haven’t I?

  Hmm..

  What is this feeling?

  Do I feel motivated to study more?

  Seriously?

  *amused.

  AT 3AM IN A SECRET UNDERGROUND HALL NEAR THE OUTSKIRT OF DEBELVOIR DUCHY.

  “Your Grace, the Ravens are here.”

  “Send them in, Hugo.”

  I nodded before I summoned the guild members inside the secret hall that can only be open and closed by Debelvoir blood.

  The Ravens.

  A mysterious guild that raised questions among the high ranking nobles in the entire continent, and it was founded by none other than my master, the one and only Duke Debelvoir, when he was only eight years old.

  That was the first time I met him. I was a kid who was abandoned and he found me on the verge of death by the slums in the capital city, and saved me from the misery of living in constant hunger and fear.

  It has been twenty years since then. I came from a humble background of a low-born, to become his first member of Ravens Guild, to become his first aide. And to think that someone like me has received a title of a Baron with a good portion of a land, I owe him my life and my all..

  From the perspective of the outsiders, the duke has it all. Power, fame, wealth.. and a family name that is endlessly influential –all that are deemed to be the essence of nobles. But little did they know, he was the embodiment of suffering.

  But my master struggled on his own, and kept it well hidden, until she arrived into his life..

  To think that she had left behind a precious someone to him, someone that is able to open up the new sides of him.. I am still speechless to this point.

  Flashback to when Hugo accidentally caught his master’s cute moments with his daughter:

  - The duke gazed gently with a soft smile at his daughter as she fell asleep on his shoulder.

  - The duke was reading on a couch as his daughter fell asleep on his chest.

  - The duke would go on picnic by the estate’s garden with his daughter and both would fall asleep under the oak tree.

  - The duke carried his daughter around about eighty percent of his time in the manor and I’d often found the little lady to simply doze off on his arms.

  I guess babies tend to sleep more frequently, huh?

  However there were also times when the little lady:

  - Hugged a balloon and it suddenly exploded. She sucker punched His Grace’s jaw and shouted ‘YOUR FAULT!’

  - Drew a random landscape and the tip of the pencil broke. She threw the pencil on His Grace’s eyes and shouted ‘YOUR FAULT!’

  - Ballet dancing randomly in His Grace’s office and she slipped. She threw her shoes right on His Grace’s face and shouted ‘YOUR FAULT!’

  *chills.

  She can be scarier than the duke..

  But all the priceless memories with the young lady of the house from the age of one to this very day, with more moments and counting..

  *saddened.

  Madam Duchess, I pray.. I can only pray, for your safe return to them.

  SEVERAL WEEKS LATER.

  In my first life, right before he left for war, Archer summoned me to his office. And I sit obediently as I waited for him.

  However, I, as a simple minded seven-year old girl, had that instinct of curiosity. So I explored his desk and found a major revelation regarding my existence.

  The marriage contract between Archer Debelvoir and Katarina Von Thesse.

  I was told that she had gone missing in one of expedition of hers when she left the house right after I was born.

  My parents never really divorced. In fact, one of the terms and condition that was in the paper was that divorce is off the table.

  But she was allowed to leave anyway.

  No wonder Vanessa was only a mistress.

  Anywho.. for some reason today, I have this urge to see her portrait in the Family Hall where all the pictures of all Debelvoir bloodline is at. But I guess since I’m already here, let me just explore the entire hall.

  “Wait for me here.”

  “Yes, my lady.” The nanny and the maids responded altogether.

  *creak.

  Let’s begin.

  Starting from the founder of our clan, the emerald dragon himself.. wha-what?

  ARCHER?

  Archer is the control v of the founding father of House Debelvoir?

  Ha!

  Interesting.

  They really do look alike that it’s uncanny to look at. Well, except for his long hair.

  I only came here once back then to see my mother’s portrait so I don’t really recall a lot of the other pictures, including his.

  Axe Debelvoir.

  His history was only known to the Debelvoir bloodline.

  A long time ago in ancient times, the Vast Continent was known as a foreign land to the world, where beasts and mythical creatures lived without the interference of human race. That was, until the war between the dragons ended.

  This tale wasn’t recorded in the history book of the Vast Continent, but there was battle in the sky where the dragons danced for years and fight with all their might. The war lasted for over a century, and nearing the end of their lifelong battle, two powerful dragons stood for the final match, but only one survived the gruesome combat.

  The surviving dragon then fell to the earth, heavily wounded and his soul was knocking the death’s door for a decade, but for some mythical reason, the dragon himself was turned into human form, and he was finally saved.. by a woman.

  The woman’s name was Debelvoir, one of the first humans who settled in the Vast Continent, and our forefather, the dragon, took her name as his, that is now ours.

  Debevoir.

  Her portrait was rather terrifying.

  Fiery red hair, crimson eyes, and feature so sharp it’s just haunting to look at.

  My ancestors were indeed something.

  It’s still a mystery to me that their descendants would only bear one child per generation. Therefore, we have no extending families on our side. Our ancestry of dragon blood was kept secret as well. And it would probably because of Axe’s dragon form that is black with emerald green eyes, that all of his descendants, no matter who their spouses were (regardless of their clan), the child would always have the trademark jet-black hair and green jewelled-like eyes, and tall as fuck. Our body frame is weirder – I mean, a lot more intensifying than the average human in this realm. I'm saying I’m only five but I’m taller than most kids my age. That’s just the genes in us.

  Hm, now that I reached my grandparents paintings.. I wonder what happened to them. They’re not dead, that’s for sure. Because I saw their letters that Archer received from time to time. So, where are they now? I never quite asked Archer about them, maybe I ought to one day.

  Anyway, enough with the family history. I’m here to see mother, and here she is..

  Cherry blossom silvery hair, light pink eyes, and a tantalizing face.

  I got my hair and eyes from Archer because it’s inevitable. I’m a Debelvoir after all. But I do have some of her feature, although I never really see myself belongs to the pretty category. And man, when I said that she’s beautiful, I wasn’t joking. She was rather ethereal, that’s the correct word. If she were to be born in a modern world, she’d be THE Miss World for sure. A scientist with a face like that and someone who was quite skilful with sword.. a beauty pageant material for sure.

  I sometimes wondered why did you leave me too early, Katarina..

  Was it because there was no motherly instinct in you? Or perhaps.. perhaps there was no love to begin with? Not even just a tiny bit?

  I tried to move on, you know.

  I tried really hard not to think about you.

  But as much as I want to deny it, deep down in my stupid heart, I can’t let you go..

  “You look just like her.”

  *startled.

  “D-Dad?”

  Shit. Dude surprised me that my eyes were about to popped out. I didn’t hear his footsteps though..

  *kneeled. “Come, I have something for you.” *picked her up gently.