Raised the Villainous Daughter and Ran Away - Chapter 197



Side Story III. Until a New Family Arrives

Since the news of France’s pregnancy, the mother has had to remain in absolute rest, so I have been acting as the Duke’s proxy.

I don’t know how hard it was to stop her from insisting on doing it herself during the process. Fortunately, everyone, including Dahlia, stuck with me and tried to persuade me, so I accepted.

Thanks to that, I’m getting through the most dangerous early stages of pregnancy without any problems.

however…….

I’m struggling with one problem right now.

It’s not that I have a lot of work to do as a duke or that it’s complicated. I finished those a long time ago.

Anyway, the reason my head hurt was because there was something much more important going on.

The names of our twins who are about to be born.

‘What would be a good name?’

When I was a Prince of Barenberg, my name Jean meant to go forward without fear.

Back when I was on Earth, I don’t know exactly what the name Kim Gongryak meant, but it had a meaning.

Unlike my ambiguous name, I want to give my twins a name that is cool, meaningful, and profound.

So I’m looking for the name by searching through ancient literature… … .

“I don’t like anything.”

There is no name that makes me think, ‘This is it!’

“Is there anything you like…?”

As I was in agony, clutching my head, Helena, who was watching from the side, asked.

Helena is France’s exclusive employee, but the reason she’s here is because the servants, including Lenya, are currently taking great care of France, so she naturally came to me.

“Yeah. There’s no good name.”

“Well, you just need to find two, right?”

What are you talking about? My expression suddenly crumpled.

“I have to find four. They’re twins, right?”

“…Your summary?”

Helena blinked. She didn’t seem to understand what I was saying.

“If the first one is a boy, what name will you give it? If the second one is a girl, what name will you give it? If the second one is a boy, what name will you give it? If the second one is a girl, what name will you give it? A total of four. Isn’t that obvious?”

When I looked at her in disbelief, Helena avoided my gaze and laughed awkwardly, saying, “Ahaha.”

“Well, it has to match the sound of the name Descartes, and it has to have a profound and deep meaning, and it has to match the appearance… Ah, is this impossible?”

I pressed my forehead with two fingers and squeezed my eyes shut. It wasn’t an easy decision.

If it were me and France’s child, he would inherit deep golden eyes that sparkled like gold. This is a mark that all children of the royal family of Barenberg are born with.

‘The head is… … .’

It is most likely the color of a bright red rose, since most of Descartes’ descendants had red hair.

So, that means you’re born with sparkling golden eyes and rose-red hair…

“… It’s difficult, it’s difficult.”

He sighed in frustration and shook his head because he couldn’t think of a good name. Then Helena asked cautiously. She had an ambiguous smile on her face.

“How about combining the Duke’s name and the Duchess’s name…?”

My eyes lit up with a bright light, as if it were a good idea. There was just one problem.

It was because of her name. If it was a name given to her by Descartes’ family, whom she now hates to even think about, she might feel repulsed.

“I guess I’ll have to ask. Let’s go straight to the bedroom.”

“yes yes!”

* * *

Knock. I knocked very carefully, just in case Frances was startled. I opened the door slightly and went in, and Frances was sitting on the bed reading a book.

“Jin? What’s going on?”

“that is…….”

When I quickly and briefly explained my previous concerns, Frances burst into laughter.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It doesn’t really matter. I heard from my grandfather that my mother named me. It means lovely.”

Frances, who had been smiling brightly, muttered the word “grandfather” again and suddenly looked down. Her eyes were filled with bitterness.

‘… I guess there’s something going on at your maternal side.’

There are many questions about Frances’ maternal side. We would have seen them at places like succession ceremonies or weddings, but they have not been seen or heard from.

I wanted to ask, but Frances’ expression was so dark that I swallowed the question. I’ll tell you when she wants to talk.

You should not carelessly dig up family matters that the parties involved do not mention.

Anyway, back to the name.

“Then it means that I love you and that I should move forward without fear… … .”

As I was agonizing over the ambiguous situation, Frances gave me her opinion. There was a smile on the corners of her lips, as if she found it funny how I was behaving like this.

“… How about naming it after my name if it’s a daughter, and after your name if it’s a son?”

It was definitely a good way to connect with us as parents.

I was so focused on the name, which had depth and a sense of Descartes, that I didn’t realize it was a simple idea.

Is this why it is dark under the lamp?

“So, are you done with the work?”

“Oh, I finished the work a long time ago.”

“…already?”

Frances tilted her head and blinked. It made sense. She had a lot of work to do.

However, with the help of Butler Flügel and Viscount Elvan, it was quickly resolved. The magical revolution taking place throughout the empire was at a level that only needed to be approved.

“Thanks to everyone’s help, it was done quickly. And more importantly, we have to think about names for our twins. We can’t put it off just for the sake of the empire’s safety, right?”

Frances laughed out loud as she shrugged her shoulders with a grin, “What are you talking about!”

“Anyway, I’ll go now that I think of something else to do. If there’s anything you want, just let me know. I’ll listen to anything you want.”

I said that and got up from my seat. As I opened the bedroom door, Frances smiled and waved. Helena, who was next to me, followed me out.

Now what I have to do is.

‘We need to prepare.’

There has never been a case like this before, but I heard that pregnant women sometimes suddenly have a craving for food. I learned that you really have to listen to them at those times.

It’s simple knowledge that comes over your shoulder even if you don’t specifically try to know it.

so…….

“Helena, gather the servants and kitchen staff.”

“…Uh, all of a sudden?”

“We need to prepare for the unexpected.”

Helena didn’t seem to understand what I meant, but she didn’t question it.

After a while, most of the servants, starting with the chef, gathered in the mansion’s lounge.

“Your Majesty, what could be the matter?”

The chef from the palace asked.

“Chef, from now on, you have to prepare food that a pregnant woman might suddenly ask for.”

Only then did the chef nod his head and say, “Ah.” He seemed to understand right away, as he was older and more experienced.

“Well, I don’t think His Highness would ever look for something special to eat. He doesn’t usually enjoy gourmet food.”

“Then?” I asked back.

“We should focus on the taste. Mothers usually look for sour or sweet tastes. Tea made with fruits like raspberries or flower petals is good.”

Sour and sweet, Frances doesn’t really need this since she has an aversion to sweet foods.

“Okay. I’ll consult with my doctor, Dahlia, and send you a list of foods to prepare.”

After asking for a few simple things, I headed straight to Dahlia’s infirmary. The door was open, so there was no need to knock.

“Oh, Your Majesty. What could it be?”

“I have something to talk about with France.”

When I explained exactly what happened earlier, she giggled.

“You’ve prepared thoroughly. I’ve planned out my diet, but I’m sure there will be such instances, so I’ll let you know what to avoid, Your Highness.”

Dahlia carefully wrote down on a piece of paper the foods and ingredients that were dangerous to the mother.

“It’s about this much.”

I nodded my head, checking what was written on the paper.

It is written that any food that affects the body’s energy, has the property of breaking down fat, or is undercooked should be absolutely avoided.

“There are a lot of dangerous things.”

“Of course. Because mothers are very sensitive.”

With this, preparation is complete. The readiness is perfect.

“Okay, then I guess I’ll be going now. I have more things to prepare.”

Dahlia smiled at me and said, “Cheer up.” After receiving her greeting, I started walking away.

There was a mountain of work to be done, starting with studying to become a good father.

* * *

Late in the morning when everyone was asleep.

The sky outside the window is so pitch black that you’d think it was dark.

“after.”

I personally give pregnant Frances a massage every time she falls asleep. I just moved my hands.

After making sure she was completely asleep, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes… … .

“Jin, Jin?”

Suddenly, Frances woke me up by shaking me. I was sure I had only dozed off for a moment, but it seemed like quite some time had passed.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

“No, that’s not it… … .”

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

Frances, who had a sad look on her face, finally nodded with her gaze down.

“It’s okay. Just talk.”

I answered confidently. I knew this would happen and prepared for it. That’s why we need to learn from the wisdom of our seniors.

“I want to eat fruit-flavored candy.”

“…huh?”

Candy? For a moment, I thought I had misheard and asked.

“…Not a fruit?”

“Yeah. I want some fruit-flavored candy.”

Oh, I didn’t prepare any candy.

That’s right, Frances usually avoided foods with sugar. She was averse to sweet tastes even without sugar…

“Fruit flavored candy.”

Frances spoke firmly. Her eyes were so sad that she looked like she was about to cry, so she quickly got out of bed and put on her coat.

“I’ll be back soon.”

I stopped by the kitchen just in case. I marked the food locations for this kind of thing so I knew where each dish was.

However, the candy was not visible.

‘I guess I should go out.’

You may wonder how anyone could get candy this late at night, but there was a woman who ran a small shop in Gongjakryeong.

It was a hidden gem, so the sisters Kazar and Ladea often visited there. Sometimes, I also went there with them when I was craving something sweet.

I heard that the owner of that place lives and runs the store at the same time, so if you explain the situation, you should be able to get some candy.

So, when I arrived at the store, I carefully knocked on the firmly closed door.

“Are you there? It’s urgent!”

Knock knock. Knock knock. This behavior was very annoying at this late hour, but there was nothing I could do about it.

After waiting for a moment, the store door opened. The owner looked up with a bashful face.

“Who… um…? Your Majesty!? What are you doing at this hour?!”

The owner can’t hide his surprise when he sees me. But there’s no time.

“I’m sorry, I have some special circumstances… Could you please give me as many fruit-flavored candies as you want? I’ll pay double.”

The owner looked at my face and smiled faintly. He seemed to have noticed the reason without me saying anything. Then he brought out two bags of candy from inside.

“Please accept this as a gift. You are a regular customer, and you are living well thanks to the Duke. I am grateful for anything that can be of help to you.”

The owner, with a warm smile, handed me a bag of candy and motioned for me to go quickly, saying that the Duke would be waiting.

“Thank you.”

Luckily, I managed to get some fruit-flavored candy and hurried back to the mansion.

As he ran while using his aura, a gust of wind blew around him.

I went to the window, thinking that I should go a little faster, and saw Frances hugging her pillow and crying.

“France!”

When I opened the bag of candy and handed it to her, Frances eagerly put the candy in her mouth. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw her face melting with happiness.

“delicious?”

“huh…….”

Frances smiled, satisfied with the candy. Only then did she feel relieved.

I have to prepare some sweet things for tomorrow… … .