Extra Chapter (4)

The child’s room was not too far from the bedroom itself. It was common for children and their parents to keep some distance apart even if it was just for their private lives.

However, since Molitia didn’t really like being separated from her child, the Duke and Duchess’s couple room had been constructed in an unprecedented structure.

Raven knocked on the door as soon as he stood in front of the tightly closed child’s door.

Knock, knock.

Perhaps due to the dark hallway, the sound of knocking on the door was resonating even more vividly.

“Who is it?”

A young voice was heard to make out if it was the nanny.

“Irit.”

“Father?”

He thought that he really heard the surprised voice for a moment, but it soon disappeared. Instead, the doorknob turned right at the same time.

Irit wore a bright look through the crack of the door along with a clapping sound.

“How have you been, Father!”

“Are you still awake?”

Raven’s big hand gently stroked along Irit’s head.

“The book I had been reading was interesting. I was going to read all of it before I went to bed soon.”

The child looked mischievous while clutching on the book that he was just reading.

”I see.”

A faint giggle burst out of the child’s mouth as he stroked Irit’s head once again with that short response.

Looking at Irit’s smile, Raven felt that his mouth had gotten unwittingly loosened.

‘Oh my gosh.’

He almost forgot the reason he came over to his child’s room. Raven wiped the smile off his mouth by turning away his hand from stroking the child’s head.

“Irit, I heard from your mother.”

“What?”

Irit, who looked up, was smiling brightly to see if he had remembered something.

“Oh! Will my father allow me to have a younger brother then?”

“Irit.”

Brief, but it was such a heavy tone of voice. That one word had the atmosphere turned upside down in an instant. Suddenly, Irit felt that something was wrong, which made him stiffened up.

“You already learned that you shouldn’t be making unreasonable demands from your mother. But why did you forget all about it and say that to your mother?”

“What? It’s…”

“You must’ve known best that your mother is not feeling very well. Didn’t you say that you’d protect her when I’m around?”

“But Father, I’m—”

“Do you still intend to continue making such excuses, Irit Linerio?”

Irit’s lips closed naturally at his stern voice. The child’s head then dropped, but Raven still could hardly stop lecturing.

How much should he explain that pregnancy was just dangerous for Molitia? Raven eventually felt that Irit’s condition had gotten a little different and soon stopped talking.

“Irit? Are you listening?”

“…I feel.”

“What?”

“I hate my father!”

Tears were already welling up around the eyes of Irit, who finally raised his head.

Just before Raven could say anything while being surprised at his words thrown, tears that were just like chicken droppings had burned down Irit’s cheeks.

“I was just saying that I liked Robert so much that I wanted to have one too…”

His voice, woefully heard, made it quite difficult for him to finish his sentence.

“Why are you scolding me so much? Why? What did I do wrong? I didn’t know. I don’t even know…”

He wiped away the tears that were gushing out with his arms, but they burst out even faster than he had rubbed them away. No matter how much he had tried to dry them off, Irit finally gave up and began crying in earnest instead while shaking his own shoulders.

“Wahh, I hate my father!”

The whole Duchy, which was already asleep then, immediately flipped over at the bawling as downed on his shoulders. Not only the surprised servants, but even the nanny next door had run out and found Raven before they became restless.

The aftermath of the delirium was instantly added when the normally mature child had been weeping sadly. The continuous flow of tears from his eyes had made the hearts of the onlookers ache badly.

“Hey, Irit.”

Only then did Raven finally reach out to appease him, who seemed to be crying all too much. However, it had turned out to be an already crying Irit. The child pushed Raven’s arm away with an angry look before he started weeping again.

“Irit!”

Molitia, who rushed to the child’s wails, immediately stood in front of Irit while panting hard.

“Wahh, Mother.”

The child instantly ran to Molitia with a relieved look and hugged her close. Molitia quickly returned the child’s hug, surprised by the very first occurrence since Irit was still very young.

“Molitia.”

Five years old was the time when it would weigh upon quite a bit. Raven moved a little to give the still growing child that pack on his wrist, but Molitia quietly stopped him instead.

“Irit.”

She hugged his neck and patted the crying child on his back. It was quite intense, but as soon as Molitia had soothed him, the child slowly lifted his head up and made eye contact with her.

His face was already covered with tears and snot while his hiccups were already set in a row. Molitia sighed quietly before wiping off the child’s face with her eyes.

“Do you feel very sad?”

The child burrowed into Molitia’s arms while nodding sharply. His cries died down, but still nothing could be done about the fierceful movements due to his own hiccups.

Molitia stared at Raven while patting his back until the child’s hiccups finally subsided.