Obviously, It’s My Child

As she jumped up, Roger looked up with a slightly surprised face. And he asked.

“Then, will you eventually accept the Duke’s proposal?”

“What do you think will happen if I return this?”

Claire asked while holding up Erich’s signet ring, which was twirling around on her index finger.

Then Roger grinned.

“Why are you sending it back? Shouldn’t you use it as much as you can?”

Claire laughed away. Still, Roger’s taking this better.

If it was Martha and the others, they would have wondered why she was conflicted when she could become the duchess and coaxed Erich. Besides that, the entire Duchy would be as good as hers.

Claire slumped back and sat down on the sofa.

“I couldn’t refuse anyway.”

It was not her who was the problem. She didn’t mind being thrown into the flames of gossip. The Weaving Guild’s assets would increase if they kept talking about the matter for a hundred days, and it wouldn’t have any impact on the Delford Barony.

In time, public sentiment would quietly die down, and they’d all forget about this marriage proposal scandal.

However, could the hot topic of ‘the boy resembling Duke Klausener’ disappear?

Would it be safe if she just went somewhere to the countryside to breathe and live quietly?

Perhaps not.

Claire and Elliot had begun standing out already. The strongest barrier that could protect a child that ‘no one knows’ was no longer valid.

Of course, the Weaving Guild was not entirely unnoticeable. She earned money and grew the guild big enough that they were at odds with the Belf Marquisate.

But it would be at most, a story about a low-ranking noble earning some money.

In a world where capitalism was rising, it was still lineage and not money that would determine power and status.

And now that House Klausener was involved, the real powers in the empire must have already looked into her and Delford behind her back.

And among them, one of them must be the person who killed Eliot’s biological father.

She couldn’t back down.

‘I’m sure Senior didn’t know, but it was an accurate hit.’

Her head was in terrible pain. She didn’t have a migraine, though.

Roger said with a single smile.

“Should I give you a massage?”

“Massage?”

He pretended to rub his temples. Claire laughed.

“Stop it. I don’t know if I should call this flattery or what?”

“I am prepared to become your illicit paramour, Baron. I can’t say for sure about Mister Sherwood, but I sure can’t fight Duke Klausener.”

“You’re truly ridiculous.”

Claire took it as a joke and chuckled.

“Why are you trying to win it by fighting men? Aren’t you supposed to fight for my reason?”

“Isn’t that a no-win game? I am not a fool who enjoys winning and losing.”

“You talk like a winner.”

Claire laughed incredulously.

“Enough with the nonsense, did you properly handle the task I told you about last time?”

“That’s…”

Then, a maid knocked on the open door. The two looked back.

The maid’s face was flushed, as if she had sprinted up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. And she cried.

“Baron! There’s big trouble!”

“What’s the matter? What is it?”

The maid’s flushed face seemed somehow… happy?

“Duke Klausener and Attorney Sherwood are fighting right now!”

“What?”

Claire opened her mouth.

* * *

“UWAAHH!”

When Claire got off the elevator on the third floor, the first thing she heard was the tearing sound of a child crying.

The situation came to an end. The decorative console table was tipped over, shattering the large vase that was once on top of it, its shards scattering across the floor. Water was spilled on the floor as well, flower petals floating atop it.

“Auntie, auntie!”

Elliott wept bitterly and stretched out his arms to Claire. Erich hurriedly reached out his hand to Elliot, but Elliot pushed Erich’s hand away and clung to Claire.

Claire hugged Elliot first and looked at the people one by one.

The nanny, the hotel attendant, and the manager all stared down, at a loss for what to do.

But what can they do? It was because from their point of view, Erich, let alone Grey, was an opponent that could not be caught and stopped.

“Ha.”

She took one look at the two men and sighed in embarrassment.

It was a mess. Grey’s glasses were off his face, and the ties and buttons of his lounge suit, which he always wears neatly, were also tattered.

It was the same with Erich. His hair was disheveled and wet, and the collar and cuffs of his silk shirt were ripped open, leaving red marks on his skin.

Both sides of his pants were wet, and Erich’s shoes were trampled and mangled.

“What is all this about? Are you both crazy?”

“Claire, get him out of here.”

“Your Grace, will you shut up? Because I want to kill both of you now.”

Instead of shouting, Claire spoke calmly. Elliot was still in her arms, crying profusely.

Roger shook his head. It was a deliberately serious face, but it was clear that the corner of his mouth was forcibly pulled down.

“Oh, what is all this about, gentlemen? You surprised our Young Master?”

“…….”

“It seems that the Young Master is not the only one crying. You’d better throw your gloves.”

Sparks flew from Erich’s bright blue eyes. But even with gloves on, he wouldn’t have thrown them.

Roger Carson was not that much of an opponent, and above all because Claire had once again stood in his way.

“Manager, give me a quiet room. Anyway, go and do something with those clothes. Unless you really want to make another mountainous pile of tabloid extras to crush me?!”