Chapter 128
Chapter 128: If You Don’t Express It Properly
Cheerful music echoed through the capital’s plaza streets.
The spring festival was in full swing.
Walking down the street, Elena naturally smiled as she basked in the dazzlingly warm sunlight.
Suddenly, she perked up her ears at the sound of people conversing nearby.
“I hear His Imperial Majesty is establishing new educational institutions.”
“Ah, isn’t he planning to make education accessible to commoners?”
“That’s not all. I heard he’s also reforming relief policies to address food shortages.”
Lupeon, the new Emperor of the Valdeon Empire, was generously implementing policies for his imperial subjects.
He was now broadly applying the skills and insight he had honed while governing the north.
As if acknowledging his efforts, the public’s opinion of their new Emperor grew more favorable by the day.
Elena, who knew well of Lupeon’s efforts to right the corrupt empire, wore a faint smile.
‘Still, I hope he doesn’t harm his health.’
Concerned for his wellbeing, Elena stopped by a familiar shop in the capital to purchase some herbs that would help with fatigue.
Then, passing through a narrow passage in a secluded corner of the plaza, she skillfully entered a merchant house with an awning.
Greeted warmly by the clerk, Elena followed him down to the underground passage.
Today she was attending the Feralto Trading Company’s executive meeting after a long absence.
Reaching the grand, ornate door, the clerk tilted his head curiously.
“It seems unusually quiet today. Usually it would be quite lively by now.”
“You’re right…”
Unlike usual, when loud voices could be heard from the passage, the executives seemed particularly quiet today.
‘I wonder if they’ve had a fight?’
Growing worried, Elena dismissed the clerk and lightly knocked on the door.
“I’m here, elders.”
After a moment of silence, Duke Hugoston’s voice called from inside the meeting room, telling her to enter.
As soon as she received permission and opened the door, Elena’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
The company executives, who seemed to have been waiting for her arrival, set off firecrackers.
Magical firecrackers showered sparkling flower paper, and colorful petals scattered around Elena.
“What is… all this?”
As Elena blinked in surprise at the unexpected welcome, unable to close her mouth, the executives rushed to offer their congratulations.
“Welcome back to the capital, Elena!”
It seemed the elders had prepared this surprise event to celebrate her permanent return to the capital.
Looking at them with a dazed expression, Elena broke into a bright smile amid everyone’s warm welcome.
“Thank you all so much.”
Then, a young boy who had been hiding among the executives approached her timidly.
‘Who is this child?’
As Elena tilted her head curiously, she soon realized the boy was Duke Hugoston’s grandson.
The way the Duke looked at him, his eyes practically dripping with honey, made it obvious.
It seemed the child had accompanied his grandfather to the Feralto Trading Company.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t he nine now?’
Perhaps because the Duke had once considered her as a potential granddaughter-in-law, Elena felt particularly glad to see his grandson.
After quietly observing the young lord, Elena greeted him with a fresh smile.
“Nice to meet you, young Lord Hugoston.”
“How did you…!”
When she recognized him, the boy’s face turned bright red as he covered it with one hand.
‘Oh my, how adorable.’
Elena was beginning to understand why the Duke had bragged so much about his grandson when the boy, after hesitating briefly, seemingly gathered his courage and shyly presented a bouquet he had been hiding behind his back.
“Congratulations on your return to the capital, my lady.”
Looking at the child with gentle eyes, Elena happily accepted the flowers.
“Thank you very much, young lord.”
The Feralto Trading Company executives watched them with content smiles.
Duke Hugoston approached her with a somewhat awkward expression and spoke.
“I was planning to come alone, but my son and his wife had to return to their domain urgently.”
Elena nodded as the Duke explained how he couldn’t bear to leave the young child alone at the mansion.
“It seems everyone is enjoying the young lord’s presence!”
It wasn’t a lie—the Trading Company’s atmosphere seemed notably brighter just from the child’s presence.
Soon the executive meeting began in a comfortable atmosphere.
While exchanging proposals and sharing opinions, Elena’s gaze suddenly turned to Duke Hugoston’s grandson.
Sitting quietly at one end of the table drawing pictures, he reminded her so much of Anasha that she grew concerned.
When a short break came during the meeting, Elena moved to sit opposite the child.
Startled, the boy hurriedly put down his colored pencil.
“My lady, did you need something…?”
“What a wonderful drawing!”
Elena smiled brightly as she looked at the child’s picture. It seemed to be a drawing of his family.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
As the boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, Elena suddenly recalled what Duke Hugoston had said before:
“I’m not sure if he’s trying to act grown-up or if he’s just mature for his age, but lately he won’t tell me what’s on his mind.”
Looking at the boy sympathetically, Elena deliberately spoke in a cheerful voice.
“The Duke must love it.”
“I don’t think he likes it…”
“What? Why not?”
The child fidgeted hesitantly with his hands. Then, glancing at his grandfather who was approaching, he answered.
“Because I must be annoying to Grandfather.”
“…”
‘Why would he think that?’
The Duke Elena knew was famous within the Feralto Trading Company for his excessive love for his grandson.
She thought the boy must be seriously misunderstanding something.
“What are you doing here?”
Duke Hugoston, who had approached them unnoticed, looked at the child’s drawing with an awkward smile.
“I was… drawing a picture.”
Elena, who had been watching the seemingly uncomfortable Duke and boy with puzzled eyes, soon understood the reason for her confusion.
“Ah yes, it looks just like a mouse bell.”
The Duke’s words were incomprehensibly strange, and his expression was so stiff he looked exactly like the stern grandfather from a fairy tale.
It was enough to make the young lord remember his grandfather as an intimidating, authoritative figure.
‘You shouldn’t say it like that…’
As Elena looked at the child with worried eyes, tears soon began rolling down the boy’s cheeks.
The Duke seemed quite flustered by his grandson’s tears dropping onto the paper.
Apparently, he hadn’t been expressing his love for his grandson directly to the boy.
‘What do you expect when you don’t express things properly?’
As the child burst into tears, seemingly overcome with hurt feelings, Elena shot the Duke an accusatory look.
“When you speak like that, you’re hurting the young lord’s feelings, elder!”
“Well, you see…”
To console the young child, Elena bent her knees slightly and offered her handkerchief.
“I’m sure the Duke meant it as a compliment about how cute it is. Right?”
Only then did Duke Hugoston seem to realize what he had done wrong, nodding vigorously.
“Yes, I was just expressing my amazement.”
The Duke awkwardly gave his grandson a thumbs up.
The other executives who had gathered around by now sent reproachful looks, suggesting that such a small gesture wasn’t enough.
Trying to help the uncomfortable-looking Duke, Elena mentioned a shop she had seen while passing through the plaza.
“Come to think of it, I noticed a new cake shop opened nearby?”
Understanding her intention immediately, the Duke spoke to the boy.
“Would you… like to stop by a dessert café on our way home today?”
The child seemed satisfied with even this clumsy expression from his grandfather, giving a small nod.
The Duke, looking at his grandson adoringly, picked up the child, saying he should probably leave work early.
Then he whispered quietly, just loud enough for Elena to hear.
