I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 173 - Side Story 12

Carson grimaced in embarrassment.

 

He was sure he must be regretting giving birth to him.

 

“…What’s the matter with you?”

 

The Duke shrugged nonchalantly, as if he’d seen it coming.

 

“I didn’t mean to offend you, I just thought you might be misunderstanding me, so I corrected myself.”

 

Carson looked at the Duke with a complex gaze.

 

He should be annoyed, given their history, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel bad.

 

There was an awkward, lingering air between them. The Duke added as if he’d remembered something.

 

“Oh, and of course, if you and Sylvia are both drowning at the same time, it’s Sylvia.”

 

“Because neither am I.”

 

The Duke spoke up, instantly changing the mood with a single word.

 

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that there’s no need to be so afraid of giving birth to a child like your own.”

 

“…I’ve never been afraid of that.”

 

“Then why are you going out of your way to oppose it?”

 

Carson, having been cut off at the pass, hastily came up with another reason to avoid appearing childish.

 

“Because Leen is more sensitive to pain than others due to her trauma, and if something goes horribly wrong during the birth of the child…”

 

“Carson.”

 

The Duke placed a hand on Carson’s shoulder.

 

Carson glared at him, as if to tell him to remove his hand, but he didn’t, and tightened his grip.

 

“Remember, you were born in Sylvia’s womb.”

 

“My mother…”

 

Carson started to retort, but then he remembered Sylvia’s tiny, slender body and shut his mouth tight.

 

How she had ever given birth to him with such a small belly was beyond him.

 

“Leen is as strong as Sylvia, so I’m sure she’ll be able to handle it.”

 

“…”

 

“Trust your wife.”

 

💍 

 

After the conversation with the Duke, Carson’s mind was racing.

 

He had thought that having children was an absolute no-go.

 

His mind wavered slightly, whether it was the length of his time with Leen or the Duke’s words.

 

He strode to the dining room, trying to compose himself.

 

No matter what was on his mind, the only time he could reasonably see Leen was at meals, so he had to be there.

 

Entering the dining room, Carson immediately looked for Leen, but the Duke and Duchess were the only ones seated.

 

“Where is Leen?”

 

“She has not said anything about not eating, so she should be here soon.”

 

“Aren’t you being a little indifferent to your daughter-in-law?”

 

Sylvia smirked at Carson’s mockery.

 

“It’s funny to hear that from you, since you’re married and have separate rooms.”

 

“Well, it’s not like I asked for it.”

 

“Okay, now sit down and don’t stand around like a maniac.”

 

Just then, the dining room door swung open and someone walked in.

 

“Dad!”

 

It was a little girl, about five years old.

 

She was very cute, proving that she had inherited her parents’ genes.

 

She was wearing animal pajamas, which enhanced her cute appearance.

 

Furthermore, she ran into the dining room with her arms wide open.

 

At the word ‘dad,’ all eyes naturally turned to the Duke. Shock and horror filled their eyes.

 

The Duke’s eyes were white as he tried to explain.

 

As the girl’s eyes turned to an unexpected destination, the Duke and Sylvia became suspicious.

 

“Hehe, Daddy.”

 

The girl was grinning from ear to ear as she grabbed Carson’s sleeve.

 

“Carson, what is this…”

 

Upon closer inspection, the child’s hair and eyes were the same black color as Leen’s.

 

The face was also a striking enough resemblance to pass for her childhood.

 

The incontrovertible evidence made Sylvia’s mind dizzy.

 

The child looked to be about five years old, so she was already at the Academy…?

 

Meanwhile.

 

Carson, who was about to firmly shake off the child who had grabbed his sleeve, was also puzzled by the striking resemblance to Leen.

 

‘Leen actually had a hidden sibling?’

 

He even thought he had fathered a child with Leen without realizing it.

 

The child, who had just sent shock and horror through the dining room, patted the stunned Carson on the back and lifted one corner of her mouth.

 

“Dad, are you surprised?”

 

As soon as he saw that familiar smile, Carson realized who the child was.

 

“…Leen?”

 

The child’s eyes narrowed and she replied casually.

 

“Don’t be silly, Dad. Leen is my mom, and my name is Lia.”

 

Relieved, Carson let out a small sigh and stroked his chest.

 

“…Leen, my heart almost fell out of my chest, I was thinking about when you and I had a baby.”

 

“It’s weird that you thought that far. Aren’t you supposed to think of her as my cousin’s little sister?”

 

“I thought about that, too.”

 

When the Duke and Duchess realized that the cute little girl was Leen, they were also surprised.

 

“What, Leen?”

 

“Oh my goodness, she’s so cute!”

 

Carson exclaimed as he slid down from his chair to get eye level with the young Leen.

 

“More than that, Leen, why have you gotten so young?”

 

“…I didn’t get younger, I got smaller. I must have made a mistake while making something with alchemy.”

 

Actually, Leen hadn’t gotten younger by mistake.

 

Why, at her wedding, her aunt and uncle appeared as her deceased parents.

 

Using that potion as a reference, I concocted a potion with the intention of changing into my childhood appearance for a period of time.

 

I don’t know how, but after half a day, I’d revert to my original appearance.

 

Carson thought, ‘It was a preview of a future where I would have a child that looked like my wife.’

 

Of course, he didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl, or if it would look like him or her…

 

Carson would want the child to look like him.

 

At the mention of being accidentally young, Carson gave a small nod.

 

“I’m sure it’s Leen.”

 

“What? What makes you so sure all of a sudden?”

 

“The part where you didn’t panic at being younger and came right back to teasing me.”

 

Aha!

 

“You know me too well.”

 

Leen laughed at the correct judgment.

 

Part of her wanted to persuade him, but part of her wanted to tease and prank him.

 

Carson slipped his hand under Leen’s armpit and lifted her abruptly.

 

He looked at her for a long moment, then snuggled into her arms.

 

“…Cute.”

 

Leen thought she had a good feeling about this, as it was the exact opposite of what he had said he didn’t like.

 

Carson nuzzled his cheek against Leen’s flushed face.

 

“I always wanted to see Leen as a child, and here we are.”

 

“Ah. Come to think of it, I wish I could have seen you, too.”

 

Even as her paternal Grandfather, the Grand Duke had never seen her as a child.

 

But even Carson was jealous, and he tightened his grip on Leen’s hand.

 

“No, no. It’s exhausting.”

 

“It’s stifling, let go of me.”

 

“Be frustrating for me.”

 

Carson was being forceful.

 

Before he knew it, the Duke and Duchess were approaching to see the young Leen.

 

They spoke in hushed tones of admiration and adoration.

 

“This must be how we feel when our granddaughter is born.”

 

“She’s even more adorable than I vaguely imagined…”

 

“Ah. I thought I recognized it from somewhere, but it’s Carson’s childhood clothes.”

 

Leen blinked rapidly, unaware of the fact.

 

She had assumed it had been bought by the servants, who had heard of her plan beforehand.

 

“I wore it because the maid brought it to me, but was it Caon’s?”

 

“Technically, I bought it for him, but he didn’t wear it.”

 

The Duchess patted Leen’s fluffy white bunny pajamas fondly.

 

“Only one day, and that was when he wore his brown bunny pajamas.”

 

Leen bit her lower lip as she tried to imagine young Carson in his brown bunny pajamas.

 

“That must have been so cute.”

 

“Yes. I remember how cute he was that day, it almost made my heart skip a beat.”

 

Sylvia stroked Leen’s hair happily, but soon let out a small sigh.

 

“Seeing you wearing it makes me feel better, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you like this for long.”

 

“Perhaps not, if me and Caon have children.”

 

The Duke’s and Leen’s gazes turned to someone at once.

 

One eyebrow twitched at the blatant stares of the three.

 

“Just because you are looking at me like that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for it…”

 

At that moment, young Leen grabbed Carson’s hand.

 

It was a tiny hand, barely able to grasp one of Carson’s fingers with its entire hand.

 

“Daddy…”

 

Carson’s gaze fell to the little Leen’s eyes, and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and confused.

 

Ahh…

 

The moment he met those eyes, Carson realized he had lost.

 

This was a battle he could not win.