IFAHWIPUTML Chapter 10

Chayston Hailos.

The second son of the Halos family who inherited the ducal title when his older brother, who had been duke, died.

In principle, Raphel, the duke's son, should have inherited the dukedom, but since he hadn't even been registered in the family records, the right of succession belonged to Chayston, and thus Chayston became the head of the Halos household.

Chayston, portrayed in the novel as doting on his nephew, was a person utterly cold and ruthlessly indifferent to everyone except Raphel. However...

'The novel did describe him as incredibly handsome, and it was true...'

In all her life, she'd never seen someone this good-looking.

Black hair that complemented spotless, flawless skin without a speck of dust. Intense red eyes within deep-set features, a straight nose bridge, and a firm set to his mouth. In a word, he radiated.

It wasn't just his face.

Broad shoulders and long legs, the well-toned physique glimpsed beneath his clothes. Perfection itself.

Even the aura emanating from him was somehow handsome.

The more she looked, the more she anticipated Raphel's future as his blood relative.

"Huh? Veraseel."

Raphel poked her arm repeatedly, demanding an answer. Verasielle raised her bowed head and brought her index finger to her lips.

"Shh."

Stop asking... If you keep asking, I'm going to die of embarrassment.

"Shh! Hehehe."

Raphel just found it amusing, giggling tee-hee-hee and nodding vigorously.

Once her flushed face had calmed down somewhat, Verasielle carefully rose from her seat.

She couldn't just sit there without manners. Too embarrassed to meet Chayston's eyes, she grabbed both sides of her skirt and greeted him.

"My apologies for the delayed introduction. My name is Verasielle Prozier."

Chayston fixed Verasielle with a suspicious look.

No doubt she planned to butter him up with sweet words to win his favor, then hand over the child and collect the reward money. Not a chance.

Verasielle Prozier.

On his way to the drawing room, Chayston had already heard about her from Rohan.

The daughter of Baron Prozier's family, who indulged in all manner of extravagance. She was drowning in debt, having turned to loan sharks when bank loans weren't enough.

The reason she'd come to the ducal estate was obvious.

Just like all the other scoundrels who'd come to his house, she intended to deceive him and take the reward money.

Once she got the reward, she'd probably spend it on more extravagant living. A pathetically worthless woman.

His wary red eyes observed Verasielle's every small movement without missing a thing.

As if ready to pounce the moment she showed even a hint of vanity or greed.

"This child is the one Your Grace is searching for."

She got straight to the point.

It would be nice if the two dramatically recognized each other, but Verasielle knew well that these two had never seen each other's faces even once.

Raphaleon, the child that Raphel's father and Chayston's older brother Ion had kept hidden away. His brother's bloodline that even Chayston, the younger brother, had never seen.

The ducal family's tragedy had been truly devastating.

After a long wait, Ion, who had finally been able to bring his beloved woman and child into the ducal household, lost his life in an instant, and his son Raphaleon was left alone after losing his parents.

But Raphel's wounds would heal through the love of the female lead Ainsea and his uncle Chayston.

Chayston cherished Raphel all the more to fill the void left by his parents. So much so that he wouldn't even marry in order to pass the succession rights to him.

'Anyway, Chayston also has black hair and red eyes, so he'll recognize this child as Raphel right away, won't he?'

Black hair and red eyes were symbols possessed only by the Hailos family.

"Hello..."

Raphel shyly placed both hands on his stomach and bowed to him in greeting.

"..."

Chayston silently stared at Raphel's face.

Black hair that didn't lose its color even under the light, and intelligent red eyes.

The face vaguely resembled Raphaleon, whom his brother had always talked about.

But he'd only heard about it—he'd never actually seen him, so he couldn't be certain.

Moreover, that emaciated body.

The child's gaunt appearance, as if only skin remained, was enough to make one frown.

Until now, the frauds who'd visited the ducal estate had all brought plump, well-fed children, but this woman was different.

Was this a scheme to evoke sympathy through the child's thin appearance?

How varied their tricks were.

Chayston was deeply misunderstanding something.

"Are you Raphaleon Hailos?"

"Yeah! Me Raphel! Veraseel said I'm Raphel!"

At Raphel's answer, Duke Chayston's eyebrows rose in sharp angles.

'That woman told him to call himself Raphel?'

Had she forced the child to call himself Raphel?

A powerfully disgusted gaze turned toward Verasielle.

Flinch.

Verasielle trembled at his gaze, which was far too murderous.

'Why has he been glaring like that since earlier?'

Verasielle could only be bewildered, not understanding why his eyes blazed as if he'd devour her to the bone.

Chayston's face was full of displeasure.

Unilaterally forcing something on a child could be considered psychological abuse.

And yet, she'd implanted and forced Raphaleon's name on the child?

His lips twitched with a subtle spasm. He was already sick of greedy, selfish people from all the previous frauds.

"Where did you bring him from?"

"Pardon? Ah, well..."

Verasielle hesitated for a moment.

Wouldn't he be quite upset if she told him it was a garbage dump, being the nephew-doting uncle that he was?

She wasn't sure whether to tell him straight or just gloss over it.

While she was briefly lost in thought, Chayston's suspicion deepened further.

'She's thinking of some plausible location that would evoke sympathy.'

He was already looking at Verasielle through tinted glasses.

"Um... I found him at a garbage dump and brought him here."

Verasielle decided to just be honest.

Changing her story would only get exposed through investigation, and everything would come out if he asked Raphel anyway.

"Ha..."

As if he'd expected this, Chayston swallowed a disbelieving hollow laugh. A garbage dump. What a remarkably novel answer.

'She came fully prepared.'

He unbuttoned the shirt collar that had been fastened up to his neck, locked in rising anger.

Verasielle watched this man's incomprehensible behavior and opened her mouth again.

"And he seems to have suffered significant shock, so Raphel has lost all his previous memories."

"Then how can you be certain this child is Raphaleon?"

He loosened his necktie as well, roughly running his hand through his hair.

"Why are you asking me that?"

A dumbfounded Verasielle asked back.

He'd clearly written black hair and red eyes on the flyer, and she'd brought a child with black hair and red eyes that only the Halos family possessed, yet he was asking how she could be certain—was he picking a fight?

"What did you just—"

"I brought a child with black hair and red eyes as Your Grace requested, so what do you mean by asking me how I can be certain?"

Verasielle cut off Chayston's words with an incredulous expression.

She was starting to get irritated by this situation too.

She'd brought the child he was looking for, yet he'd been glaring at her with hostility since earlier, and now he was brazenly asking her questions in return.

'I take back what I said about him being hot. Take it back. Hot my ass. He's just annoying.'

Verasielle glared at Chayston with all her might.

At that fierce gaze, Chayston also looked straight into Verasielle's eyes.

Sparks flew from their gazes meeting in midair.

"Eye fight! Versh win! Versh win!"

Raphel clapped his hands at the sight of the two, cheering for Verasielle, and Chayston's brow furrowed.

'Ha, an eye fight?'

Chayston found himself annoyed at discovering he'd gotten swept up by Verasielle.

He could simply expose the lie and punish her for insulting him as he had with the others before, yet here he was reacting to her every action.

Perhaps it was because no one had ever acted so brazenly before him, the head of the Halos household, called the pillar of the empire.

A mere baronial daughter—without even a title of her own—wasn't groveling but glaring wide-eyed at him. Who did she think she was?

Moreover, she was the one committing fraud, yet she was demanding to know his intentions for questioning her.

Perhaps that's why.

Chayston felt an inexplicable competitive spirit. Since he'd gotten swept up anyway, he didn't want to lose to this fraudulent lady.

He'd never lost to anyone even once.

Chayston put more force into his gaze.

His petty pride was showing off. Wasn't there a saying about pride not putting food on the table?

'Damn, he's ruthless. He won't even blink once.'

Verasielle glared harder, bolstered by Raphel's cheering.

Before she knew it, 'handsome duke' had changed to 'ruthless bastard.'

She criticized Chayston while having absolutely no intention of looking away first herself.

With her lips pressed firmly together, she continuously shot daggers at him with fierce eyes.

She absolutely refused to lose. Not to this rude man, of all people, who'd been impolite from their first meeting.

Knock knock.

The battle of wills, with neither side yielding, didn't stop even at the sound of knocking.

Chayston barely moved his lips without turning his head.

"Come in."

With permission granted, Rohan entered.

Rohan walked toward Duke Chayston, his master, with a grave expression.