NOVPUBI always knew this old bastard was crazy, but asking me to make babies with all of them?
I blinked.
"Give me grandchildren's!"
Before I could even process it, my hand moved on its own.
-SMACK!!!
A sharp smack echoed through the room as the side of my palm collided with his cheek.
Snow, who had been perched precariously near his mouth, went flying in a puff of white fluff and offended chirps.
"Owww! What the hell, kid!?" Dad groaned, rubbing the fresh red mark blooming on his face. "Why'd you do that for!?"
"Sorry," I muttered, lowering my hand. "I did it without thinking… you were speaking nonsense."
And honestly?
That might've been the mildest way to describe it.
The way he'd leaned in, eyes shining with a little too much excitement, spouting phrases like "go make babies with them all"—it sounded so gross coming from him that my instincts kicked in before logic could stop me.
"Nonsense?" he repeated indignantly. "I was speaking facts, you ungrateful brat!"
He pointed a dramatic finger at me.
"Look, it's not like you're against the idea, right? Tsk, tsk. I know you. Always acting hesitant, always pretending like you haven't made up your mind—but let me make something very clear, son."
He straightened up, shoulders squared like he was about to deliver a war speech.
"Your life was already screwed the moment you met your lovely fiancée. Even I don't know how you managed to survive that long next to her without triggering some kind of… international scandal. And now? Hah! You're neck-deep in chaos. Princesses, dukes' daughters, future archmages—hell hearing all the things you did back in the academy, even the damn whole eastern Empire might get involved at this rate!"
"....." For some reason I think he's not wrong on the latter… considering a certain provoked tactical weapon for the eastern empire was probably making his way here….
He shook his head with a long sigh, as though he was the one bearing the burden of my tangled mess of a romantic life.
"Even if Luther and I go way back, when it comes to his daughter, that man turns into a ruthless monster. And now, you've managed to piss in the same pool as half the Empire's most powerful families. So take this fatherly advice from me, one last time—fully commit now or die trying."
There was a long pause.
I exhaled through my nose, slowly.
"...Sorry if my relationships have become such a heavy topic in the family," I muttered, not quite meeting his eyes. "But don't worry. I've already made my decisions regarding the girls. I'm not sure about making babies right now but… Marrying all of them was my only option to begin with…"
He stared at me.
Then grinned.
"So, you aren't gonna try to deny it, you rascal?"
I couldn't help but smile at the way his face lit up with that same over-the-top, fatherly enthusiasm—as if this entire conversation hadn't just been completely insane.
"Nope. I gave up trying to pretend like things were normal a long time ago."
Dad burst out laughing—big, loud, and absolutely obnoxious.
He slapped his knee like he'd just heard the funniest joke in years, nearly tipping his chair backward in the process.
"Now that's the spirit! That's my boy!"
"Though... you've got to help me out with explaining things to Gramps."
His laughter faltered just a bit, and he leaned back, eyeing me with a half-smile, half-grimace.
I wasn't even sure what kind of problem Grandpa had with my relationships. I mean, he'd always seemed to share the same mindset as
Dad—traditional but weirdly open about things like harems and "building legacies" and stuff…
If I had to guess, maybe it wasn't personal.
Maybe it had something to do with his business in the capital.
Considering how tightly tied our family's economy was to imperial trade—especially with how much of our land's income relied on exporting crops—he might be acting more cautiously than usual.
Maybe there was pressure.
Maybe the emperor himself was watching him too closely?
Then again, Gramps always had a sharp intuition for danger even when things seemed peaceful.
"Sure," Dad replied with a shrug, completely unfazed. "I'll talk to the old man. He still owes me a drink anyway."
"And… Mom, too."
"Hah!" Dad immediately raised both hands like I'd asked him to wrestle a dragon. "You're on your own there, bud!"
...
Morning at Duke Luther Heaven's Castle
The frost still clung to the windows of the grand estate as morning light seeped in through silken curtains.
The castle was quiet, dignified in its silence, save for the distant rustle of servants preparing the halls.
But in the duke's private chamber, time stood still—just as it always did when he remembered her.
Before his wife passed away, Luther had made a promise—a simple request spoken with fragile breath beneath a pale winter sun.
"Luther… please. Make sure our dear girl grows up filled with happiness. I know it's going to be tough without me, but… please, for her sake and mine, promise me…"
She had smiled through the pain, her fingers trembling as they reached for his.
And under the light of an eclipse—both a herald of shadow and brilliance—he swore to the heavens he would honor those words, no matter the cost.
That day had changed everything. A day where the sky split in two, and with it, so did his heart.
He never remarried. Never entertained the idea.
He had closed the gates of his heart and tossed the key into the same grave where he laid her to rest.
But from that moment onward, all of his love, his legacy, and his purpose had been poured into one thing—Liyana.
He had spoiled her, yes.
Given her the world, and then some.
Whether it was rare artifacts, exclusive tutors, exotic pets, private vacations, or anything her heart desired—he had made sure no wish of hers went ungranted.
Some criticized him.
Said he coddled her too much. Said she would grow up aimless and soft. But they didn't understand.
Everything he did—every decision, every move in the political chessboard of noble society—was for her. Because of her.
She was the last ember of his wife's warmth, the living proof that their love had once burned bright.
And while the fire in his chest had long grown cold, he found a different kind of warmth in his daughter's smile.
In the sound of her laughter echoing through the halls. In the way she clung to his arm and called him "Papa" in that sweet, childish voice that still lived in his memory.
She was his sun now. His pride. His joy. The reason he still carried on.
And as he stood by the frosted window, looking out at the white-covered garden where she once played with her little wooden sword, he muttered quietly to himself:
"…As long as she's smiling… I don't care what it costs me."
Because her happiness was his happiness.
And that adorable smile—the very same one that mirrored her mother's—was the only thing in the world he still held above all else.
That was why, when it came to Liyana, there had always been absolutes in Duke Luther Heaven's decisions.
Her safety.
Her happiness.
Her future.
He never wavered.
Until now.
Now, he found himself hesitating, troubled, as he looked across the study at the daughter he'd raised with every ounce of love he had left in him.
She sat on the velvet couch by the window, legs crossed, eyes shining with amusement. But beneath her smile… he sensed something else. Something far more complex than simple joy.
"Are you really sure about this, Liyana?" he asked, voice low.
"Yes,"
The firmness in her tone was unnerving. Too calm, too composed.
"Aren't you being a little rash? I thought you wanted him all to yourself," he pressed gently.
Liyana let out a soft, melodic giggle, bringing a hand to her lips.
"A little change of heart, that's all~ Besides, didn't you already send that letter to his parents? The one that practically confirmed your approval of a harem arrangement?"
The duke furrowed his brow, lips tightening.
"That letter was… precautionary. Meant only for a what if. I had no intention of actually… accepting any replies from it."
"But that 'what if' did happen, didn't it?" Liyana leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm, her crimson eyes glinting. "You were just being cautious I get it…. but the fact that you sent the letter means Darling somewhat convinced you back in the imperial castle, right?"
He looked down at the stack of neatly prepared documents she'd placed on his desk—sealed letters, formal notices, even an imperial petition draft.
All written. All ready.
"If I send this to the emperor," he said, picking up the official envelope slowly, "there's no going back. I've kept Riley's name out of His Majesty's mouth all this time after his incident with the princess back in the imperial castle… but this will make it official. His claim on Riley will be irrefutable."
"I know~"
He glanced back at her again. That same calm smile. That same mischievous sparkle in her eye. She really was her mother's daughter.
"And you're truly fine with this?" he asked, one last time. "With… sharing him?" 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Fufu~ don't worry, Papa," she said, rising from her seat with a stretch, arms behind her back. "I've thought it through. I can't let my own selfishness hurt Darling now, can I?"
Then, with a small twirl, she stopped in front of his desk and added playfully,
"Once he marries all of us, all those annoying problems and rumors just… vanish. Simple, no?"
He didn't reply.
Instead, with a deep breath, he picked up his fountain pen and signed the final paper—an official declaration relinquishing her exclusive claim as Riley's fiancée.
The signature bled slightly across the page.
As the pen's marker made its mark, a hidden smile formed at Liyana's lips…
....
