Read Novel Full Chapter 26
Chapter 26
A Father’s Doting
As they continued to have their dinner, Francesca slowly and carefully began to talk.
“By the way, Papa, the reason I wasn’t drinking the soup was because I was worriedly thinking about something else.”
“What?”
Her father frowned, and looked at Francesca.
“Tell me. With the honour of the Calvino family on the line, I will eliminate anything that may bring harm to you.”
“Wha, no need to eliminate anything!! You see, until now, I have been selfish and refused to take part in any of the high society parties right?”
Francesca had never publicly appeared in any place as the [Daughter of the Calvino Family].
All of the great 5 families, were also part of this country’s nobility. And so, just like the other normal noble families of this country, they too were expected, if not outright required, to take part in the high society.
Yet, Francesca had never shown up even once.
“Now that I am attending the academy, I am reflecting and have realized that it’s not okay like this. So I was thinking of starting to attend some parties from now on.”
“You weren’t being selfish at all. Francesca.”
Putting down his spoon, her father spoke in deadly serious manner.
“If it became public that you were my daughter, even I don’t know what kind of dangers might befall on an adorable girl like yourself. Not just people that want to take revenge against our family, there might even be hoodlums that get entranced by your beauty, or those pathetic low-lifes that might feel envious of you and try something. It was to protect you from such things that agreed to your request to [Not take part in high society]. In fact, I was genuinely glad you had chosen to do so. Now that I recall, when you were just 6 yrs old……..”
“bu, But!! Now, I am a bit interested in that kind of stuff!”
She quickly cut off her father’s reminiscing and quickly spoke of the topic at hand.
“And when I did, um a person from my class, invited me to an evening party……..Not as the daughter of Calvino family, but simply as the daughter of an earl house from a neighbouring country. So…”
“………..”
Her father gave a short sigh, and left his spoon alone.
“——Was it Aldini?”
“!”
Leonardo’s name got brought up suddenly, leaving her shocked.
“Ho, how did you know?”
“During my inspection, a messenger from the Aldini family came………..Oi.”
“Yes, milord.”
A member that was standing at standby in the corner of the room brought forward a tray with a letter on it. She picked up the letter, opened it, and was shocked by the contents of this letter.
The letter included, first a greeting to her Father, followed by [Allow me to accompany Francesca to an evening party], an expertly and eloquently written request.
Not just that, there was also the time by which she would be brought back home, a promise to escort her all the way back to the front door of their house, as well as a guarantee that during the party he would follow and obey every demand Francesca may put up; all written in the most gentle and delicate manner.
And in the end, were the words [I will protect her with my life.] followed by his name written with a muddy red colour.
“A blood signature……….”
Reading Leonardo’s name written in blood, she gasped.
“To put down your own blood on the letter is a vow, an act that signifies that he’ll [dedicate the blood that flows in his veins] to it. That greenhorn went all the way to send a blood signed letter just to get the permission take you out.”
A letter signed in blood was a mark that no person born in the underworld would ever betray.
It’s an acknowledgement saying that if the promises of this letter were broken, he wouldn’t mind even if his life was taken as punishment.
Not to mention, the amount of times a family head would write a [Blood signed letter] was very few, only when truly important deals must be made will that come out.
“I did hear that you had ended up in the same class as the Aldini head but…….”
(Leonardo, did he guess that I’ll have a hard time convincing Papa, and sent this ahead of it?)
She could only stare and blink her eyes in amazement.
Honestly speaking, she was grateful of his consideration. The part that she was going to struggle with explaining the most had already been covered by Leonardo himself.
(……….all said and done, he does have a really gentlemanly side to him as well huh………..)
She couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed by him.
But her father put his hand on his forehead and cast his eyes down.
“Francesca, your engagement to Aldini was something my Father, and Aldini’s grandfather had sworn to with their own blood signatures.”
“Yeah. My gramps and Leonardo’s gramps had made a promise that [If our families ever birth children of opposite genders, they shall be betrothed], right?”
“………Your official fiancé has gone through the proper steps and procedures to ask permission to officially escort you to a party. Normally speaking, this is not something I or anyone could refuse but, above all that, what’s important to me personally is your own will, Francesca.”
With a dull light shining in his right eye that peaked through his slightly long bangs, he stared and questioned Francesca.
“What do you want to do? Francesca?”
“Eh…….”
“If you want to attend the party under a fake name, I’ll prepare as many aliases for you. And if you don’t want to accept him as your escort, even if blood must flow, that man, I will………”
Sensing the distinct bloodlust emanating from him, Francesca panicked and quickly spoke.
“I, I want to go!!”
“!!”
Hearing Francesca’s declaration, the father was frozen from shock.
“……….you really, want to go………?”
“Ye, yeah!! I mean, it’s an evening party! Like I said, since entering the academy, I’ve become a bit interested in it!!”
The truth was of course different, but if she actually spoke about the [the conditions set by Leonardo], she could quite easily imagine the divine wrath that her father will show.
Right now, she could not falter in her stance of [I am genuinely interested] that she had decided to go with.
“………..Francesca……..my sweet child, she [wants to go] to an evening party with her fiancé…….?’
“Boss……! Pl, please get a hold of yourself…….!!”
“Just what happened…….I was sure that that bastard Aldini had somehow gotten hold of some kind of weakness of yours and was blackmailing you into accepting his conditions or something, so I was ready to wage war just to erase that man but…..”
(You are surprisingly close to the truth, as expected of Papa………)
But it was starting to look like if she pushed a bit more, she’ll get the permission from him. So Francesca made a smile, and acted like everything was calm and peaceful.
“It’s fine Papa! Leonardo just casually invited me only because he found out that I had not had my high society debut yet!”
“………”
“………Ah but, the party’s so soon, and I don’t have a nice dress ready for me.”
In this world, almost all the clothes worn by nobles were order made.
They call a tailor, take measurements, and then take time to sew them to their needs. The day of the party, the next full moon, was only 10 days from now.
(What should I do? If only I had a friend that was close to my size, I could borrow something but…..)
“There is one.”
“………Eh?”
Hearing an unexpected answer from her father, Francesca stared at him with her mouth open.
“If it’s a party dress you want, I have a new one made for you every season. Whenever the tailor comes to take your measurements for your normal clothes, I had ordered them to always have one made alongside those.”
“…………………”
She understood what she had heard, but it still took a few minutes before she processed it.
“……….WHY DID I NEVER HEAR OF THIS!?!”
“Because I never told you.”
The [every season] that her father had spoken of was probably not talking about high society seasons, but the literal 4 seasons of the year.
Since Francesca was still in her growing period, she’d have her measurements done multiple times every year. Which also meant that an extremely costly different dress was made for her every single time this happened.
“——-Since I never knew when it might come in handy, I had them made but if I had told you, I’m sure you would have felt pressured into appearing in these parties even though you didn’t want to just so they weren’t wasted because that’s just how kind you are, right?”
“……..Papa………”
“However”
Francesca was touched by her father’s words, but her father continued speaking to himself in low voice.
“It would be a serious problem if troublesome insects got attracted to you after seeing you all beautifully dressed up……..Perhaps I really should destroy Aldini, no maybe even the party itself………..”
“YAAAY!! I’m so excited for the party, I can’t wait!!!”
Thereafter she made sure that her father didn’t do something outrageous, and then Francesca continued to enjoy their quiet dinner.