Chapter 146: The Little One’s Business Value
Even though she had reluctantly become “friends” with this so-called peer, Rachel still instinctively stood on the opposite side of Armand. In this unfamiliar place, being close to him gave her more of a sense of security.
Salana had wanted to walk next to Rachel, who was about the same height as her, but the little girl had decent emotional awareness. When she saw Rachel moving to the other side, she didn’t chase after her. Instead, she stood on the opposite side and raised her little hand high, trying her best to grab her dad’s finger.
“Salana, what’s Mom doing?”
As they walked down the hallway, Carle handed his knight’s jacket to the family butler and loosened the tight necktie around his neck. Sure enough, no matter the time, home always had the freest, freshest air.
“Mom’s writing that… um… that thick thing… with lots of numbers written on it…”
“Oh? What is it? Think carefully, Dad taught you this before.”
“That thing—oh right! The ledger!”
“Oh? Looks like there’s some business going on again. Let’s walk around and avoid her.”
Even Carle, her own husband, didn’t want to disturb Melian when she was dealing with finances.
Because—
“Oh—Carle! You’re back!”
—she always reacted loudly like this.
Melian was very emotional when working on finances. If she made money, she’d be super happy, and how much she earned decided how loud her laughter was. But if she lost money, she’d become very moody and eat a lot to make herself feel better.
And when she suddenly popped out like this, it usually meant she was dealing with messy accounts, like unfinished research, unclear expenses, or overly complicated matters.
Whenever this happened, she’d always shout her husband’s name.
Not because she needed help, not for any reason in particular. She just wanted to call out to him while he was around.
“What is it?”
Carle was used to this. He sighed and walked over to Melian.
“It’s nothing really.”
She replied simply, then gave a “whoosh” and hugged Carle tightly around the waist, burying her face in his chest.
“I think I need to recharge. Sorting out these messy accounts is so annoying.”
“Don’t be upset, Mom! You can do it!”
Little Salana ran over too and gave her mom a big hug.
Meanwhile, Rachel and Armand, standing off to the side in the hallway, started looking around, trying to find any gap or crack in the wall they could hide in so they wouldn’t have to stand there awkwardly like two giant glowing light bulbs.
“—Ah, Mr. Armand?”
Suddenly, Melian, still in Carle’s arms, noticed Armand standing behind him, unsure of which room he should sneak into. She looked surprised for a second, but quickly smiled.
“What a surprise to see you here! Mr. Armand, what a rare guest! Carle, why didn’t you tell me Mr. Armand was visiting?”
“Well, it was kind of a last-minute idea, so I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
Even though other people were standing right in front of them, Carle very casually held Melian by the waist. The two looked very close and affectionate.
“Oh, you—don’t just leave the great Captain standing in the hall—huh?”
From the corner of her eye, Melian suddenly spotted someone behind Armand. It was Rachel, who had tried to stay silent and hide herself but still ended up being noticed.
“What a cute little girl!”
With one big step, Melian zoomed over and appeared right in front of Rachel so fast that it completely caught her off guard.
“Whose child is this? Oh my goodness! She’s so cute! How can there be a girl who’s just as adorable as my daughter?!”
Melian picked Rachel up under the arms like she was a kitten or a puppy, lifting her straight into the air. Rachel stiffened with her legs straight out, completely unsure how to react.
“Little one, you’re so cute, do you want to become a child idol?!”
Now that she could see every detail of Rachel clearly from up high, Melian immediately spotted the business opportunity.
This kid was so good-looking, she was practically born to be a star. There was no way Melian was going to pass up the chance to turn her into both a money-making celebrity and a walking advertisement for her own brand. Without caring whether a three- or four-year-old could even understand what she was saying, she started asking for her opinion.
“This little one can’t become an idol, at least not with that awful signature.”
Armand joked as he used his height to scoop Rachel back down into his arms. Even though the last comment made Rachel pout and stick out her tongue in annoyance, she wisely stayed quiet and let him hold her.
“Oh my, Mr. Armand, is this your child? At this age... that would mean—”
Just like Carle had done earlier, Melian’s first instinct was to compare their looks.
She closely examined Rachel and Armand’s faces, but there was clearly no resemblance at all, different hair color, eye shape, nose, lips, even expressions. Nothing matched.
“She’s not my biological child, I adopted her.”
To stop Melian from suggesting once again that he “picked up someone else’s child,” Armand answered quickly this time.
“Adopted? Really? I thought you two would’ve had a child of your own by now.”
“That’s impossible. Having a child feels like a very far-off idea for me.”
“It’s not that far off. I mean, Miss Evelia looks like she’s ready to have your baby any day now.”
“Huh?”
—HUH?!
That explosive statement made both Armand and Rachel exclaim at the same time. One out loud, the other in her head.
“There’s no way she’d say something like that. Don’t tease me like that...”
But even as he said this, Armand felt a little guilty. Because Evelia had once asked him something that stuck in his mind.
‘Do you... want me to have your child?’
Could it be that Evelia had been thinking about having a baby since back then?
No... probably not.
Knowing Evelia’s personality, she must’ve been misled by someone into saying that...
Most likely, it was Melian standing in front of him.
Armand didn’t need to think too hard to figure it out.
It must’ve been during that brief time at the ball when he had stepped away. Melian must’ve said something to Evelia, which led to that strange question.
While Armand was putting the pieces together, Rachel was silently deep in thought too.
She was wondering, if someone with an alchemically enhanced body gives birth, what exactly would come out? Or... is it even possible to give birth at all?
Even though Evelia’s current body was Rachel’s masterpiece, flawless in every way and, frankly, a work of art. Evelia’s flesh had been entirely modified. Could someone like that really give birth like a normal human?
Also... wasn’t it way too weird for someone like Evelia, whose personality was awkward and ambiguous in every direction, to even think about having a child with Armand?
—Ah.
Suddenly, Rachel realized something.
Could it be... that because she can’t have children right now, that’s why she kept me around?
Wait—am I just her “test-run child” or something?!
Is she planning to use me up and toss me aside if I fail?!