DAMIAN(12)
βOh my, Chris.β
The duchess smiled brightly and greeted Chris happily. When their eyes met, Damian used his eyes to ask Chris what he was doing. Chris smiled mischievously in response. Then when he faced the Duchess, he wore a polite look on his face.
βChris. It saddens me to not have seen you for a few days now. Will you come to hang out again from tomorrow?β
Since the day Chris was forcefully invited to the Ducal residence, he had been visiting frequently. He even brought his younger brother, Jude. He stayed from morning till night, ate snacks, lunch, took naps, read a book; basically, he enjoyed himself like it was his own house. The only thing he declined was the Duchessβ proposal to have dinner before he left. He wanted to avoid eating with the Duke of Taran.
Visiting someone elseβs house a few days before the New Year wasnβt good etiquette, so he stopped visiting to avoid acting out of line.
Lucia liked Chrisβs friendliness. He seemed like he would be a good friend and a great balance to Damianβs stiff personality. She also liked his shamelessness in happily visiting the ducal residence without reserve.
βYes. I will gladly come to visit if you invite me.β (Chris)
For the few days that they didnβt go to the ducal residence, his little brother, Jude, kept whining, asking when they were going to see the princess again. Jude called the Duke of Taranβs little daughter, βprincessβ. When Chris asked him why he referred to her like that, the little boy fidgeted and replied:
[Sheβs pretty.]
Chris was dumbfounded. The little brat had a good eye.
βThereβs no need for an invitation. You are always welcome. By the way, who are these two gentlemen?β
Chris held the shoulders of the two boys firmer. He giggled inside as he felt them trying not to stagger.
βThey are classmates from the Academy.β
Steve and Henry stated their names and greeted the ducal couple. Lucia figured they were probably nervous, so she accepted their stiff expressions.
βDamian, are they your friends?β
When Damianβs indifferent gaze swept over the two boys, their clear faces darkened. Damian glance at Chris, who was grinning with satisfaction, and he secretly smiled. Chris had kept grinding his teeth over the suspension incident and it looked like he couldnβt stop himself from playing a trick on the two boys. Damian decided to play along with Chris.
βThey…β
Damian drew out the end of his sentence and observed the paling expressions of the two guys.
β…are not my friends, mother.β
βMotherβ. This was practically killing them and making sure they were dead. The arrogant guy who didnβt know his place was in fact, the Dukeβs son. They already had a bad feeling when Chris talked with the Duchess in a friendly manner and revealed that he had been visiting the Ducal residence without reserve. Steve and Henry really felt like dissipating on the spot.
Damian didnβt plan on torturing or taking the two boys to task for something that had happened in the past. If they kept acting up in the future, he would definitely crush them but that hadnβt happened yet. To the two boy who didnβt know what he was thinking, it sounded like a declaration of war.
βAnd I donβt think they will be in the future.β
From Damianβs answer, Lucia sensed that their relationship was not very good, so she stopped being interested any further.
βChris, where are your parents? My husband and I have already met them, but Damian should officially say hello.β
Chris let the two boys go and joined the ducal family. As Steve and Henry watched them get farther away, their legs trembled, and they sank to their knees. Their knees touched the floor and they supported themselves with their hands. The only comfort was that most people were focused on the ducal family of Taran, so they didnβt pay much attention to the unseemly sight of the two boys.
* * *
The Duke of Taran couple and the Marquis of Philip couple greeted each other, then they moved to a separate room and had a light meal together. The Marchioness was very thrilled to learn that her son had a connection with the Duke of Taranβs son, so she was excited throughout the meal. Chris felt embarrassed because of his motherβs overreaction and grumbled to himself.
After the meal, Damian stayed with his parents and greeted the nobles that came up to them endlessly. Around when all the faces were starting to blur together, the King made his entrance. Damian was finally able to take a breath. The chamberlain faced the party guest and spoke loudly.
βHis Royal Majesty has arrived.β
People lowered their clamoring voices and stepped aside, making a path for the King to come in. Kwiz was donned in white robes with a crown on his head and golden mantle draped over him, revealing the majesty of a king. This was an appearance that was only seen on the King when it was an important and official occasion. The crowd hasnβt heard of anything beforehand, so they began to stir.
βI look forward to endless jubilation in Xenonβs future as we face the glorious first day of the New year.β
The King gave a short speech to his attentive aristocratic audience.
βI am pleased to have the opportunity to borrow todayβs occasion to present to you all, the excellent pillars of our nation.β
When the King stopped speaking, the chamberlain unfurled the scroll in his hand that was covered in red silk, then he spoke sonorously in a loud voice.
βDamian, son of Taran. Raven, son of Philip. Chris, son of Philip. Come forward and accept the honor bestowed onto you by His Majesty.β
Chris nodded his head when Damianβs name was called and when he heard his brotherβs name, he was a little surprised, but when he heard his own name, his eyes widened. He blankly watched his brother and Damian walk forward then he felt someone hit his back and turned around. His father was frowning and scolded him, βwhat are you doing, not going out there?β
βHuh? F…Father. Why…β
βHurry up and go!β
The Marquis clicked his tongue as he watched Chris go forward hesitantly.
βThat boy. He didnβt know?β
The Marquis thought that his eldest son had already told Chris while Raven thought that his father had already told Chris. In other words, Chris had absolutely no idea that he would be receiving a title today.
Chrisβ soul flew away as he stood, suspended with a red mantle over his shoulder and a silver emblem on his collar, symbolizing his title as Count. He didnβt know what senses he had used to finish the ceremony.
Every noble learned the ceremonial procedure for receiving titles or medals because it was mandatory. Chris was able to subconsciously react thanks to this rooted memory, but he didnβt remember anything he had done. He could only guess that he hadnβt made any mistakes since his father didnβt have a fierce expression.
β…Have I really become βSir. Philipβ…β
He had gained the official qualification to become Sir. Philip instead of Mr. Philip.
βWhatβs with this count title.β
He had received a Count title alongside his brother. He had never seen such a case before.
βChris.β
Damian patted the shoulder of his completely distracted friend.
βAre you even listening? Our parents just arranged to have dinner tomorrow evening at your house.β
β…What?β
Light came back to Chrisβ eyes.
βWeβll be eating with our parents? Itβs not just our parents together?β
The awkwardness during the meal some time ago had been very unbearable for him, so what was this talk about invitation! He could already see a vivid image of his mother turning the house upside down to clean it from tomorrow morning.
βOf course, you and I will be there too.β (Damian)
β…Ah. Indigestion again.β (Chris)
βIf you donβt have digestive medicine at home, Iβll bring some for you.β
Chris mumbled gloomily.
β…Iβm so thankful I could cry.β
All Chris knew was that he was envious of his friendβs sturdy stomach.
[End of sidestory: Damian]
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 64 - November 23, 2024
- Forget My Husband, I’ll Go Make Money – Side Story 18.1 - November 23, 2024
- Forget My Husband, I’ll Go Make Money – Side Story 17.2 - November 19, 2024
I loved this! This Damian side story was so funny. Thank you, Ruby <3
Haha, poor Chris. One would beg to differ and say it was his side story haha
Thank you so much for this wonderful surprise π
Thanks for the chapters!
Sturdy stomach? More like he’s used to it I guess?
Thanks.
Thanks so much Miss Ruby! Lol! Poor Chris, heβll probably be having indigestion problems for a while.
Alert, Hugh! Eve was just 2 y.o. and already prepared to broke countless hearts. Maybe we will get a sneak peek of adult-Eve & Selena, both could be friends or rival in high society.
Much love for Miss Ruby & ShadowDog!
Waiting patiently for Bruno’s Entry in Damian’s friends circle.
Me too and for the wearing of the red dress!
So, Jude to Eve, Eve to none yet but the king’s 3 sons can be considered as candidates, Damian to some mysterious woman, Selena to Damian, Bruno and Chris are just gonna eat popcorn and watch the play .. XD
I wish they would give us the future glimpse of the kids pairing too.
I love how we get Chris to tell the story of Damian’s Academy days since he’s such a witty kid. Like Hugh, Damian is not the type to care about irrelevant stuff so Chris giving us a glimpse of noble children upbringing is fascinating especially since both Lucia and Hugh are a special case. I just worldbuilding stuff lol.
Thank you for chapter πππ
I loveππππ
Thank youππ
hahaha really really I love this history!!
Thank so much
Thank you so much!
I’m still shipping those two so hard ( βΎΜ β‘ βΎΜ )
Omg this is so hilariousππ
Thank you, Miss Ruby for the chapter!!
oh my, very thanks i was waiting for that.
Thank you for the update chapters. Aiii… is it really going to end (T_T)
Thanks for the new chapter!
The finale of this side story left me wanting for more, like it was unfinished, kinda loose ends.
So glad he has a pal now. Also Eve already has a suitor!!
thank you !!
I would love to hear a sequel for the next gen. haha
This sub is overflowing with hilarious and uwu moments!! Totally love it. I want more of damian~
Thank you for translating!!
Jude x Eve. It shall happen. XDDD
ahhh i dont want this to end…i need more Chris. the dude’s a riot
I loved this story! It’s refreshing to see a character that’s not willing to trample others just for the sake of their vanity. Chris’s personality is also really funny. Chris is a good friend for Damian.
Although, I’m so here for the a light pettiness and micheviousness.
THEY ARE SO CUTE AA
Chris never disappoints! This Damian arc is really entertaining.
I keep getting this Hugh-Fabian vibe from Damian-Chris relationship. Like the way former keep torturing the later despite being oblivious. LMAO
And congratulation Chris for level-up, from:
lv1> Amusing hare dragged around (or toyed) by the lion&cub pair, to;
lv2> Herbivore who deluded himself of becoming more mighty like them carnivores, to;
lv3> Finally being granted a ‘fang’; thus, began the journey of this carnivorous hare.
If the characters here were movie genres, Hugh & Damian were horror/thriller/mystery, while Chris was definitely comedy πππ
Too bad Hugh didn’t have a childhood friend like Chris, coz maybe he would be a little more ‘human’…with a little bit sense of humor π (well, before he met Lucia, at least).
I agree with a comment in some last chapters before, said that Chris had a ‘Ron Weasley’ (Harry Potter’s best friend) vibe π
I love Chris hahaha
Thanks Miss Ruby!
Oh no Jude is aiming for Eve already π€£
Chris playing little bad and got instant karma so hilarious
I’m loving these extras. Chris is hilarious, and his reactions are rather pleasant. XD
Chris’ younger brother has a great eye, our Evangeline is really a princess, a precious jewel. β€οΈπ₯°
Thank you Ruby. For the hard work.
Thank you so much for this! I started reading the webtoon and as soon as someone mentioned the novel being translated I come here to read it.
It has been a good read and this extra story was just sweet!
Thank you for your work once again! π