Obviously, It’s My Child - Chapter 168

Originally, Claire had no intention of accepting Marchioness Ludendorff’s invitation.

She thought it was only proper to visit her domain as a courtesy once Erich arrived, and they would attend together as a couple. There weren’t any children around Elliott’s age in Ludendorff, so there was no need to bring him along.

They don’t have to expose him to strangers for a long time.

Instead, her plan was to invite the Marchioness or the Horst couple to the villa.

Just showing Elliott’s face briefly and letting him play outside would suffice for social greetings, and the rest of the visit could be filled with talks of weather and the sea.

She was sure that Archduke Victoria, understanding that there were children involved, wouldn’t refuse an invitation to their villa.

However, due to Prince Linus’s situation, that plan became unfeasible.

‘He hasn’t woken up yet, but if he does at that moment and causes a commotion, it would be embarrassing. It’s best not to have anyone at home.’

Yet, Claire couldn’t just ignore Archduke Victoria and the Marchioness and stay cooped up.

So, she ultimately decided to make the visit.

‘Archduke Victoria is there, and so is Sir Ralph. Surely, they wouldn’t expect much from me.’

The mine was Klausener’s business, and Marquis Ludendorff was quite a masculine figure, so it’s unlikely he would initiate anything with her instead of Erich.

It was when their carriage was rounding the garden that Claire spoke up.

“Hold on.”

She tapped the window gently. The driver’s seat was open, so the coachman immediately stopped the carriage.

Maximilian, who was seated opposite her, asked.

“What is it?”

“People are leaving.”

There were several carriages parked in front of the main house.

All were simple in color, brown or black, but they looked well-maintained, better than any rental carriage.

Suitable for middle-class visitors to a noble house. Claire observed closely as people started to emerge.

“It’s the Shipowners’ Union.”

“Yes, there are many sailors.”

Instead of looking at the well-dressed guests, the two watched the servants who were greeting their masters. There were quite a few with prosthetic limbs.

It was rare for owners to take in workers who had lost limbs in construction sites or factories, but shipowners often took in injured sailors.

Considering this is Ludendorff, it’s almost certainly correct.

At the mention of sailors, Elliott exclaimed in surprise.

“Captain Hook?”

Elliott’s eyes sparkled. Ever since he had seen the sea, his passion for playing pirates had reached its peak.

‘I should warn him in advance that he can’t buy him a real ship.’

Claire chuckled.

“Mom, me, me.”

“We’ve been invited as guests today, so you need to behave like a little gentleman.”

“I’m not little. I’m a gentleman.”

Elliott insisted. Claire fought back a laugh as she playfully rubbed his cheeks with both hands.

“You canh dho this fo a gwentlweman!”

“Who on earth gave birth to this?”

Regardless of who it was, the fact that such a cute child had been brought into the world was equally amazing.

The carriage turned towards the garden.

Given the size of the grounds, she hadn’t thought much of taking a carriage to the garden, but now it seemed like a considerate effort to avoid bumping into those guests.

A tea party was prepared in the garden.

As the carriage stopped, Maximilian opened the door and ran into Hermann, who was about to knock on the carriage.

Hermann naturally smiled and stepped back.

“I’ve come to greet the Duchess. Welcome, Sir Maximilian.”

Maximilian silently nodded to him and reached into the carriage.

Elliott eagerly clung to his arm.

As Maximilian helped Elliott to the ground, Herman seized the moment and offered his hand to Claire.

Claire accepted his escort and stepped out of the carriage.

“It seems the second Master and Madam have joined the tea time as well?”

“It appears everyone in Ludendorff who can make the time is here.”

“Oh my.”

“Even Archduke Victoria is here.”

“How was it? It seems like you’ve won over her heart.”

Claire asked playfully. Hermann responded half-jokingly.

“It seems she appreciates my charm more than yours.”

“Well, single people tend to understand each other better.”

Claire responded in jest. Hermann laughed.

“I’m grateful for it. My father can no longer proceed with matters without considering me.”

Claire paused her steps for a while.

As the wind blew and fluttered the brim of her hat, Hermann reached out to help, but Claire had already secured it with her own hand.

“It seems the Shipowners’ Union has arrived.”

“Yes, my father invited them.”

From this, Claire was able to understand several things.

Marquis Ludendorff had accepted Archduke Victoria’s proposal. Whether it was voluntary or out of coercion by the Marquis, the outcomes were the same.

This effectively armed the time bomb planted within the Marquisate.

Exciting events were rare in Ludendorff’s small social circle. In fact, such gatherings were exceedingly uncommon.

The Ludendorff family had lost its former prestige. Although they had regained some influence recently through Augusta’s efforts, the Marquis and his wife still lacked admirable qualities.

The Marquis’s choice to favor his younger son over his legitimate eldest as heir was a subject of gossip.

There wasn’t any overwhelming disparity in status between the Marchioness and the legitimate heir that could justify such a decision, nor had there been any scandalous incident that could have reversed societal norms.

Thus, when the Marchioness hosted parties, few responded to her invitations.

Amidst these circumstances, Duchess Klausener visited.

Of course, Archduke Victoria’s visit was also great and surprising.