Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

Chapter 192

“Woo?”

“Sunny, this isn’t for eating.”

“Awoo!”

“This is something you use for drawing.”

At Rupert’s words, the baby nodded as if she understood.

Seeing her like that, Rupert couldn’t help but smile.

“Who did my little Sunny take after to be this cute!”

“Auh!!”

The baby nestled in Rupert’s arms like a little kangaroo was fascinated by the pen he was holding, wriggling her tiny arms in an attempt to grab it.

But since the pen’s tip was sharp and might hurt her, Rupert quickly moved it out of her reach.

His work would be delayed, but that was the least of his concerns.

“So this is what they mean by a ‘daughter fool.’”

Sunny, Rupert’s third and youngest child, was the only girl among his children.

With a considerable age gap between her and her older brothers, she wasn’t exactly a late child considering Rupert’s age, but she was still close to being one.

Because of that, she was treated like a princess in the family.

“Dad, what are you doing? Hurry up and come out!”

“Aaron, what is it this time?”

“Robert got hurt while playing outside!”

“What?!”

Rupert had been enjoying a peaceful moment with Sunny when his firstborn son, Aaron, suddenly broke the tranquility.

Hearing that his second son, Robert, was injured, Rupert jumped to his feet in alarm.

“How bad is it? The priest—no, first, we should use the healing potion in the mansion—”

Following Aaron as he rushed down from his study, Rupert tried to calm his racing thoughts and quickly assess what needed to be done first.

But—

Boom!

“Waaah!!!”

“Hahaha! It worked! I copied the device from Home Alone: The Mansion Escape, and it actually worked!”

“Aaron!!!”

The moment he opened the door to his study, a snowball fell straight onto Rupert’s head.

Shouting at the cold sensation, Rupert quickly composed himself and turned to scold Aaron—

“Why is that brat so fast?”

But Aaron had already disappeared, leaving only his retreating figure in sight.

“Kyaah!”

“At least you’re having fun, Sunny.”

Sunny, peeking out from Rupert’s chest, laughed brightly at the sight of her father covered in snow.

Aaron, Rupert’s eldest son with Eolin and the future head of the Somerset household, was also listed in the Imperial line of succession.

However, his personality was so energetic that neither Rupert nor Eolin could tell which of them he took after.

Ever since he was a baby, Aaron had learned things faster than his peers—so much so that he often reminded Rupert of a male version of Ada in her childhood, constantly getting into trouble.

‘Robert, let’s go play in the forest!’

‘B-But, Father said the forest is dangerous and that we should never go there alone….’

‘It’s fine! You have me!’

He would always drag his younger brother into dangerous places or pull pranks on the household staff and workshop employees, giving Rupert constant headaches.

But even Aaron had a natural predator.

‘Aaron, you seem quite energetic these days.’

‘Uh… Mom.’

‘Shall we have some fun sparring in the training grounds? It’s been a while.’

Whenever Aaron’s antics went too far, Eolin would drag him to the training grounds, after which he’d stay remarkably quiet for some time.

“Yeah, I suppose nothing is scarier than getting dragged to the training grounds by Eolin.”

Rupert himself had been taken there several times during their early marriage after making mistakes, so he understood Aaron’s fear quite well.

But understanding was one thing—retaliation was another.

Rupert fully intended to report Aaron’s latest prank to Eolin.

“Tough experiences build character, after all.”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t control Aaron, nor was it out of petty revenge for always falling victim to his pranks.

No, it was purely out of fatherly concern—he simply wanted Aaron to grow up properly.

“Oh dear, even our little princess got snow on her.”

Noticing a few snowflakes on Sunny’s hair, Rupert quickly brushed them off.

But just to be safe, he immediately carried her inside their home, where temperature-regulating magic was always in effect, to prevent her from catching a cold.

“Alain! Bring me a towel and a warm blanket, quickly!”

“Lord Rupert, did something happen?”

“Well, Aaron played another one of his pranks, and some snow fell on Sunny. It would be a disaster if she caught a cold.”

Hearing Rupert’s exaggerated concern, Alain squeezed his eyes shut.

“My lord, she won’t catch a cold from just that. And more importantly, how long do you intend to carry Lady Sunny around everywhere?”

“But what can I do if I miss her the moment I let go?”

“I can’t believe how much you sound like the previous lord.”

Alain sighed as he watched Rupert, and memories of Duke Bradley, the previous head of the house, surfaced.

Bradley had two sons before finally having a daughter, Ada, as his youngest child—whereupon he became the epitome of a doting father.

Alain recalled how much he had suffered back then because Bradley refused to be separated from Ada for even a moment.

The memories made his eyes sting slightly.

“The previous lord would have loved to see Lady Sunny.”

“I know. But at least he got to meet Robert before he passed, so I’m sure he was satisfied.”

After retiring, Bradley had spent his remaining years in peaceful countryside leisure before eventually passing away from old age.

‘Rupert, thanks to you, I can rest in peace.’

Even in his final moments, Bradley had expressed his gratitude to Rupert for not only restoring the family but elevating it to the highest noble house in the Empire.

‘I was glad to have you as my father, too.’

Rupert had shared that moment with him, reminiscing about the past—

“…It’s been over a year since he left for his grand filial piety tour across the Western Continent. He should be returning soon.”

“Damn it, he’s definitely going to try and take Sunny away from me….”

“He most certainly will.”

Thanks to his carefree life after retirement, Bradley was in excellent health.

Now at the age of seventy—considered quite old by this world’s standards—Bradley had set off on a filial piety tour across the Western Continent alongside Sir Mullus, who had also retired.

But with his return imminent, Rupert was already dreading the inevitable: Bradley would surely monopolize his granddaughter, Sunny, from morning till night.

“By the way, do you know where Robert is?”

“You mean the second young master? Master Oregon is keeping him company.”

“That brat should’ve come to see me first.”

“Perhaps he didn’t want to disturb you while you were working in the study.”

“He’s too considerate for his own good.”

Hearing that Oregon, Richard’s son, had come to visit, Rupert momentarily entrusted Sunny to Alain and headed for Robert’s room.

“Dad!”

“Hello, Uncle.”

After knocking, Rupert entered Robert’s room and saw Oregon drawing on a piece of paper, while Robert was staring at it with wide, absorbed eyes.

“If you were visiting, you should’ve at least come to say hello.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you while you were working.”

“You’re always welcome, no matter what.”

The Somerset family was, by nature, a family of good looks.

Bradley, the previous Duke, had possessed the dignified charm of a nobleman that captivated many ladies.

Richard had grown into a ruggedly handsome man, while Rupert—despite his sharp eyes—was by no means lacking in appearance.

Ada, of course, had been widely known even outside the Empire as the beautiful knight-commander.

And when the Somerset bloodline was mixed with that of the elves, the result was a masterpiece: Oregon.

Elves, known as the race of beauty, had passed down their exceptional genes to Oregon, making him famous for his stunning appearance even from a young age.

By the time he reached adulthood, his fully blossomed beauty was enough to attract noblewomen from all over the continent, who made pilgrimages to the neighboring Sleepy County just to catch a glimpse of him.

Richard and Syphris struggled to protect him from the overwhelming attention.

“Well, you must be busy with your serialization, so thanks for spending time with Robert.”

“I’m doing it because I enjoy it.”

Despite his otherworldly beauty, Oregon was incredibly kind and pure-hearted—something that made Rupert cherish his nephew all the more.

Unlike his father, Richard, who had little interest in culture and the arts, Oregon had been fascinated by them since childhood, trailing after Rupert wherever he went.

Now, he had grown into a full-fledged manga artist, publishing his own series in Manafia.

Deep down, Rupert saw Oregon as the perfect successor for Somerset Workshop.

‘Aaron isn’t suited for this kind of work, and Sunny is still too young.’

None of his children showed the aptitude to inherit his craft, and he had no desire to force them into it.

Thus, Rupert had begun considering passing the legacy to Oregon instead.

“Dad, Oregon-hyung is really amazing at drawing!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, look at this!”

Robert eagerly lifted the paper Oregon had been working on and showed it to Rupert.

On it, a red-haired woman was depicted casting magic against a colossal spider.

“This is Xenia, isn’t it?”

“Yes! I tried drawing Aunt Xenia defeating an Arachne.”

“My mom is the coolest!”

“She really is an incredible mage.”

‘And you, Robert, have an even greater talent than her.’

Rupert patted Robert’s head before glancing around the room.

He was making sure the protective magic array, jointly designed by Archmage Yustaf and Tower Master Xenia, was properly set up.

‘If there’s even the slightest flaw, the whole mansion might be blown to bits.’

Robert, Rupert’s second son and Xenia’s child.

"It’s a latent trait that manifests across generations."

That was what Yustaf had muttered when he once came to examine Robert.

When Robert had fallen seriously ill with a high fever—beyond the help of priests or doctors—Rupert had grasped at straws and called Yustaf for aid.

After diagnosing him, Yustaf explained that Robert was a case of atavism, where a trait from an older generation surfaced instead of inheriting from his immediate parents.

And within Robert’s bloodline flowed the power of a dragon—one that far exceeded Xenia’s.

“I want to be a mage who defeats evil monsters like my mom when I grow up!”

“You will, Robert. I’m sure of it.”

Robert was Rupert’s greatest concern.

Because his dragon blood was too potent, his young body struggled to contain it, making it difficult to predict when it might go berserk.

As a result, he had to live an extremely cautious life.

‘I have to protect my nephew!’

And for that reason, Ada had left years ago, determined to find something that could help Robert.

‘Hopefully, she comes back this year.’

Rupert had no doubt that Ada could handle herself, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about her.