I didn't expect him to do that—show us a picture of his younger self. And what's worse is that Dane looks exactly like him. From the jet-black hair and pale skin to those unmistakable ruby eyes.
What should I do? I can't deny it—the evidence is right there. But more importantly... how is Dane reacting?
I glanced at him, expecting shock or at least confusion. But instead, his face was calm—eerily calm. As if this wasn't a big deal at all. It left me completely speechless.
"You seem unusually calm, kid," the duke said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be startled to see how much you resemble me. Don't tell me… you already knew?"
He set the frame down and walked toward us.
"Well, I had my suspicions," Dane replied, meeting Duke Darwin's gaze without flinching. "So, why show it to me now?"
"I want to uncover the truth," Darwin said, now standing beside the couch where Dane and I sat. He looked down at us, eyes sharp. "Why do you look so much like me? My parents are long gone, so it's impossible for you to be a younger brother. That only leaves one explanation… that incident nine years ago."
His gaze shifted from Dane to me. And the moment our eyes met, a wave of nerves hit me—not because I feared him, but because I knew the time for truth had come.
I had always told Dane that his father was someone great in the capital. I even told him that he looked just like his father. If he's pieced those clues together—and knowing Dane, he likely has—then the answer is clear.
Dane is a remarkably bright child. He learns faster than most kids in our town—actually, faster than most adults. Even at work, he'd suggest ideas that turned out to be better than what anyone else had proposed. The boss always said he was proud to have Dane around. At only nine years old, he already carries himself like an adult.
And no matter how many times I tell him to relax and just be a kid, he always answers with the same words:
"I am being myself."
It really does run in their blood.
"Well…" I avoided Dane's gaze and looked down at my hands, which fidgeted restlessly in my lap. My mind was in chaos, scrambling for the right words to say. But even in my silence, my body gave everything away.
"James, prepare their rooms for tonight," Duke Darwin suddenly broke the silence and walked toward the door.
"Our guests need rest. We'll continue this conversation later," he said, opening the door and stepping out, closing it behind him with a soft click.
"I shall make the arrangements," James said with a polite bow before exiting the room as well—leaving just me and Dane in the heavy silence.
"Mother, are you okay?" Dane's voice was gentle, and I was caught off guard. I thought he'd retreat into silence after everything he discovered today.
"I'm fine," I answered quickly. "But more importantly—you, are you okay? You're not mad, are you?" I grasped his small shoulders and looked directly into his eyes.
"If you're talking about what happened earlier… I'm fine," he replied calmly. "I already had a feeling. So, is my theory correct?"
He held my gaze with those clear ruby eyes.
"You always said my father was someone great in the capital… and that I look just like him. When I first saw the duke, it didn't escape me. But after you were injured and he took us in—that's when it started to click. My father is a great man, and I look like him. It all adds up. That man… he's my father, isn't he?"
I let out a long, heavy sigh and nodded slowly.
"You're right. Duke Darwin… is your father."