Chapter 29

Thanks to everyone, we have managed to get on the rankings.

Thank you so much for your support.

Since I received a request, I plan to write a little side story after this.

The first side story is planned to be three parts.

Thank you for your continued support.

The long-awaited second child of the Pencilnia family was born.

The news spread quickly through the noble circles, but the announcement of the debut party, which is usually held, never came.

The debut party is held around three months after birth, along with the baptism ceremony at the temple.

The main purpose is to show whether the newborn is a boy or a girl, the color of their eyes, and to demonstrate the prosperity of the family.

At the time of the first child, it was rumored that the lack of a debut party was not surprising due to the strained relationship between the couple.

It was later revealed that this was due to Cynthia's postpartum condition, and now the good relationship between the Pencilnia couple is well-known in the social circles.

The nobles were puzzled.

Lias gently draped a blanket over me, and I woke up to the warm sensation. Opening my eyes, I met Lias's chestnut gaze up close.

His hand on my shoulder was warm, and I placed my hand over his.

Before dinner.

I had intended to welcome Lias back from the castle, but I must have fallen asleep.

"Lias... I'm sorry, I was going to welcome you."

"Don't overexert yourself. I'll come to you when I return."

"Welcome back."

"Thank you."

Lias then kissed my cheek. His hand was warm, but my cheek was cold, making me think he had just arrived.

"Have you seen Marieve yet?"

"No, I'm going now."

Hearing this, I stood up, and Lias supported my waist and hand.

In the adjacent children's room, the nanny bowed slightly.

Marieve, who was three months old, was sleeping soundly in the crib.

"Where's Aidan?"

"He's in the bath."

"That's early."

Indeed, Aidan's nanny was not around either.

He usually bathes after dinner because he gets dirty.

"It's... because he got dirty with paint."

This suggested something had happened. I silently urged her to continue, and she hesitantly explained.

"He played with all the paints..."

"Ah, I see..."

It must have been quite a scene.

This nanny, hired specifically for Marieve, works alongside Aidan's nanny in childcare.

Recently, the daily routine has been: Aidan being mischievous, Aidan's nanny trying to stop him, and Marieve's nanny screaming. The latter nanny, being relatively young and less experienced, shows signs of fatigue. Aidan's nanny, a veteran, handles the situation better.

"—Neh, fweh—"

Marieve cried softly. She must have woken up.

"It's time for milk."

Sitting in a chair, the nanny reached for Marieve.

"I'll do it."

Lias said, picking up Marieve.

He supported her wobbly neck and brought her over gently. Marieve looked so small in Lias's large hands.

I was afraid to touch her when she was a newborn, but this is a big improvement. I need her to progress.

This is something I didn't experience with Aidan. Perhaps because of this, I feel more fear than affection, holding her cautiously. Combined with her hunger, Marieve started crying more intensely.

It feels like just the other day I was holding a crying Aidan. Lias was terrible back then.

He must have realized this, as he studied how to hold a baby before she was born and tries to hold her whenever possible.

Whether it's necessary or not, he changed his work to be mostly at the estate for a month to accompany me postpartum. It's like a paternity leave. —Whether it's necessary or not.

He's definitely gotten used to babies. The fact that he doesn't rush over when she cries is a sign of growth.

"Thank you. —Here, Marie. I'm sorry for the wait."

When I gently gave Marieve my breast, the room became quiet again.

Fortunately, my milk supply is good, so I decided to feed Marieve myself.

Many noble mothers entrust this to a nanny, but it seems wasteful not to let her drink what I produce. Maybe I'm just frugal.

For this reason, the nanny is a young woman without childbirth experience, as it's not necessary for her to produce milk.

This time with Marieve, which has become my responsibility, is a blissful moment for me.

Her small head moves back and forth as she drinks, and her cold hands warm up as she drinks. Occasionally, she chokes from drinking too fast, which is endearing.

Marieve has silver hair, so even though it's growing, it looks like a little bald head, which is cute.

As I stroked her red, wobbling back, the door opened forcefully.

"Mom, I'm awake!"

Aidan, still buttoning his shirt, ran over.

He must have been stopped by someone on his way to see me.

"Aidan, did you take a bath?"

"Yeah..."

"You smell nice."

He must have thought he would be scolded. Since he seems down, I'll skip the bath talk for now.

I stroked his head, which was still wet.

"Oh, it's still wet."

"It's okay."

"It's not okay if you catch a cold. Here, the buttons too."

I can't wipe him down while feeding Marieve.

Aidan's nanny came in with a towel, but Aidan leaned against my knee without looking at her.

I tried to shift Marieve from one breast to the other.

"Are you done!?"

Aidan asked immediately.

"Halfway there."

Aidan pouted and leaned against my knee again.

"Aren't you full already?"

"She's still drinking. —Hey, Aidan, say hello to Father."

Aidan glanced at Lias and muttered.

"...Say hello."

"Aidan, it's time for dinner. Let's go eat."

Aidan pretended not to hear Lias's invitation.

"Nanny, can I dry his hair?"

Aidan didn't respond to the nanny's question.

"Aidan, answer, please."

"Hmm... later."

He fidgeted with the embroidery on my dress.

He looks so bored.

"Aidan, it will take a little longer for Mother. Let's go ahead."

The usual dinner time had long passed. Lias must have tried to take Aidan to dinner, but Aidan ignored him.

"Aidan."

"I'm not hungry."

"Aidan... It's hard for Mother if you cling like this."

"I don't like Father. Go away."

Lias froze for a moment.

Yeah, it's a shock to be told you're disliked by a child.

However, I think his approach is not good. It lacks any charm.

Aidan clung to my legs even more.

"—It's okay, Aidan. Let's go to dinner together. I'll dry your hair, can you button your shirt?"

"I can't."

I know he can.

Maybe he's just sleepy. He's in full clingy mode.

Marieve's drinking speed slowed, so I gently pulled her away. —Good, she didn't cry. She's savoring the aftertaste, her mouth moving, with milk around her lips, her cheeks red and warm. She's a perfect, warm baby.

She's too cute. I want to rub her cheeks so badly, but I held back and handed her to Lias.

This is a time when Marieve is very happy, so she won't cry even if Lias holds her. She looks a bit unsatisfied, but she's too busy with the fullness and burping.

Lias, with the nanny's help, is patting Marieve's back. He's so cautious with the strength, and he can't quite hold her upright because her neck isn't steady yet.

"Aidan, I'm sorry for the wait."

I quickly fixed my clothes and hugged Aidan. He was a bit cold from the bath.

I sat him on my knee and buttoned his shirt.

"Mom?"

"What is it?"

He doesn't say anything when I ask. He just smiles.

I'm glad his mood has improved.

I took the towel from the nanny and dried his hair.

His red hair stands up.

"—There, all done. Let's have dinner, shall we?"

"Okay!"

"Here, call Father too. He carried Marieve for you."

"—Father, it's dinner time."

He started walking, pulling my hand. I wish he would at least look at Lias.

Aidan has always been distant with Lias, even from a young age.

Lias smiled wryly, handed Marieve to the nanny, and headed to the dining room with us.

Aidan isn't exactly indifferent to Marieve.

He usually plays with her in the same room.

When I let him hold her, he has a relaxed expression.

"Does Marie like this?"

He says, handing her a toy.

He's almost five.

It's a challenging age.

Today, during the latter part of dinner, Aidan started to doze off.

I asked the nanny to take Aidan to bed.

In the dining room, with just the two of us, Lias started to speak.

"Today, His Majesty asked if we're not going to have a debut party."

"A debut party?"

I've heard of the custom among nobles to show their children at around three months, but I've never attended one, and we certainly didn't have one for Aidan, so it's not familiar to me.

"Is it something everyone does?"

"Yes, unless it coincides with a mourning period. Some combine it with the temple visit, while others make it a grand event."

However, it's winter now.

I hesitate to take a child to the temple, and showing Marieve to a large number of adults... I'm not just a little, but quite resistant to the idea.

I hope everyone wears masks.

"His Majesty mentioned a party for our family. This could be a good opportunity."

"Good opportunity..."

I have another concern.

We already had Marieve's baptism last month.

I wanted to get it done before the cold became too severe, and Lias had a well-planned security setup, so I went along with it.

I went thinking it was just a postpartum outing.

I was too naive.

The security was so tight that it drew attention, and the other nobles learned that this was Marieve's baptism day.

Many nobles visit the temple, and even though we were a bit far, we still drew attention.

The whispers of the nobles who saw Marieve reached our ears.

"—I heard she was a girl, but this is..."

"Silver hair and golden eyes. She's the Child of Light."

"Oh... the long-awaited one."

It turned into quite a commotion.

The long-awaited child.

A precious Child of Light.

Finally, the child we've been waiting for.

Such whispers, along with congratulations, echoed around us.

Thinking back, the look on Aidan's face at that moment was heart-wrenching.

He was shocked, or perhaps disturbed, with an expression I had never seen before.

Seeing many adults focus on Marieve and call her the long-awaited child...

Even at four, he couldn't have been unaffected.

I quickly picked up Aidan.

"Aidan, you also came here when you were a baby. Do you remember?"

Aidan remained silent, shaking his head with a stiff expression.

"But, the debut party... we didn't have one for Aidan, did we?"

"At that time..."

Lias hesitated. Indeed, that's a topic we usually avoid.

"Of course, if you don't want to—"

"That's not it."

I don't dislike the idea of a debut party. I've returned to social life, but I'm still on a kind of maternity leave.

I've stopped working, and it's probably time to resume my duties as a duchess and social activities.

Lias suggesting this means it's probably a good idea for the family.

Considering the number of invitations and the method of the debut, it might not be too difficult to hold the party.

However,

"...What do we tell Aidan? If we say we're having a debut party for Marieve, he might ask why we didn't have one for him?"

I wasn't really aware of it at the time, but the atmosphere didn't suggest we should have one.

"If we say it was because of Cynthia's poor health, he might understand. He's almost five, after all."

Lias seems to have started formal education at five and occasionally wants to instill a sense of responsibility in Aidan as a duke's son.

I think he's still young enough to be pampered.

"He might understand, but... what about Aidan's feelings?"

The attention that was once focused on Aidan is now on Marieve.

When the visiting nobles come, they will all bless Marieve and bring many gifts.

People who have never visited before will do so.

Even if Aidan doesn't fully understand yet, he might be seen as the one without the light. He might awaken the light magic when he's much older, if at all.

Even if I want to raise them with equal love regardless of their magic type, I want to avoid any interference from the adults around them as much as possible.

"Lias, I want to focus on Aidan more than Marieve right now."

Lias looked genuinely surprised.

"You mean... to create a gap between the siblings as the heir..."

Why would you think that?

"No."

Lias thought for a moment.

"I thought you wanted to treat them equally. To raise them without favoritism."

That's why he considered setting up a time to introduce Aidan during Marieve's debut.

"Equality isn't enough."

If they stand side by side, the attention will likely go to Marieve.

People's eyes are naturally drawn to the smaller one, and even more so with golden eyes.

"Surprising. Marieve is small and needs to be protected, isn't she? For you to say that..."

"Right now, that's the case. Marieve is happy as long as she's full and sleeping soundly. But Aidan..."

At four, he's much more complex.

Lias thought for a while.

"—I understand. We should carefully select the nobles we invite. How about... instead of a debut party, we have a birthday party for Aidan's fifth birthday?"

"Is that okay?"

The purpose has changed, but...

"I don't mind. It's true that we haven't introduced Aidan to the public yet, so introducing Marieve at a debut party might be premature. We can show Marieve if she's in a good mood. What do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea."

A day where Aidan can be the main focus.

I'm filled with gratitude for Lias's quick thinking.

"You're a wonderful father. Thank you."

"Aidan is my son, so there's no need to thank me. —But I also want to be a good husband."

Lias took my hand.

His touch is a bit... sticky.

He's so persistent. Lias always speaks of his love and tries to touch me whenever he gets the chance.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're a good husband."

By the way.

Suddenly, but don't underestimate parenting.

Even with help, raising a child is no easy task.

In my previous life, I was sleep-deprived, building blocks endlessly while taking care of the older child, and sometimes taking them to the park with messy hair.

My daughters would fight over my lap, turning the house into a battlefield, or at best, a zoo.

Compared to that, I can focus on Aidan more because I can entrust Marieve to the nanny.

I'm woken up three times a night for feedings. I'm always sleepy and often take naps during the day. Aidan doesn't nap anymore, so I really want to spend more time with him during the day, but I'm just too sleepy.

But even then, the nanny and servants take care of Aidan, and I think, how wonderful it is to raise children in a ducal family.

Was I being too complacent?

"Mom!"

"Shh!"

Maya was waiting for Aidan in front of my room, thinking I was sleeping.

"Mom is... I want to show Mom this. I got praised for writing well!"

"Mom is resting."

"Is she sleeping again? Will she never wake up?"

"Mom is very tired. Raising a baby is very difficult. If you keep talking, Mom will be too tired and might faint."

"Can I just take a quick look?"

"No, it won't be quick. It would be too much for Mom, wouldn't it?"

That's how Maya secured my nap time.

Another time, while walking in the garden with Aidan, he fell down badly.

"—Ouch, ouch...!"

When blood came from his knee, he immediately panicked.

Your father is so calm when he bleeds.

I tried not to laugh at the difference and covered the blood with a handkerchief.

"See, the bleeding has stopped."

"It hurts, ouch, ouch..."

Tears were streaming down his face.

I've healed the wound, so he won't cry too much, but he's lost his spirit and still feels pain. He can't move from the spot.

"Aidan? I've healed it."

"But it still hurts."

"There's nothing I can do about that. Shall I carry you to the entrance?"

"Okay!"

He perked up immediately.

Children are so easily cheered up by being carried.

It's so endearing.

It's been a while since I carried him, and he's heavy, but not too heavy to carry.

When we reached the entrance, the nanny