Chapter 31

"Aidan Pencilnia. Thank you for coming to my birthday party."

In the silent hall, Aidan's young voice echoed.

Surrounded by smiling adults, there was no sign of tension in Aidan's voice.

"Today is..."

He glanced at me, and I slowly bent down to whisper in Aidan's ear.

"—Please enjoy yourself!"

His slightly embarrassed smile was so cute that the faces of those surrounding him also lit up.

Aidan's 5th birthday celebration.

The guests were only a few close noble families.

A mountain of gifts from nobles who were not invited was piled up against the wall.

Among them, the king's gift, wrapped in a crest, stood out.

He had said he wanted to come, but it would have been a big deal, so no invitation was sent. Titi had firmly stopped him from coming.

"Mother, what is that!?"

Aidan pointed with shining eyes at a huge cake in the center of the hall.

The large cake, taller than Aidan, was decorated with colorful sweets.

The ability to place such a large cake in the center of the hall was thanks to the ice magic of our family's chef, who was continuously sending cold air from the side.

In my previous life, things weren't like this.

For Aidan, who loves cakes, this was my special touch.

The rest was just a regular spread of light snacks. It was a healthy daytime party with no alcohol.

"Lord Pencilnia. Happy birthday!"

Aidan responded with a smile to the greetings, which had been going on for who knows how many people.

At first, he was shy and unaccustomed to being called "young master" and receiving so many birthday wishes, but he gradually got used to it and started to respond.

Just being the center of attention made him so excited and happy. I really felt it was a good idea to have the party.

Soon, the children brought by the guests started playing in the square. I had placed some small playground equipment and toys there, and Tan was supervising them.

"Lord Aidan has really grown up, hasn't he?"

This was said by the Marchioness Carland, who also had a 5-year-old child.

"His growth is so evident, even on our first meeting. You must be doing a wonderful job raising him."

Being praised like this made me genuinely happy.

Perhaps parents are happiest when they hear that their children are growing up well.

In child-rearing, where there are no right answers, it feels like getting a seal of approval.

"Thank you."

Expressing my gratitude sincerely, the Marchioness Carland continued while watching the children play happily.

"Even after giving birth, you haven't changed in beauty. Do you have any secrets?"

"Well, you're very good at flattery."

Being praised like this, even as a form of greeting, was still not something I was used to.

Before I could feel uncomfortable, Lias appeared and put his arm around my waist.

"Cynthia."

"Lias. Are you done already?"

Looking around, the people Lias had been talking to were now talking to someone else.

"Aidan's face is just like mine, but he has a charming personality, they said."

Those people approached.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Duchess. What a fine young man you have."

"Since Lias is like this, it must be entirely due to your efforts, madam."

These two had often met at social parties before. They were Lias' old friends.

They had also been comrades in the war.

"It's been a while. I'm delighted to introduce you to everyone. I would also like to hear stories about Lias' childhood."

"That would be nice. —Shall we go over there—"

"Hey."

Lias' voice was low.

It's not a good attitude to have, especially when they've come to celebrate.

"Lias."

I placed my hand over his.

If I said it straightforwardly, it might sound like I was bossing him around, so I tried to communicate with my eyes.

"..."

He avoided my gaze.

After five years of marriage, we were still far from being able to communicate telepathically.

"Phew."

One of the friends laughed, and the other looked bewildered.

"Um...?"

"No, it's amazing. Lias can have such a loose expression."

"It's not surprising. He was in love with you, after all."

Seeing how nonchalantly Lias' friend, Isaac, was acting, it seemed I didn't need to stop him. They must be good friends.

"If we're going to talk about Lias' childhood, we must mention how much he admired you."

"Remember, Lias, the first swordsmanship tournament he participated in, where he cried because he didn't win, and you healed his wounds—"

"Isaac, are you drunk?"

Even though Lias spoke in a low voice, Isaac didn't stop.

"What? There's no alcohol. Anyway, there—innocent."

Lias stuffed a scone into Isaac's mouth.

"Lias..."

"Took care of him because he seemed hungry. —Ah, let's go greet the Marquis Giltech over there."

He pulled me along, despite my surprise.

He's choking, but is it okay?

"Lias, is it okay with your friend?"

"He talks nonsense, so it's better to do this. —Of course, it's true that I've admired you since I was young."

"The tournament story?"

Lias, unusually flustered, covered his face.

"Please. That story is... embarrassing, a story from my youth."

"I see. What a pity. —I have a memory of a young boy who almost won a swordsmanship tournament but missed it by a step."

I continued, still looking at Lias, whose ears were red.

"That boy fought without fear, even among adults, and never gave up until the end. He didn't cry even when he was injured, but the tears of regret he shed in the infirmary... were very beautiful and left a lasting impression on me."

At the time, Cynthia was just a child, around 10 years old. Her healing magic was still unstable, but that day she managed to use it successfully on that boy.

I had never realized it was Lias until now.

Our eyes met, and Lias was surprised.

"Cynthia... you remember..."

"I just remembered. —Have we met before?"

We might have passed each other or exchanged a few words in public.

He was a friend of my brother, but I don't recall having much interaction.

"Let's talk about it later..."

Lias' grip on my hand tightened.

"It might take a while to talk about it."

"Did we meet that often?"

"Yes. We exchanged words 12 times, but we spent time in the same space 26 times, and the number of times we exchanged glances—"

"Wait."

It's scary.

What is this person? A bit scary.

"Y-Yes... this isn't the place to talk about it."

It might just be that he has a good memory. —No, it must be.

"Thank you for remembering our first meeting."

When he smiled at me like that, even though he was just a handsome husband.

I smiled back and returned to the greetings.

"—Mother!"

While chatting, Aidan had somehow come over.

"What is it?"

"I want to introduce everyone to Marie. Can I bring her?"

Aidan was holding the hands of about three other children.

"These kids also have younger sisters."

"Sure. Let's tell the nurse."

Since she was still being breastfed until the last minute, she should be in a good mood.

None of today's guests asked about Marie, so I had planned to leave it to Aidan, the main character.

Perhaps Aidan felt that she was part of the family and wanted to include her in the celebration.

I hoped so and asked a maid to bring Marie.

I wasn't sure how it would go, but I was confident.

The incident with the teacher was entirely my fault.

But the love I poured into Aidan without reservation had definitely reached him.

So, I felt I could handle any reaction.

Lias took Marie from the maid and brought her to Aidan's side.

The surrounding crowd let out soft, warm exclamations rather than cheers.

"Marie!"

Aidan ran over and looked up at Lias.

"Father."

Sitting down and opening his arms, Lias gently handed Marie to Aidan.

"Wow. She's so cute."

"Soft, her cheeks are so soft."

"I wish. My sister never lets me hold her."

Aidan's new friend expressed envy, tentatively touching her with a finger or patting her head.

Marie looked around but seemed to be in a good mood, especially when she saw Aidan.

"—How cute."

A nearby lady whispered. She was the mother of one of the three children.

Her breathing was a bit heavy.

"—Duchess. A child is holding a child! And other children are surrounding them... angels are there!"

"Y-Yes..."

There were people who loved children even more than I did. I thought nobles were all casual, but that wasn't the case.

Of course. They are such cute children.

Since there were many children, it didn't seem like the attention would be overly focused on Marie. Aidan also looked proud holding Marie.

I was glad.

"Pencilnia is secure."

Before long, all the children had gathered around Marie.

The hall, which had suddenly become lively, was filled with warm smiles.

"Looking at them, they are like uncut gems."

An elderly noblewoman pointed at the children.

What a beautiful expression, I thought.

"May the future of the Kingdom of Vandrago be bright."

For these children.

Thank you for reading.

Encouraged by your support, I feel like writing a bit more.

I would be grateful if you could continue to follow along.