Chapter 49

After the wedding ceremony ended and they returned to the mansion, Cynthia and the others were already exhausted.

The children had quickly taken a bath and gone to sleep, and Cynthia had almost lost consciousness several times in the bath.

After changing clothes and removing her jewelry, she finally made it to the youngest daughter's room.

"Sophie... Sophie."

When she called out softly, Sophie, who had been staring at the mobile in the crib, looked back at Cynthia intently.

Sophie was an incredibly quiet child.

She hardly ever cried and slept very well.

This was the first time Daria, who had been assigned to take care of Sophie after Eidan left, had seen such an easy-to-care-for child.

"Ahh, buh..."

When she called out, Sophie responded like this, so it must be okay.

Cynthia gently poked Sophie's chubby cheeks.

Despite not having seen her mother all day, Sophie's reaction was as usual.

—Is she a big catch?

Sophie also resembled Rias in her facial features. However, with her fluffy golden hair and bright red eyes, she possessed the typical characteristics of the royal family.

"She ate her meal properly and drank her milk without any problems," Daria informed her, which made Cynthia feel relieved.

She had been practicing with the milk for today, but it seemed there were no issues.

"Fah, ah..."

Sophie flailed her hands, indicating she wanted to be held. Cynthia gently picked her up.

The warm cheek pressed against Cynthia's neck was soothing.

"Sophie, were you lonely?"

"A, abu..."

"Mommy missed Sophie. I'm sorry for being late."

"Buu—"

It was interesting to see her respond, and Cynthia was smiling when Rias entered.

"Sophie."

He called out gently and kissed Sophie's cheek, then did the same to Cynthia.

"You must be tired, Rias. Please rest first."

"Not at all. There's still work to be done."

Cynthia, who was surprised by his serious face, thought it might be work, but Rias hugged Sophie.

"A massage for my tired wife."

That was welcome. In fact, due to the long time in formal attire and standing, her legs were already sore and swollen.

"Thank you."

"You should go to sleep. —Daria, please take care of Sophie."

"Yes."

Handing Sophie over to Daria, who had been waiting in the corner of the room, Rias took Cynthia's hand and led her to the bedroom.

As she lay on the bed and her feet were gently massaged, the day's fatigue seemed to melt away.

"—It's good that everything went well."

"Yes. In the end, we held the coronation first... phew."

The king's condition was not good, and it was hesitant to participate in a long wedding ceremony.

After consulting with Ortimetti and discussing with Rias, they decided it would be better to hold the coronation first, using the king's convalescence as an excuse.

This made things more complicated, but once the wedding was over, the series of ceremonies would be concluded.

"Titi has grown so much, and I was so embarrassed by crying too much at the wedding."

"You looked beautiful."

Cynthia ignored the strange comment.

"Should I give up my right of succession soon?"

"Yes... let's discuss it again."

Even if she gave it up, there would still be three heirs to the throne in Pencillia.

She had always been concerned about the concentration of power, so she wanted to address it as soon as possible.

The best thing would be for Ortimetti and Yena to have children, but they had just married, so it would be a while.

Cynthia buried her face in the pillow, looking drowsy.

"Eidan..."

She wanted to talk about the incident at the party, but her eyelids were heavy.

Rias chuckled and reached out, covering her eyes with his warm hand.

"Go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

The warmth was comforting, and Cynthia searched for Rias with her hand. Rias, sensing her, moved closer.

The bed creaked slightly, and Rias's chest appeared before her eyes.

Cynthia, almost half-asleep, wrapped her arms around his body.

His body, always warmer and more solid than hers, made her feel happy just by being close.

Due to her drowsiness, she couldn't even thank him for the massage. She hugged him tightly once and then relaxed.

In the back of her mind, she felt Rias gently pull her closer and stroke her head as usual.

Eidan, at the age of eight, had already become one of the strongest knights in Pencillia.

The phrase "had already become" is used because it doesn't seem entirely positive.

There is an appropriate pace for growth at any age.

Whether it's too fast or too slow, it often leads to unnecessary worries for the individual.

—Eidan is a hero.

His unparalleled strength is to be expected, but as a parent, it's just worrying.

The only good thing is that Eidan can now freely go out into the city.

Although he still has a guard, it's reassuring to send him out. Eidan goes out every few days and plays with the children in the city.

"—I've heard about the incident at the wedding."

The next morning, while helping Cynthia with her morning routine, Rias said.

She was still tired from the previous day and had sleepy eyes.

In contrast, Rias seemed to have woken up much earlier, probably having completed his morning training and shower.

He's so tough, she thought.

He gently lifted the drowsy Cynthia and combed her tangled hair. His low voice in her ear made her wake up feeling good.

"How was it for you?"

"How was it...?"

"As a duke with a lot of magic... you must have been quite popular, right?"

"I didn't have the time for that."

Indeed, his successor education was quite strict, so he probably didn't have the time.

Eidan's education is being planned in consultation with Rias, but what Eidan is currently learning is what Rias finished at the age of five. At five, he was taught not only etiquette but also basic academic subjects like language, mathematics, and geography. It's a terrifyingly rigorous education.

When asked if it was necessary, Rias said it wasn't, but it would be fine if it was completed by the age of fifteen.

I think it's fine as long as it's completed by adulthood.

"Ah, Cynthia..."

Rias's hands stopped, and he covered his mouth as if embarrassed.

—What, what, where?

"Rias?"

"Um. Are you... jealous?"

That.

Cynthia hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond.

There's no way I could be jealous of my husband when he was eight. —Would that disappoint him?

"I'm completely devoted to you now."

"Of course."

He answered with a straight face. It was good that she managed to dodge it.

"Eidan seems to have given up on it. It's probably inevitable since he was born in Pencillia."

"Being mixed in with the commoners might make it harder for him to socialize with the nobles. The relationships between commoner children, who have no ties, are different."

Just the simple joy of playing together as friends.

Eidan isn't yet skilled enough to separate and manage these relationships.

It's a complex situation, even though it's good that he has friends.

"I think it's good."

Cynthia was surprised by Rias's response. She thought he would have been resistant to interacting with commoners, given his upbringing.

"The children in the capital don't know that Eidan is a prince of Pencillia, but Eidan, who is strong and well-educated, is already a leader among them. Just the other day, he organized the children to search for a lost child, and before that, he caught a thief from a general store—"

"Wait."

She had never heard this before.

"Such dangerous things?"

"There is no one in the capital who can be Eidan's enemy. We have guards in the shadows, and if there's any danger, we intervene."

Rias said it as if it was nothing.

"Eidan understands this well. He might realize that this is a brief period of freedom. In any case, it's a good experience for him."

It's an experience for someone who will lead others. An experience of interacting in a group during childhood.

"Have you seen Aila too?"

Since the kidnapping incident, Cynthia had occasionally visited the Grape Pavilion, but she had been busy after giving birth and hadn't been able to go.

"There haven't been any opportunities to see Aila's abilities since then. They seem to be playing separately more often now, as boys and girls."

Rias was well-informed about Eidan's daily life.

Cynthia, who had been preoccupied with Sophie and Marivelle recently, hadn't known this in detail.

She felt a bit guilty.

Eidan will start attending school next month.

Once he goes to school, it will become known that Eidan has powerful magic and can use it skillfully. Ambitious nobles might vie to be his classmates or even propose marriage.

It was a heavy thought to consider.