Chapter 42

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That night.

After the lively friends had left, the Albert household was supposed to be quiet... but it wasn't really. It was still bustling with noise, and the sounds of Roxanne being doted on could be heard from everywhere.

Not only Mary and Addie, but everyone in the household, including the family members and the servants, loved Roxanne without exception.

It wasn't just because she was the important new generation of the household.

She was the adorable daughter of Mary, who had been raised as a young lady. Addie, who had served the Albert household since childhood and watched over Mary's growth, had finally united with Mary after years of longing, and Roxanne was their precious daughter.

It was impossible not to love Roxanne.

The expressions of the servants as they looked at Roxanne were gentle, transcending the relationship between master and servant, almost like family love.

Once again, Roxanne's cries echoed through the Albert household.

Starting with a soft "funya, funya," they turned into a loud, spirited cry. It didn't matter if it was night; she cried without a care.

Following the cries were the hurried footsteps of Mary, who rushed to her child.

"Adorable Roxanne, Mother is coming. I'll hold you and sing a lullaby."

She announced it as if singing and headed towards the children's room where Roxanne was sleeping.

She had just put her to bed a little while ago after dinner, but her dear daughter must have woken up. Usually, she was a good girl who slept soundly, but sometimes she would wake up at night and cry.

That, too, was endearing.

It was a happy moment to stroke her daughter's cheek as she slept soundly, but it was also happy to stroke her back as she clung to her mother with teary, sleepy eyes.

With these thoughts in mind, she hurried through the mansion.

--- Along the way, she glanced at several rooms, thinking, "We don't need this room or that room... Maybe we should demolish them..." as she formulated a half-demolition plan in her mind ---

She stopped in front of the children's room and stared at the door, deep in thought.

It had been about two or three minutes since Roxanne started crying.

The crying had already stopped, but this time she had arrived quite early. She hadn't seen anyone else in the hallway, nor had she seen anyone enter this room first.

"So, this time, I win...!"

She slowly calmed her breath and checked for any presence inside.

There were no voices or signs of anyone inside. ...Perhaps she was the first one here after all.

By the way, when she said "no one," the nurses were still there.

To be able to take care of Roxanne immediately in case of an emergency, they were always on standby in the room next to the children's room.

Of course, this was the Albert household. They were thorough. In fact, they had a meticulous child-rearing system.

However, in the Roxanne contest, the nurses were excluded.

They were simply too strong.

They were veteran nurses who had served for many years. No one could surpass them in child-rearing.

The moment Roxanne made a soft cry, they would rush to her side. In fact, they could sense it even before she opened her mouth to cry.

Mary and the others couldn't compete with these veterans, and after many battles, the nurses said,

"It seems we can't participate in the contest..."

They stepped back.

No, it wasn't stepping back; it was the mercy of the champions. They had retired from the contest after being inducted into the hall of fame.

--- Of course, they continued to work as nurses. It was just that in the Roxanne contest, "the one who arrives after the nurses wins" ---

Leaving the nurses aside.

There was no sign of anyone inside the room. ...In more detail, it was a situation where "the presence of those who usually compete to be the first one is not felt."

This meant...

Mary smiled softly.

"Finally, I'm the first one..."

She whispered, reached for the doorknob, and then...

"Adorable Roxanne, Mother is the first one! ...But Alicia is here! I already know this plot!"

She announced it with enthusiasm and opened the door.

The children's room prepared for Roxanne.

The curtains that had swayed in the breeze during the day were now quietly covering the windows, and the mobile above the crib had stopped swinging.

The dimly lit room had only a small light on, and standing there was...

"Oh, Addie."

Mary's voice conveyed her surprise at seeing her husband.

Addie was there, holding Roxanne carefully in his arms and gently rocking her.

When he saw Mary, he let out a small sigh and started to say, "Miss..." but then corrected himself to, "Mary..."

"I understand that you're excited after running all the way here, but if you make too much noise, Roxanne will wake up again. Please come in quietly."

Addie's voice was low, concerned about Roxanne, who had just fallen asleep. Mary covered her mouth with her hand and apologized in a low voice.

She then approached Addie and peered into his arms at Roxanne.

She was sleeping soundly. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago, her cries had echoed throughout the mansion.

Mary gently stroked her cheek, feeling the soft, plump texture. Roxanne's small hand reached out and grabbed Mary's finger.

The tiny hand, grabbing her mother's finger. How endearing.

"I'm sorry, Roxanne. I was noisy. Mother was just too excited to see you quickly."

"Is that why you called Alicia's name?"

"The others are far away in the study and can't handle irregular crying. Father and Mother are busy with other things, and Addie's parents aren't here. So, I thought I would be the first one. But, as usual, she shows up at the last moment. I thought I had it all figured out."

"Did you not consider the possibility that I would be the first one?"

"Oh? Oh, yes. Hehehe."

Mary laughed, trying to cover it up.

While covering it up, she poked Roxanne's cheek with her free hand, and it was grabbed by another hand.

The two tiny hands grabbing her mother's fingers. The cuteness was doubled, no, multiplied by twenty.

Mary's expression softened. Addie's expression was also filled with love for their daughter, and the previous conversation seemed to be forgotten.

"But it's fine if Father is the first one. Roxanne loves being held by Father. And it's even better if that noisy country girl isn't around."

Mary spoke to Roxanne.

Addie started to say, "That's..." but Mary looked up at him.

Just then, the door creaked open slowly, and Alicia entered the room with a smug expression.

"Of course, I'm here too."

Seeing this, Mary took a deep breath... but instead of shouting, she exhaled and shrugged.

"I expected this. Welcome."

She greeted her.

She was too late to be angry, and deep down, she had expected this. In fact, if nothing had happened, she wouldn't have felt satisfied.

Besides, Alicia was holding a cute stuffed cat for children, so it was better to welcome her calmly.

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I apologize for the delay in updating.

There is one more chapter, so I would be happy if you could continue to follow along!

Thank you for your support this year.