Chapter 43

Alicia held a stuffed cat in her hands. It was made of soft fabric that felt gentle against the skin, and the good grip suggested it was filled with high-quality cotton. Moreover, the design was cute, with the cat motif charmingly deformed to a suitable degree.

Louxane would surely like it. Just imagining her hugging it tightly made it clear how adorable it would be.

Mary took the stuffed animal from Alicia and let out a sigh.

"Anyway, I'll ask, why are you here?"

It was no longer surprising that Alicia had been at the Albert household without Mary's knowledge. Recently, she had stopped questioning it.

In fact, she often imagined that Alicia would be there, and when she wasn't, it felt like a letdown.

Still, out of courtesy, Mary asked. More pressing, however, was the question of why someone with a precious child in her belly was going out at night.

In response, Alicia stroked her abdomen and began to speak.

"Tomorrow, Lord Patrick has a meeting, and he wants to ask Lord Lang and Lord Lucian about it. He said he was going alone, but when I heard that, this little one started kicking..."

So, she had come over while taking a walk.

"I see, inspired by the father's hard work, the baby couldn't stay asleep and started moving. What a promising child."

"Like Lord Patrick, diligent, and like Alicia, energetic."

Mary and Adi smiled at Alicia's belly.

Even though the baby hadn't been born yet and its gender was unknown, a friend's child was inherently lovable.

Alicia's expression softened with joy at their praise, and she gently stroked her belly.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a voice called out, "Alicia."

Patrick peeked in quietly, as if concerned about the room, with a nurse who had accompanied him standing beside him.

"There you are. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Lord Patrick, is your business finished?"

"Yes, it's done. Mary, Adi, I'm sorry to have come so late."

In response to Patrick's apology for the sudden visit, Mary replied with a haughty "It's too late for that," while Adi responded with a wry smile.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of Louxane, who had woken up again. She wasn't speaking clearly but made a soft, muffled sound and started moving actively in Adi's arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake Louxane?"

"It's a strange time, and she can't seem to fall back asleep. Louxane, why don't you talk with the others until you fall asleep?"

Adi spoke to his daughter in his arms.

Understanding that she was included in the conversation, Louxane's face relaxed, and her small lips curved into a smile. Her cheeks puffed out cutely.

Then, Louxane started waving her right hand by her face. Mary's silver hair swayed gently.

Seeing this, Patrick tilted his head.

"I've seen her do that a few times during the day."

Following Patrick's words, Alicia also looked at Louxane.

"That's right. But it doesn't seem like her face is itchy or that she's rejecting something... Louxane, what are you doing?"

Patrick and Alicia looked at Louxane curiously.

Adi, who was holding Louxane, groaned and quickly turned his face away.

"Adi, what's wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing... Louxane's gesture... Miss, I mean, Mary's... ugh!"

Trying to hold back a laugh, Adi groaned again. If he hadn't been holding Louxane with both arms, he would have covered his mouth by now.

Patrick and Alicia could only tilt their heads in confusion. Their gazes then turned to Mary.

Mary shrugged, as if to say, "What's going on?"

She wanted to stomp on Adi's foot, but with Louxane in his arms, she couldn't do anything.

So, she declared, "It's a trait from her mother."

Patrick and Alicia looked even more puzzled. It seemed they didn't understand just from Mary's words.

Deciding to explain, Mary took a breath, but before she could, Adi, trying hard not to laugh, spoke up.

"It's a habit of Miss, I mean, Mary. She's always done it. ...Louxane's hair color and texture are just like Miss's, so when it grows longer, it will surely..."

Adi turned his face away again, trying to hold back his laughter.

Mary scolded her husband, who had given up to laughter with an incomplete explanation. "If you're going to say that much, finish it!"

Taking a breath to change the subject, she turned to Alicia and Patrick.

She brushed the hair from her shoulder.

The gentle sway of her silver hair.

Once, she used to shake her long, tight curls vigorously.

Now, those silver curls and the habit of brushing them away had been passed on to her daughter...

"...I see, so we'll get to see those vigorous curls again. I'm looking forward to Louxane's growth."

"Look, Lord Patrick, Louxane's hair is already showing signs of curling. What a cute little curl."

"The hair color, the gentle curls, and the habit of brushing them away... It's like seeing the young Miss, I mean, Mary. And her eyes are the same color as mine... How endearing."

The three of them gazed at Louxane in Adi's arms with a dreamy expression.

Even though she didn't understand the conversation, Louxane was in a good mood because the adults were paying attention to her. She laughed and waved her hand by her face.

One day, those hands would shake her vigorous silver curls.

The three of them looked forward to that future, their eyes narrowing with affection.

"...Yes, really, I'm looking forward to it."

Only Mary expressed her dissatisfaction, brushing the hair from her shoulder.

The silver hair swayed gently, not vigorously.

...

...end...

Σ(´；ω；) "Everyone, good mood... Wait! No one's here!?"

(´；ω；) "Lady Mary! Lord Adi!"

(´；ω；) "Sniff... Sniff..."

(´；ω；) "Sniff..."

Σ(´；ω；) "Ah, just crying won't do! This must be a test to see if I can promote on my own. Lady Mary and Lord Adi must have entrusted this place to me so I could grow!"

(`；ω；) "If that's the case, I have to promote on my own!"

(`；ω；) "We are pleased to announce the release of new merchandise for 'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline'! A beautiful standee featuring the cover illustration from Volume 1 and a badge set of Lady Mary and Lord Adi!"

(`；ω；) "For more details, please see the... the display... I'll show it now...!!! Fufufufu!!!"

【Kadokawa Beans Bunko 20th Anniversary Merchandise 'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline'

Purchase Method

Animate Online

Pre-order Period: December 8 (Wed) - January 17 (Mon)

*For more details, please check the Animate website or Twitter.】

(´；ω；) "I'm sorry for the late announcement again..."

(`；ω；) "Everyone, please look forward to it!"

(`；ω；) "I did it! Lady Mary, I managed to promote on my own! Thanks to you, I've grown! Lady Mary!!"

"...I was eating a korokke and accidentally missed the announcement time, so I rushed over and found that Parfait had grown. What's going on, Adi?"

"It's hard to understand, but it's probably better not to say she was just late."

"You're right. Let's go along with it and leave."

"Parfait, that was a great promotion."

(`；ω；) "Lady Mary!! I did it on my own... Thanks to your belief in me!"

"I believed you could do it. That's why I entrusted the promotion to you. Right, Adi?"

"Yes, that's right. I believed in you, so I entrusted it to you."

(`；ω；) "Lady Mary, Lord Adi...!! I'll keep working hard!!"

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*・゜•*¨*•.¸¸☆*・゜

"Hah, this is Patrick's radiance! He's here to tell the truth! Let's scatter, Adi!"

"Yes! Lord Patrick, I'm sorry!"

•* ¨*•.¸ ¸☆*・

゜ •*¨ * • .¸ ¸☆* ・゜

"Alright, we managed to scatter it. Let's decorate the new merchandise standee and badge set, Adi and Parfait."

"Yes, that's a good idea. We can also decorate with bromides printed at FamilyMart."

(`；ω；) "A subtle additional promotion... As expected of Lord Adi!"

◆◆◆

We are pleased to announce the release of new merchandise for 'The Daughter of the Albert Family Wishes for Decline'! A standee and a badge set (Mary & Adi).

Both are available for pre-order at Animate Online.

The pre-order period ends on January 17, 2022.

Additionally, the 20th Anniversary Fair for Beans Bunko is being held at Animate Ikebukuro.

For more details, please check the Animate website or official Twitter.

Furthermore, bromides can be printed at FamilyMart! They print very beautifully, so please look forward to it.

Once again, I apologize for the short notice between the announcement and the pre-order deadline.

Everyone, please look forward to it!

We will also release short stories and side stories, so please stay tuned.