Chapter 117

I jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

“Sleep well?”

The first thing I saw was my husband’s face, directly across from mine.

“‘Oh!'”

Still rattled from being thoroughly tormented in my dream, I recoiled.

My husband pulled my waist firmly toward him and pressed a deep kiss to my forehead. He asked quietly:

“What on earth were you dreaming about? Drooling all over yourself. Mouth wide open.”

Apparently it wasn’t cold sweat—I had been drooling.

I wiped my mouth quickly on my sleeve and shook my head hard. Then I drew myself close and burrowed into his chest.

“It—it wasn’t delicious at all.”

I had been eating something in the dream—but nothing about it had been pleasant. Something large and unwieldy, difficult to get through, leaving me drooling uncontrollably. Truly harrowing.

‘What a tremendous ordeal that was.’

I sneaked a glance down at my husband.

Even in my dreams, he tormented me.

I kept my body carefully lifted away from him, not quite making contact.

Looking up from this angle, I could see the dark circles sitting heavily under his closed eyes.

Having heard from Emily what was going on with him, I had a fairly good idea of the cause.

“…Kael. Did you not sleep last night?”

“No. You were sleeping soundly. I told you to wait until I got back no matter what.”

“…”

I swallowed quietly.

He flicked my nose with one finger and said, in a dangerously level tone:

“You left nothing but a scrap of a note.”

“…”

“Just like that day.”

He stroked the back of my head gently and curved one corner of his mouth.

‘That day’ clearly meant our first night.

A cold prickle of alarm ran down my spine.

I felt as if my head might fly off at any moment, so I changed the subject in a rush.

“I’m so sorry! Oh, that’s right! T—today was a very important day, wasn’t it! I—I should get ready right away!”

* * *

‘Kai Hardeion, six months old.’

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess arrived with five carriages behind them.

Most of the cargo was gifts for Kai.

“Wow, Duchess! He looks exactly like the duke! Enormously cute and handsome! How is that possible?”

“Right? He really is, completely and totally adorable!”

I rubbed my cheek against Kai’s, nestled in my arms.

The velvety softness of his round cheeks pressed against my skin.

“He’s like absolute cream cheese! And so fair for a baby boy!”

“A perfect copy of his father! But thankfully the smile didn’t transfer—when my husband smiles it’s somehow a little frightening, but Kai smiles like spring sunshine. Isn’t that lucky and strange?”

“That’s because he got the duchess’s smile! You smile like sunshine, you know!”

“Hehe. Do I?”

“Yes! The duke’s face with the duchess’s smile—it’s extraordinary! The perfect combination!”

The Crown Prince added from beside her:

“Quite a relief. That at least one thing didn’t come from Kael.”

“Abww! Abuu!”

“There, there. I’m your uncle. Look at this little one, already recognizing me. Could he be a prodigy?”

“Oh! That means I’m Kai’s aunt! I love that!”

Reina bounced with excitement and poked Kai’s cheeks in rapid succession.

‘Ba-ba, mmmba.’ Kai, who had just begun babbling, beamed and chattered back.

“Abwuung! Abwuh!”

“Oh—my heart—! His ‘aunt’s’ heart is—!”

Reina dissolved completely at the assault of Kai’s babbling and his crinkled-eyed smile. Fully disarmed and melted, she slumped forward and gazed at him with arms and legs going soft.

Two hours later.

Having received the devoted attention of every adult in the room, Kai had fallen soundly asleep.

He was nestled in my husband’s arms like a small hamburger, fast asleep. Though he was nearly the size of my torso, he looked the size of a baby fist against Kael’s broad frame.

“Kael, how’s the parenting treating you? What’s with those dark circles?”

“Really. You look completely hollow. But Kai seems so easy—what’s happening?”

…It’s not the parenting that’s wearing on him.

My husband’s state today was no better than usual.

At some point, the dark circles had settled under his eyes as permanently as if they had always lived there.

I had assumed managing things alone would be sufficient for him—but it seemed it was considerably less effective than having help.

‘It’s been six months now. His self-imposed abstinence…’

It wasn’t my fault—but it felt somehow like it was. I stared into my teacup and sneaked glances at him from beneath my lashes.

I genuinely wanted to help, but… this peaceful life, free as a bird, was so wonderfully calm. The sleep had been extraordinary.

And besides.

‘If six months of that builds up and then finally breaks—it’ll be like a volcanic eruption.’

I did not feel brave enough to be anywhere near that. The mere thought made my blood run cold.

I kept sneaking glances at him, and before I realized it, the evening had crept in.

“Duchess! We’ll come again soon! The twin princesses have been so curious about their little cousin!”

“Please do! I’ve been dying to see them too!”

“Wonderful! We’ll really come soon then!”

“Hehe, I can’t wait! Safe travels, Your Imperial Highness! You too, Your Imperial Highness!”

I had everything packed—local specialties and gifts for the twin princesses—loaded carefully into the carriages.

Reina and Adrian waved to us until they were out of sight.

* * *

‘Kai Hardeion, ten months old.’

Kai grew fast. Remarkably fast.

Just this morning he had been pulling himself along the wall for a few careful steps.

And then—he stretched his small hands out into empty air, and began to take one step. Then another.

“…Oh—”

His expression was one of great seriousness and determination, and as I watched it, goosebumps broke out along my arms.

‘Pat, pat, pat.’ A few more steps, and then Kai pitched himself forward and landed in my arms.

“‘Kyaah!’ Kai!”

My heart was hammering. Tears rose to my eyes.

From inside the safety of my arms, Kai lifted his head and blinked up at me—smiling his open, sunny smile—and his lips made little shapes.

“Mama.”

“Oh my goodness—! Kael! Did you see that just now? Kai walked!”

I forgot to look at my husband entirely. I scooped Kai up and broke into a shoulder dance of pure joy.

Kai, nestled in my arms, pointed with his small index finger back at my husband and announced:

“Dada! Rawr!”

My heart crashed against my ribs. I was so happy my head went light.

“Kael, did you hear that? Kai just said ‘Mama’! He got ‘Papa’ perfectly too!”

“He said ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada.’ He’s been doing those well for a while already.”

My husband’s dry correction landed like a splash of cold water. Kai puffed his round cheeks and declared:

“Mama!”

“Oh! That was clearly Mama just now! Kael, you definitely heard that—right?!”

“Hmm.”

My husband reserved judgment, unconvinced.

Kai inflated his tiny nostrils and announced with great energy:

“Mama! Dada! G’ammy! G’ampa! Wuncle! Emiry!”

“…He’s a genius. He has to be a genius.”

I scooped Kai up and sprinted to the drawing room.

It was right after dinner, so everyone in the household happened to be gathered there. I had run ahead—and yet somehow, by the time I arrived and turned around, my husband was already right behind me.

I burst through the drawing room door.

“Father! Mother! Kayrin! Emily! Kai has suddenly learned so many words!”

“W—what! I—is that true?”

“Good heavens—our grandson?”

“Goodness!”

“Goodness.”

I set Kai down and crouched to his level.

“Kai. Can you say what you said in Mama’s bedroom just now?”

“Mmhm.”

He gave a small, deliberate nod—and ‘answered back’.

Kai worked his little hands together, his plump red lips moving. Then, with small pointed fingers, he indicated each family member in turn, one by one.

“Mama, Dada, G’ammy, G’ampa, Wuncle, Emiry!”

The drawing room erupted.

“Oh my! Our grandson was a genius all along!”

“I knew it! I knew it! We must enroll him in the gifted academy at once—”

“Sister-in-law! Our nephew is a true genius! Not just his face—he has his brother’s mind too!”

Emily reached into her uniform pocket.

“A list of the empire’s gifted academies. I prepared it in advance, knowing this day would come.”

* * *