Chapter 151

There was a slight difference between the burden I felt at becoming a lord and the reality I was now facing.

The former lord who had managed Nantier was said to be very meticulous. Thanks to his thoroughness, not a single document was out of place, and Esadien and I were able to grasp the situation of the small territory within a few days.

“I think I’ll send the former lord a gift.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Esadien surprisingly agreed without hesitation.

“You might think it’s just something that has to be done, but that’s not how things work for people.”

“Hearing you say that is a bit surreal.”

I thought he was a man of principle. But I guess that was just his appearance; Esadien had done a lot of reckless things over time. Esadien smiled gently and began.

“Do you know something?”

“What?”

“The person I’ve become since I met you… is also surreal to me.”

‘Oh my gosh, what is wrong with this person!’

‘…I love it. It’s the best.’

I quietly tucked away my thumb, which was about to give a thumbs-up, and asked him flirtatiously.

“So, you don’t like it?”

“I’m happy.”

Esadien wasn’t fazed by my teasing. He kissed me with a smile on his face.

I wonder if smiles can be imprinted like a stamp. Even after he pulled away, a smile blossomed on my face. Still, I playfully poked him.

“Ah, another kiss. Always kissing.”

“You don’t like it?”

“No. I want more.”

Esadien never refused. His lips landed on my cheeks, which were trying to reach for the heavens, again and again.

We were living a very happy life in this cozy lord’s manor. Of course, at first, I tried to be more reserved because I was conscious of the servants and the baby’s presence, but that resolution only lasted for a day.

‘How can I hold back when my husband is this handsome?’

Anyway, there was only one worry in our otherwise blissful newlywed life. We had asked around and even distributed flyers through merchants, but we couldn’t find a single clue about the baby’s parents.

‘Honestly, living like this isn’t so bad.’

As we spent more time together, we naturally gave him a name, and above all, Esadien liked the baby much more than I had expected.

Even now, Esadien was sitting a little distance from the baby, shaking a rattle.

“Kaius, over here. Can you come this way?”

The baby’s name we chose was Kaius. The clear, refreshing aura the child carried made the name feel perfectly fitting, if I did say so myself. I couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the sight of Esadien.

‘Why is he so serious?’

He looked as if getting Kaius to crawl to him was the most important task in the world. How cute.

The baby, as if feeling his focus, pushed his stomach and crawled toward Esadien.

“Ah-boo, ah-boo-boo!”

Actually, I think Esadien might have crawled halfway to him, but he immediately scooped Kaius up with a big smile.

“Minuelle, look at this. Kaius came to me.”

I wondered if he could really be that happy, but this scene was like a masterpiece. I was pleased to see the two of them together.

‘Esadien would make a good father.’

It was useless to have worried about it after what he went through with his biological father.

But is it really okay for us to live like this? Children grow up quickly. We should decide whether to send him away or give him a new identity so he can stay with us.

Honestly, Kaius was so cute that I wanted to keep him, but…

“Mwah.”

My train of thought was abruptly cut off by a small, chubby hand hitting me. When our eyes met, Kaius rubbed his face against Esadien’s chest, as if to show off.

‘How cute.’

I blurted out a question without even thinking. Even though the baby couldn’t possibly understand.

“Kaius. Do you like your daddy that much?”

“Gyah!”

But Kaius smiled brightly as if to say yes, grabbed my finger, and shook it up and down.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head, feeling a sensation that shouldn’t have been there.

‘It feels like the power I’m connected to Gabbie was transferred to Kaius just now.’

This time, I grabbed the baby’s hand and focused, but I didn’t feel anything.

‘Was I mistaken…?’

I stroked Kaius’s cheek. He had clearly gained weight since we first met and was now soft and squishy. Although it was normal for a baby, I was grateful, considering the circumstances of our first meeting.

‘I was so shocked when we assigned him a temporary nanny and the baby refused the breast milk.’

It was a relief that he at least ate fruits and baby food. Contrary to my worries, he had gained weight and was now actively playing with Esadien.

‘Raising a child is a huge deal.’

I sighed inwardly when I felt a gaze so intense that my cheeks were itching.

“…Esadien? What’s wrong?”

I asked, but he just stared at me without saying anything.

Did I make a mistake? As I retraced my steps, I almost bit my tongue.

‘Daddy.’

I had no intention of doing so, but it seemed like I had just implied, ‘Isn’t this child actually yours?’

Or, I had declared Kaius our child without even hearing Esadien’s thoughts on the matter.

Both were terrible.

I quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. That was a slip of the tongue. I didn’t mean anything by it… The sight of you two just looked so nice!”

“…”

But Esadien broke eye contact and looked down at Kaius. My heart sank. Just as I was about to grab his arm, his mouth slowly opened.

“Kaius, I’m sorry. I do like you, but I love your mother more than anything in the world.”

My face flushed at the new type of confession. My heart, which had just dropped to the floor, now leaped into my throat and thumped wildly.

Esadien lightly kissed my cheek, which was surely red, and grinned.

“I didn’t misunderstand.”

Then he lightly pressed his lips against my other cheek, making a soft sound.

“…Because you love me?”

“Yes. Because I love you.”

My cheeks, my lips, and my heart where Esadien had kissed me were so ticklish I couldn’t stand it. Afraid that my heart, which had leaped into my throat, would run away if I made a loud noise, I whispered to him.

“That feels so nice. Do it again.”

“I love you, Minuelle. I truly love you.”

I felt like I was wrapped in a cloud. I leaned into Esadien’s big hand that was cupping my cheek and smiled.

“I love you.”

“…I love you.”

Esadien’s face also turned a little red as he repeated my words. Then, as if a dam had broken, words of love poured out of his mouth. And with each ‘I love you,’ a kiss landed on me.

Kaius watched us quietly. It was strange, considering he was a baby who was busy crawling around after getting used to the new house.

It was when Esadien and I were pressing our foreheads together and laughing that the baby, who had been holding my hand the whole time, gave it a little peck.

Esadien and I were surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter at the same time.

“Ah, he’s so cute. Kaius, are you imitating us?”

“I guess we do it often enough for Kaius to imitate. I’m proud of us.”

“Proud?”

Esadien’s reaction was beyond my expectations. I giggled and pushed Kaius toward Esadien.

“You should kiss him too, Kaius.”

“Pah!”

With an unintelligible sound, the baby left a big, wet spit mark on Esadien’s cheek.

“Is-is this a kiss too?”

“Yes, it is.”

Esadien stated without any sign of displeasure. Now that the kiss was done, Kaius, having lost interest, began to struggle. As Esadien carefully placed him on the floor, I asked him.

“Esadien. Do you want to keep living with Kaius?”

I could understand him suggesting we keep Kaius from the beginning and playing with him so enthusiastically. But my conviction was solidified when he so readily accepted the words ‘daddy’ and ‘mommy.’

Esadien looked at me for a moment and then nodded.

“What do you think?”

“I think I’ll feel very empty if we send Kaius away. But I’m also hesitant to officially adopt him right away.”

“…Adopting a child of a different bloodline as our first…”

“That’s not it. I believe a family can be formed even without shared blood.”

Would I feel uncomfortable if Kaius called me mommy? Not at all. I wasn’t bothered when Esadien said it a moment ago, and I wondered how cute it would be coming from Kaius’s tiny mouth.

I leaned against Esadien and smiled.

“Honestly, I was debating whether to keep him or find a temple for him, but thanks to you, one thing is certain.”

“Minuelle, if you don’t want to send Kaius away, then why?”

“I’m afraid his biological parents will show up after we’ve already adopted him. We’ve only been looking for a few weeks, so let’s wait a little longer.”

Esadien thought about it for a moment and then agreed.

“Alright. The child is still young, and I was thinking too hastily.”

“No, you weren’t. I was actually thinking we needed to make a decision.”

Kaius was gradually getting used to people other than Esadien and me, just as we had hoped. He was still a long way from being completely separated from us, but during bath time or naps, he was comfortable spending time with the maids even without us.

The ones who were having trouble getting too attached were us. Esadien mumbled.

“He’s a strangely familiar child. That’s why I’m so drawn to him and want to hold him a little longer.”

“Really? That’s so strange. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.”

I was surprised and agreed, and Esadien’s eyes widened.

“Then… isn’t Kaius the child our destiny has chosen for us?”

“I never knew my husband was a believer in fate.”

As we marveled at the fact that we had both felt the same way about Kaius, the voices of the servants drifted in with the spring breeze from the slightly open window.

“I heard there are ghosts in this area.”

“I heard that too. The butler just laughs it off, but I think ghosts are real!”

Ghosts?

Esadien and I made eye contact.

“Have you ever heard of anything like that?”

“No, I haven’t.”

If you asked me if I believed in ghosts, I would say ‘no.’ That was ever since I heard in my previous life that ‘if there were really vengeful spirits, all the unsolved serious crimes would have been caught.’

But regardless of whether I believed in their existence or not, there was nothing more intriguing than a story like this. My ears, which were already large, seemed to have grown even bigger as I turned toward the window. I listened intently.

“Ririe, you’re from here, aren’t you? Tell us if you know anything.”