“Thank you for the invitation, your Excellency. I’m Lydia d’la Love.”

The little lady, wearing a short dress that went below her knees, said this and gave the bow she had just learned.

The surrounding adults smile broadly upon seeing the appearance of a little girl taking the lady’s bow so proudly.

It might’ve been favoritism, but my daughter was especially adorable, and her every gesture was so charming that my cheeks naturally relaxed when I saw her.

My daughter, who inherited Luca’s platinum blonde hair and my ice blue eyes, and whose face resembles my own when I was a child, had made her debut at the royal palace at the age of four.

Although I said it, it wasn’t an official event. Still, it took place in the King and Queen’s private living room.

In the spacious and luxurious room, several comfortable sofas were placed here and there for relaxing. The cushions that seemed handmade were placed rather messily, giving off a home-like smell. Several people had gathered here—we, the husband and wife, our daughter Lydia, our newborn son Lucien, the King and his wife, the crown prince, and for some reason, Laurenz.

With his scarlet hair, mediocre look, and gentle smile (the crown prince definitely resembled the Queen), his majesty deepened the wrinkles around his eyes as he looked up at the infant as if to say, “What do you think?”

“This is very kind of you, Lady Lydia. I’m glad you’ve come.”

“It has been a long time, Liddy.”

Lydia smiled without being bashful in front of the King, who looked like a good-natured old man, and the Queen, who had come to our residence incognito. She had known her since before she could remember.

“She really looks like Philia did in her childhood, doesn’t she?”

The crown prince, who might’ve been surprisingly fond of children, said in an impressed tone., Having been increasing his presence as King’s aid recently, the crown prince was becoming more and more suitable to become the next King with the addition of a calm demeanor and masculine good looks. 

He used to ostracize me in the past but maybe because he seemed to have calmed down with age, we’d finally been able to have a proper conversation.

Standing next to us, Laurenz was as sweet and handsome looking as ever. Although little but still a lady, my daughter was very interested in these handsome young men.

“Is this mister a friend of my mother’s?”

“Mister…”

Leaving aside a certain prince who had received a slight shock, Laurenz knelt gracefully and matched his gaze with hers.

“As expected of Phily’s daughter, you know who I am. You can call me Lau, Liddy. “

“Lau…”

Before my daughter could repeat it back innocently, Luca’s hand closed her mouth. He hugged her abruptly and flashed a gentle smile he would never show to anyone except his family.

“Liddy, you shouldn’t get along with… this strange mister.”

“Mmm… but he’s mother’s friend, isn’t he?”

“That person isn’t your mother’s friend. That’s why you should be careful. There are a lot of bad misters in the outside world.”

Laurenz shrugged his shoulder to Luca, who softly rebuked our daughter. 

“You are so terrible, Luca. Don’t say strange things to an innocent child.”

“That’s my line here. What are you trying to make my daughter say?”

“Something like asking to be called by a nickname should not be any problem. Right, Al?”

The crown prince, who had been silent for a while, coughed lightly and crossed his arms on his chest when Laurenz called out to me.

“Y-yeah… well, I don’t mind being called uncle.”

“I’d like to burn the delusions in your head to ashes, Your Highness.”

Luca spit out those threatening words to the crown prince of his own country with a thin smile. 

“I’m even more disgusted because I can see what’s going on inside his mind. Your Excellency, I will make sure to tell everything about today’s matter to the crown princess.”

“W-what did you say!? I have finally gotten some freedom today when she’s absent…”

“I see, so you have been spreading your wings since the crown princess isn’t in the castle. Isn’t it problematic to do such things in the sacred office?”

“Why are you saying that?”

Maybe it was their way to deepen their friendship by spouting cynical remarks like this, but I wished they could be considerate in front of the children. 

“Luca, don’t let Liddy hear strange things.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have Liddy’s ear covered before His Highness could say any of his usual nonsense.”

When I look at it, Luca’s both hands have been properly covering Lydia’s ear, holding her in his arms. Lydia unhappily squirmed around to get out, but when Luca kissed her on her cheeks while smiling, she pouted and became helplessly quiet.

It was surprising to see how well Luca could handle his daughter, given his professed misogyny and dislike of children.

When Lydia was born, I still remembered how he took her in his arms fearfully, gently stroked her platinum curly hair, feeling she was certainly her blood and quietly spilling out his tears. He was also stunned at his own unexpectedness. I was also surprised; it was a memory that still warmed my heart.

With Lydia’s ears covered, the three continued their trivial arguments tirelessly. Leaving aside their inner personalities, their looks alone were of a higher caliber. It could be said my daughter had opportunities sprouting before her as far as the eye could see or more like a reverse-harem situation.

At the age of four, this was a worrying sign for her future.

As I was pondering over my daughter’s future, my son in my arms raised a peevish voice.

“Oh, did you wake up, Lucien?”

When Lucien, who had been asleep for a long time, started to wriggle, the Queen peeked at him with interest.

“His eyes are green. This young one takes after Luca.”

“Yeah. Looking at the shape of his nose and lips, I’m sure he’ll turn out just like the old Luca.”

“Well, it would be a problem if his character also turned out to be the same.”

The Queen said without hesitation and began to poke at Lucien’s bubbling cheeks in amusement.

Lucien opened his eyes wide, but suddenly, his face distorted, and he started crying.

“Oh my, I wonder if I teased him too much because I thought he had the same face as Luca.”

“No, I’m sure it’s his diaper or… maybe it’s his mealtime. He was asleep, and I couldn’t breastfeed him before leaving the house.”

While swinging my son in arms, I proposed to the Queen.

“I’m really sorry, Your Highness, but can I borrow that small room there? It’s been a while since he cried so forcefully. I think it might help if I give him something to drink.”

“Oh, Philia, you’re still breastfeeding him yourself as ever. Isn’t it inconvenient not having a nanny?”

“Luca has also asked me that multiple times, but I’m reluctant to get one.”

As I had the recollection of my previous life, one of my habits was the resistance against the aristocracy’s practice of having their children raised by nannies. Since this is a world without milk powder, a nanny was helpful, and I was sure there must’ve been some merit to this system. Still, I wanted to raise my children myself.

Perhaps because I had done the same with Lydia, the Queen permitted me to use the small adjoining room without further ado.

As I stood with Lucien in my arms, Lydia jumped from Luca’s arms and ran to my feet.

“Mother, me too. I also want to go.”

“Liddy, be a good girl and wait here with your father. I’m going to go and feed Lucien.”

“No, I also want to go!”

Although Lydia was a well-behaved girl and always acted mature compared to her age, she seemed to have regressed to a child ever since her younger brother was born.

Luca quickly came over and held her in his arms.

“Liddy, don’t be selfish and trouble your mother. Liddy is a big sister, OK?”

“You’re wrong. I am a baby.”

“Liddy, are you not going to listen to your father?”

Luca cherished his daughter, but he never spoiled her too much. When it was time for scolding, he scolded her properly. She seemed to be aware that she was the eldest daughter of the Duke’s household and was very careful about her behavior in public.

But, on the other hand, she was free to do anything she liked at home.

I thought she could properly distinguish with a child-like analogy that if Luca said something quietly and seriously, she couldn’t disobey it.

She became quiet at once, but her blue eyes, just like mine, twinkled in dissatisfaction.

“But… being alone with Lucien is unfair. He’s always with mother and being hugged by her. I also want mother to hug me.”

“Didn’t I carry you in my arms?”

“But… father is often hugged by mother too!”

The air froze as a child’s high-pitched voice resounded.

“I know. How father just like Lucien, sucks at mother’s ches—”

Luca hurriedly covered Lydia’s mouth, but it was too late. 

It was nothing short of shameful to get your couple’s sex life exposed by your daughter. There was nothing I could do as I did not want to drop my son from my arms.

“So, Luca, does Phily carry you in her arms too?”

This womanizer knight… he just couldn’t behave like an adult and pretend he hadn’t heard anything…

Lydia’s royal palace debut ended in a stormy atmosphere, and we returned to the Duke’s household.  

After giving my daughter a simple but considerably difficult lesson that one must not talk about their home circumstances in public, I sighed deeply when I heard about the circumstances leading up to that hug.

Lydia seemed to have witnessed our so-called conduct in the dining room, and so if I had hugged Luca, she must have seen it too.

It wasn’t only Lydia who had regressed to be child-like ever since Lucien was born but also my husband, who got sulky when I was preoccupied with our son. It was hard to keep him in a good mood. Ultimately, there were three troublesome children in our home.

I had been pushed around by Luca since before we got engaged. We often got carried away, but I couldn’t let that happen now that we had children.

“Luca, from today on… no touching outside the bedroom.”

“What!?”

Luca froze, shocked and astonished.

I thought I had spoken roughly, so I added something else to pacify him.

“It’s not good for children’s education. Especially when Liddy is at the age she could go anywhere in the house by herself. What if we are doing something intimate, and she seems more than she already has?”

“That’s… you’re right.”

My resolution didn’t waver. Even Luca looked at me with sorrowful eyes like an abandoned puppy. I put my hands on his cheeks, just like I did with him when we were kids.

“Listen, Luca. I’m not saying I don’t want to be touched in any way. I’m just telling you to be a little more patient.”

I remonstrated him while feeling embarrassed at just how many years it had been since our marriage. In the end, Luca nodded, looking truly reluctant.

“I understand… I will try my best.”

I felt a little uneasy, but since I had gotten his word, I was satisfied for the moment.

A few days later, locks were added to all the rooms in the Duke’s residence. 

“It’s fine with these, right?”

Of course, I had no way of knowing that I would be telling my smiling husband that he was making an effort in the wrong direction.

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