By Zephyria 
A bit earlier than the appointed time, a cluster of white light swirled around the portal.
The burst of light that radiated outward the moment a teleportation through the portal was completed was a phenomenon caused by the low circle control of young and ambitious portal wizards. Thanks to the correction capabilities of the stable magic circle, it wasn’t dangerous, but if one encountered that light with the naked eye, their vision would be blurred for several minutes.
Since high-level magicians tended to be older, they couldn’t be stationed by the portal. Thus, portal users these days had begun wearing blindfolds as a makeshift measure to protect their eyes from the pouring light.
Though the blindfolds—made of several layers of thick black cloth—looked ridiculous, they performed their role perfectly.
Among the group of people who appeared as if emerging from the halo of light, my gaze immediately locked onto the tallest, loveliest one.
Today, Ruben wore a thin summer jacket over a shimmering white top, and his jet-black hair, combed down to his waist, was tied and wrapped in a neat circle at the end. Clad in bright clothing, his naturally fair skin glowed even whiter, making my heart flutter as if I had unexpectedly encountered an auspicious white deer.
Ruben removed the black blindfold, revealing his sharp eyes.
Then, he immediately smiled with a soft, mellowed expression. As the youth stepped lightly toward me, I immediately pulled him by the waist and showered him with kisses wherever my lips touched. His touch was deeply affectionate as he gently stroked the back of my head a few times before firmly massaging the nape of my neck.
His jet-black eyes, smooth as beads, sparkled with happiness.
“How did you know I was coming? I didn’t send word because I intended to go straight inside.”
“I just thought you might arrive around today, so I came. I missed you and wanted to see you quickly.”
“Haha, is that so? Is Titi with Sir Philodendron?”
“Yes. Marianne is here too, along with the Philodendron couple.”
After kissing the corners of his eyes, which were crinkled with laughter, I held his fingertips. Despite the warm weather, his fingertips were cold. I massaged them gently and gave the tips a little playful bite. Then, I led him by the hand.
A few of the people who had come to carry the luggage bowed in greeting as we passed. I acknowledged them with a simple wave and escorted Ruben to the waiting carriage, helping him sit.
As soon as the carriage door closed, Ruben unbuttoned his jacket and dove into my arms. Through the thin shirt, I could feel the heat radiating from his skin.
“Ah, this is nice… I missed you.”
“Me too.”
“Why? You were doing just fine without me.”
“No, it was truly difficult. I cried myself to sleep every night because I missed you, Ruben.”
“Ahaha! Liar.”
“I’m serious. I honestly don’t know why Titi only listens to Ruben and completely ignores me. From my perspective, it seems like she treats Ruben and me exactly the same.”
“That’s because Mika isn’t very good at getting angry. Even when you do, it feels like you’re letting them off the hook, and when you aren’t angry, your tone of voice isn’t high. They say a baby finds it easier to tell if they’re being scolded if the changes in expression and attitude are more distinct.”
“Hmm. Didn’t you say everything shows on my face?”
“That’s exactly why. No matter what they do to make you angry, you just look at them with eyes that say you find them deathly cute. Like this.”
The kiss that followed was slightly deeper than the ones outside.
While I licked and bit, swimming through the missed warmth of his mouth, Ruben familiarly climbed onto my lap. This moment felt so precious and poignant that the clatter of the carriage starting felt like a regrettable interruption.
Panting slightly with a shallow voice, Ruben gave a beaming smile and continued in a whisper.
“And I… I like that Titi and Mika listen to me. It makes me feel loved.”
“…Hmm. If that’s the case, I’ll try to be a bit more patient.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Shall we put the child to bed a bit early today?”
“…I’d like that, too.”
* * *
The surprise gift Titi and Marianne had prepared was a paper flower necklace that hung down to the solar plexus.
Wearing the cluster of colorful paper flowers around his neck, Ruben smiled with genuine happiness, praising it exaggeratedly, calling it pretty, the best, and amazing.
He didn’t just praise it with words; he removed all other jewelry from his neck and, wearing only the paper flower necklace, spun around like a fairy newly born upon a petal, delighting the child immensely.
The satisfied child made a happy, purring sound like a little animal and clung tightly to Ruben’s embrace, refusing to let go.
“Daddy, don’t work anymore. Just stay with Titi.”
“Shall I? What if Daddy becomes a cow from playing with Titi all the time?”
“Then Titi will raise you prettily! Daddy, just be a cow.”
“Hmm. Daddy prefers being a bear.”
“Then be a bear.”
“Roar! I’m a bear!”
“Kya! A bear!”
I had always known Ruben was clever, but it amazed me every time. I wondered how such words could pop out so naturally and instantaneously.
Ruben, pretending to be a bear by playfully nipping at the child’s shoulder as if eating her, perched the child on one arm and looked back at Ikyun. Not being able to endure even a moment of her father’s gaze drifting away, Titi acted spoiled, patting Ruben’s cheek to make him look at her again.
“Daddy, Daddy.”
“Yes. Daddy is right here.”
“Can I go to the Imperial Palace with Daddy too? Titi can sleep nicely.”
“Not yet, Titi is still a baby. We promised that when you become a five-year-old big girl, you’ll go to the Imperial Palace with Daddy and visit Grandma and Grandpa, remember?”
“How many nights are left?”
“Now there are 608 nights left. Titi can count to a hundred now, right? It’s six times a hundred.”
“…Uuuuhm. Six times a hundred and eight more?”
“Yes. Eight more.”
“I have to sleep a whole lot!”
“No, it’ll be quick. Daddy will keep playing with you until then.”
“Then I like it. I’ll do that.”
The sight of them chatting away was so lovely that I kept wanting to intervene.
Waiting for the right moment, I planted a kiss on Ruben’s temple and then played innocent. Ruben let out a soft chuckle, and Titi, startled, pressed her lips firmly against Ruben’s cheek, leaving a wet mark.
“Daddy is mine!”
“Hmm. Is there only a necklace for Ruben Daddy, and none for me?”
“…Ah. No, nooo. There is one…”
“There is?”
“I haven’t finished making it yet. I’ll do it quickly.”
The sight of the little one cautiously gauging my reaction was so cute and sly that I burst into laughter.
Ruben, noticing that I had brought it up specifically to tease Titi, laughed out loud as well. He then lifted the child once more and began to walk.
Titi, who was often stronger than Benjamin had been in his youth—to a degree that even I found astonishing—found it exceptionally difficult to handle delicate objects like thin paper or small teaspoons. Perhaps because of that, Ruben and Marianne encouraged the baby to fiddle with many pretty, sparkling small toys as a form of play or reward.
Thanks to that, Titi grew to love drawing and crafting.
Even if she popped rubber balls filled with oil and glitter, or crushed gems to make a mess of the room, or tore paper into a pulp, as long as she didn’t put them in her mouth, they showered her with praise, calling her amazing and pretty, so she naturally loved it.
I wondered if this was why the child didn’t hurt people. By learning how to relax the strength in her hands to play with rubber balls without popping them, there was less danger even when the child showed interest in the servants she happened to encounter in the mansion hallways.
Since the crafting room was also decorated according to Ruben’s taste, it was easy to find where the remaining materials were located even after Marianne had hurried away, claiming it was an eyesore.
“Alright, then let’s go finish making Mika Daddy’s necklace. Can you make it without your aunt?”
“Of course! I did all of this too.”
“Really? That’s impressive. Titi will become a big girl soon.”
“Right~! I want to become a big girl quickly and go to the Imperial Palace with Daddy.”
“Yes, yes.”
Ruben played with Titi to his heart’s content, making up for the time they had spent apart.
“Wow, is this a flower from the Greenhouse? What was the name of this flower?”
“Asphos!”
“Asphodelus. Were there only red ones?”
“No, there are orange and yellow ones too. But red was the most.”
“I see. Daddy likes red Asphodels too. Is this Daddy drawn next to it?”
“Yes. Ruben Daddy is right here.”
“Where is Mika Daddy?”
“Uuuuhm~. Going to pick flowers with Titi.”
To my eyes, the drawing looked like nothing more than red clouds and black clouds.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t understand how this was supposed to be a person standing next to a pile of flowers. The child excitedly brought out several other drawings, saying “this one” and “that one,” and Ruben got every single answer right.
Not only that, he dressed Titi up in the latest fashion dresses and gems from the capital, and he helped her tie the knots of the paper flower necklace she was making for me.
He read her storybooks about a cool Dragon hero with great realism, told her stories about a great nation ruled by a magnificent Emperor, and taught her the correct pitch of the messy song she had been humming lately.
While he did that, it was my role to attend to Ruben. I brought fruit, fed him juice, and provided wet towels.
While dealing with the tireless child, Ruben would occasionally lean on my shoulder to rest, like a butterfly after a long flight, before quickly regaining his energy and beaming again.
A few times, I stole kisses on his lips behind Titi’s back.
The baby, unable to tolerate our attention drifting away from her, would occasionally lift her head with a suspicious look to monitor us, but no matter how exceptionally sensitive her Qi sense was, how could she possibly catch me? I managed to get away with it safely.
Titi began to nod off from early evening.
She had been busy playing since early morning in a state of high excitement, but the fact that we had intentionally skipped her nap played a large part.
I carefully picked up the child, who had her head slumped and dolls in both hands. Ruben, watching me hold my breath and suppress my presence with caution, stifled a giggle.
Titi’s bedroom was two doors down from the master bedroom.
The low bed had wooden rails to prevent her from rolling out during sleep, and the space was filled with a wide sofa, large cushions, and various oversized stuffed animals scattered here and there.
Regardless of the weather outside, the room maintained a constant temperature, and magic was cast to ensure good ventilation so it wouldn’t feel stuffy.
Originally, Sierren nobles did not place the master bedroom and the child’s bedroom close to each other. Since everyone was busy during the day, it was common to have separate nannies and maidservants to help the child sleep at night.
However, our child was not an ordinary child. A small mistake could lead to a major accident.
Ruben insisted that any possibility of casualties during the child’s early years must be absolutely prevented. His explanation was that no trivial stain should remain on the path of an Emperor.
I also didn’t want to see this tiny baby hurt someone and cry her eyes out, so I quietly agreed.
There was also a reason why the room two doors down, rather than the room immediately next door, was chosen as the child’s room.
Ruben was sensitive and busy. He could only sleep comfortably if thick curtains were drawn to block out every speck of light and sliver of sound, and if I held him tightly with my whole body. If he felt a presence passing by, he would wake up instantly and take a long time to fall back asleep.
The distance of two doors was optimal; if Ruben wasn’t consciously aware, he wouldn’t feel the child’s presence, yet I could immediately notice if the baby’s breathing changed or if she burst into tears, even without thinking about it.
Because this habit had been established from a very young age, Titi slept well on her own.
After carefully laying the child down and returning to the master bedroom, Ruben was sitting there in only a gown, his face moist. Seeing him already pressing his lips down with the back of his hand, my Dantian tightened.
Even without a “shh” sound, both of us were quiet. We exchanged glances and stifled our laughter.
From now on, it was time for things to become silent.