By Zephyria Watching Mikael devour a cookie half the size of my face, I felt everything else in the world was utterly pointless. Various topics were brought to the tea table and then faded away.
Just as I was suppressing a hollow laugh and deciding, Yes, it would be best to set up the martial arts training ground in the front yard after all, I heard him say,
“I have one more birthday present I want.”
“Indeed, you’ve been planning this for a while. What else do you wish for?”
“It has been said since ancient times that nothing is thicker than blood. I want a sibling very much. I heard House Cervelle is already expecting their third child,”
What on earth is this child?
“Ahem! Ahem, that is not something we can decide on our own, so please wait a little longer.”
“I’m already five years old! If the age gap is too large, it’s not suitable for us to rely on each other, Father. Are you making an effort?”
How on earth did such a brat come from my seed?
“Both Father and Mother are young and healthy, so I would like about two more siblings.”
“⋯Where on earth did you hear such things⋯.”
I had certainly previewed and put away all the books a child might look at. Seiren had already fled, and only the servants remained, shaking their heads.
Peter, was it him? No, it might be Gilbert. I clearly remembered him boasting everywhere recently about having a late-blooming child.
But Mikael was remarkably firm and solemn. The solemnity that did not suit his round eyes, chubby cheeks, and tiny hands rested with surprising weight upon his round, small shoulders.
“One does not hear and learn such things; one gains them through experience. Living life, I’ve found that the more blood relatives one has, the better.”
But you’re only five years old, Mikael.
“If I were to form a bond in the future, I wouldn’t mind a daughter from House Cervelle, who are known for their many children. It seems such things are inevitably tied to family history⋯.”
Duncan Cervelle. It must be that bastard. I have no idea when Duncan met Mikael and spouted such nonsense. No matter how much he covets my son, I will never send him to that man’s house. I rubbed my dry hands together a couple of times and forced out a normal voice.
“Alright, I understand, I understand. But such talk is rude, so you shouldn’t say it in front of others.”
“Mm. Yes, I understand.”
“Right. Really⋯. Really. Promise me.”
“Yes.”
He’ll gradually get better as he grows up, won’t he? ⋯He has to.
Lady Seiren did not bring up Mikael’s story about a sibling again that day.
Neither did I.
But I couldn’t deny that something had changed from that day forward.
Until then, I had never dared to make the first move on Lady Seiren. When I didn’t know Mikael was my child, I worried she had someone else in mind and would hate or despise me, so I held back. After I learned Mikael was my child, it was because of that damned bluebird.
No matter how I acted, I couldn’t figure out from books how to appear more innocent, less cunning, and more like a normal husband. Since I couldn’t speak of the intimate matters between a couple, I had nowhere to turn for advice.
I tossed and turned, lying on my side in bed.
The Count’s bedroom in the Viscount’s residence was connected by a small door. Opening the small door next to my bedroom led directly to Lady Seiren’s bedroom. From her first meal in the morning to her goodnight hug, she had rarely shown herself in comfortable clothing.
I recalled the pale satin pajamas I saw for the first and last time when I took Mikael to her room, holding him. If only I could see her again, wearing those soft pajamas that draped long along the lines of her slender body⋯.
No, if only I could hold her in my arms.
Is it normal to have such lewd thoughts while having a wife? The process of my virile body constantly chasing her scent and tracing her form with my gaze was agonizing. How could I suddenly declare my desire for her now⋯.
And so, the nights I couldn’t sleep due to various thoughts grew longer and longer.
On Mikael’s fifth birthday.
Everything had been perfect from the evening before until well past noon today. Even after years away from high society, Seiren showed the prowess of Lady Valentia. Every part of the mansion, including the main hall and the garden, was beautiful, the food was delicious and abundant, and the guests were polite and cheerful.
I was particularly busy, hosting numerous high-ranking nobles whom I thought I would never see in the Viscount Ernhardt’s territory. Even knowing they came because of Valentia’s name, I was afraid Seiren might hear ill of me if I treated them with insufficient courtesy, so I acted more diligently than usual.
And Father.
Father and Mother kept dabbing their eyes after meeting Mikael. Hearing them repeat that they had done all they could, that they had worked hard, and that they had no regrets in life, made me feel very strange as I held my father’s wrinkled hand.
While the young guests were entrusted to their nannies and knights, I was trying to build awkward friendships with the high-ranking nobles with whom I usually had difficulty conversing.
“Viscount! Viscount!”
Butler Oderick Litman rushed towards Ikyun. Everyone knew that a butler of a noble house would not cause such a commotion at an event like this. Seeing his pale, ashen face, a chilling premonition made my heart sink.
“Mikael.”
“Viscount. Right now⋯.”
“Where is Mikael right now!”
Litman ran off in the opposite direction before he could even catch his breath. So did I. I had never run this fast in my life. The innocent face that had lectured us, Seiren and me, just last night flashed before my eyes.
It was the pond in the back garden.
It was more of a deep lake than a pond. The reservoir, dug by my father when he was a viscount and enjoyed fishing, was home to dozens of freshwater fish species. Currently, it was used to observe birds hunting or bathing, with the overgrown aquatic plants left unattended.
Therefore, if one fell in, the plants would wrap around their legs, making it difficult to move immediately.
I was foolish. It was all my fault. Would I even deserve to be called a father, leaving such a dangerous reservoir in a house where children came and went? I regretted it bitterly, was enraged by it, and felt even more sorrowful. As I rounded the last corner, I prayed to the heavens, Please, just be alive.
Did the heavens grant my wish?
When I arrived, Mikael, soaking wet, stood tall by the lake.
I was so relieved that my legs almost gave out, and I stumbled.
The child had a nonchalant and indifferent expression, as always. The way he swept his wet hair back was casual, and his occasional tongue-clicking was also typical Mikael. He gestured to comfort the servants and knights, who were beside themselves with worry and apology, in a manner that closely resembled how Seiren usually treated her maids.
Five or six servants and knights, soaked to the bone, were crawling out of the lake, leaving water stains everywhere, as if they had jumped in as soon as the children fell. One knight, pulling himself out of the mud by the lakeside, seemed to have even jumped in with his armor on. It was the passion of those who threw themselves in to save the child without even thinking of sinking.
Sir Lawrence, also soaking wet and chuckling, spotted me and approached.
“I apologize, Viscount. We failed to keep him safe.”
Despite his neat bow and apology, I was dumbfounded. I had neither the composure nor the strength to be angry. More importantly, what was the point of getting angry at these people, drenched from head to toe for trying to save my son? My mind was still blank, unable to believe the situation.
“⋯What, what happened?”
“The young masters and ladies gathered here decided to play hide-and-seek and scattered widely in the garden. Knights and servants also dispersed to help the children play. There was an accident where Young Master Shayden Rose, trying to hide behind the zelkova tree by the lake, accidentally fell into the water.”
“That⋯. Then why. Why did our Mikael⋯.”
“As soon as he saw that, Mikael, who was closest, immediately jumped in and saved Young Master Rose. It took three minutes for the closest servant to take off his outer garment and jump in, but fortunately⋯. Yes, both of them are safe.”
Even as I heard the report, I couldn’t believe it. I forced my dazed steps towards my son. Mikael was sighing heavily, busy comforting the boy, who was larger and older than him.
“Stop crying. A boy shouldn’t cry this much just from swallowing a bit of water.”
“Sob, sob, but, but because of me⋯.”
“See. Do I look injured anywhere?”
“Sob, sob, sob.”
“Look properly.”
“Sob, sob, no, no⋯.”
“Then where are you injured?”
“Ah, no⋯.”
“Then it’s fine. Don’t hide in dangerous places next time.”
“Sob, sob, sob⋯.”
“Stop. That’s enough. Call a servant to change your clothes. A cold can be a serious illness for a child.”
Who is saying that to whom?
Mikael, who had been sulking the whole time, suddenly looked towards me. The bright look of joy that bloomed on his face as soon as he saw me pierced my heart. Unable to contain my increasingly wide strides, I ran and hugged my son tightly. The child, surprised for a moment, patted my shoulder familiarly with his wet hands.
“Father.”
“⋯Why, why did you do something so dangerous? If it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for you⋯.”
“Haha. Still, I was closer.”
“⋯.”
“If a child is in trouble, should one just close their eyes?”
It was a perfectly Mikael-like way of speaking.
Sigh. Just as I took a breath of relief, Seiren’s voice was heard from behind. Mikael, hearing Seiren’s tearful call, raised his head and waved at me from behind. And as soon as Seiren approached, he said this:
“I think it would be good to have the lake renovated before I have a sibling. It was more slippery than I expected. Winter is coming soon, so perhaps start the construction around early spring.”
Fine, I lost. I’ll make that second child for you.*
⋯If the Lady doesn’t dislike it.