Eliya’s consciousness slowly awakened.
Before lifting her heavy eyelids, she briefly felt other sensations.
The warmth from the body that embraced her from behind during the cold night.
It was the warmth of her partner Judas.
The pleasant warmth transmitted from his skin against her pajamas felt nice.
The blanket was filled with their warmth.
And the sound of breathing.
Soft and gentle.
His breathing while asleep reached her from behind her head.
The breaths were not just one.
Different from a person’s breath.
Even without seeing, she knew.
It was the breath of the dust that always fell asleep next to Judas and Eliya’s pillow.
And there was one more small, precious breath coming from the front direction.
Eliya slowly opened her eyes.
She saw Amor’s baby bed.
Placed next to the bed, if Judas lay down beside her, he could watch Amor.
Since giving birth to Amor, they had slept like this every day.
Watching Amor until they fell asleep.
‘Maybe it’s time to move the baby bed….’
They said the baby bed would be risky as Amor started to sit up.
Amor was so calm that she hadn’t shown any signs of trouble yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
‘Look at those chubby cheeks…. So cute….’
Eliya smiled contentedly.
The sunlight pouring from the window gently illuminated the room.
It was winter, so frost had formed outside the window.
But the indoors were warm.
The firewood crackled in the fireplace that had been burning all night.
“Make sure you are covered with the blanket, my dear…. So pretty.”
After watching Amor a bit longer, Eliya turned over sleepily.
She lay facing Judas and snuggled into his arms.
In his sleepy state, Judas hugged her shoulder tighter.
“Warm.”
A pleasant warmth.
It made her smile without trying.
Eliya closed her eyes and savored the warmth before slowly raising her head and pursing her lips.
Making a smooching sound like giving a kiss.
Then, even in his sleep, Judas turned his head to find her lips.
It was the result of figuring out a way to ask for a kiss without speaking.
Especially since it was hard to speak right after waking up.
Finally, his lips touched hers.
Lightly touching and slowly pulling away.
Even while dazed, that gesture coming to her felt unbearably sweet.
After giving him another kiss, Eliya wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.
His broad and solid chest was inherently masculine.
Sometimes, it would beat unbidden.
In the morning, when energy naturally returned, the solid sensation touching her abdomen felt nice.
Half-asleep and floating like in a dream, Eliya thoroughly enjoyed that feeling.
Before long, someone knocked on the door.
It must be Maria.
Every morning, she wakes her up after preparing breakfast.
Eliya slowly opened her eyes and kissed Judas.
With a husky voice, she said,
“Judas, it’s time to wake up.”
“Mm….”
It was hard to tell if he was just exhaling or responding.
He pulled her closer, wanting to sleep longer.
Eliya chuckled happily and gently bit his lips.
Not hard, just enough to touch with her teeth.
“You need to wake up.”
“Yeah… I should wake up. Right….”
Only then did a proper reply come out.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. I slept so well because Eliya was warm. How about you?”
“I slept well too, because you were hugging me.”
“Glad to hear that.”
After kissing again, Eliya finally rose from bed.
The dust that got up early was stretching out its front paws and yawning.
Eliya gently patted the dust and went to Amor.
She had to take Amor and feed her solids.
“Amor~”
Eliya called in a gentle voice.
Her voice was dripping with loving emotion.
Even though Judas wasn’t the one being called, he found that voice pleasant to hear.
He sat up and placed the dust on his lap, patting its butt.
The dust seemed to be in a good mood, lifting its butt.
‘The way it likes to be patted is just like Eliya….’
And while doing that, he blankly watched Eliya.
“Amor, time to wake up.”
“Uuung….”
“Our little one, are you sleepy?”
Eliya carefully picked up Amor and cradled her.
Amor, in a daze, instinctively grabbed the collar of Eliya’s clothes and buried her face in her embrace.
A pleased smile came naturally.
Soon, Judas, who had gotten up late, approached holding the dust.
“Amor, did you sleep well?”
“Uuung….”
Amor murmured against Eliya’s chest.
“The cute one is doing cute things while clinging to the cute one… What a nice start to the morning.”
Even Judas, who spoke like that, appeared cute to Eliya, especially with his messy hair and the dust he was holding.
*
After breakfast.
Amor returned to the bedroom while hugging the dust.
Since their sizes weren’t too far off, Amor had to hold the dust tightly in her arms.
Amor seemed to love the warm, soft fur very much.
Eliya smiled contentedly as she watched Amor.
“Amor, do you like the dust?”
“Uung. Dungji.”
Even her inability to pronounce words properly was adorable.
The dust was calmly leaning against Amor.
Eliya worried that the scratchy tongue would hurt Amor, but the dust did nothing to her.
Just snuggling up and occasionally rubbing its head against her.
Every time the dust rubbed its head against different parts of Amor’s body, she burst into laughter.
Amor occasionally patted the dust too.
The way she awkwardly patted it with her short hands was so cute.
Eliya thought it was a relief that both Amor and the dust were gentle.
Babies are generally clumsy with their strength.
Whatever they do, they use all their might.
But luckily, when patting the dust, Amor was careful.
It was likely influenced by closely observing Eliya and Judas’s actions and early training.
The parents had held Amor’s hand directly and taught her how to gently pat the dust.
“Mmng-.”
Amor imitated the sleepy sound of the dust.
“Uang?”
Eliya chuckled, and Judas approached her.
He set a large object down next to Amor.
It was a bear stuffed animal that was about the size of ten Amors.
“This bear was brought by Uncle Argon. I washed it recently since it got dirty.”
The clean and fluffy stuffed animal looked delightful.
Amor beamed at the bear, which was bigger than her.
She had many favorite stuffed animals, but this bear was the second-favorite.
The first was a black cat toy that looked like the dust.
That was the one Eliya had received from Judas.
Though it was precious to Eliya, she willingly passed it on to her daughter.
Before Amor even got a chance to hug the bear, the dust escaped her embrace.
It approached the bear first and settled down.
It was in the so-called “toasting bread” position.
“Ah. Dungji….”
Despite being relatively calm in front of Amor, the dust still retained its aloof cat demeanor.
Unlike Judas or Eliya, who were head over heels for Amor, the dust had no qualms about distancing itself from Amor.
Amor seemed a bit disappointed as she watched the dust leave, reaching her short hand out before struggling to stand.
Wobbling, she walked over and sat next to the dust.
She leaned against the fluffy bear.
“How cute….”
Eliya said absentmindedly.
A large bear, a cat, and a baby who loved them.
It was a scene that couldn’t help but be adorable.
She immediately jumped in and lay beside Amor.
This was something to see up close.
Judas watched them with a fond smile.
“Argon will be happy.”
Recently, he too had been engaged in the ridiculous pursuit of finding a woman to marry because he wanted to have a daughter, but it was indeed true that he had given a wonderful gift.
*
In the afternoon, Judas and Eliya took Amor to the barn.
It was a place where Yuel and the puppy family lived together.
Amor loved playing with them.
Especially after she started walking, it seemed fun for her to have puppies following her every time she walked.
“Memu!”
As soon as they entered the barn, Amor excitedly shouted.
It was the name she called the speckled puppies.
The puppies rushed forward before Yuel.
As Judas set Amor down from his arms, she was immediately surrounded by puppies.
“Hehe, Memu!”
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Alalal!”
Amor carefully petted and hugged each puppy.
Even the big mother, who was larger than her, wasn’t discriminated against.
Yuel approached a bit later.
Being a more delicate spirit than dogs and cats, Yuel was considerate, fearing Amor might be startled or scared.
“Yuel!”
Amor could pronounce Yuel’s name properly.
Wobbling, she walked towards Yuel, leading the puppies.
Yuel knelt down to match her eye level.
Amor wrapped her tiny arms around Yuel’s enormous head.
“Warm!”
A happy voice filled with delight from her tongue-tied pronunciation.
It was one of the phrases she had recently learned.
It was one of the phrases Judas and Eliya often used when holding Amor.
She was still learning the others.
Like expressing love or cuteness.
Feeling the warmth of a little one who could hardly cover his face with her small body, Yuel gently wiggled her ears.
Judas, Eliya, and Maria watched from a distance, smiling warmly.
“So cute….”
“Isn’t it cute….”
Maria’s heart melted like ice cream on a sunny day.
Meanwhile, Eliya thought.
‘Should I have given her a name based on cuteness?’
It felt as if she was destined to save the world with her cuteness; it wouldn’t have been weird if she had named her that way.
The effect of that cuteness was already felt in this royal palace.
Originally, the atmosphere in the palace was calm and peaceful.
But with Amor’s birth, small joys and happiness bloomed everywhere.
Passing servants couldn’t help but smile whenever they saw Amor.
Judas and Eliya would often stroll around the palace to show off Amor.
This was something the palace’s other servants greatly welcomed.
‘But still, I prefer the meaning of love.’
On the other hand, Judas’s feelings were complex.
As much as Amor was adorable, his competitive spirit towards the future son-in-law was rising.
‘Training… I should increase it.’
The sounds of the exhausted guards echoing in his ears were already a haunting melody.
*
Judas and Eliya, often with Amor in their arms, would stroll through the entire palace.
They would encounter various people, mainly Gallahaid.
Today was no exception.
“Oh, Your Majesty. How do you do?”
Seeing him bow his head, Judas thought.
‘Is he seeking us out on purpose?’
The frequency of their encounters with Gallahaid was quite high.
It felt as if he was waiting or searching for them.
“Indeed.”
“And to you, Your Highness the Princess…. Greetings.”
Judas was pushed to the back in the greeting, but the main character didn’t mind much.
It was an indication that he considered them quite comfortable.
Gallahaid’s gaze lowered to the Amor cradled in Judas’s arms.
Every time they met, he seemed to gaze at her as if enchanted.
It was evident to Judas that he was trying hard to smile politely and solemnly.
Today, he was finally convinced.
‘It seems he was indeed waiting or searching for us.’
The palace garden, where Amor primarily played, wasn’t accessible to just anyone.
Thus, for Gallahaid, the only chance to see his granddaughter was when the couple strolled with their child.
Judas’s speculation was accurate.
In fact, Eliya had sensed it long before.
She just chose not to mention it.
Amor stared intently at Gallahaid and then looked back at Judas.
“Daddy?”
It was a question asking how she should address him.
Though they had met Gallahaid numerous times, she still hadn’t established a title for him.
Judas briefly pondered and replied.
“Um… How about calling him grandpa?”
“…Kuh! Ahem! Your Highness, it doesn’t matter how you choose to address me.”
Pretending not to care, his face was already radiating with uncontainable joy.
Judas decided to pretend not to notice.
“Amor, try saying grandpa.”
“Habbu…? Habbu?”
The pronunciation was still unfamiliar.
Short and slurred speech was the way she tended to speak.
But nonetheless, it posed no problem for the listeners.
Especially for Gallahaid.
“Habbu!”
With Amor’s cheerful call, it felt like Gallahaid’s heart had plummeted to the ground and bounced back up.
“…Cough!”
His heart felt tight, and his nose tingled.
“The fact that Your Highness would address me so casually is an unparalleled honor…”
His eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Judas couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Gallahaid being moved by words the child couldn’t even understand.
‘From now on, I should let him know it’s okay to visit the garden.’
If it were Gallahaid, it would be fine even without permission.
It was just because Gallahaid was so rigid that he hadn’t been doing so.
But now that he was charmed by Amor, that stubbornness would probably bend easily.
Judas’s expectations were spot on.
After that day, Gallahaid frequently visited the garden to take care of and play with Amor.
Eliya didn’t mind that change.
Even if the number of people around increased and things got noisy, she felt nothing but happiness.
The more people loved Amor, and the more joy Amor experienced, the more it didn’t matter.
And with Judas, whom she could trust and rely on by her side, Eliya was growing into a more magnanimous person.
*
Do seasons change?
Or return?
With the passage of time, the palace garden dresses itself in accordance with the season.
In spring, it adorns itself with colorful flowers like pink, red, and yellow.
In summer, it boasts lush greenery with vibrant green.
In autumn, it sadly lets go of brown leaves to welcome winter.
In winter, it covers the dry plants with a white blanket to endure the cold.
Eliya didn’t know whether to call it change or cycle.
The flow of time was that swift.
Amor grew taller by the day.
Since she learned to run, she often played with the spotted puppies.
She might have inherited Judas’s active side since she wasn’t as passive in physical activities.
She could now climb the stairs by herself and had increased her vocabulary.
Good and bad. Big and small. Long and short.
She could now compare simple differences.
She learned the names of the puppy family members and could pronounce dust accurately.
She got rid of the diaper and learned to brush her teeth with Judas and Eliya’s help.
She also made friends.
Erin, the daughter of Richard and Beninita.
Judas felt relieved.
Had Erin been a boy, the relationship between the First Knight of the Guards and the royal family could have become complicated.
But the second child, which they had recently welcomed, was a boy, leaving Judas’s heart feeling a tangle of emotions.
Anyway, Amor begged to be read a book every night.
Her love for reading probably ran in the family.
The long-haired figure of his daughter was like looking into a mirror reflecting the past.
When his daughter smiled, he smiled too.
When his daughter was happy, he was happy.
Thus, raising his daughter was like nurturing himself, a journey for Eliya to reflect and save her own past.
Through Amor, Eliya reviewed and consoled the past that Judas had cared for and cherished.
Thanks to Amor, Eliya had gained another world.
She documented those precious daily moments in her diary every day.
And before she knew it, Amor had turned five.
*
A white carpet spread outdoors.
The bride and groom entered to the cheers of everyone.
A girl wandered in front, scattering flowers.
With long black hair braided and red eyes, it was Amor, the Princess of the Bevel Empire.
Today was the wedding of Dillon and Mei.
Judas, sitting in the front row, clapped energetically while watching Amor.
‘Dillon, how diligent and straightforward he is… getting married after five years?’
In a time where marriage happened early, Dillon was quite late to tie the knot.
‘If they are both happy with their mutual decision, then that’s what matters.’
Thoughts of Dillon ended there.
His gaze quickly returned to the flower girl, Amor.
Dressed in a white dress and wearing a flower crown, she looked like a fairy.
‘A somewhat timid fairy.’
It was her first time in front of a large crowd and first time scattering flowers.
At just five years old, Amor seemed a bit shy.
However, perhaps she didn’t dislike it too much, as she appeared earnest in her task.
Eliya spoke from beside her.
“I was worried Amor might not like it, but thankfully she seems to be enjoying it.”
If it were her, Eliya would have undoubtedly refused.
Not only was she shy, but the act of scattering flowers in front of people was bothersome.
Eliya speculated it was due to their differing upbringings.
Judas and Eliya.
Maria and Gallahaid, along with the guards, among others.
Amor grew up receiving love from many people.
Still composed for her age, she sometimes laughed and giggled like a child.
That was something Eliya felt incredibly relieved about.
“Right? Though she’s still waddling because she’s a bit shy, it seems she doesn’t feel uncomfortable. She’s being so diligent. But could there be any nobles around here with intentions towards Amor?”
“……”
Eliya chose not to answer.
Finally, after the flower girl exited, the bride and groom received the marriage blessing.
Amor hurriedly ran over to Judas and Eliya.
“Mom! Dad!”
With her now clearer pronunciation, she called them.
“Oh, Amor. Come here.”
Judas lifted her and placed her on his knee.
“Were you not tired?”
“Uung…! Did I do well?”
“You did really well. I didn’t see anyone except you!”
Judas kissed Amor on the forehead.
It had been so agonizing not being able to kiss her whenever he wanted while she was a baby.
Amor smiled and snuggled in his arms.
Eliya also lovingly patted Amor.
“You did well, Amor. Really well.”
“Uung!”
Amor kissed the back of Eliya’s hand while she rubbed it.
She was a daughter so honest in expressing her affection.
Sitting on Judas’s lap, Amor watched the wedding.
She particularly stared at the bride.
“Did Mommy also get married?”
It was a question asking if she had a wedding.
“Yeah, with Daddy.”
“Wow. Did you also wear a pretty dress like that?”
“Of course. I wore it and walked with your Daddy.”
“Wow….”
Judas felt a certain anxiety creeping in.
An instinctive unease that only a well-honed guardian could feel.
That anxiety quickly turned into reality.
Through Amor’s words.
“I want to get married too!”
“……”
Amor had turned her back, so she wouldn’t see Judas scanning all the men present.
*
Even after returning home post-wedding, Amor’s determination remained unwavering.
In fact, it grew even stronger.
“I want to get married too!”
Judas merely smiled and nodded.
It was a look of enlightenment.
His inner thoughts had been firmly reflecting on where the moon’s pupil was.
Eliya smiled at the ambitious and eager Amor.
“Everyone grows up and marries the person they love. Amor will, of course, too.”
“Uung! I want to get married! I want to grow up quickly!”
But the next innocent words shook the reason in both Judas and Eliya.
“I want to marry Daddy!”
“……”
“…Huh?”
Judas reacted a beat too late.
Amor, as if confirming, spoke again.
“I want to marry Daddy!”
For Judas, wrestling with himself came second.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
Cautiously, he glanced at Eliya.
“……”
Her serious expression.
The look of someone pondering something significant.
That serious expression suited her better as the Emperor of the Empire and the great wizard who stirred the demon realm rather than a mere mother.
Finally, a soft voice escaped Eliya’s lips.
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