Chapter: 715
Mary. My eighth child and fifth daughter.
She’s the first child of Pina, who until now had no children, and she’s set to inherit the title of Baron of Yus.
Mary, Mary Yus. Our cute little baby, three years younger than our firstborn, Pedi. This precious daughter was born without any issues, perhaps because she was worried about her mom feeling any pain.
“For a while, our Mary will be the youngest in the house.”
Just like that, the loud cries of a newborn turned into a tranquil sleep for Mary. I poked her tiny hand playfully and smiled.
Our kids have arrived on a schedule that mirrors my marriage—born every six months. Starting with Pedi, who arrived at the end of season ’79, followed by the triplets, Friedrich, Alina, and Ferentz—all born in a half-year relay, with Mary bringing up the tail end.
At this point in April, if another wife were to get pregnant, it wouldn’t be until next year for another baby to be born. So, this year, Mary will reign as our youngest, soaking up all the cuteness for about a year.
“Your siblings like you a lot, so they’ll dote on you.”
There’s no way Mary would hear me while sleeping. Even if she were awake, she probably wouldn’t understand her dad’s ramblings.
But it didn’t matter. I just wanted to say something to our healthy little Mary who had come into my life. Even if it means talking to her one-sidedly or poking her while she sleeps.
“Hey, we wanna see too!”
“Don’t be selfish; let us peek!”
“Mary~ I want to see too~”
Bending down to check, I found all my kids gathered at my feet, whining.
Mary’s bed was fairly high, with a railing set up just recently to prevent her from rolling off in her sleep. It was probably a tad tricky for the little ones to see her clearly.
“You can look, but don’t touch, okay?”
“Okay! We won’t!”
“Promise?”
“Promise!”
Pedi stuck out his pinky to make the pledge on behalf of the kids.
Good. Usually, our Pedi and the kids keep their promises well. I could trust that they wouldn’t get too mesmerized by Mary’s cuteness and do something rash.
“All right, everyone sit down.”
As soon as I finished my sentence, the kids flopped down on the floor.
“Here’s your sister. Isn’t she cute?”
“She’s so cute! Tiny!”
“She’s all wrinkly! So cool!”
As I carefully picked up sleeping Mary and sat on the floor, the kids’ eyes sparkled with delight—they finally got to see her.
Their excited reactions brought a smile to my face. I could already feel the love from their older siblings directed towards Mary.
“Hey, love.”
“Yeah?”
Just as I was soaking in the warm moment of siblings reuniting, Pina spoke from the bed.
“Why don’t you all come up and sit on the bed together instead of the floor…?”
“No way! She just gave birth and needs to rest. It’s best for Pina to be alone for now.”
I shook my head at Pina, who was tapping the bed impatiently.
Sure, the bed Pina was on was big enough to accommodate the kids sitting or laying around it.
But Pina had just given birth and was likely drained. She’d need to minimize contact with others since her immunity was lower than usual.
“Yeah! Pina’s mom’s bed is for her!”
“We like it down here! The floor is our place!”
It seemed our kids shared the same sentiment, giggling at Pina while sticking to their seats on the floor.
Of course, they’re probably down there just because they really enjoy the floor. Sometimes, I see them swimming around like fish on the hallway floor.
However, since Pina looked a bit touched by their thoughts, I decided to hold my tongue about their preferences for now; I didn’t want to ruin the good mood.
“Uuuuhh…”
“Guys, shhh!”
As Mary stirred slightly, the kids promptly zipped their lips.
Pina, too, pretended not to see as she covered her mouth with both hands.
After placing Mary back down on the bed, I took the kids and discreetly escaped the delivery room.
Honestly, the moment most of the staff left to attend to Pina and Mary, I got enthralled and took my time with them.
“Did you finally come out?”
“Sadly, yes.”
Upon stepping out of the delivery room, I nodded at the Judicial Minister’s welcoming words, feeling a bit regretful.
I wanted to stay longer, but I figured Pina might tire easily, and the Minister was waiting outside. Reluctantly, I took a step forward. In my heart, I wished to bring Pina and Mary along with me.
“Well, congratulations on having a bunch of daughters. You’re only twenty-six, and you’ve already got five daughters!”
“Jealous?”
“Not so much jealous as amazed. I doubt even the Gold Duke had this many kids at your age.”
The Minister chuckled softly while ruffling Pedi’s hair, who was walking beside me.
“Pedi, your dad is bursting with energy, seems like he’s created a whole bunch of little siblings for you.”
“Yeah! I love it!”
“But since you’re the eldest, you need to take good care of your siblings, you know that?”
“I know!”
Pedi’s cheerful and assertive response brought a bigger smile to the Minister’s face.
“Pedi adores his siblings. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Right, it seems that way.”
After a while of ruffling Pedi’s hair, the Minister patted the kids and finally straightened up.
“Well, I’ll be going.”
“Are you leaving already? How about you stay for a meal since you came?”
“Don’t you see it’s dark outside? And unlike you, I have to work tomorrow.”
At that, a feeling of quiet sorrow washed over me.
To have to go to work! Is there any creature in this world more tragic? How can a person even work?
Especially early in the morning? Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.
“I’ll send you a gift later; receive it as you wish.”
“Leave the gift-picking to my wife. Honestly, I don’t trust your taste…”
“Just accept what I give!”
The Minister instinctively tried to say “brat” but quickly changed his words after noticing the kids around.
The power of those little ones even managed to tame the Minister, a true marvel!
*
A report came in that the Minister’s eighth child arrived safely.
No matter how I think about it, it’s hard to understand how someone younger than me has eight kids, but every time I do, I remind myself that he has six wives, which helps me cope.
Of course, I’m not pondering how he managed to have six wives. I still have no idea why.
“The prince has a new sibling!”
“I bet there will be plenty more to come!”
The prince, sound asleep in the Empress’s arms, stirred as I touched his cheek. The Empress chuckled, predicting the future.
It’s a highly likely future that made me smile. Considering the Minister’s deep affection for his wives, there’s no way this could be the end for them. The fact that there are eight kids is only relative to the Minister—we’ve only managed one each, besides Marcilio.
Right now, I have two kids myself, and the Minister’s got three. By simple calculations, we could see five to ten more kids being born in the future.
“The Crown Princess will be thrilled.”
The Crown Princess is already close to the Minister’s children, and as time goes on, she’ll have even more kids to play with. I can already imagine her radiant smile.
…
“Oh no.”
Suddenly I felt uneasy. The Crown Princess seems to differentiate clearly between her palace siblings and mansion siblings. What if she gets stimulated by the increase in mansion siblings? What if she starts asking for more palace siblings?
I love the Empress dearly too, so I want a big family, but the Minister’s speed puts me at a significant disadvantage.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t match the Minister’s speed. For every new life born in the palace, six could spring to life at the Minister’s residence.
“Is this even human?”
It’s mind-blowing. I wonder if this is how His Majesty felt when he saw the Golden Duke in his youth.
“Your Majesty.”
“Speak, Empress.”
“When Carolus is big enough to walk, she’ll probably want a sibling just like Charlotte, right?”
As those words left her mouth, I felt cold sweat trickle down.
In about a year, I’d have to face an unwinnable marathon against the Minister.
“Most likely. If there’s a sister, there’ll be a desire for a brother.”
But I didn’t avoid the Empress’s suggestion.
As a man, there comes a time when you have to fight, even if you know you’ll lose.
For me, that future in a year is “that time.”
“I’m glad Your Majesty thinks the same. I’ll have to put in the effort today so that by the time Carolus is walking, we can present a sibling.”
…Huh?
“Empress? When you say to put in the effort today, what exactly do you mean?”
“Siblings can’t just appear overnight. We need to prepare in advance so that both Charlotte and Carolus will be happy!”
That was a reasonable statement, and my eyes started wandering everywhere.
I hadn’t considered that. If I want to make another sibling within a year, I need to start preparing now to time it right. This isn’t just about the future; it’s imminent!
“This is all the Minister’s fault.”
I unconsciously closed my eyes.
If it were the Empress, she would have wanted a sibling anyway, but the fact that another sibling was mentioned no doubt stems from the Minister. Seeing the Minister having a child made the Empress jump into action as well.
Thinking this way feels much more comfortable.
*
A week after Mary was born, the Crown Princess came to our mansion.
“Big Brother! I want to see my sibling!”
“Of course! But Mary is sleeping right now, so we need to be quiet, okay?”
“Okay!”
She started looking for Mary the moment she stepped in.
The Crown Princess hadn’t been able to come visit for a while to give both Pina and Mary some space after the birth. So, it’s no surprise she wanted to see Mary right away.
“Oh right, Big Brother! I think a sibling is about to come for Mary!”
“A sibling for Mary?”
“Yes!”
For a moment, I was shocked. Based on the situation, I figured she meant Mary, but was she saying Mary was going to have a sibling?
“Oh.”
But it didn’t take long for me to piece it together.
The Crown Princess sees all my kids and the prince as her siblings. Since Mary isn’t my child, when the Emperor has a child, he too would be considered a brother to Mary.
“Ah, they’re preparing for a third!”
So it means the Emperor and Empress are aiming for another child after the first prince.
How impressive, our Emperor. Even with all his busy duties, he is working hard for the prosperity of the royal family. I thought I was the ultimate husband and dad among my peers, but it seems the Emperor isn’t lagging behind either.
“Go for it.”
For the small Livnoman royal family, the more children, the better.
Let’s aim for about five kids!
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