Chapter 524
These days, I found myself coming home to see my mother quite often.
I didn’t mind that my mother was doting on her grandson, but I was worried about Mar. As warm and caring as my mother was, she was still technically a superior, not his biological mother. Wouldn’t it be overwhelming for Mar to juggle taking care of Feddy and dealing with my mother?
“I’m so glad you’re here, Mother.”
‘Not really, though.’
It wasn’t so much a relief. It was indeed overwhelming, but it wasn’t entirely my mother’s fault.
Every time little Feddy cried, the novice mom, Mar, panicked, not knowing what to do. He cried when he ate, he cried when he got his diaper changed, he cried when held, and he cried when put down in his crib. The reason for his cries seemed totally elusive, and Mar’s face looked like she was about to burst into tears herself.
Actually, the Duke of Valenti’s household had offered to send a nurse to help take care of Feddy, so the burden on Mar wasn’t as heavy as it could’ve been. But she stubbornly insisted that she couldn’t leave her newborn in someone else’s hands just yet. She said she wanted to take care of him herself for at least the first couple of years.
And here we are. The rookie mom, Mar, showed a level of bravery that bordered on recklessness, and it wasn’t until my mother, the seasoned pro, arrived that she could finally breathe again, almost on the verge of fainting.
‘A seasoned pro.’
I glanced at my mother, who was unknowingly receiving heartfelt gratitude from Mar.
‘But Mom was no seasoned pro, either.’
Unfortunately, while my mother might have given birth before Mar, her parenting skills could easily compete with Mar’s as both were basically rookies. After all, she had gotten married and had children at an age younger than Mar’s now. Consequently, when she was raising Erich and me, she had left most of the heavy lifting to a nurse.
“What help am I to you, really?”
For some reason, my mother’s expression while receiving thanks from Mar was a mix of mild discomfort and sneaky glances in my direction—as if discussing this in front of someone who had been reared by magic was beyond embarrassing.
“What help? Every time I leave for work, it feels like my heart is being ripped out at the thought of Mar and Feddy. Knowing you’re here makes all the difference.”
With a smile at my mother, I pressed on.
It’s true that my mother had entrusted us to a nanny, but that’s precisely what any noblewoman would do. It wouldn’t be odd for a highborn lady to have no childcare experience.
Moreover, she didn’t just hand us over to anyone; she entrusted us to her friend. Even after handing us off, she’d somehow kept a watchful eye from behind the scenes. There was no reason for her to feel uneasy in front of me.
“R-Really…?”
“Yes. So please, come around often! Feddy will be so happy to see his grandmother.”
Upon my confirmation, my mother started to dart her eyes around nervously, but then, at last, she broke into a warm smile.
‘Now she can relax a bit, I guess.’
Seeing my mother smile, proud of her son, gave me a sense of calm.
I could tell, to some extent, the burden she was carrying. She probably carried guilt over not being able to directly raise Erich and me. While she was getting along just fine with her children now, that doesn’t mean the memories of the past just vanished.
Still, I hoped she could ease those memories while taking care of Feddy. If she could shower her grandson with the love and attention she couldn’t give her children, that would be a win-win.
Of course, I wasn’t going to stop at just one grandchild. I intend to shower her with a second grandson and hopefully a granddaughter we’ll put into the mix!
“Thanks for coming over, even when the nanny is busy.”
After reassuring my mother like that, I also made sure not to forget to thank the nurse who was actually taking care of Feddy. It feels a bit awkward to say this, but one nanny is way more helpful for parenting than ten mothers.
“Isn’t taking care of the Sub-lord of the Krasius family more important than anything else?”
“You’d think so, but it feels like you need to pay attention to your other kids too, right?”
The nurse’s eyes widened, then she burst into laughter. She probably understood the meaning behind what I said immediately.
‘The nurse needs to take care of the other kids too.’
The kids of Erich had definitely put the nurse in quite the pickle in more ways than one.
As far as I can think, the nurse should focus more on the kids yet to be born than just mine. It would be disastrous if she wore herself out taking care of mine.
‘Hope nothing complicates things.’
Then suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. It would take me two years to wrap up my sixth wedding. By that time, Erich would be three years behind me. I had to give the guests a good spacing out, knowing they’d keep dragging me into their weddings.
But with Seraph graduating from the Academy this year, maybe breaking a few conventions wouldn’t be such a bad idea. After all, my first child with Trixie seems to have come before the wedding too.
‘Or maybe not?’
Oh well, whatever.
*
The sounds of my mother and father arguing shook the mansion.
Actually, it was more appropriate to say my mother was throwing a tantrum.
“Whyyyyyyy! I want to see my baby Lia!”
“Not now. Let’s wait a few weeks and go then.”
“No! Right this minute! The baby is perfect and cute—just look at my precious!”
My mother dramatically collapsed on the floor—actually, she was sprawled out on the floor with her arms and legs flailing about as if she was protesting.
It was a sight too painful to witness without closing my eyes. It’s strange. My mother could handle matters related to the dukedom beautifully and expertly, yet why did she act like this for everything else?
And why was my father so indifferent to her antics…?
“We need to give our congratulations when the Duke visits, but since our niece is still recovering, it’s hard right now.”
“I don’t care! I just wanna see the adorable baby!”
“That’s what you think. Our niece wouldn’t dream of neglecting her dear aunt—that’s something you also know.”
“Giiiive meeeee…”
Even as Dad gently persuaded her with a calm expression, my mother gradually started to calm her stubbornness.
‘A baby…’
As I listened to the two of them talk, I wandered into my own thoughts.
A baby. The first child of the appointee of the Minister of Inspection and the current Count of Tailglehen. The same baby I had seen for the first time last year, born to the lovely daughter of the Duke of Valenti.
‘What a pretty lady she was.’
I still vividly remembered her bright red hair and green eyes. She had such a warm smile, always holding hands with me while we walked around.
A baby born to such a lovely and kind lady? A newborn?
“How adorable…”
I covered my mouth to suppress the words that slipped out of me.
But it was too late. My mother and father had already turned their attention toward me.
“Liiiiia wanna see!!”
“Uh oh.”
Realizing the moment was ripe, my mother quickly pointed at me, while my father awkwardly adjusted his jaw to hide his embarrassment.
This was bad. The previously calmed atmosphere was about to ignite again because of me.
“N-No! I’m fine!”
“No! If Lia wants to see her baby, we must go at once!”
I frantically tried to speak, but my mother’s heart seemed completely set on visiting that cousin who just had a baby.
“Oh, it’s been a long time since Lia expressed such a desire.”
Even my father had started to seriously consider this now.
Oh no, what do I do? What if I inadvertently annoy my cousin and her sister who just gave birth…?
“Wha…?”
“Lia?”
Just the thought of my cousin, who had just given birth, tiring herself out because of me made my eyes tear up.
*
I received a message from my uncle. It was a congratulations for having safely welcomed the new baby and wishing for a speedy recovery for Mar, who was worn out.
“Your aunt and Lia are already eager to see the baby. But for now, your wife’s recovery comes first; let me know when it’s a good time.”
“Yes, of course.”
In the meantime, I also received the disheartening news that the Wise Duke was coming personally, but after all is said and done, he is family. It wouldn’t be particularly strange for relatives to come and congratulate each other during happy occasions.
Besides, it wasn’t just the Wise Duke who was coming; my uncle and the Little Lord were also coming. I doubt it would cause too much commotion.
Probably.
“Is next weekend alright?”
“Next week? So soon?”
As I casually said I would mention a suitable time after my thoughts turned, I saw that my uncle was a bit surprised.
It was of course faster than I initially expected, but with Mar’s recovery going smoothly and being under the watch of the top-tier magic users like Trixie, I figured that’s good enough. It’s almost like I was over-calculating timing here.
And since we had already received other guests at the mansion, we had no reason to delay our relatives’ visit any longer.
“I’m here.”
The one guest who had just arrived waved his hand with flair as he entered the mansion.
“Did you make it? I thought you’d collapsed on the way since you were taking so long to arrive.”
“My wife was choosing a gift for you, so I was a bit delayed.”
“There’s no time like the present to feel excited while waiting for guests.”
With a quick change of topic, the Minister chuckled and politely bowed his head to Mar, who was standing next to me.
“It’s wonderful to see you again, my lady. I’m relieved to see you’re doing well.”
“Thank you so much. With so many people caring for me, I recovered in no time.”
Mar replied perfectly as an elegant noblewoman to the Minister’s greetings.
I felt a strange fluttering in my stomach. This guy, who usually pokes fun at me, suddenly turns formal when addressing Mar. Signs of propriety, of course, but it still felt different.
“By the way, where is your wife? Did she come alone?”
“She’s explaining the gifts to the housekeeper here. She brought a lot, after all.”
Just hearing that made my heart swell with pride. How much did she bring for this moment to elicit a ‘lot’ from the Minister? He’s a guy who handles the imperial budget, so it would take extraordinary generosity to move him.
“Now I’m already starting to worry about what I should prepare in return.”
“No need for gifts. The fact that you and your cohorts are independent is a gift enough.”
Hey, is this guy for real?
The Minister and his wife had come to dinner at our home under the pretense of inviting them to share a meal.
In the heat of my anger at the Minister previously, I thought about paying him a visit at his mansion, but that would have been vengeful against the minister’s wife, which wouldn’t have been right. If I went with Mar, there would be a princess coming along, and if I went with Trixie, that was another Duke visiting. So either way, the guests would present a challenge.
Thus, I invited the Minister and his wife as guests. After all, a guest should only need to be entertained by the host.
“Come on, stop beating around the bush.”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you mean ‘excuse me’? Are you trying to hide from me for no reason?”
By this point, I was supposed to be dealing with the Minister. So all I could do was treat him as a guest.
“Dear. This isn’t a private setting; don’t be too harsh.”
“Cough.”
Just as I was finally about to speak again at the Minister’s request, the Minister’s wife subtly threw him a warning look for his rough behavior.
While I didn’t mind it, I found satisfaction in the fact that the Minister was getting his comeuppance. Truly, this wife of his is the best.
“Don’t worry, my lady. I’ve known His Grace here for years, so this is nothing to me. Don’t mind me bringing it up.”
Naturally, I couldn’t be too soft, and I supported the Minister, knowing that would also benefit me. Besides, it felt grotesque if the Minister turned courteous.
“And as His Grace mentioned, I have a request for you.”
Hearing that, the Minister’s wife smiled faintly and stepped back. With that, I could lend the Minister a small debt…
“What is it? If it’s something strange, I’m turning right back around.”
This is so not good.
‘Should I back off now?’
No, calm down. I need to let my rational side take control.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no way I could ask anyone else besides the Minister for the current request.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.