“I didn’t know Aunt Meg could dance so well.”
“She almost broke Doug’s metatarsal, though.”
Although Aunt. Meg had initially declined, saying, ‘I have to tidy up the kitchen,’ once the violin began to play a lively traditional folk tune, she couldn’t resist and burst into an enthusiastic clog dance.
Anje giggled.
“He acted all calm in front of us, but did it hurt that much?”
“He pretended to be tough in front of Mary, but later whispered to me that it hurt ‘like hell.’”
“Oh dear, poor thing. I should send him some dates later. He seemed to really enjoy them earlier.”
Anje replied, wiping away tears from laughing. Doug always tried especially hard to look strong in front of his wife Mary.
“He says she fell for his sturdy arms. Don’t you think he feels he should at least look somewhat manly?”
Even so, sharp-witted Mary would probably see right through Doug’s bravado, but she’d likely say that was cute too.
Aiden nodded and then shifted the topic. After all, taking care of Anje was far more important to him than Doug.
“By the way, did you apply the oil yet?”
“Oh, not yet.”
Aiden took out the oil bottle he had kept warmly wrapped under the blanket. While she was washing up, he had warmed it in hot water.
“Then I’ll apply it now.”
“I could do it myself today…”
“But you said you were tired. Come on, now.”
Though hesitant, Anje quietly lifted her pajama top the way he wanted, exposing her bare belly. It was pale and round, like freshly fallen snow.
After her pregnancy began to show, Anje had felt her belly skin growing unusually dry and itchy.
‘When that happens, massaging with this oil helps.’
‘Right, I relied on it a lot during my pregnancy too.’
After asking around the neighborhood wives, she managed to find a solution, but the problem was that Aiden quickly found out.
‘I’ll help with the massage.’
‘I-it’s fine, really. I can do it myself.’
Anje had worried that touching her protruding belly might feel strange or gross to him, so she had firmly refused Aiden’s offer. But as always, he was persistent when it came to her.
‘There’s not much else I can help with, so at least let me do these little things.’
It was during the time Anje was suffering the most from morning sickness, and Aiden had been desperate to do anything he could to help. At the same time, he had felt helpless knowing there wasn’t much he could do.
Seeing his bloodshot eyes and the deep shadows under them, Anje couldn’t bring herself to refuse his earnest request.
‘A-Alright, just this once then…
Naturally, this massage time didn’t end with just ‘once.’ It instead became a nightly routine that Aiden looked forward to.
Anje looked up at Aiden as he poured more oil into his palm.
‘Honestly, when he looks this happy, I just can’t say no.’
His face was lit up like a candle wick catching flame. He was glad to help Anje, of course, but more than that, these moments—when he could witness their child growing day by day—brought him immense joy.
With oil evenly spread across his hands, he stared intently at Anje’s belly.
“It looks a bit bigger than yesterday. Did it grow already?”
“Maybe it’s just because I ate too much?”
Anje felt a sudden urge to cover her stomach, but the affection shining in Aiden’s eyes quickly made her forget her embarrassment.
“You need to eat for two, so of course you should eat a lot. Good job.”
Contrary to Anje’s past worries, to him, her softly rounded belly looked nothing but beautiful and lovely.
So much so that he couldn’t hold back his overwhelming emotion, rubbing his lips against it just like this.
Anje let out a quiet chuckle and gently pushed his shoulder.
“Aiden, that tickles.”
“But I didn’t get to kiss our little one under the mistletoe earlier. I need to make up for that.”
“Come on, saying that in that position makes it tickle even more.”
After pressing his lips a few more times against her belly with soft smooching sounds, he finished by placing a gentle kiss on Anje’s face. Then, his oil-covered hands began to move carefully across her skin.
“Not too hot or too cold, right? Tell me right away if anything feels uncomfortable.”
Once he saw Anje nod, Aiden refocused his attention on her belly—or more precisely, on the baby inside.
“Little one, that turkey was tasty, wasn’t it? Your mom made it. She’s an amazing cook.”
Fitzroy II, as he affectionately called the “little one,” always responded more actively when spoken to while being touched like this.
Sensing a strange feeling from her belly, Anje smiled warmly.
“Must’ve been delicious. They’re kicking in response.”
Aiden, who was caressing her belly, felt it too and smiled as his eyes crinkled. He loved this moment where the two of them felt so connected to the baby.
“Right? Asking for more, huh? Don’t worry, Dad will make a delicious turkey sandwich with the leftovers tomorrow.”
The awe they felt the first time they noticed the baby move hadn’t lessened, no matter how many times it happened. If anything, they wished it would happen more often.
“Guess who came today? The Vice-Principal! You’ve seen her before, haven’t you, little one?”
Watching Aiden continue talking to the baby, Anje stifled her laughter. Did he realize his voice went up an octave every time he spoke to the baby?
‘It’s too cute and funny… better not tell him.’
She never imagined he would come to love their unborn child so deeply. For someone like Anje, who grew up with a cold and self-centered father, the Duke of Glaster, this side of Aiden was both strange and special.
After finishing the massage on her belly, Aiden pulled down her pajama top and neatly adjusted it. Then he moved to the foot of the bed.
“The belly’s all done, so now this part too.”
His still-warm hands wrapped around Anje’s ankles. She wiggled her toes and shyly shook her head.
“I’m fine now.”
“But it’d be a waste of the leftover oil. And look, your feet are swollen again today.”
No matter how comfortable the shoes, swelling in the feet and calves by evening was inevitable during pregnancy.
Clicking his tongue in concern, Aiden began massaging her feet, one at a time. His firm yet gentle touch on the area connecting her feet and ankles, and especially the deeply curved arches, was nothing short of professional.
‘He’s basically an expert now.’
She watched him with loving eyes as he focused on the massage. After finishing the belly, he always made sure to massage her feet and calves as well.
Out of courtesy, Anje declined once, but in truth, she liked that he was taking care of her like this. It felt much more refreshing than when the maids massaged her, but more than anything, it was because she could feel his deep affection.
Anje closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Huaaaahm.”
Oh dear, what was meant to be a sigh turned into a yawn from sheer drowsiness. With Aiden gently stroking her skin and her tense muscles relaxing, sleep began to creep in.
Hearing her strange yawn, he gently suggested,
“You must be tired. Go to sleep.”
“I’ll sleep when you do…”
Barely able to open her eyes, Anje stubbornly resisted.
“If you fall asleep first, then I’ll follow you.”
He hadn’t washed yet because he had given up the bathroom for Anje. It would take a while if she wanted to wait for him and sleep together.
“Hmph, then I won’t sleep either and just stay up.”
Though she said that, her tongue was already slurring, and her words were soaked in sleepiness.
Trying to shake off the drowsiness, Anje asked Aiden,
“How was the party today?”
“It was the best.”
He answered immediately without stopping the massage on her calves. After all, who had planned and prepared that party—how could he not have enjoyed it?
Anje barely lifted her eyelids and gave a gentle smile.
“That’s a relief. I was really… happy too. You were there, the baby was there, and everyone was smiling…”
Anje’s words suddenly trailed off for a few minutes. Thinking she had fallen asleep, Aiden gently put down her leg and quietly pulled up the blanket.
“…I’m not asleep yet.”
“Sure, sure.”
He replied knowingly and picked up her leg again.
“I wasn’t sleeping, I was just thinking for a bit.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Our baby’s name.”
They still didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, but they had just started thinking about the baby’s name.
And Aiden came to a new realization about Anje.
“How about ‘Happy’? It sounds like a name that works regardless of gender…”
Anje had a severe lack of naming sense.
“Happy…”
Aiden swallowed the objection that it was the name of the dog owned by the blacksmith.
TL/N: LMAO.
“It’s a name that sounds joyful… I like it.”
“Right? Since we’re so happy, it came to mind…”
“Hmm… But when you say it with the last name, doesn’t it sound a little awkward? ‘Happy Fitzroy’ has the ‘P’ sound twice.”
TL/N: SO TO CLARIFY THINGS THERE’S NO “F” IN KOREAN SO THE “P” AND THE “F” SHARE THE SAME LETTER IN KOREAN WHICH IS “ㅍ”
Aiden barely managed to come up with a reasonable excuse to turn it down.
TL/N: SIDE STORY 2 IS NOW COMPLETED, THERE’S ONLY SIDE STORY 3 LEFT, WHICH CONTAINS ONLY 6 CHAPTERS!! ONLY 6 CHAPS TO GO!!!
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