Chapter 29. The Problem of Coexistence.
“This is truly a luxurious blanket!”
Adelen flailed her arms and legs freely. The bedding her master had newly prepared for her was the best.
Experiencing the perfect combination of softness and resilience, Adelen awakened to a new kind of happiness. Even after sleeping on it for dozens of nights, the joy remained unchanged.
“Oh, this is just amazing. Long live the master.”
The combination of Rakalt’s consistent ‘Proceed’ and the butler’s ‘Let’s keep her from running away’ resulted in resources comparable to those lavished on a noblewoman.
Stretching out on the sofa, Adelen took in her newly furnished room.
“…I could get used to this.”
She glanced at the baby lying beside her in the same relaxed posture and muttered.
Ever since returning from meeting His Majesty, the past few days had felt like she wasn’t really living.
Losing one’s life goal felt like that. It wasn’t even a grand dream—so humble that she hadn’t even considered the possibility of losing it.
After all, others seemed to achieve such dreams with ease, so she thought she just needed effort to reach her own, even if she started from a different point.
But she was wrong. It wasn’t guaranteed.
She suddenly felt deep gratitude for the master who had set a four-year limit.
Above all else, knowing it wasn’t a lifelong burden filled her with hope again.
Moreover, the baby’s growth played a role in Adelen’s recovery.
The baby began to sleep through the night more often, required feeding less frequently, and cried for shorter periods.
“Waahhh!”
“Oh dear… What could it be this time?”
However, the situation wasn’t easy—just easier than before.
The baby cried less often but much louder and longer. His demands grew increasingly complex, such as deciding whether to accept food based on whether the spoon approached in a curve or a straight line.1What 😂😂. Is there such a thing 🤣
And that wasn’t all.
“Is this it?”
“Kyahhh!”
Now, he was even demanding playtime.
Today, Adelen finally figured out the baby’s demand: rolling around. She vigorously rolled left and right on the floor.
“Kyahhh!”
The baby squealed in delight.
Although it was exhausting to figure out his needs, the baby’s joy made it all worthwhile. It gave Adelen strength and she rolled even harder.
“Haha! Is it fun? Huh? More? More?”
“Kyahhh! Ahhh!”
Once the baby was satisfied with a game, things went smoothly.
That seemed to be his nature.
Even for sleeping, he required a specific position, the right patting rhythm, and the perfect temperature. But as long as these conditions were met, he slept soundly without waking.
A fussy yet predictable baby.
Over time, understanding the baby’s preferences would likely make things easier, but one particular issue remained.
“Are you still…?”
“Kyahhh! Kyahh! Kyahhh!”
“Huff, huff…”
“Wahhh! Wah!”
“I’m getting dizzy… My back hurts… How about shadow puppets? Look, a dog, woof!”
“Wahhh!”
…He was persistent. Once fixated on something, the baby didn’t tire easily.
To satisfy him, Adelen had to exhaust every ounce of energy. Stopping prematurely only resulted in an endless sea of tears.
Seeing the furrowed brows and stubborn pout, Adelen sighed deeply.
“Just a little more, okay? Please?”
“Kyahhh!”
Although knowing he couldn’t possibly understand, Adelen pleaded anyway, diving back onto the bed. Her long skirt fluttered dramatically as she rolled and twisted.
Flailing limbs, piercing squeals, and the constant movement—there was no room for composure.
That’s why she didn’t notice Rakalt entering the room.
“Um…”
Upside down, Adelen’s gaze met her master’s.
“Ah.”
Rakalt froze as well.
“Oh, uh, Master, you’re back.”
Adelen hastily tried to get up.
The baby, still brimming with excitement, flailed on her stomach, causing her already bunched-up skirt to ride higher.
“Ah! Wait, baby, hold on!”
While Adelen hurriedly tugged her skirt back down, Rakalt turned away, flustered.
“…Excuse me.”
“It’s nothing, nothing at all!”
Adelen scrambled to fix her appearance and awkwardly stood up.
“Ahem…”
“Hm…”
Neither could meet the other’s gaze, their eyes drifting to different corners of the room.
For both Adelen and Rakalt, sharing a space with someone of the opposite gender was a novel experience.
Though they had worked with others in tight quarters—be it servants assisting each other or knights collapsing from exhaustion in the field—this was different.
Despite her expectations, the reality of the situation caught her off guard.
“You’re back early.”
She noted that it wasn’t yet time for him to return from training with the knights.
“It’s raining.”
“…Oh.”
Only then did Adelen notice the rain streaking down the window.
It had been overcast all morning, and now it was pouring.
“Have you eaten?”
It was Rakalt who broke the awkward silence first.
“Yes, he found a meal he liked right away today and ate until he was full.”
Adelen tapped the baby’s round belly, eliciting a cute drum-like sound.
The baby giggled, and Adelen laughed along, easing some of the lingering tension in the air.
“I meant you.”
“Oh, me? Not yet…”
“I told you to eat properly.”
Here we go again, she thought.
Rakalt’s obsession with meals knew no bounds. Sometimes, it felt like he couldn’t distinguish between the battlefield and the household.
Though he claimed childcare was like war, it wasn’t as though skipping one meal would be fatal.
Rakalt disapproved of Adelen’s light eating habits, often checking with the butler to ensure she ate properly.
As a result, she had been eating three full meals a day, sometimes with additional snacks and late-night treats, leaving her perpetually full.
Adelen sighed.
Today, however, the baby had been so unusually active that she had skipped breakfast while trying to keep up.
To have her one skipped meal discovered so easily…
“Tell the butler to prepare something quickly. I haven’t eaten either, so we’ll eat together.”
“What? Again?!”
Adelen’s eyes widened. She thought their last shared meal had been an exception. She hadn’t expected it to happen again, especially since she wasn’t feeling particularly down today.
“Sit down.”
However, the master wasn’t someone who explained his reasons.
Moments later, sitting at the prepared table, Adelen couldn’t even force a smile.
Meat. Meat. Meat. No matter where she looked, it was all meat. Was this a dining table or a butcher’s shop?
While others might long for the opportunity to eat meat, only those accustomed to it could truly enjoy it.
Adelen was overwhelmed just by the sight of it.
“Eat plenty,” the master urged.
“Yes, sir…”
She replied weakly.
Yet, she couldn’t voice her real feelings.
This was the master’s way of showing care, an encouragement to gain strength through hearty meals. Adelen decided to accept his good intentions and quietly picked at the decorative greens on the edge of the plate.
Her actions didn’t escape the sharp eyes of Rakalt, who had already polished off the equivalent of two chickens.
“Is it not to your taste? Or do you lack an appetite?”
“Hic…”
Adelen’s shoulders stiffened.
Indeed, the master was intimidating in his own way. If he didn’t cut you down with his sword, he’d leave you choking on his commands.
“No, sir… I-it’s delicious…”
Adelen stammered, forcing a faint smile as she prolonged chewing the greens in her mouth.
Given the finest ingredients and the most skilled chefs, it was impossible for the dishes to taste bad. The challenge lay in physically forcing it down.
While her tongue appreciated the flavors, her throat issued a dire warning: ‘Eat more, and you’re done for.’
“If you don’t like it, I’ll have something else prepared,” Rakalt suggested.
Her throat tightened further.
