Chapter 33: Battle Against Many
This wasn’t just Adelen’s problem.
Everyone present found themselves wondering, What if this were my responsibility?
That baby was clearly not an ordinary child. Could anyone possibly manage to take care of him alone while also playing with him?
It seemed nearly impossible.
But that was exactly the situation Adelen had been left to handle on her own.
It was a serious issue.
If there were multiple caregivers, the physical burden could be shared more evenly. But the problem was that the baby was glued to Adelen like a limpet.
“Playing with children is traditionally a strong dad’s role!”
At that moment, one of the knights stepped forward.
His name was Dowen, and his unique qualification was that he was a father. His past experience included looking after children back in Morn, making him both confident and experienced.
“I have a daughter, so I’ve never played this rough before… Actually, my wife would’ve smacked me if I tried! But as a knight of Sigelion, the strongest in Teplan, how could I fail at physical play? I’ll do it! Let me take care of this!”
Hearing this, other knights quickly followed suit.
“In that case, I’ll help too!”
“Count me in!”
Most of them had only exchanged a few greetings or brief conversations with Adelen, but they stepped forward to volunteer for extra duties beyond their regular work hours.
Adelen, moved to tears, looked at them with watery eyes.
Not only was she grateful for their kindness, but she was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of finally being able to rest.
“Thank you all so much, really…”
Seeing her on the verge of tears, the knights nodded resolutely.
Now, they just needed Rakalt’s approval.
Rakalt glanced at Adelen, whose face looked utterly worn out, and let out a short sigh before nodding.
“Th-thank you!”
Adelen was grateful not only to the knights who volunteered to help but also to her master for granting permission.
No matter how much love and effort she put into caring for the baby, she didn’t have the strength to pull him off the chandelier or stop him from climbing walls. At this desperate moment, the help being offered felt like salvation.
“What game should we start with? Something tough, energetic, and chaotic?”
Their overflowing energy matched their enthusiasm.
The Sigelion mansion was spacious, which was a blessing.
To ensure safety, the baby wasn’t allowed outside the house at all. Although staying indoors might have felt confining, the mansion was so vast that it hadn’t become a problem yet.
The baby was fine, and the house was holding up well, too.
If it had been an ordinary house, it wouldn’t just have been the toys breaking—it would’ve been the house itself. But the Sigelion mansion was sturdy enough to handle it.
“Kyah! Eekyaah!”
The baby was having the time of his life. He was so excited that his face was flushed bright red.
He let out dolphin-like screeches as he crawled all over the place.
“Hahaha! Not done yet, little one! Crawl faster… or climb if you can!”
“How about that? Not so easy, huh? We’ve got at least a hundred rounds left in us! Hahaha!”
And the knights, as thrilled as the baby, matched his energy level perfectly.
Adelen, watching them play with the baby at such a level, shed tears of gratitude while smiling.
She’d lost count of how many games they’d already played.
From ball games to crawling races and tumbling contests, they had repeated all sorts of physical games over and over. If Adelen had tried, she would’ve collapsed into a heap long ago.
Some of the games bordered on actual training exercises.
“Huff, huff… How about now? Tired yet?”
“Wuuu… Wuuuu…”
“Haha! That’s what it means to be a knight of Sigelion! Bring it on!”
“Euuuung… Euuuu…”
The baby, blinking heavy eyes in frustration, eventually slumped to the floor, clutching a ball tightly.
“Euuu… snore…”
He was out cold in an instant, snoring softly as he hugged the ball.
Everyone watched nervously, wondering if he’d suddenly wake up and start crawling again. But the baby remained asleep, showing no signs of stirring.
“Looks like we did it.”
“Yeah, it’s over. We’ve won!”
“Adelen, get some proper sleep tonight.”
Finally, the knights, drenched in sweat and their faces flushed, fanned themselves with whatever they could find.
The fireplace had been extinguished long ago for security reasons, but the room was still hot from their exertions.
Moved by their hard work and fiery passion, Adelen was deeply touched.
“We’ll take our leave now.”
“All right. Good work.”
The knights, triumphant from their battle against the baby, left the room with heads held high.
“Thank you for your hard work. Please come again!”
To Adelen, they were nothing short of heroes.
Hoping they’d return someday, she offered them a farewell more suited to a restaurant employee.
“They’re truly wonderful people…”
Even after the knights disappeared, Adelen gazed at the still-sleeping baby with a warm smile.
“Tonight might actually be peaceful.”
Rakalt, closing his documents, approached Adelen.
He hadn’t been at ease watching her struggle every night.
He’d tried holding or putting the baby to sleep himself a few times, but for some reason, the crown prince responded to Rakalt with violent rejection.
While Rakalt hadn’t directly killed the baby’s parents, he was still an enemy of the baby’s nation.
“Excuse me, my lord.”
Just as Rakalt was about to approach Adelen, a hushed voice came from outside the door, careful not to wake the baby.
Rakalt sighed and stepped out into the hallway. He couldn’t deny it—the entire Sigelion household revolved around this one baby.
“What is it?”
“There was an attack just now.”
“From where?”
“It seems to have come from Morn. It doesn’t look like General Kias’s forces, though.”
“So the crown prince was the target.”
Rakalt’s eyes narrowed.
While Teplan’s knights played with Morn’s crown prince, Morn had sent assassins to kill their crown prince. The irony was maddening.
Rakalt clenched his jaw briefly before stepping back inside. He softened his expression, ensuring Adelen wouldn’t be startled.
“You’re always so cheerful,” she whispered, smiling at the baby. “He must’ve had so much fun—he’s even smiling in his sleep.”
Rakalt sighed. “Save your energy for your own child someday. Don’t waste it on a hostage whose fate is uncertain.”
But Adelen replied with a warm smile, “Right now, he’s my baby. That’s all that matters.”
