He felt frustrated when he thought of Ayla, as though his heart were clogged, but then he remembered that the nanny was saying that there was another side to the sensations, the side of excitement and fluttering in the heart, that he had been unable to experience since the annoyance was covering it up.
And even if there was a deep, unknown situation with Ayla, it was definitely strange to feel this much affection for her.
For Hirum and Selene, the most important educational policy was to cultivate a spirit of love and empathy in Winfred.
Not as the crown prince of a country, but as a human being.
Because he wanted to grow up to be someone who empathizes with other people’s sadness and knows how to feel heartache.
As a result of that education, Winfred grew up like that. A prince who loves his people and knows how to sympathize with their pain.
So, anyone other than Ayla would be worried and heartbroken if the people of the empire looked so sad.
But this was so severe. It was floating around in his head to the point where he couldn’t think of anything else all day.
‘… … If you think about it carefully, it’s strange that you don’t fall in love.’
Winfred’s cheeks flushed as he remembered the moment he met Ayla.
How can he not fall in love with this mysterious girl who is so cool, pretty, and cute, and even saves him from a life-threatening situation?
And Empress Selene, who was watching her son’s changes, smiled.
Instead of spending time with his parents, her son was lost in his world, and soon he seemed to have forgotten about his parents. His face was turning red like that, and he smiled without realizing it because it was so cute.
Perhaps it is possible for emotions to be revealed so transparently on one’s face. Looking at him like this, he was similar to Hiram not only in appearance but also in personality.
When she turned to the side, she saw that Hiram had a big smile on his face as well. The difference was that he was smiling playfully, trying to figure out how to make fun of his son.
When Selene widened her eyes in horror and warned him not to do so, Hiram’s face became noticeably sullen.
It’s not good for her to keep messing with her very sensitive adolescent son. Selene shook her head.
“Hmm, hmm. Winfred. I think I should visit the Duke of Weishafen’s residence soon.”
Winfred, deep in concentration, questioned in a bewildered tone when Hirum, who had been gloomy, cleared his throat and began speaking in an awkward tone.
“… … Yes? This is the duke’s residence? You said you’re accepting guests now?”
“Okay. “Because the Duchess has also entered a period of stability.”
The Duke of Weishafen had not been receiving guests for a while. It was because the duchess was retiring. Because it was a late reappointment in her mid-thirties, her every move was cautious.
“Please come and deliver a congratulatory gift on behalf of the imperial family.”
Selene smiled elegantly and said.
The Emperor was so busy that it was difficult for him to spare time, and the Empress was unwell and had difficulty moving around.
It’s not like Winfred wasn’t busy with his education and work as the crown prince, but he nodded because he was the one who was able to move around the most comfortably.
“Yes. “It should be that way.”
Rodrik was also his teacher who had taught him swordsmanship since childhood, so it was natural that he had to go at least once to say congratulations.
Selene’s arrangements were added to this, but Hiram and Roderick were completely oblivious.
It was a wise idea that a trustworthy Roderick would be much better for a son to receive dating advice than a playful father.
Winfred, who had no way of knowing his mother’s insidious(?) thoughts, smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
“The dukedom finally has an heir.”
Considering the Duke and Duchess’s wedding, they did not know why they were so late, but the emperor and his wife were lost in thought as they looked at their son who smiled brightly, saying that it was something to celebrate.
Winfred was so young that she didn’t seem to remember, but it was because she couldn’t smile easily when she thought about the duke’s lost only daughter.
“Why are you doing this?”
Although it should be something to be happy about, Winfred blinked with a puzzled expression when his parents didn’t look good.
“… … No. It’s something to celebrate. Of course.”
Seeing her father laughing awkwardly after hearing his words, Winfred pursed her lips and was lost in thought. After rummaging through her memories for a while, it occurred to her that Roderick and Ophelia had been looking for their lost daughter for a long time.
“Oh, right. “She had a princess, but she said she lost it.”
“Okay, Win. “I liked that kid quite a bit when you were young. Don’t you remember?”
“… … “Me?”
In response to her mother’s question, Winfred made an expression as if he had no recollection at all. Since it happened when he was only three or four years old, it was rather strange to remember it.
“I always said that when she grows up, she will be your bride.”
“Really?”
It wasn’t his father who seemed to worry about how to make fun of him every day, and if his mother said it, there was a high possibility that it was true, but since she really didn’t remember it, it was hard to believe it.
“That’s right, it was like that. I also jokingly said to Rodrik a few times, ‘Let’s get in-laws later’. Every time, Roderick got angry.”
He said, ‘No matter how close the prince is, I cannot forgive you for being greedy for my daughter.’ He was so embarrassed because he didn’t expect the serious Rodrik to get so angry.
Winfred looked at the princess and said, ‘You will be my bride.’ When he did it, he just laughed it off and said it was a child’s joke.
While his parents were laughing and talking about their memories, Winfred was deep in thought alone.
‘I said that?’
Even though he was three or four years younger, he liked someone and said he would make her his bride.
He doesn’t know why, but he feels like he has sinned against Ayla.
‘My first love should be Ayla.’
If they meet again later, He wants to give her his whole heart which he has never given to anyone else.
Since Ayla and he did not have any special relationship, this thought may be going on alone, but that was still how Winfred felt. Ayla would be free if she didn’t accept that feeling.
Because he wanted to give her a pure, spotless heart.
No, his first love was Ayla, no matter what anyone said. It was enough to pretend that there were no stories from his childhood that he couldn’t even remember.
Although it hasn’t been long since he realized that he likes Ayla, Winfred has become more serious than necessary and clenches his fists with an unnecessarily solemn expression.
* * *
Ophelia was sitting in a comfortable rocking chair and looking out the window with an expression that she did not know what was in her mind.
There was white snow piled up outside the window. It was a clean, quiet, yet somehow lonely landscape.
“… … “Ophelia.”
Her husband, Roderick, whispered her name in her ear. The hand he held around his wife’s neck was extremely careful.
“Ah, Roderick.”
“What were you thinking?”
In response to Roderick’s question, Ophelia unconsciously placed her hand on her lower abdomen. She couldn’t believe that life was still growing inside it.
“… … “Just.”
It was a thought she couldn’t bear to say out loud. Does she, who couldn’t protect her lost daughter, Ayla, have the right to become a mother again? That’s what she was thinking.
Her pulse was pounding just thinking about Ayla. She was very sorry she could not keep that child safe.
Everyone comforted her. She said it wasn’t her fault that Ayla was lost.
Who would have known that while the nanny was away for a moment due to urgent work, she would disappear with the child?
But Ophelia felt unbearably sorry. If she could turn back time, she would never have left her child’s side. Ten years passed by with such regret.
She can’t believe she becoming a mother again.
“Ophelia, are you really okay?”
Roderick asked with a trembling voice.
“… … Yes, I’m fine.”
Ophelia smiled and stroked her husband’s cheek.
The life growing in her stomach was also her child.
She felt sorry for the child who was born first, so she couldn’t give up on that younger sibling.
She could not let other children suffer because she felt grieved for the child she was unable to protect.
“… … Any news from Candice yet?”
Feeling on the verge of tears, Ophelia changed her words. It was because it was time to receive a reply from the friend who sent her a letter as soon as she found out she was having a child.
“Ah. “I was just bringing it because I had already received a reply, Ophelia.”
Roderick took out a letter envelope from his pocket and handed it over to Ophelia. The wax seal that sealed the letter depicted a woman wearing glasses and smiling with her teeth exposed.
Did you say that it was a self-portrait drawn by Candice Epocher, Ophelia’s old friend who sent the letter?
Roderick thought of his wife’s eccentric friend and smiled slightly.
An average person would think, ‘That blunt face is a smiling face?’ However, her wife, Ophelia, was able to notice that Roderick was smiling while thinking of Candice.
“What does she say?”
“He said he would just finish what he was doing and come back soon. “They say it’s scheduled to arrive in about two weeks.”
Candice lived in Tamora, a small island country across the sea.
Ophelia’s hometown is not that far from the southern coast of the Peles Empire, but it was quite a long way to travel just a month after hearing the news of her friend’s pregnancy.
When he heard that Candice was coming, the smile on Roderick’s face grew even brighter. He was worried a lot because he was an old man, but the fact that she was by his side put him at ease.
“… … “Do you think Candice might know why?”
Roderick asked cautiously.
