The capital of the empire is Venator. Preparations to welcome guests were in full swing at the Duke of Weisshaven’s residence.
The owner of the mansion, Roderick Weishafen, was there to welcome them.
And next to her, Candice Epocher was grumbling with a dissatisfied expression. She said she didn’t know why she came all the way here.
“Aren’t you glad your sister is coming, Candice?”
“… … “It’s clear that the Wizard Council sent me to catch me. No matter how much I think about it, that’s the only answer.”
Candice, whose face was covered in shadow, muttered that she would resign if the suit changed, and Roderick smiled slightly when he saw her.
After a while, the sound of horses’ hooves was heard in the distance, and they started to get closer.
“Ah, looks like we’ve arrived.”
Eventually, the carriage procession arrived. The wagons were following behind the luxurious carriage at the head.
Then, the carriage door in front opened, and a tall, slender woman who resembled Candice jumped out. Without even having time for Roderick to escort her.
“Uh, Austin, be careful. “Fall.”
Natalia got off the carriage and held her husband’s hand as he got off. Thanks to this, Roderick, who missed the opportunity to say hello, had no choice but to stand in silence.
“… … “Are you here?”
“Oh, it’s here.”
Candice pouted her lips and gave a brief greeting, and Natalia also greeted her greeting just as bluntly.
“I’m here too, brother-in-law.”
“Welcome, Austin. “You had a hard time getting here, right?”
However, when her brother-in-law said hello, Candice smiled cheerfully and greeted him warmly, as if it had never been cold before.
“Wow, can’t I welcome you too?”
“How pretty is it?”
Natalia whined in a sad voice, but Candice snorted and turned her head.
Roderick, who was looking at this awkwardly, finally found an opportunity to intervene and greeted the guests who came to his house.
“Welcome, Natalia. I heard you got married. “I’m sorry I couldn’t go.”
“Wow, Your Excellency the Duke! It’s been a while. When was the last time I saw you… … . therefore… … .”
Natalia went through her memories and recalled her last meeting with Roderick, then remembered that it was when Ayla was born and quickly changed her mind.
It was because she didn’t want to cause any confusion by bringing up the story of her lost first child.
“When was my wedding, and someone busy is still paying attention to it? It’s okay, it’s okay. “I am so grateful just for the gift you sent me back then.”
She smiled cheerfully and introduced each other so that Austin and Roderick, who were meeting each other for the first time, could say hello. They exchanged loud greetings in front of the gate for a while, and only then were they able to enter the mansion.
After taking a short break from their long journey, Natalia and her husband took the gifts sent to Ophelia from the Heiling family and visited the mother and baby room.
When she met with them, who had come to a foreign land to celebrate, Natalia was happy as she looked at the tiny baby with eyes dripping with honey. The same was true for her husband, Austin.
“Oh my gosh, you’re so pretty and cute, Natalia. It reminds me of when Cheryl was like this. Our Cheryl was this pretty too.”
He smiled as a father, thinking of his six-year-old daughter whom he left behind at home, and Natalia agreed, saying the same thing.
And, Candice, who was listening to the conversation between the two, joined in from the side with a dissatisfied expression.
“… … “He’s my son.”
“Oh, I see… … . I’ll stop making mistakes… … .”
Austin’s face turned red from embarrassment and he apologized, but Ophelia smiled sweetly and shook her head as if it was okay.
“It’s okay, a lot of people misunderstood.”
They were used to it because Noah was born small and looked pretty, so there were quite a few people who mistook her for her daughter.
“Anyway, what are those boxes, Natalia?”
Ophelia asked, pointing to the pile of boxes that had been on Natalia’s and Austin’s radar since they came in.
“Oh, that one? These are gifts from the Hailing family. When I told them I was going to see my sister, everyone packed me various things.”
Natalia shrugged her shoulders and answered, and Ophelia was left speechless by the answer.
When she gave birth to her first child, Ayla, she was not congratulated by her family. Her family was against her marrying Roderick and staying in the Pheles Empire, but she married despite their opposition, which caused her to become estranged from her family. It was.
Fortunately, they reconciled a few years ago, and her brother’s family even came to visit the empire.
She never imagined that she would receive a baby gift like this.
“Open it, Ophelia. hurry.”
Candice put her arm around Ophelia’s shoulder and urged her, and Ophelia opened the box on top.
The box contained a set of baby clothes made of soft, luxurious cotton. It was a set of hand wraps and foot wraps with matching designs.
And on top of it, there was a letter written in a familiar handwriting. It was a letter from my older brother Isidore that said congratulations in a crude but sincere way.
After reading the letter, Ophelia burst into tears.
At the time of her marriage to Roderick, it was her older brother who was most opposed to the marriage.
It’s not that she couldn’t understand her older brother’s sentiments when he heard that his talented younger brother was giving up his future in the Republic of Tamora and marrying a nobleman from a foreign country. Still, she had no choice but to oppose it, but at that time, young Ofelia was sorrowful.
It was even more so because my relationship with my brother was particularly good.
“Why are you crying, Ophelia?”
When his wife suddenly burst into tears, Roderick came to her side with a bewildered expression. He was afraid that the letter might contain bad news.
“Onii-sama said congratulations… … .”
Ophelia shed tears as she was held in Roderick’s arms.
Roderick comforted Ophelia and read Isidore’s letter.
The letter ended with the words, ‘I have now accepted the fact that your true happiness lies there. I am sorry for trying to judge your happiness by my standards.’
Because of that, Roderick’s eyes also started to turn slightly red.
It was only now, after all this time, that I felt recognized by Ophelia’s family.
“… … You understand. That couple is very emotional these days.”
Candice shook her head, saying it was like that again, and Natalia shrugged as if she understood everything.
“You don’t know because you’ve never had a child, but things tend to be like that after you have a child.”
Even Austin nodded in enthusiastic agreement, but Candice shook her head as if she still didn’t understand.
Natalia, who was standing next to the baby’s bed again and looking at Noah, noticed the gift hanging on the bed and her eyes widened.
It was made of paper, and the flowers and animals were so elaborate and delicate that it seemed like a lot of care had been put into it.
“Oh, this is a pretty gift.”
When she lightly touched the gift with her fingertips, the bells inside the paper doll tinkled and made a clear and beautiful sound.
“Do you know how precious that gift is? It was handmade by the crown prince of the Peles Empire.”
In response to her younger brother’s praise, Candice shrugged her shoulders and boasted. It wasn’t mine, and I didn’t make it.
And at the word ‘crown prince’, Natalia suddenly remembered meeting Winfred at the port on her way home and slapped her older sister on the back.
“Oh, right, right! “Sister, I met His Highness the Crown Prince when I came. It was such an amazing coincidence.”
When Natalia, who has hot hands, slaps her back, Candice, who flinches and avoids the touch, asks what she means when she hears that she has met Winfred.
“you? “Where on earth?”
“Well, I just arrived in the empire, and the crown prince’s procession is passing by at the port. So I was watching, and you mistook me for your sister and started talking to me, right?”
Natalia made a fuss and told me the story of meeting the crown prince. Even the fact that he told her to say hello to him when he went to the duke’s house.
While she was telling this exciting story, Ophelia and Roderick seemed to have calmed down a bit and joined in the story, wiping away their tears.
“That’s a strange relationship.”
When Roderick spoke curiously, Candice opened her mouth and accepted what he said.
“That’s right. I went through a lot of trouble while coming to this empire.”
“… … “I went through all sorts of things. It wasn’t just His Royal Highness that I met.”
And Austin, who had been quietly listening to the story, joined in and sighed.
“What else did you meet, Austin?”
Candice urged him to babble. However, the answer came from Natalia, not Austin.
“Oh, right. I almost died, sister. “I met a pirate.”
After hearing the story about meeting a pirate, everyone gathered around her and started concentrating on the story.
And Austin closed his eyes slightly and shook his head as if he couldn’t stop her, correcting her story.
“I must speak clearly, Natalia. We did not meet, but Natalia jumped in to help a trade ship that encountered pirates.”
“Huh, then as a fellow sailor, do you ignore people in the same industry who are in trouble? You can’t do that.”
Natalia said sternly, moving her index fingers from side to side.
“Oh, indeed. Leave the fight later and talk about it quickly. What does it mean to almost die? “With your skills, I don’t think you’ll be defeated by pirates.”…
