“The reason I didn’t want to go to the banquet was because of Rian. I didn’t want to leave him with bad memories.”

Lahart silently listened to Iren. Her gentle voice continued.

“Rian isn’t used to meeting strangers often. That’s what I thought. Until his birthday party.”

That thought changed when she saw Rian, who was so happy throughout the birthday party.

Had Rian’s world been too small all this time? Had she confined him too much out of excessive worry? Wouldn’t it be better to help Rian experience a wider world and meet more people?

Of course, it was a thought she could never have had alone. It was because Lahart, like a giant tree, stood by Rian’s side.

Iren recalled Rian asleep, leaning against Lahart in the forest. That was exactly the image of Lahart and Rian she had dreamed of.

Still, she never dared to think such a day would come.

“Rian is very curious. He doesn’t hesitate to challenge new environments. If Rian wants, I want to give him the things I haven’t been able to until now.”

“Yes.”

I feel the same way as you. Lahart’s eyes whispered that. He wouldn’t hesitate to give everything to Iren and Rian. He had even been willing to sacrifice his life.

When Iren responded with a smile, Lahart kissed the back of her hand.

“It’s probably thanks to you, Duke.”

“What is?”

“The reason Rian wants to go to the party. Since he enjoyed the birthday party, he wants to go to another one.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“You’re being humble. Where has your endlessly arrogant self gone?”

Lahart’s eyes darkened. Instead of answering, he brought his lips to her hand again. This time, it was her palm, not the back of her hand. The sensation of his moist lips pressing against her palm made Iren’s shoulders tremble slightly.

“The Lahart Cardius who tormented you and Rian is dead. The one standing here is your loyal servant and husband, whom you saved.”

“…Is that so.”

Iren answered softly. Lahart wrapped his arm around her waist. Iren leaned her head on his shoulder and looked at where Rian had disappeared.

“I hope this party also leaves a good memory for Rian.”

“It will, for sure.”

Lahart’s answer was more of a vow. His determined tone, as if he would make it happen no matter what, made Iren laugh out loud. Lahart’s stubbornness was reassuring at that moment.

* * *

A few days later, the three of them boarded the carriage after finishing their travel preparations. Since the roads weren’t frozen yet, they decided it would be fine to travel to the villa by carriage.

Even Lahart, who always traveled on horseback, joined them in the carriage this time. He cited health reasons, but Kaman couldn’t believe it at all.

Lahart didn’t want to be away from Iren and Rian, no matter what he was doing. It was hard to believe that a person who once seemed like a cold wind carrying blades around him could change so much.

‘It’s all good, but will he be alright meeting His Majesty in this state?’

“I’m sorry, Lord Kaman. We’re leaving during a busy time.”

Iren spoke apologetically to Kaman, who had come to see them off. To be honest, Kaman wanted to beg her not to go and to save him. With Lahart having completely abandoned his duties using his illness as an excuse, if even Iren, who had been helping, left…

‘I’ll die of overwork.’

But Kaman couldn’t utter a word. Lahart was glaring at him with a terrifying look from behind Iren.

Choosing between dying of overwork in a few days or being beheaded by a sharp blade right now, Kaman held back his tears.

“Have a safe trip… Have a great trip. It will be a nice change.”

“Mom, Uncle Kaman is crying. Why is he crying?”

“Maybe some dust got in his eyes. Let’s get on quickly.”

Lahart, who had been glaring at Kaman, lifted Rian into the carriage first.

He then gently pushed Iren, who still looked apologetic, into the carriage. Approaching the dejected Kaman, Lahart spoke.

“Smile.”

“Pardon?”

“When I say smile, just smile. Don’t say unnecessary things.”

Leaving this threat, Lahart got into the carriage leisurely. Kaman felt incredibly miserable but had no choice. With a face that looked like he was crying and laughing at the same time, he waved his hand. Rian, peeking out of the window, smiled brightly and waved back.

The brief moment of cheerfulness thanks to Rian vanished as soon as Lahart pulled Rian back inside, saying it was dangerous, and closed the window. Lahart’s sharp gaze lingered on Kaman until the last moment.

The carriage carrying the harmonious family moved away.

“Sir, you have quite the nerve.”

“Pardon?”

Robben, who had come to stand beside Kaman unnoticed, was smiling subtly. When Kaman asked in confusion, Robben shook his head.

“You shouldn’t try to talk to the Madam in front of the Master.”

“But the Madam spoke to me first…!”

“Such excuses won’t work with the Master. Now, the Master has entrusted us with his duties, so we must work hard.”

Laughing heartily, Robben patted Kaman on the shoulder and turned away. Kaman felt so miserable that he wanted to sit down and cry.

And more than anything, the enormous pile of documents in the office made him incredibly sad.

* * *

The carriage carrying the three of them safely approached the area where the villa was located. Since the road to the villa was paved, the carriage traveled smoothly through the forest.

“You can ride a carriage in the forest…”

Rian, sticking to the window, was in awe. To Rian, the forest was a place full of grass and trees, where it was dangerous to walk unless he held his mom’s hand.

In fairy tales, the forest was always where scary monsters or ill-tempered mages appeared. So, he never imagined they could pass through the forest by carriage.

“It’s because there’s a road.”

“Can’t we ride if there’s no road?”

“Horses can run, but it would be difficult for a carriage. It can easily get damaged without a road.”

“Then, then I want to learn to ride a horse too.”

“I thought you were scared of foals.”

Lahart, sitting opposite, teased, and Rian puffed out his cheeks.

“I’m not scared!”

“Really? I remember someone crying a lot because they were scared. Was that someone else, not Adrian?”

“T-that time… I was a little scared… but not anymore. Rian is 5 years old now!”

“You were 5 years old then too.”

“U-uh…”

“Stop it. Rian, come here.”

Rian plopped down next to Iren, sniffling. Lahart chuckled at Rian, who couldn’t contain his frustration. It seemed his competitive nature was similar to his own.

Although he liked seeing Rian smile, he found the teary-eyed child adorable too, so he teased him whenever he could.

The dense trees that had been rushing past the window suddenly disappeared. When the open sky appeared, Rian’s eyes sparkled as if he had never been upset. They seemed to be getting close to the lakeside. Iren tidied up Rian’s appearance.

“We’ve arrived, Duke. I’ll open the door.”

The carriage stopped, and the door opened. Before Iren could stop him, Rian quickly descended the steps.

As Iren hurried to follow the excited Rian, Lahart grabbed her wrist.

“Wait.”

Lahart slipped a ring onto Iren’s finger. The white gem sparkled brilliantly, engraved with the symbol of the Cardius Ducal family, the Snow Rain.

“I hope this party becomes a good memory for you too. It’s your first time as well.”

“…Yes. That’s right. Come to think of it, it is.”

“Then let’s go. You must be tired from the long carriage ride.”

Lahart, who had stepped down first, extended his hand. Iren’s heart pounded as she took his hand and descended from the carriage.

A gasp escaped Iren’s lips when she set foot on the ground.

It was a beautiful villa. The building, made of reddish-brown bricks, was surrounded by a blue lake in the front and a forest in the back.

This place, where winter had not yet arrived, was in the peak of autumn. The trees surrounding the villa were vibrantly colored as if painted with various hues. Additionally, the ivy clinging to the exterior walls made the building look like it was blooming with roses from a distance.

In Sirencia, where winter was long and snowfall was heavy, causing the autumn leaves to disappear quickly, such a sight was rare. Iren and Rian were speechless.

“It’s so pretty…”

“The building is pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. The building and the trees have similar colors!”

“Is it okay if I take Rian for a little walk?”

“Of course.”

Lahart answered readily. As the only person in the empire whom even the Emperor couldn’t treat lightly, he didn’t need the Emperor’s permission to take a walk around the villa.

Rian confidently spread his arms. He was now a child who naturally expected Iren and Lahart to hold his hands on either side. Both of them met his expectations and took his hands.

The three of them walked around the villa. Although there was no separate garden, there was plenty to see all around, so it wasn’t disappointing. Rian seemed to enjoy the sound of the crunching leaves underfoot and stepped on them deliberately.

“The villa seems old. The vines have grown a lot… it has a nice atmosphere.”

“Since it’s an imperial villa, it’s at least 100 years old.”

“100 years? How long is 100 years?”

“What’s the largest number you know, Rian?”

“The largest number? One, two…”

When Iren let go of his hand, Rian started counting on his fingers. Lahart stopped walking to follow Rian, who had halted to count. He then patted Rian’s head.

Rian looked up suddenly and laughed. Rian was particularly weak to Lahart’s head pats.

“Hehe… Ah! I forgot what number I was at. I have to start over.”

Even though he could only count up to 10 with his fingers, Rian earnestly counted. Finally, Rian, who had folded all his fingers, raised his fists triumphantly.

“Ten! Rian counted to ten. Look, Mom.”

“You can count to ten. That’s amazing.”

“Ehem.”

Puffed up with pride from the praise, Rian stuck out his chest. The concept of how much 100 was quickly moved out of his interest.

“Let’s go. We can explore the lake later.”

“Yes. It would be rude to wander around too much before greeting them. Let’s go, Rian.”