Much later, when Bibi found out that a baby sibling was on the way, she promptly puffed out her cheeks in protest.

“But I was the one who asked for the stork when I was little! It’s not fair!”

However, her indignation was short-lived, quickly replaced by wonder and fascination. She began clinging to her mother and spending time with her father. With both of them so close by, Ariana couldn’t help but smile more often.

Father and daughter didn’t look alike at all, but the way they acted, as if they couldn’t live without her? That part was unmistakably the same.

One day, as Ariana sat in her armchair, she glanced down at Bibi, who was watching her belly with a strangely solemn expression. She gently asked.

“Bibi, do you really like the idea of having a sibling that much?”

“Yeah! I really want to meet them soon. But…”

Bibi snuggled close to Ariana, her big blue eyes shifting anxiously. She knew that, in theory at least, this was supposed to be a happy thing. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy sometimes.

“But Mommy, I’m still the prettiest, right?”

“Of course.”

Replied Ariana, laughing as she pulled Bibi into her arms. Her little girl’s limbs were already growing long and slender like a deer’s.

“You’ll always be the most beautiful, my Bibi.”

No matter how much love Ariana had prepared for the baby on the way, the courage Bibi had given her would always hold a special place in her heart.

Whenever Ariana sat with Bibi nestled at her side, Kenneth could often be found nearby, quietly leaning against the doorframe and watching over them.

In that room, where the clear southern coastline and Saint Colette Cathedral appeared no larger than dollhouse decorations through the windows, they spent a precious, quiet chapter of their lives together.

Kenneth would often ask if Ariana needed anything, but at times like these, she felt that all her wishes had come true.

Labour began late at night.

Just hours before, the day had passed as usual—with Bibi chattering by Ariana’s side, vowing once again to “talk to the baby.” It had been an entirely ordinary day.

But as midnight approached, the estate was filled with light and movement. The doctor and nurses, who had been on standby, moved swiftly. While Bibi waited half-asleep with Emily, Kenneth stayed with Ariana in the birthing room.

As Ariana’s pain intensified and her cries filled the air, Kenneth’s thoughts turned to a blank haze. Over and over again, he asked himself.

‘Have I truly done everything I can for Ariana?’

‘Was it foolish of me to believe that she would be safe this time?’

‘Am I making the same mistake all over again?’

Just as he was being suffocated by these fears, a sharp, high-pitched wail pierced the air.

People were speaking — ‘The baby is safe, congratulations’ — but their words passed him by meaninglessly. He knew he should look at the baby and see for himself that she was safe, but his eyes were fixed on Ariana. She filled his whole vision.

Only when she whispered his name, barely audible, did he finally come back to himself.

“…Kenneth.”
“Ariana.”

Relief washed through him as he slowly exhaled. She smiled faintly from where she lay, half-asleep and utterly exhausted, in his arms. Summoning her last remaining strength, Ariana reached out a trembling hand towards the nurse who had just finished washing the baby.

“Our baby…”

Ariana had wondered what it would feel like to meet their second child.

The moment she laid eyes on the tiny bundle wrapped in swaddling cloth, she smiled despite her exhaustion.

“So you’re stubborn too… I thought he was the only one like that.”

It seemed her genes had their quiet share of wilfulness after all. Bibi had it, and so did this child — the fine strands of ash-gold hair on the baby’s head shimmered just like hers.

But there was one difference: This child had turquoise eyes.

“Hello there, little one.”

Ariana greeted her new born child, then closed her eyes, feeling exhausted yet certain that Kenneth would handle everything that followed.

As she had expected, he took charge without being asked: he soothed Bibi when she missed her mother; interviewed wet nurses; and attended to every tiny but vital task for their newborn son.

Finally, the day arrived when Ariana, who was now strong enough to sit up, and the baby were formally introduced to Bibi.

Naturally, Bibi was thrilled… though she couldn’t hide a flicker of disappointment.

“Hm, he’s not a girl…”

She murmured, peering into the cradle at the squirming infant. She’d been dreaming of matching outfits with a little sister.

Instead of scolding her outright, Kenneth chose a gentler tack.
“A little brother is even better—he has to follow your commands.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then I love him!”

Ariana arched a brow, smiling wryly. Part of her wanted to lecture Kenneth for instilling such notions—but Bibi was already cupping her hands around her mouth, whispering eagerly to the baby.

“Hurry and grow up. Big brother will take good care of you, so you’d better listen well.”

Their future dynamic was already crystal clear to Ariana. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, she lifted the child destined to be led around by his sister.

She had once believed love had a limit—that she’d poured every drop into Kenneth and Bibi. But love, she realized now, wasn’t a glass jar with fixed capacity; it was an ocean, forever able to swell with more.

“Let’s name him Nathaniel.”

She said softly. Beatrice had meant blessing; this time they would choose a name that meant gift. And until he grew into such a grand name, they would simply call their second child “Nate.”

***

As Kenneth marked Bibi’s height against a tree in the garden and their family photos shifted from a trio to a quartet, time quietly passed.

On the day their second child turned two, a grand new opera house was completed in the South. Naturally, as one of the most influential couples in the region, the Duke and Duchess of Clifford were invited to attend its opening performance.

But as Ariana and Kenneth descended the central staircase dressed in their evening attire, their youngest—cradled in the nanny’s arms—began to whimper, thumb in mouth.

“Hmph… I wanna go toooo…”

“I’m sorry, Nate. Daddy and Mommy will be back very soon.”

Ariana said gently, brushing her son’s cheek with a fond smile.

He had Kenneth’s face, but cried so easily—unbelievable. Adorable, yes, but this part of him clearly came from her side.

As his crying grew more pitiful, Bibi—now the reigning little queen of the household—planted both hands on her hips and declared.

“Oh, come on! Stop crying! Tonight is for grown-ups. You’re a baby, so you can’t go.”

“Noona…”

“No more tears! I’ll teach you how to play cards today. Let’s do that while we wait!”

Though she was comforting him, she didn’t miss the chance to sneak in her favorite game. And of course, her much-younger brother had no chance of actually winning.

Ariana gave Kenneth a sidelong glance, silently blaming him for teaching their daughter such tricks. Kenneth, however, skillfully avoided her gaze.

Still, Bibi’s cunning worked—Nate’s tears dried, and he ended up waving goodbye with his sister as their parents departed.

The new opera house was already bustling by the time they arrived, the lobby packed with early guests. But as soon as the duke and duchess entered, everyone rose to their feet—bowing deeply or offering respectful nods from afar.

It was a reception akin to one reserved for the imperial family.

And no wonder. The once-prestigious Claude dynasty had long faded into irrelevance; now, society moved in step with this couple. Especially the duchess—if she so much as skipped a visit to a salon or party, the host might as well cancel it altogether.

Hosts fought to earn even a glimpse of her.

The cruel nicknames that once clung to Ariana had vanished so completely, it was as though they’d never existed.

As the flurry of greetings began to quiet down, Kenneth turned to her just before they took their seats in the box.

“You don’t have to push yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

Ariana replied firmly, straightening her back with poise.

The opera they were about to watch tonight was, in fact, the very one they had intended to see on their first ever outing together.

In high society, one couldn’t speak of refined entertainment without mentioning opera. And avoiding this particular performance—one of the most popular—would have only made them fodder for subtle ridicule.

‘If Kenneth was fine, then so was she.’

Ariana had chosen to attend tonight’s performance partly to prove to herself that the pain of the past no longer held power over her.

At first, her palms were damp with nervous sweat. But as the opera unfolded, she realized it was far more captivating than she remembered.

During the intermission, however, she finally voiced a question that had been bothering her for a while. Leaning in close, she whispered to Kenneth.

“By the way, Kenneth… why wasn’t there a scene where the prima donna fires a gun?”

“Hm?”

“You know—back when we first tried to see this show, you said something like that.”

Ariana remembered that moment as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. She’d been so busy stealing glances at his profile that she hadn’t paid attention to the performance—and Kenneth had ended up scolding her for it.

“That proposal scene felt familiar for some reason…”
“Because it was romantic, of course—”
“Did you miss the part where the prima donna just shot the male lead?”

Kenneth retraced the memory, then let out a low chuckle.

“Ah… that? I made it up.”

“…What?”

“That scene was never in the opera. I forgot I even said that.”

Ariana was so stunned she nearly kicked the wall of the box seat in front of her. But in the name of decorum, she quickly lowered her head toward him instead, covering their faces with her fan.

Kenneth leaned in to meet her halfway.

“Why? Why would you lie about that?”

“You looked so lost in thought… I just wanted to have a little fun with you.”

“Kenneth!”

A flicker of laughter and affection lit his turquoise eyes.

“But even if that scene had existed, I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“…You weren’t watching either?”

“Nope. I was too busy watching you that night.”

“You…”
“How could I focus on the story, when all I was waiting for was the curtain to fall—just so I could give you that tiara?”

“…Pfft.”

‘Hopeless.’

She thought, pressing a hand over her mouth as soft laughter bubbled out.

The velvet curtains parted once more, the lights dimmed, and Ariana lifted her eyes to the stage with a smile—only for tears to blur her vision. She wiped them away in a hurry, certain she’d been discreet, yet the droplets kept surfacing for reasons she couldn’t name.

‘I’m so happy… so why does the past still sting like this?’

Kenneth took her left hand quietly in his beside her, his touch steady and warm. Ariana dabbed at the corners of her eyes and offered him a faint, tearful smile.

In time, the pain would fade, washed away like watercolours left in the rain. The shame of being mocked and mistreated; the heartbreak of lowering her child into the cold earth; the days when the man she loved turned away from her cruelly — one day, all of that would blur and soften.

What would remain were the bright moments, shining and unblemished like flawless gems.

Gently curling her fingers around his, she turned her gaze forward once more, silently vowing that when the final curtain fell, she would greet it with a smile—welcomed by the sound of thunderous applause.

***