Ariana only remembered her debutante ball as a night ruined by Kenneth’s cruel remarks. She was too upset to dance at all.

When they returned home, she was scolded to tears by her mother and Quentin for her ‘terribly unlikable attitude’ — the icing on the cake.

“Are you saying I was supposed to realise you liked me based on your behaviour that night?”

Kenneth insisted stubbornly.

“Well, it’s not like you liked me back then anyway. I still remember exactly what you said. You told me there wasn’t a single person at the ball you liked.”

“T-that was…”

“So, that night, the young Marquess got rejected by Lady Aberdeen without even realising why.”

Kenneth laughed softly, his lips brushing her neck, and Ariana suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to start fanning herself again.

If he could remember every word she’d said that night so long ago, then he must have started to like her much earlier than she’d realised.

But the problem was…

“Kenneth, you were outside with me back then. You weren’t even in the ballroom.”

“… Ah.”

“So I never lied to you from the start… not once.”

Ariana was so mortified that she nearly bit her own tongue. She’d only pried information out of Kenneth to see what was in his heart, yet somehow she felt she’d ended up on the losing end again.

How is anyone supposed to confess their feelings to someone they like?

She was a master at hiding her feelings — joking that she liked him was unthinkable.

When Kenneth’s chuckle grew louder, she thought she might die of embarrassment.

“Don’t laugh, don’t—ah!”

He scooped her up and fell onto the bed with her, drawing a startled squeal. Flustered and slightly annoyed, she could only manage a watery pout — Kenneth’s obvious delight left her with nowhere to look.

“Ariana, I hate to admit it.”

“Mmm… mmm…”

“If they’d left the two of us alone, we’d probably have been wandering around forever.”

She grudgingly agreed. They’d both been doing their best from the outset, just in the wrong direction. Considering how utterly clueless they’d been, it was a miracle they’d managed to conceive.

As Kenneth’s fingers moved to his shirt buttons, Ariana let out a whispery sigh.

“Tomorrow is Bibi’s birthday, so don’t wear me out too much.”

Kenneth replied by claiming her mouth in a lingering kiss — those pretty lips he’d wanted for so long.

***

Bibi’s birthday was the second-most important day in the ducal household, surpassed only by the couple’s wedding anniversary.

Warm spring sunlight gleamed through every polished window, casting a soft glow on the floral decorations tied with ribbons that adorned every sunlit corner.

Ariana and Kenneth had personally come to fetch Bibi, who had been bouncing with excitement since dawn.

“Happy birthday, Bibi.”
“Hehe, thank you!”

Wearing the pretty gown she had chosen herself and a delicate gold-thread crown, Bibi entered the dining room. Instead of skipping, as she usually did, she walked with an air of primness that was almost haughty, clearly imitating Ariana’s graceful stride.

As she was too young to attend social gatherings, her birthdays were intimate affairs, celebrated only with her parents and the household staff.

But wasn’t the true meaning of a birthday not in the number of people who congratulated you, but in how loved you felt?

When the time came for the staff to present their small collective gift, which they had prepared separately from her parents’, Bibi sat tall and straight in her chair like a proper young lady.

“Happy birthday, young miss!”

“Mm, thank you, everyone.”

Although she kept a composed expression while accepting greetings, her legs kicked excitedly under the table the moment she saw the towering trifle cake.

Emily, who had brought over a slice with a beaming smile, asked brightly.

“What did you wish for, young miss?”

“I wished—!”

Ariana, watching her cheerful daughter with affection, didn’t expect what came next. There had been no warning signs at all.

Without glancing at her parents once, Bibi declared boldly, her voice clear and no longer babyish.

“I wished for a baby brother or sister!”

Her shout echoed softly through the marble-floored dining room.

***

After the party, Ariana sat opposite her daughter, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks.

It was Bibi’s birthday, and Ariana had decided to say only kind things, but she couldn’t let this one slide.

‘A sibling?’

Ariana had seen it plainly — the way the eyes of every staff member in the room had widened subtly at those words.

The private life of a noble couple was not something to be spoken of carelessly, yet their little lady had just blurted it out in front of everyone.

“Bibi, sweetheart, that’s not something you should say in front of so many people.”

“Umm… did I do something wrong…?”

Bibi tilted her head, not fully understanding, but sensing she might have made a mistake.

“But, Mommy, if I made a wish, won’t I get a baby sibling? Isn’t the stork supposed to bring one?”

“Th-that’s…”

Caught off guard, Ariana faltered before crouching down to meet her daughter at eye level.

“Bibi… do you really need a sibling?”
“Mm-hmm! I really want one!”

“But Mommy thinks Bibi is more than enough… Is it because you don’t like that Moomy loves only you?”

“Eeh… It’s not that I don’t like it…”

Disheartened, Bibi turned to Kenneth this time. She knew Mommy was the strict one, while Daddy was hopelessly soft on her—he was her last line of defense.

“Daddy. Don’t you love me?”

And with that, she went in for the kill.

Kenneth barely managed to suppress a laugh with a forced cough before replying.

“Of course I love you. Daddy loves you and your mommy more than anyone.”

“Well, if you love me that much, can’t you call the stork and get me a baby sibling?”

“There may not be a sibling in Daddy’s love, but there’s a noble title and an inheritance waiting for you, Bibi.”

At that, Bibi looked truly puzzled.

Even a child knew that titles and fortunes were important. If Daddy could provide those for her, why couldn’t he do the same for a sibling? Was asking the stork really that difficult?

As Bibi grappled with this question, Kenneth gently ruffled her hair.

“Bibi, you’re Mommy and Daddy’s little princess. But if you had a sibling, you wouldn’t be the only princess anymore. Would that be OK?”

“But Daddy, I’m lonely.”

At those words, both Ariana and Kenneth froze.

Did a typical five-year-old even know what the word ‘lonely’ meant?

Yet there she sat, hugging her corgi — an obedient pup she had named Penny — and sticking out her lower lip. Penny, following his little mistress’s lead, wore a matching pout.

“Mommy, you’re busy with the department store. Daddy’s busy with the hotel.”

“If you stay with me, we can look at pretty things together.”

“Honestly! I’m grown up now, so I won’t take up all your time.”

Bibi shook her head with a huff, and Ariana and Kenneth exchanged a silent glance.
‘This isn’t going to be easy.’

Kenneth cleared his throat and tried another tack.

“How about we find you a playmate? Then you wouldn’t feel lonely.”
“Daddy, that friend still has to eat dinner with their family.”

‘Not easy at all…’
Kenneth’s lips twitched at her impeccable logic. Bibi squeezed Penny tighter and pleaded once more.

“Hnn… I want a baby brother or sister. Call the stork and ask it to bring one. Bibi’s been a good girl!”

Just moments ago she’d claimed to be a big girl; now she was back to coaxing them like a toddler.

Ariana met her daughter’s eyes, gnawing her lip, and resorted to a slightly underhanded diversion. “First—why don’t we open your presents?”
“Okay!”

An immediate escape hatch.

Bibi forgot the conversation at once, tearing into the nearest gold-wrapped box, while Ariana watched with a heart full of complicated feelings.

***

There was no lack of opportunity for Bibi to have a sibling. Since settling in the South, however, there had been no news of a second child – and for good reason.

In the Cremisa Empire, daughters could inherit titles, so there was no pressure to have a son.

‘Even if they had, Kenneth would have found a way to twist the law.’

Therefore, the decision not to have another child was a purely personal one. Neither of them had ever wanted children.

Following Ariana’s death, Bibi became Ariana’s moral compass, influencing all her decisions and giving her the strength to endure the scorn of others.

How precious Bibi was, and how absurdly precious.

How could she possibly love another child as fiercely as she loved Bibi?

And if a second baby did arrive, what then?

Wouldn’t she end up favouring one over the other?

Would she show such partiality if she had another child, just as her own mother loved Quentin more and left her feeling wounded?

The thought filled Ariana with guilt towards both Bibi and the as-yet-unborn sibling. She glanced sideways as Kenneth handed another gift box to their daughter.

‘Come to think of it, why has he never once mentioned having a second child?’