Chapter 7. Family 2

The grand coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince, which lasted for seven days, concluded without incident.

From the Edwards in the east, the Lewis in the west, the Wilkins in the south, to the Hunt in the north.

The nobles, regardless of their factions, genuinely celebrated the Crown Prince’s coronation, and the people cheered for the era of peace that had arrived.

The temple focused on the next generation’s future, and Michael conveyed not only Oedipus’s prayers but also Kaisis’s to the deity.

Charlie worried that it might be too much for a young child to handle, but Oedipus managed all the schedules with maturity.

During the coronation, the Imperial Guards were in charge of protecting the Crown Prince.

Since the founding of the nation, all imperial family ceremonies had been exclusively handled by the Edwards family’s Imperial First Guard, so this was a very unusual occurrence.

Kaisis dealt with Cedric’s punishment unofficially.

Cedric’s unilateral actions were a separate issue from his family.

At a time when Hunt, one of the three ducal families supporting the empire, had become independent, if the Edwards family were to fall as well, it could cause great chaos.

For this reason, people believed Cedric’s death was an ‘accident during subjugation,’ and the Edwards family was still nominally a ducal family of the Graham Empire.

However, Kaisis, unable to entrust Oedipus’s safety to the Edwards family, promoted the Imperial Guards to an official guard and appointed Ethan Cox as the head of the Imperial Guards.

Emerging from the shadows, the Imperial Guards instantly surpassed the Edwards and secured the position of the highest knightly order in the imperial family.

Additionally, the Marquis of Cox, which had fallen from grace decades ago due to false accusations, regained their honor and rose as the Crown Prince’s closest confidants and a new power.

The Imperial First Guard still protected the imperial family, but with the emperor’s cold treatment, the temple’s neglect, and the weak supernatural abilities of Ailia Edwards, the head of the Edwards family,

The demotion of the Imperial First Guard and the decline of the Edwards family were already well-known facts among the central nobility.

Meanwhile, Hector’s morning sickness had subsided considerably.

Except for his extreme reaction to carrots, where he would feel nauseous at just the mention of the word ‘carrot.’

Time passed quickly, and soon the day arrived for the Hunt delegation to return to their homeland.

“Haha……”

In the glass greenhouse of the former Grand Ducal residence, now the Hunt royal family’s villa.

Leon and his lord Hector, Kieran and her lord Noel, and Charlie sat facing each other.

This was to obtain permission for marriage from their respective lords.

It was a scene reminiscent of a family meeting.

Charlie, while listening to their love story, laughed awkwardly and dragged her words.

“I see……”

During the last expedition, the Hunt Knights’ power was truly remarkable.

Of course, it wasn’t like some toy that produced beads from its chest.

With troll hearts popping out and green blood splattering, Charlie had tightly closed her eyes at the scene unfolding before her.

Anyway, it was understandable that Kieran, a knight, could have found Leon impressive at that time.

In fact, Leon’s appearance as he took off from the ground was thrilling in itself.

Besides, who was Leon?

Wasn’t he the man of charm who held the honor of being ranked first in popularity within the Hunt royal palace?

But the problem was that there was something unclear about the part where Kieran fell for Leon.

“It was… clean. Right?”

“Yes, when I saw him, I thought he seemed like such a domestic man.”

Charlie’s eyes widened at Kieran’s rather serious impression.

What?

She saw him cleanly fillet a troll’s heart and though he was domestic…

‘Is this right?!’

Charlie turned to look at Hector.

“A good husband should know how to handle a sword cleanly.”

Hector nodded affirmatively.

Following that, Noel chimed in.

“Well, I was a bit surprised too when I saw this side of the Hunt Knights then.”

‘It seems to be true after all…’

Although she was inside a novel, why did it feel like she had fallen into a different world altogether?

Charlie’s eyes darted back and forth, unsure of how to respond.

“And when I saw the rabbit he gave as a gift, the way it seemed to have been killed instantly… I thought he must be such a pure man.”

Kieran blushed. Leon’s eyes filled with honey as he looked at her.

He seemed to find Kieran, who was embarrassed while praising him, incredibly lovable.

On the other hand, Charlie’s hands, which had been resting on her knees, dropped with a thud.

Again.

Once again, she believed, but even Kieran…

“But still, what impressed me the most was his final greeting to the troll.”

“Final greeting?”

When Noel asked, Kieran lowered her bright red face.

“Saying goodbye, calling it a friend…”

Her purple eyes, lost in thought, stared blankly into space.

‘These people, whether this one or that one, there really is no normal person here.’

* * *

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.

Leon and Kieran’s wedding proceeded at lightning speed.

Leon hurried, saying it shouldn’t overlap with Charlie’s childbirth.

As the pregnancy progressed towards its final stages, moving around became difficult and stability was needed.

Also, after giving birth, a certain period was needed for recovery.

[If we wait, it will easily be delayed by a year.]

So Leon pestered Tanner every day, following him around.

[The dress in southern style, the tuxedo in northern style…]

The Hunt family had a tradition of taking care of and being responsible for the entire lives of their vassals, including not only marriage but also dowry, childbirth, child-rearing, and even retirement.

Supporting them so they could focus solely on their assigned duties.

This was an excellent method not only for loyalty but also for increasing work efficiency.

Fueled by a strong belief that their loved ones would be protected, they charged forward without a moment’s hesitation.

It was also the reason why the secret of the Hunt family, that they were Grand Masters, could be maintained for 700 years.

Among them, the treatment of the knights was arguably the best.

On top of that, Leon was the head of the knights and the highest military commander.

Traditionally, the head of the knights received treatment comparable to the direct line of the Hunt family.

The person in charge of overseeing all this was Tanner, the Minister of the Imperial Household.

[I’d like a large garden. And a greenhouse too.]

[I heard that having an odd number of candles in the bedroom improves marital harmony. Ah! Please make the bathroom tiles white.]

[I’d prefer if the bed was a bit smaller. If it’s too big… Ahem.]

[Please make the lobby red and blue. The Hunt Knights’ emblem in red, and the Wilkins Knights’ emblem in green. You know this without me saying, right?]

[Oh, and the tableware…]

[Enough!!!]

As if taking revenge for all he had endured, Leon persistently tormented Tanner, and the fatigue under the eyes of the Minister of the Imperial Household deepened day by day.

Kieran stayed in the Hunt Kingdom after the wedding date was set.

At the same time, she retired from her position as the head of the Wilkins Knights.

Charlie worried that perhaps she had been forced to quit because of Leon, but…

[Kieran has always loved flowers since she was young. She’ll be happier touching flowers than handling swords. As long as Kieran is happy, that’s all that matters.]

Seeing Noel sincerely supporting Kieran’s decision to open a flower shop, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

[But the flower shop must be located in front of the Wilkins ducal residence. And the Wilkins family must have exclusive rights to the business.]

In the end, she was still a vassal of the Wilkins family, but…

Anyway, the day of their wedding arrived.

{She’s really pretty.}

{Such a beautiful child.}

Early in the morning.

A small commotion arose in the bedroom of Spinel Palace.

Hector, who had woken up earlier, was already out preparing for the wedding.

{But she’s strong, right?}

A cheerful voice stirred Charlie’s still sleepy mind awake.

‘Who?’

It certainly wasn’t Nova or Emma, and it couldn’t be the maids either.

The voices sounded like they belonged to children no older than their early teens.

Then who could it be?

Children who could break through the strict security and chatter in the royal couple’s bedroom.

Charlie tried to force her heavy eyelids open.

But strangely, her eyes wouldn’t open.

‘Is this a dream?’

Given that she had fought with a dragon before, this was quite a reasonble guess.

Meanwhile, the fairies’ conversation continued, unaware that Charlie had awakened.

{It’s a mysterious power.}

{Different from other humans.}

{Look, her hair is black.}

Charlie, who was about to ask who they were, couldn’t continue.

Black.

If the child to be born took after Hector, it would be like that.

And for some reason, she didn’t feel any sense of crisis.

Rather, she felt comfortable and languid, like she was floating on clouds.

{The same color as magical power.}

{Her eyes are red.}

Black hair and red eyes.

Charlie listened carefully to the sounds, imagining a child who looked exactly like Hector.

{That’s pretty too.}

{She’s pretty.}

{Yes, pretty.}

{I wish she would be born soon.}

{I want to play with her quickly.}

Giggle–

The excited fairies flew around Charlie with flushed faces.

{I think it would be okay to give honey to this child.}

{Me too.}

{I want to give some too.}

{I’ll give it first.}

As they argued about who would be first.

{Oh, look at her getting angry.}

One fairy stared at Charlie’s belly, where dark red magical power was rippling.

Then it grinned widely.

{She’s got a temper.}

{She’s feisty.}

{That’s good too.}

{After all, a descendant of a god should have a bit of a bad temper.}

Nod nod–

The fairies murmured in agreement.

{Don’t be wary.}

{We’re not here to bother your mother.}

But the dark red magical power enveloping Charlie’s body flashed threateningly.

The fairies watching from a step away whispered among themselves.

{They say humans love their parents blindly, it’s true.}

{They say humans are weak and need their parents’ care.}

{But this one isn’t an ordinary human.}

{And the mother is weaker than her.}

{And she’s different.}

{Right, different.}

{A stranger.}

{She’s a stranger.}

{But do you still like her?}

For a moment, Charlie’s heart sank.

A transmigrator.

Yes, Charlie was certainly a stranger in this world.

Additionally, being a Zero, she was indeed weaker than the child to be born.

Perhaps as a parent, she might not be able to protect the child, and instead might need the child’s protection.

This was what Charlie had been worried about.